The perfect soft vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe with a few tricks to make them extra soft and thick. These are my go-to chocolate chip cookie.
Everybody has their go-to, tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe, right? Well, I used to before going vegan and since then it’s been hit or miss. I swear I have tried countless recipes over the years, and some have been pretty good (some VERY bad!) but I had yet to find the PERFECT vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe I was looking for.
Until now.
I have been working on perfecting this recipe for months, I’ve taken several rounds of photos and then decided, nope, not quite perfect yet. Cookie testing is hard work, but somebody has to do it. 🙂
What makes this vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe so darn perfect?
They are so thick, puffy and soft (but not undercooked). They are not flat and they spread just the right amount during baking.
They are perfectly soft and chewy. For real.
Plus these cookies are almost completely foolproof, and come out perfect every time! And you can make them in 1 bowl (except for the flax egg). I don’t know about you, but I really can’t be bothered with getting out 2 big bowls for chocolate chip cookies.
And the best ever thing about vegan chocolate chip cookies?
You can safely eat the cookie dough to your heart (and stomach’s) content!!!
What makes vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe so soft and thick?
- You must chill the dough for at least a half hour, preferably an hour or even overnight (but who has patience for this?) It’s what gives them that thickness, and prevents them from spreading like crazy and crisping up.
- Cornstarch (or tapioca starch). It’s the secret to puffy, thick cookies!
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Helpful tools used in this recipe:
- Handheld Mixer or
- Stand Mixer
- Silicone mat for baking or parchment paper
If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes! Rate it & leave a comment below. Enjoy!
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- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2.5 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) earth balance vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips
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Mix the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside to make your flax egg.
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In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened vegan butter for a minute until creamy. Now add in the brown sugar and mix for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy.
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Add the vanilla and the flax egg and mix in.
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Next, stop the mixer and add 1 cup of the flour and sprinkle the cornstarch, baking soda and salt on top of the flour. Turn the mixer on low speed, and mix until just combined. Add the other cup of flour and mix until combined. The dough will be quite thick.
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Add in the chocolate chips and mix for a minute, either by hand or with the mixer until they are evenly distributed.
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Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate/chill for at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 day.
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Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and let sit on the counter for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
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Roll the dough into balls, about 1-2 tablespoons each. Bake for about 10 minutes, until they are barely golden around the edges. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Cookies should stay fresh for 4-5 days, if they last that long.
- TIP: Freeze cookie dough balls to have on hand to make just a few cookies at a time! Simply cook for 1-2 minutes more, no need to thaw.
- May substitute coconut oil for the vegan butter if desired. Just make sure it's not melted, you want it to be semi-firm.
- Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.
These truly are the best chocolate chip cookies.
I made these cookies a few nights ago and they were awesome! The texture is spot-on for the type of cookies I love – soft and chewy. I made them at first mini-sized but then, a few days later, I made them larger with the extra dough. I can’t say how long the dough was in the fridge but it had to be 4-5 days and it was still fresh. I got to say that I liked the larger cookies better but that’s just my preference. This recipe is SO GOOD and everyone needs to make it!
Thank you SO much Stephanie! I’m so glad someone loves this cookie recipe as much as I do, lol. 🙂 I am so with you on the best kind of cookies being soft and chewy. I haven’t made these mini sized yet but I am going to have to do that soon, sounds fun!
Wow! These cookies are nothing short of amazing! My daughter is allergic to milk and eggs, and it is so hard to find cookie recipes that do not yield flat, hard cookies. We used oat flour, and they still came out excellent. A slight crisp on the outside, soft and chewy goodness on the inside. Thank you for the perfect recipe.🍪🥛
Thanks so much for taking the time to write this review! I appreciate it so much. 🙂 I’m so glad you finally found a recipe you and your daughter can enjoy, free from her allergies! And I’m happy to know it worked out with the oat flour as well.
I absolutely LOVED these and I can’t wait to share them with my friends. These cookies actually turned out better than non-vegan cookies I’ve tried to make in the past. One issue I had though — using these exact measurements my cookie dough was so thick it was in crumbles. I had to add an extra tablespoon of butter and another half of a flax egg. I triple checked the recipe and I got all the measurements right — any thoughts?
Oh yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookie recipe, we just love these! So with the dry cookie dough, even just a few extra tablespoons of flour could cause this to happen. I recommend using the “spoon and level” method, where you use a spoon to fill your measuring cup, and then level off the top evenly with a knife. That will assure you have an accurate amount of flour for the recipe. The cookie dough is quite thick, but should stick together. Hopefully that helps!
These cookies were dry before adding in more margarine/a touch of almond milk. A bit floury, but overall pretty good!
Thanks! It is important to measure the flour correctly but spooning it into a measuring cup, and leveling off the excess with a knife. It’s SO easy to get a little too much flour. Hope that helps for next time!
Wow! I’m in cookie heaven. These are absolutely gorgeous. I used a little less chocolate as I only had a block so chopped it up. I weighed everything out as that’s how I usually work. My kids are going to love these when they get back from school and my husband will insist these are a regular in our house. Thank you!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed the cookies and I hope your kids do, too!
I bake everything using weights as well, could you share the amounts you used for the flour and sugar?
I don’t have the amounts in weights as I don’t usually bake that way, but there are charts available to help! Here is one from King Arthur Flour.
