This is the best vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe ever! Easy to make in 1 bowl, no chilling required and they turn out perfect every time. Soft, chewy and full of chocolate chips!
If you are in need of a simple, straightforward yet incredibly delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe, look no further. Tried and true, these are the most perfect vegan chocolate chip cookies in the world and everyone who tries them agrees!
This recipe is one of the most popular on my site with 350+ 5 star reviews! I hope they become your go-to vegan cookie.
If you love chocolate chips as much as I do, make sure to check out these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Chocolate Chip Muffins and Vegan Edible Cookie Dough!
What makes these vegan cookies so perfect?
- They are SO soft, chewy and full of chocolate chips. They aren’t too flat, and they aren’t too puffy and cake-like. No one would guess they’re vegan, unlike some cookie recipes I’ve tried.
- They’re made in 1 bowl.
- No chilling time is required for the dough. So you can have cookies to eat FAST!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
- Flax egg – This is your egg substitute and is perfect for creating chewy, delicious cookies without eggs. JUST Egg works in place of flax/water, as well as other egg substitutes. Non-dairy milk, applesauce and yogurt work as well in a pinch. Use 4 tablespoons instead of the flax egg.
- Vegan butter – I’ve made these cookies with countless brands, including my homemade vegan butter, and they all work great. You can try substituting coconut oil, but it does change the texture quite a bit and the flavor won’t be the same. If you want to use coconut oil, try these Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies instead.
- Brown sugar – For the best flavor and texture, use brown sugar. If you must substitute it, granulated sugar works okay (though I’d add a tablespoon of molasses) as well as coconut sugar.
- Vanilla – For flavor, of course.
- All purpose flour – Most of the time I just use plain flour, but if you need them to be gluten free, you can substitute a gluten free flour blend. I’ve had good luck with Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur and Better Batter. Don’t sub almond flour, but go make these Almond Flour Cookies instead.
- Cornstarch – This helps the cookies be extra soft and chewy. May substitute tapioca starch or arrowroot, or leave it out if needed.
- Baking soda
- Salt – I use salted vegan butter most of the time, but if you are using unsalted butter, increase the salt from 1/4 teaspoon to 3/4 teaspoon.
- Non-dairy chocolate chips – Check the ingredients list on the package for things like milk fat, butter oil, etc. I like Trader Joe’s brand which happen to be vegan, as well as Enjoy Life. Sometimes the store brand will be accidentally vegan and inexpensive. Chopped chocolate also works (I often use a mix).
How to make vegan chocolate chip cookies
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Beat the softened vegan butter and brown sugar, then mix in the flax egg and vanilla. Add the flour, and then sprinkle the cornstarch, baking soda and salt on top of the flour.
Mix on low to combine, then mix in the chocolate chips/chunks. Mmmmm… cookie dough perfection!
Roll the dough into 1-2 tablespoon balls (I use this cookie scoop, then roll with my hands). Place on parchment lined or greased baking sheets.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until barely golden around the edges. The cookies will seems underdone, but they firm up as they cool and you want them to stay soft so be careful to not over bake.
For smaller cookies, bake for less time. For extra big cookies, add a few minutes of bake time.
Enjoy the cookies warm with a glass of almond milk or crumbled in vegan ice cream with a drizzle of caramel, perhaps. I usually sprinkle some coarse sea salt on top as well.
Frequently asked questions
The cookie dough should be soft and mushy, but not too wet or too dry. You should be able to easily roll it into balls. If it feels too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour at a time until it’s just right. If it’s too dry, add a tablespoon or two of non-dairy milk.
No, not all chocolate chips are vegan. They often contain dairy. Make sure to check the package list for things like butter oil, milk fat, and so on. Enjoy Life brand are always vegan, as are Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chips, Guittard, Kirkland Brand and some others. You can also use vegan chocolate bars and chop them up for chocolate chunk cookies.
No, I never chill this cookie dough. I’m much too impatient! It’s just not needed here, but if you want to chill it, I’m sure it will be fine. The cookies will come out much thicker.
