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.
Hi, I’m not sure where I went wrong, but these did not come out for me. I used earth balance original at room temp – sat out for about 30 min. Mixed and were ready to go in the oven within 10 minutes so they didn’t sit out too long. Then I baked them at 350 for 10 and a half minutes. Half came out just burnt, i think bc they spread like crazy and the other half were very brown around the edges and pale in the center. My oven comes to temp well and I don’t have issues with baking anything else like meat or veggies. Could it be that it was the butter or that the rack was too low in the oven? It was one row below center. So far this is my third attempt at vegan chocolate chip cookies in two different ovens and it’s just not working. (But I can bake the tollhouse recipe just fine) :(( please help
Hi there, yes something went wrong here. There are a few reasons why cookies go flat like you are describing. The butter being too soft is often the problem (or nearly melted). The other big one is if the ingredient are not measured accurately. For example, just a few tablespoons too little flour will cause flat cookies. So be careful when measuring every single ingredient with cookies. Meat and veggies aren’t the same as baking cookies, and the other possibility is that your oven runs a little hot. In fact I tested my oven at the new house I’m in, and it runs 50 degrees hotter than it should; it’s more common than you might think. And yes, baking too low will always cause burnt on the bottom cookies and make them go flat. So always bake in the center rack (I bake one pan at a time, always).
Amazing! Loved by all!
Hello, I am wondering if you would have any suggestions about making chocolate chip cookie bars instead of individual cookies and what size pan to use? Thank you and I love all of your recipes! Take care, Chapin
Thanks for loving my recipes! I actually have a recipe for Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars that you will love.
I’ve made these at least a dozen times and agree with the masses – these are incredible chocolate chip cookies. I use the Country Crock Plant Butter and Enjoy Life Mini Chips, and they work great. I tend to make fewer, bigger cookies and double the baking time but check on them every couple minutes. Thank you so much for this stellar recipe!
Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback, Skylar! I’m thrilled you loved the cookies!
Hello Nora! Can I add the flax seed to the dry mixture instead of first combing with water? It takes my flax see 15 minutes to become pasty like and then I have used my immersion blender to mix it too so its pasty. Does flax make the taste of the cookie richer? I use miyokos’ butter too and just water no plant milk as I have alot of food allergies. Just trying to make these taste rich and goey like Mrs. Fields. Thanks
The flax eggs make the cookies much chewier in a good way. You can try adding them just to dry mixture but I’m not sure the results will be the same. Maybe though. If you want them rich and gooey, make sure you don’t bake them too long, they will look underdone when you take them out, but then they will remain gooey and delicious instead of getting crunchy. Hope that helps!
Never seen a recipe with lightly packed brown sugar could you please let me know how many grams a cup and a 1/4 is.
275 grams. There is a metric button above the ingredients list you can click on to see the metric measurements. Thanks!
Made these in to a cookie bar for a Bridal shower I was throwing. The bride is a nursing mama who’s baby has a dairy sensitivity, and I wanted to make sure she could partake in the sweets at her party.
They were a hit with everyone. The number of people saying “who made these??” definitely made this amateur baker feel good! We used the Enjoy Life Vegan Chocolate Mega Chunks, and were very generous, so it almost had a cookie/brownie effect on the recipe.
I also made the vegan sugar cookie bars, which were similarly raved about. Thanks for the great recipes!
You are welcome, Miranda! How fun! It’s so great to hear the cookies were a hit! I appreciate you taking time to share your terrific review and feedback!
“Woah, actually… these are the best cookies you better save this recipe!”
-My non vegan husband after taking a bite. He LOVES CC cookies and he was IMPRESSED!
The Mix seamed crumbly, until I rolled them then they were perfect dough balls. Trust the process. Mine weren’t light they were actually kind of dark? Not sure if it was too much brown sugar or the type of brown sugar. Doesn’t matter MY NEW FAV DESSERT!! Thanks Nora every recipe I’ve tried so far has been delicious. Keep ‘em coming! This community appreciates you <3
That’s amazing! Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I’m so glad you and your husband loved the cookies 🙂
I made these with Rob’s Red Mill GF flour and they were a big hit!
Thank you for all you do to promote a vegan cooking!
This is so simple and delicious! I had three extra dough balls that didn’t quite fit on the tray, so they’re in the freezer for my next chocolate fix. Will be coming back again!
This is honestly one of the best vegan cookie recipes I’ve ever made!! I haven’t found another recipe that tops this one!! The cookies are really close to a non vegan cookie in texture and taste and look! These are my favorite to make and nobody knows they are vegan!! This is my go to recipe now. Thanks Nora!!
You are welcome, Claire! My family loves these cookies! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback!
Can I make these with almond milk?
Sure, you can use almond milk instead of water.
Finally the PERFECT vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe! Seriously. They stay so soft but also stay floofy which I’ve found really difficult when you don’t use eggs in baking. I’ve sent this recipe to everyone whose ever tried my cookies. They love them! I’ll never need another cookie recipe. Thank you!!! 🥰
So easy to make and the whole family loved them! Thank you Nora!
You are welcome, Sally! I’m so glad they were a hit! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback!
Just felt like baking today(not a baker at all) but my sweet tooth was kicking in. DO NOT BE FOOLED, this is DEFINATELY THE BEST VEGAN CHOCO COOKIE EVER! I had to sub out the regular sugar for turbinado sugar because that was all I had. Came out so soft and fluffy, chocolaty and chewy. Thanks for the recipe
You are welcome, Nikki! I’m glad you tried baking the cookies, and am thrilled you loved them!! Thanks for your terrific review and feedback!