Another perfect recipe from Nora. Mine didn’t spread as much as yours, but I love the way they came out. And tastes divine. Everything I have tried from your website has been excellent. I trust you so much that I am making your lasagna for Christmas dinner without even testing it first. Making your best vegan loaf for supper tonight. Thank you for this great website.
Thank you so much Cheryl! I’m so happy you are enjoying all the recipes! The lasagna should be a big hit; it has many rave reviews and you really can’t go wrong. 🙂
These cookies are sooooo good!! I don’t have the mixers or anything like that. I did it all by hand and they came out perfect. It’s even better after you let it sit in the freezer for a few days. I added nuts to mine. So good! I’m so proud that I was able to make this successfully. The last time I tried to make vegan cookies, it was not good. Thanks Nora!
This is by far the best chocolate chip recipe I have ever made.
Thank you for sharing. I am looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Happy camper,
Joanne
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the cookies. Thank you so much for your comment, and I hope you find many other recipes here that you love. 🙂
hi, is it 1 and 1/4 cup or 1/4 cup brown sugar? made it and just realised i added 1 and 1/4 cup of brown sugar??
It’s 1 and 1/4 cups brown sugar, as listed in the ingredient list. Hope that helps!
So these cookies are amazing and delicious, but mine came out extremely flat (I still had to taste them *wink*). I made two alterations and they shouldn’t have affected it, but maybe? I used an egg instead of a flax egg (1 egg for the flax egg above) and 1 cup of chocolate chunks instead of 1.5c of chocolate chips. Trying to figure out what I did wrong.
Hi Dana! Did you chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes? My guess would be you didn’t, because if you don’t chill the dough they can definitely end up flat! I’ve also never made them with a real egg, since I don’t eat eggs, so that also may have affected the outcome. Also, make sure you measure your flour correctly. It’s best to use a spoon to scoop it into the measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. It’s the best way to get an accurate measurement. 🙂 Hope that helps, and I’m glad they still tasted delicious even if they were flat!
Yes I did 🙂 And then let it rest for 15 minutes as the recipe calls for. I’ll try the flour trick 🙂 They we’re very tasty, I just couldn’t get them off the parchment paper to even remotely salvage them. 😉
Fantastic recipe! I subbed out the brown sugar for ground turbinado sugar (which I ground in the blender) and added 2 tbsp of agave for the moisture of molasses in brown sugar.
These are the most AMAZING cookies! Perfect texture and flavor. There is only one problem….we can’t stop eating them! 😂😋😋
I live in the southwest at high altitude. The dough was very crumbly and would hardly hold together. Would you suggest something to adjust for high altitude. Or any idea why the dough was so dry?
Baking at high altitudes can make your baked goods need more liquid or moisture, so I would try adding 2-3 tablespoons of non-dairy milk at step 3 when you add the flax egg and vanilla. That should help a lot. Hopefully that’s all you need to adjust for these cookies to come out perfect for you! See this post on baking and cooking at high altitudes for more ideas, I found it helpful.
Ok so I like REALLY appreciate this recipe. Not only are the ingredients so simple, but these cookies taste like actual chocolate chip cookies with no weird taste or texture. Seriously SO GOOD! I finally found a solid cookie recipe that I can share with my friends and family that have allergies or are vegan! Thank you, Nora 🙂
I just had to make a few alterations, so I hope you don’t mind me sharing them!
-I scooped and leveled the flour, but the dough still ended up dry and crumbly. so I put 1 cup of butter in instead of just a 1/2 cup.
– Not sure if there are vegan butter brands that come unsalted, but if yours is not unsalted don’t add any salt! Otherwise it’ll be super salty
And if you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to refrigerate the dough, instead of rolling them into balls, roll them tall like logs so they won’t spread a crazy amount! But refrigerating is always best so the flavors can merinate a bit, and it won’t be as greasy 🙂
Thanks for the tips, Nina, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
These are delicious ..thank you for sharing! However, when I baked them they didn’t flatten like cookies., they came out ball shaped. What am I doing wrong?
Thank you! Perhaps they got quite cold in the refrigerator. Next time, try letting the dough sit at room temperature after chilling for 15 minutes. That should help!
Thank you for the reply. I did chill it for 15 minutes and the second batch even longer.. they are still
rounded. :/
During the holidays I made these multiple times a week. Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite comfort desert, and this is the best vegan recipe I’ve found. Everyone loved them and no one that tries them can tell they’re vegan. I added a tiny bit more butter to mine because my dough was just slightly more crumbly than I wanted (I think a touch too much flour got in there), and they were so good.
Hi! I can’t wait to try your recipe, I have tried many vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes and still none compare to the ones I had when I was a kid.
I would like to try and make GF have you tried a GF flour substitute for the all purpose?
I haven’t tried making these gluten free, but I’ve heard good things about Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. I do have a recipe for Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies you might enjoy, they are super good, too!
Nora…Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe. I’m not a vegan but our youth leader at church is. I was preparing a meal for the youth tonight and decided to make something he could eat. I made some vegan sloppy joes for the main dish but wanted an easy dessert. I happened on to your chocolate chip cookie recipe. All I needed was quick trip to Trader Joe’s for the chocolate chips and Earth Balance butter spread. My pantry had everything else.
The recipe was followed exactly (minus half a cup of brown sugar) and the cookies look exactly like your picture and taste so good. After this success…I might be able to convince my husband to try a vegan life style.😃
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much! What a success! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, I really appreciate it!