They will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature, if you don’t eat them all before then! Store in a covered container. They also freeze well.
How to freeze cookie dough for later
Roll the cookie dough into balls and freeze in a freezer friendly container. When you want to bake cookies simply preheat the oven and bake, adding a few more minutes since the dough was frozen. No need to defrost the dough.
Baked cookies also freeze well and are wonderful straight from the freezer. I love having frozen cookies to throw in my kid’s lunch box on school days.
Other cookie mix in combinations
This is a great cookie base recipe for all kinds of combinations! Try:
- Adding chopped walnuts and/or coarse sea salt on top
- Vegan white chocolate chips and dried cranberries
- Add dried blueberries and a little lemon zest
- White chocolate and macadamia nut
- Monster cookies – add a few tablespoons of rolled oats, vegan M&M type candy, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a few tablespoons chocolate chips.
Want more incredible vegan cookie recipes?
Find all of my vegan cookie recipes here: Vegan Cookies. Here are just a few of my favorites:
- Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Classic Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2.5 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups non-dairy chocolate chips or chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats (or spray with oil.)
- Mix the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside to make your flax egg.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the softened vegan butter and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
- Add the vanilla and the flax egg and mix to combine.
- Next, stop the mixer and add the flour. Sprinkle the cornstarch, baking soda and salt on top of the flour. Turn the mixer on low speed, and mix until just combined.
- Add in the chocolate chips to incorporate, either by hand or using the mixer.
- Roll the dough into balls, about 1-2 tablespoons each. Place on the prepared pans and bake for 10 minutes (12 minutes for larger cookies), until they are barely golden around the edges. Do not over bake! They will be puffy and lightly colored.
- Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will firm up as they cool, and become the most perfect chewy cookies ever! Enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Cookies will stay fresh for 3-4 days, if they last that long. Store in a covered container. They also freeze well.
- Freezer cookie dough – 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.
- If using unsalted vegan butter, increase the salt to 3/4 teaspoon.
- Other mix ins – Feel free to add chopped walnuts, or use white chocolate chips instead, dried fruit, whatever you feel like. This is a great base recipe for all kinds of combinations.
- Recipe inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Nutrition
This post has been updated in 2024 with improved photos, better writing and more tips/variations.
Hello! I was wondering if it was possible to use a wooden spoon instead of a hand/stand mixer. Thanks!
You can, yes, it will just be quite an arm workout!
I tried this recipe using Bobs Red Mill egg replacer instead of flax – it came out perfect!!! Thank you for the awesome recipe! We were skeptical about the lack of any liquids, but trusted the process 😀 I’ve gotta check out your other recipes now haha
Hi Sonya. I’m glad the cookies turned out great for you! We love them! I hope you enjoy exploring my other recipes! Thanks for your wonderful review! Wishing you happy cooking!
I wish I had read the comments carefully before making, I got this recipe from my dtr in law.Her cookies come out thick and chewy.Mine spread thin and crispy at edges with chewy center. I wish you had specified the optional outcomes from not chilling dough vs chilling for an hour. I printed recipe hitting the 2x(thinking that meant larger font).It doubled the recipe which may have thrown me off with the amount of salt. I used the flax meal/water instead of egg but otherwise went non vegan with salted butter. I followed the direction to only add 1/4 teasp salt. I used regular choc chips and added crushed Heath bar chips to get the 2.5 cups chips.I made 6 test cookies which do taste good! I have 3 doz balls of dough in freezer for cookie exchange in 2 wks. If I make the double recipe again with salted butter-do I add 1/4 teasp or 1/2 teaspoon salt? Will freezing change the outcome from thin edges to thick and evenly chewy?
Hi Judy. I never chill the dough before baking. But I know the issue here I think: you used dairy butter, not vegan butter, correct? Real butter does change the recipe and you probably would need to chill the dough first. It just works different than vegan butter, and is more prone to spreading and making your cookies flat. So that’s the problem here.