Will using regular butter change the outcome at all?
You may want to chill the dough before baking, I believe with dairy butter it’s better to chill the dough first, generally. I don’t find it necessary with vegan butter. Other than that, it will work.
This is THE BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe! Between 4 of us we polished off over half of the batch (using 2T scoops I got roughly 24 cookies) the first day! I used Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer instead of the flax egg, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup regular white sugar, and a stick of Target brand plant-based butter. They turned out perfect, and just SO GOOD! (I shouldn’t be surprised, all of the recipes I’ve tried here have been awesome!)
How awesome that you loved the cookies! We sure love them at our house! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review and baking experience!
These cookies are amazing. I followed recipie exact. I was a vegetarian before becoming vegan for well over 30 years. I was pretty famous for my baking and I thought not baking with eggs and real butter would be hard to give up. When I try recipies like this, I think they are actually BETTER. I am not missing a thing and enjoying baking even more. Thank you!
The taste was good but sadly mine spread a lot so they aren’t as attractive. I thought I was making them too large but the smaller ones did the same. It seems like they baked faster but my oven thermometer was actually showing the temp lower than 350. I’m not sure what went wrong.
This can happen when your butter was too soft or melty to start with. Or if you accidentally added too little flour or something was off with your measurements.
best cookies you’ll ever eat in your life. non vegans agree as you can’t tell they are vegan (as with most things, it’s just food after all ;))
I’m thrilled you love the cookies! I love the feedback and review! Thanks for sharing!
These are the easiest and BEST cookies! I used Miyokos unsalted butter, 1 cup Enjoy Life mini vegan chips and about 1/4c chopped pecans. I used a 1T cookie scoop and made about 30 cookies (not counting all the dough I ate, lol). Baked them for 8.5-9 mins and cooled 5 mins on sheet and they were divine. Thank you for all of your recipes! Your site is my “go-to” for pretty much everything nowadays. : )
Hi Laura! I am so glad you are loving the cookies! Thank you for the fantastic review and feedback! I so appreciate you using my recipes!
I made these for my 10-year old nephew who is allergic to dairy. He said these were the best cookies he’s ever eaten! Here are a couple of notes: Since he can eat eggs, I did use one egg, at room temp, instead of the ground flaxseed and water (so, not vegan, sorry). Next time I’ll make them totally vegan for my sister-in-law. As per Nora’s recommendation, I used salted Miyoko’s Plant Milk butter (it’s vegan). For the brown sugar– I used 1 cup of light brown sugar and 1/4 cup dark brown sugar. I used Enjoy Life Mini Chips – just a little over 1 cup (maybe 1 1/8 cup, instead of 1 1/4 cup. I used everything else mentioned in the recipe. After cooling on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, I did sprinkle a little bit of Mediterranean Sea Salt Mill on the cookies by hand before transferring them to a rack. This salt comes in a small grinder bottle. I had ground some into a small bowl to have ready. Thank you Nora for this yummy recipe. I’ve been on a mission to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and this might be my favorite – not just vegan favorite.
You are welcome, Patty. I’m so glad that you and your son loved the cookies! Sprinkling a little salt on them sounds really delicious! Thank you for sharing all of your fun feedback and wonderful review. Happy cooking!
Absolutely wonderful and even better is eating the cookie dough!
Thanks for your stellar review! Glad you are loving the cookies!
After I cooked these, I felt like they should have 2-3 stars because they tasted half raw still, and we could basically taste every ingredient in the cookie after 2 hours after being taken out of the oven. But, a day later, they were perfect – like, the PERFECT cookie. 5 stars – Thank you!
These cookies are a huge hit in our house! I’m not sure I’ll ever tell my (picky) husband they’re vegan. He actually requested this recipe the last time I was making chocolate chip cookies. : )
Thanks for sharing so many amazing recipes!!! You’re my go to source for all things vegan.
Hi Joanne. I appreciate you using my recipes, and am thrilled that you love them! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback! Happy cooking!
To quote my 6yo upon tasting them: “These cookies are DIVINE!” 😂 But seriously. I subbed white whole wheat flour in place of AP, but other than that I followed the recipe to the letter and they came out exactly as promised! I got 21 cookies using a 1.5” cookie scoop for the batter. This has become my official go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe!
I don’t usually leave reviews, but this recipe truly deserves one. This is the best vegan cookie I’ve made by far. So easy to follow and delicious. I’ve learned to double up the recipe because they won’t last. I also add chocolate chunks along with the chips. Thank you for sharing!
Thank YOU, Raven, for your fantastic feedback and review! I’m thrilled you love the cookies! I appreciate you taking your time to share your comments!
Did you change this recipe? I remembered I used to make this but the recipe was with coconut oil. Anyway these cookies oir favorite ones, I love all your recipes we are not vegan but have egg allergies so I love to bake eggless.
No, I haven’t changed this recipe but there is an option to make it with coconut oil. It’s not my favorite though, I much prefer the outcome using vegan butter. I’m glad you are enjoying the eggless baking here!
I imagine you could use gluten free flour. If so can you recommend a gluten free flour?
I’ve had good luck making these cookies with Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur and Better Batter gluten free flour.