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.
Am a vegan and have tried many chocolate chip recipes, but this one has been the best so far! Made a few adjustments to the recipe to make the cookies a little healthier and they turned out great! If anyone is interested, I used ground chia instead of flax, lessened to 3/4 cup brown sugar, equal amount of blended oats as a replacement for all purpose flour, a little less than 1/2 cup of coconut oil, popped the cookie dough in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking for 10 mins at 170C. Sooo yummy!! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! 🙂
You’re so welcome!!
I have almond flour can I substitute that for all purpose flour.? Does anything need to be added more if i do that.?
Almond flour won’t work here, it does not absorb moisture in the same way so they cookies will spread and become very flat. A gluten free mix would work, or check out this recipe that is based on using almond flour: Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.
We love these cookies at our house. So good. If I want to add some rolled oats should I increase milk?
You could probably do that, or sub some rolled oats for some flour, but not too much.
I made these today for my birthday and father’s day. They are delicious. I left out the cornstarch because I didn’t have any and I put in half all purpose flour and half coconut flour and it gave the cookies a good flavor. I also added a little cinnamon. They didn’t flatten out but I flattened them halfway through baking because they baked like balls. So good, such a hit.
I came across your recipe looking for only dairy free recipes and I am excited to try it!! If I wanted to use eggs , would you say use 2 eggs for the recipe??
Just one actually. Enjoy!
Will this recipe work without cornstarch? I don’t have any 🙁 and my son is allergic to corn or what would be a substitution for cornstarch?
Yes, it works without it or sub tapioca starch or arrowroot.
Nora, thank you for your recipes! We are new to vegan baking as our young son has food allergies, but always love your recipes. However, I’m struggling with these cookies (as well as your oatmeal cookies) spreading super thin while baking. The only thing I can think of is that maybe I’m not being careful enough about measuring my flour? They’re not getting over baked, just not keeping any fluffiness. I’m getting sad as the pictures look amazing!!
Hi there! I’m glad you are enjoying the recipes! Let’s see if I can help. If you are getting very flat cookies, then likely you are undermeasuring the flour, or perhaps you are softening the vegan butter too much. An easy solution is to refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes to an hour, then roll and bake. That will make for much fluffier cookies. Also, make sure the dough doesn’t feel too mushy and wet. Add a little more flour if it seems too wet, as that will cause the cookies to spread. I hope that helps!
I’ve made these several times and they are great! But did you update the recipe recently? I swear the old version called for chilling the dough before baking.
I did update it pretty recently as after making them a thousand times or so, I really found that they didn’t need that additional step. But if you want really thick, puffy cookies you can still chill the dough first. Hope that helps!
Hands down THE best cookies! These are a huge hit in our house, we eat way more than we should! ;-). Thanks for the great recipe.
You’re so welcome!! I’m so glad you like them!!
Followed the recipe exactly and these cookies are amazing!!! So moist and yummy!! I’m newly vegan looking for things to cure my sweet tooth and this did it!
I’m so glad to hear that!!
Absolutely love these cookies. Subbed a “chia egg” as I ran out of flax and they turned out perfectly. Even the non-vegans couldn’t tell they were dairy/egg free! Great recipe, thank you so much for sharing!
You’re so welcome!! I’m so glad you love them!!
Could I refrigerate the dough for a few hours before I bake them?
Yes, that is fine to do, and will make them puffier. I’d let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before rolling into balls, or it will be too hard.
I used a 1.25” scoop and the recipe made 35 cookies. You weren’t kidding about the cookies looking underdone after 10 minutes and that they would firm up. Next time I am going to try using Vegan milk instead of water for the flax egg and baking 11 minutes. The centers of mine were just a little too soft for my liking and the brown sugar was still a bit grainy.
Best vegan chocolate chip cookies!!!
Thank you so much!!
I don’t have cornstarch but I have tapioca flour and arrowroot which I see online are good cornstarch replacements. Do you think I could use one of these and which would you recommend?
Yes either of those would work just as well here. Enjoy!
I used coconut sugar in place of the granulated sugar and gluten free flour in place of all purpose. Baked for same amount of time. But the cookies took a lot longer to firm up after baking. Help???
I have never used coconut sugar in place of brown sugar, but it will certainly affect the results. Gluten free flour also changes them quite a bit, though I have used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Flour and it worked quite well. With those two changes they will not end up exactly like my cookies though. For best results, if you need them gluten free, don’t sub the brown sugar and use a quality gluten free mix.
these cookies were amazing! i’d like to make them again soon, do you think 3 tablespoons of aquafaba would work in place of the flax egg? keep up the amazing work!!
It would probably work, but I haven’t tested it. Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Made these the other day, I have made so many other recipes only to be so sadly disappointed. My husband is a real critic of cookies and I will tell you i was shocked watching him eat them. I did make a change but it was a trial but loved how they came out. I substituted 2.5 tablespoons of baby food bananas for the flax egg. It helped keep them moist! There is only 2 of us , first batch gone… second batch in the oven! Thank you Nora!
You’re so welcome!!
Oh my daysssssss!!! These are heavenly ! Easy recipe to follow, i will be making more of these for sure !
Thanks so much!! I’m so glad to hear that!!
These are amazing! They truly are the perfect chocolate chip cookie! I will never make another chocolate chip recipe again!
Hi Nora! These cookies taste amazing! But sometimes they don’t spread. Any help?
Cookies usually don’t spread when they have too much flour, so make sure you are measuring properly. I scoop flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with a butter knife. That way you don’t accidentally scoop too much flour and make the cookies dry.
Could I use a chia instead of flax?
It should work as long as they’re ground chia seeds.
Could you substitute flaxseeds for something else?
You could but it will change the texture of the cookies. You could sub non-dairy milk, maybe applesauce or ground chia seeds. Or another egg replacer. But I like them best with the flax eggs.
My husband could not believe these cookies are vegan and they’re dangerously irresistible. Even the next day, and days later the cookies were still soft and chewy. Instead of 1.5 cups of chocolate chips,
I used 1 cup and it was perfect. I’m not a big fan of chocolate so I made a few balls without and they were still delicious. If I cut sugar back by 1/2 c, do you think it will make a difference in the outcome? Thanks so much for your amazing recipes!
I don’t think it would be a problem to cut the sugar by 1/2 cup. So glad you enjoyed them!
These cookies were wonderful and could easily pass for non-vegan. Only thing is that, I personally found them too sweet for my liking as well as my sugar addicted boo. I would use 1/2 or 2/3 the amount of sugar next time. Thanks for a great recipe thou, turned out perfect otherwise!
This recipe is perfect. These are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten. Thank you for sharing
You’re so welcome!!