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.
Can you use a standard mixer attachment to beat the butter or is finding a paddle necessary?
Do you mean the whisk attachment? I’m not quite sure what you mean by standard. The whisk attachment won’t work so well here. You can definitely use a hand mixer, and it’s possible to make the dough by hand, just a little more work. Hope that helps!
I used a regular whisk attachment, and the dough kept getting stuck in the middle of the whisks – kinda annoying but the cookies still turned out perfectly in the end! 🙂
I made these last night and they really are perfect!! I was out of all-purpose flour so I used bread flour and they were fantastic; the perfect thickness and perfectly chewy! The only thing I would suggest is adding just a bit more salt or sprinkling some flaky sea salt on them right when you take them out of the oven. I’ve also been searching forever for the perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe and honestly this is it. This will be my go-to recipe from now on! THANK YOU!
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the great comment!
Can I use coconut sugar instead of brown?
Yes, I think it should work pretty well.
Delicious!!! I made these with my daughter for the first time this evening. We are both newly dairy free and looking for a treat. What a game changer!!! I love this recipe better than any other from my old recipe collection with all the junk added in. Thank you for sharing!!
You’re welcome!
Well, I’ve got a mild case of covid 19, I’m feeling ok but I’m still not cleared to go outside. I had to use what I had around. So instead of flax egg, I used vegg baking egg substitute. I mixed it in my stand mixer. It was more the constancy of frosting after I had mixed it all so I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour. I’m leaving the dough in the fridge for a day, so haven’t tasted the finished cookies yet. But the stuff left on the paddle tasted good.
I’m so glad it came out good! And I hope you recover quickly!!
Cooked them for everyone else and had one. They came out well. Used a cookie scoop, and I needed to make 3 pans.
These are the BEST cookies! I follow the recipe exactly and they turn out perfect every time. I’ve made them 3 times in less than 2 weeks ?. My husband who is not vegan and is very much a cookie snob LOVES these cookies. Thank you Nora!
You’re welcome!
Is it possible to halve the sugar? If so, do I need to change anything else?
I’m not sure if they will work if you cut the sugar in half, but probably. I wouldn’t change anything else.
These are by far the BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. I used a chopped dark chocolate baking bar for the chips as that’s all I had (we are still on a 14 day quarantine). So so so delicious. Thank you for brightening my entire household’s day during this otherwise dark time. We are so grateful to have found your page!
Thanks for the great comment!
I’ve tried a bunch of different vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes and they never work! This is the best recipe I’ve found so far and the cookies were delicious!
Nora, your recipes are perfect every single time. This was another great one. I was skeptical when these cookies looked so puffy coming out of the oven, but you’re absolutely right – they firmed up a bit and taste DELICIOUS!
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Hello,
I havent tried this yet, but cant wait to. May I know if coconut flour would work instead of all purpose flour?
Thank you!
Unfortunately, coconut flour will not work to replace the regular flour here, sorry! It doesn’t work the same way. You could however use a gluten free flour blend, or whole wheat pastry flour. Hope you enjoy them!
Great recipe. The cookies come out great even though the dough is very dry.i don’t have any almond milk to moisten the dough. Don’t use water, they turn out like pancakes.
I have made these so many times. I use applesauce instead of the flax and water. This really is the best recipe I’ve found. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Sarah! I’m glad applesauce works, too.
I’ve been working on perfecting this as results have been inconsistent. (1) I double the recipe & (2) I live at/over 5000 ft elevation. I have been able to get consistent results, on a double recipe, by reducing the sugar to 2 c brown sugar & increasing the flour to 3 1/4 c.
A general rule of thumb is decrease sugar & increase flour. I’ve used this (https://www.allrecipes.com/article/high-altitude-cake-baking/) as well as this tidbit (FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.) from the Nestles tollhouse rcipe.
I have had these and they are delicious! My daughter is dairy free (dietary restriction) but not vegan. Do you think I could make with the same results using an egg since I don’t normally have flax seed on hand?
I’m sure you could, yes. So glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Would you just use One egg?
The sub would be one egg, yes.
Oh Nora!!! This recipe is a winner. I didn’t have vegan chocolate chips (I will next time) but they are sooo good. I love how they are crunchy on the sides and chewy in the middle. When I first mentioned baking vegan chocolate chip cookies, my husband scoffed….he and my son LOVE them! Posted a picture on my Facebook page, and someone immediately asked for the recipe. Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome! So glad they came out great!
These cookies turned out really well. They were easy to make and look beautiful. I used only one cup of sugar and one cup of chocolate chips and they are still a little too sweet for my taste.
Nora-these cookies are ridiculously delicious. Just as you stated, chewy inside and crisp outside. Love them!
Quick question, have you ever used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer? I bought a bag but haven’t tired it yet. Just curious. It is vegan and gluten free.
Thanks for all your great recipes.
Thanks Diane, I’m so happy you enjoyed the cookies! I haven’t used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, but I have heard good things about it. I would use just 1 egg replacement in place of the flax/water.
OH MY GOODNESS. These are SO good!!!!! Best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. Perfectly gooey and not overly sweet. I did not have a hand mixer/stand mixer so I used a silicone spatula and it still worked perfectly. Only thing I’d change in the future is flattening them out just a tad bit (but this was my own fault).
I’m so glad you liked them!
Can I use chia egg instead of a flax egg?
Sure! Just don’t use whole chia seeds, ground should be fine.
Hi! Can I changed the all purpose flour for another kind like almond or oatmeal flour?
Almond flour won’t work here. Gluten free all purpose flour does work well, and I haven’t tested oat flour but it may work ok. Hope that helps!
Hey Nora!
Our family is really trying not to eat coconut oil, canola oil, or soy oil (which is 99% of vegan butters!) Do you have any recommendations for what I could use instead? I used miyoko’s butter last time and they were DELISH but I would really rather not be eating coconut oil. I was thinking applesauce but I’m not sure how they would turn out? Thank you!
I’m not sure, I believe earth balance has an olive oil blend, but it may still contain other oils. Using applesauce won’t really work, you will just have super soft cakey cookies. This recipe really needs vegan butter or coconut oil to work, but you might want to check out this recipe for Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, which only calls for 2 tablespoons coconut oil, and you could likely omit it or sub applesauce there. Or my Oil Free Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
These cookies are SO good!!!! I love soft cookies and these are perfect! I’m wondering if I could use coconut oil instead of vegan butter and if so, how much.
You can swap the vegan butter for softened coconut oil, just use the same amount. As you can see in the post, it does change the texture of the cookies and I do prefer them with vegan butter, but it works and they are quite tasty.
Can I use arrowroot powder instead of the corn starch or tapioca starch?
Yes, either will work the same. Thanks!
What if I want to Make these gluten free?
I have made them using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, not changing anything else and they turned out great! They will have a slightly different taste and texture, as gluten free flour tends to be a bit grainy, but they were quite good.
Before going plant based, I searched and search for a perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for a loooong time. I found your blog when I made a chocolate cake for a vegan friend. Now my family went plant based and I’ve been referring to your blog a lot and every single recipe is so good. One night we all wanted classic chocolate chip cookies. Your cookies are PERFECT! They are the best cookies I have ever tasted. Slightly crispy on the outside and deliciously chewy on the inside. Thank you for the amazing recipes!
Wow, what a wonderful comment! Thank you so much.