OMG. They are perfect…and vegan?! This recipe is a miracle. Well done Nora Cooks!!!
I made this recipe about 10 times in 3 months. Everybody loves them (vegan and non vegan friends). I just made some adding tiny vegan marshmallows. Can’t wait to taste!
Hi, I love your recipe for a guide. Can I replace it with wheat flour? will it work?
It would work quite well with whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat. If you use regular whole wheat flour they may be a bit dry and will for sure taste like whole wheat, if that makes sense.
I’ve been using this recipe for years and love these cookies, but they almost always turn out a little too flat and sometimes quite sunken. I follow the recipe exactly. I don’t let my butter get too warm and often give the cookies some time in the freezer before baking. My oven is the right temp. I don’t overmix. I don’t know what the issue is, but I’m so stumped!
I wonder if adding some baking powder would help make them a bit fluffier?
If you want cookies that are really thick and taller, try adding just a little more flour, even just an extra few tablespoons and refrigerate the cookie dough balls for an hour before baking. I actually want my cookies to sink and be fairly flat, so that is expected for this recipe. But they shouldn’t be super thin and crispy, they are always quite thick, but they shouldn’t have a dome.
Hi Jamie — I make these quite frequently and had the same issue. My only modification was to mix everything, then put mixing bowl in fridge, THEN preheat oven. Once my oven is preheated I scoop the dough and bake. It took me a few times to get it right, but this simple modification has worked for my last 10 or so times making them.
Perfect recipe per usual Nora!! My bf is vegan so I am vegan-by-proxy and we always turn to your recipes when cooking and you never steer us wrong!
I did alter the vegan egg as I did not have flax, used 1 tsp baking soda to a tbsp vinegar (great resource here https://www.bonappetit.com/story/veganizing-baking-recipe-tips). I also used mini chips instead for extra chocolatey bites. YUM!! perfect cookies!!!
I made these cookies two days in a row and it’s by far the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made – vegan or otherwise! It will be my go-to recipe when I need something quick.
This recipe is GREAT. So happy I found it. This is the second Nora Cooks I’ve tried and she does not disappoint. Thank you
You are welcome, Michele. I’m thrilled you are loving my recipes! Welcome to my site! Please reach out with any questions you may have. Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Hello Nora!
Mine came out very tough once cooled, even though they were so fluffy and soft right after baking. Is that supposed to happen?
They should become chewy but not hard. If they did, you baked them too long. They will really look underdone when you take them out!
Very good Nora. I make them gluten free. They taste great!
Thank you.
These used to work so well for me and now they go flat and crispy and inedible. Any ideas?
Either you are softening your butter too much or melting it, which would make them go flat in the oven, or something is off with your measurements. Measure accurately and carefully for cookies. If you really want to make sure they are thick, you can refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes before popping them in the oven. But I literally never do this and my cookies don’t come out flat.
Nora, thank you for helping my family to have delicious foods despite multiple allergies! My 4 year old daughter especially appreciates it!!!
I’ve made these a few times, sometimes tripling the recipe! They’re the BEST chocolate chip cookies I’ve had hands down. I’ve even brought them to neighbors who aren’t vegan and say it’s one of the best cookies they’ve had (they had no idea they were vegan!)
I recommend using maldon salt as a finish. It takes them over the top 🥰 Thank you Nora!!
Great cookies!!
Your recipes NEVER disappoint!!! These cookies and perfect! Soft and chewy and with the perfect amount of chocolate! Whenever I search a recipe it always begins with “Nora Cooks- (recipe)” ! Thank you for sharing your recipes with the community!!!
Hi Andrea. Your confidence in my recipes and your wonderful feedback is inspiring to me! Thank you for sharing your great review and your words! I’m so glad you loved the cookies! We sure love them at our house as well! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Yes. Same. Everything Andrea said. Thank you Nora.
Can I use arrowroot instead of cornstarch?
Sure!