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.
Because I can’t leave any recipe alone, i substituted whole wheat pastry flours and used 3/4 c coconut sugar and 3/4 c stevia sugar replacement. The only adjustment I would make to this recipe would be to flatten the cookies before baking next time so that they look more like a traditional cookie. They were a little too puffy, probably due to my substitutions. The texture and flavor were great.
Hi Jen. I’m glad the cookies worked out for you with your substitutions! Thanks for your positive feedback and ideas!
These cookies are amazing ! I don’t think they can get any better but would like to try some add ins…specifically macadamia nuts and cranberries. About how much of each? Thank you for all your incredible recipes.
Hi Raebekah. I’m so glad you are loving the cookies! You could add anywhere from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup chopped nuts, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup cranberries. Hope that works for you! Thanks for your positive feedback!
I’m obsessed with these cookies. They’re like a toll house dupe. I’m not vegan, but have food sensitivities to eggs. I have searched for quite a while for a soft, chewy cookie and this is my favorite. I use real raw butter instead of vegan, coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, and arrowroot instead of corn starch. As for the flax egg (I don’t eat seeds, because I try to avoid unwanted estrogen), I’ve used ener-g egg replacer, but am really curious to try a gelatin egg to add some gut benefits. Thank you! These are the best.
I tried this recipe today. The cookies turned out moist and very delicious. I added just a little more flour (1/8 cup) and 1/2 cup pecans. My family loves them. Thank you so much for a wonderful vegan recipe, Nora! These are the best.
Hi Barbara. You are welcome! I’m glad your family loved the cookies! Your additions sound delicious! Thank you for your positive feedback and review!
These are the best freakin cookies!! Consistently amaze me every time. I usually freeze half the dough so I don’t accidentally eat 2 dozen cookies in one night (oops). The texture is INSANE. Crunchy crispy outside, so soft and chewy in the middle. SO. GOOD!
I only do 1c of sugar and closer to 1/2-3/4c choco chips, for anyone wondering if you can get away with it.
Hi Rosey. Thanks for your wonderful feedback and ideas! I am really glad you are loving the cookies! They are a favorite at our house!
Can you use raw sugar instead of pack brown sugar
I’m not sure how that will turn out honestly, they might work but they will taste quite different.
The BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe vegan or not. I brought this to my son’s hockey dinner and the boys kept coming back for more. I would say I’m a good home baker and have been for 20 years (thanks mom and grandma). I am known for my baked goods. Thanks to Nora and this recipe, I’ve finally found a vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe that is the end all be all.
Hi Lindsey. You are welcome! I am thrilled that you love the cookie recipe, and that the hockey team did as well! I feel honored to hear your positive feedback about my cookie recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Holy moly these were amazing. The best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. Will be returning to this recipe in the future!!
Hi Jill. I’m thrilled you loved the cookies! They are certainly a hit at our house! Thanks for your wonderful feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hey! I just tried this recipe, but i think i did some things wrong. I wanted to watch the video but there was a default, it was only after i made the cookies i found the video on youtube. I live in belgium and i think our ‘brown sugar’ is different from what they call brown sugar in the US (my bad, should’ve checked), i also think there is a mistake on the convesion from cups to grams. It says 1 1/4 brown sugar = 275grams, it seemed A LOT, but i went with it. Then (afterwards) i went to google and searched for the conversion and it was about 225grams. So i just tasted them and ofcourse they are way to sweet (Other then that, they were great!!). I also didn’t read you had to make them into balls, so i pushed them on the plate about the size i wanted them so they’d spread a lot. I made them too big so after around 12 mins baking time i took them out, after 5 mins noticed they were still raw, put them back in, and baked them for another 5 minutes. I am not gonna rate this recipe because mistakes were made :D. i just wanted to write this to warn other people with the same issue 🙂 But like i said, other than the sweetness and the trouble with the size/baking time, i will try again and i have no doubt they will be super delicious!
Sorry you had some trouble with the recipe, but glad they still tasted okay! The conversion is correct for brown sugar, though if what you have in Belgium is different then I don’t know. 1 cup of brown sugar is 225 grams, but 1 1/4 cup is 275. You can add less sugar if you want though to make them less sweet.
Mine taste fantastic but they spread out like pancakes! I bake gf and used a good quality gf flour (which you say is fine) but I did sub coconut sugar (brown kind) for regular briwn. Everything else was as you list. Do you think it was the sugar?
If the cookies spread in the oven, it’s likely because the butter or cookie dough was too warm. You could try chilling the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes beforehand next time. Hope this helps!
I can’t recall if I’ve already left a review. I first came across the recipe about 2 years ago after going vegan. Made it a few times and always enjoyed them, but stopped baking over the summer. Came back to it a couple weeks ago and made this every weekend since. They are so good! Definitely a perfect recipe, no modifications necessary.
Hi Kelly. I’m glad you are loving the cookies after your summer break! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review! Happy cooking!
I have used your recipe for so long now, it’s our normal! Everyone loves them and can’t believe they are vegan…so good! Thank you!
Hi Denise. You are welcome! Thank you for your great feedback! I’m glad you are all loving the cookies!
Hi I can’t wait to try these but is there something I can use other than a flax egg?
You could try 2 tablespoons of applesauce. Hope this helps!
Can I use whole grain flour instead or at least 50/50?
Hi Nina. You could probably use some whole wheat flour (or all) but the cookies will taste like wheat. I like white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour, it’s lighter but still whole grain. Hope this helps!
Hello can I stuff these with caramel sauce ?
Caramel sauce might make the cookies overly gooey or prevent them from baking properly. You might have better results folding caramel chips or toffee bits into the dough.
This is a perfect recipe! It inly takes brown sugar and a mixture of white and brown like the traditional recipe and was still fab! I loved it. Plus, the tapioca starch really made the cookies soft-such a pro tip. Thank you! Will be making these on the reg✌️
The are bomb. I don’t like that it has so much sugar but honestly they taste well. And it’s less than two cups. Followed the recipe to the t and I live in high elevation.
Hi Karina. I’m glad you loved the cookies! Thanks for sharing your great feedback!
Amazing recipe
But I want to make it more crunchy than fluffy. What I can do it?
By the way I have a toaster oven
You could try baking them a little longer. That will result in a crispier cookie.
Perfecto!
Hi Nora! I made these cookies a few times last year and they turned out amazing.
However this round I think I ran into a problem. After incorporating the chocolate chips, I think the dough is too wet. It has almost a firm mousse-like texture. It looks different than the photo of your dough above. It’s really sticky when trying to roll into balls. I’m not sure what happened. Can this be fixed in any way before baking? Should I try adding more flour to the chocolate chip dough?
Hi Nicole. I’m not sure what may have happened. What are you using for vegan butter? I generally use earth balance and sometimes Melt brand. You might have under measured the flour somehow. Add a few more tablespoons so the dough is thick, not too wet and sticky, but not so dry it crumbles in your fingertips. Hope this helps. We love these cookies at our house!
This recipe is bomb! My family loved it. Home run. I hope to meet you one day.
Substitutions:
Brown sugar- coconut sugar and agave
All purpose flour: white spelt flour
Cornstarch: Tapioca
I added a dash of cinnamon.
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies! Thank you so much. 🙂
Just made this for a vegan potluck with Miyoko’s butter and Trader Joe’s chocolate chips. There was such an uproar of love for these cookies-they were so yummy chewy and chocolaty. I always try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe because I’m not fully satisfied, but this one will be my fo to. I did refrigerate the 2nd batch for 15 minutes bc thr 1st batch was a bit flat and it did make a difference.
Wow! I’m so happy everyone loved the cookies, Kimberly! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback and review 🙂
If I use just egg how much do I use?
Hi Katherine. I haven’t tried just egg myself. I think about 3 TB should work. Hope this helps!
Can you add zucchini to these?
Sorry I’ve never tried it so I’m honestly not sure. It would add quite a bit of liquid so that might alter the cookies.
Delish! But my cookies aren’t spreading out as much as yours. I followed the recipe.. any thoughts? I suppose I could flatten them when still warm?
It sounds like the cookie dough or the butter in the dough is too cold. Next time, leave the dough on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before baking the cookies. I hope this helps!
I lost my xlnt vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe so I’m looking forward to trying Nora’s!
I hope you enjoy!
Hi, Can I make these with applesauce instead of butter or oil?
Thanks,
Anna
Sorry I’ve never tried that, I don’t think it will work unfortunately.