Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies – Fudgy, brownie-like, chewy with soft centers and best of all made in 1 bowl. They are sure to satisfy all your chocolate cravings!
You can never have too much chocolate, right? Which explains why I have a growing list of chocolate recipes on my website, such as chocolate cake, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate mug cake, brownies and chocolate pie.
I have forever been a girl craving chocolate. I’d take chocolate candy over any fruit flavored candy as a kid, and it’s almost always my favorite kind of cake. The only time I couldn’t stand the taste of chocolate was when I was pregnant with my 3rd child. That was weird. But once the pregnancy was over, I returned to my love of chocolate with full force.
Chocolate lovers like me will go crazy for these vegan chocolate cookies! They are kind of like a brownie, but in cookie form. Best of all, when a craving hits and you need something chocolatey and delicious fast, you can whip these up in about 20 minutes, and in just 1 bowl.
How to make Vegan Chocolate Cookies
(SEE RECIPE CARD AT THE BOTTOM FOR FULL AMOUNTS AND TO PRINT)
Get out a large mixing bowl, and melt 1/2 cup of vegan butter. You could use coconut oil or another oil, but vegan butter gives these cookies the best flavor and texture. Mix together the melted vegan butter and sugar, then stir in the vanilla, ground flaxseeds and non-dairy milk.
Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir, then fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be quite thick, but moist, so use your hands if needed, especially to incorporate all the chocolate chips.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons at a time, flatten slightly and place on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. The cookies will appear soft, but firm up as they cool.
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Let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
What kind of cocoa powder should I use?
I used and recommend dutch-processed cocoa powder for these cookies, as it makes them very brownie like and dark in color. There is a slight difference in the flavor and texture of the cookie that I prefer. That being said, it won’t ruin them to use natural cocoa powder.
ARE ALL CHOCOLATE CHIPS VEGAN?
No, a lot of brands have milk fat or butter oil in them. Check the ingredients to ensure vegan friendliness. Trader Joe’s brand of semi-sweet chocolate chips happen to be vegan, as are Guittard. Costco sometimes carries the Kirkland brand of semi-sweet chocolate chips, which are also vegan and a great price if you can find them! There is also Enjoy Life, which you can find on Amazon or Whole Foods.
Tips for the best vegan chocolate cookies:
- Only bake 1 pan of cookies at a time, in the middle of your oven. I’ve started doing this whenever I make cookies, as the ones on the bottom rack always burn. Baking in the middle rack only ensures great cookies every time.
- Use dutch processed cocoa powder, as we talked about above.
- Add plenty of chocolate chips! I use 1 cup, and you can place some on top of each cookie before baking if you want them to be prettier.
- Don’t over mix the cookie dough, but only mix until combined.
Want more vegan cookie recipes?
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Snickerdoodles
- Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 1/4 cup soy milk
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt the vegan butter, then add to a large bowl with the sugar and mix well with a large spoon. Now stir in the vanilla, flaxseeds and soy milk until well combined.
- Over the bowl with the wet ingredients, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine. The dough will be quite thick, so you can use your hands if needed. Now fold in the chocolate chips, leaving some to place on top of the cookies for decoration if you want. Again, you may need to use your hands to really get the chocolate chips incorporated.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the dough at a time, roll into a ball, then flatten a bit on the baking sheet. They will spread out more as they bake. Decorate with a few more chocolate chips on top, if desired.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. They will seem too soft, but will firm up as they cool. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- I like these cookies best with vegan butter such as Earth Balance, but you could substitute coconut oil or another oil you prefer.
- May substitute another non-dairy milk if desired.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder gives these the best flavor and consistency, but you could use natural cocoa powder as well if it's all you can get.
- For salted chocolate cookies, sprinkle a little coarse salt on top of the cookies after baking.
- Store leftover cookies in a covered container at room temperature for 3-4 days or the refrigerator for 1 week. They freeze well.
Excited to make these 🙂 wondering is it okay to freeze them to prep ahead of time? 🙂 thanks Nora!
Yes it is! Thanks, and enjoy!
Great cookies! Could I bake them with 3/4 cups of sugar?
Thanks! That should work fine.
Wonderfully fudgy cookies. Great recipe!
Thanks for your great review, Allison! I’m thrilled you love the cookies!
I realized I don’t have butter on hand. Would canola oil or maybe coconut oil work instead?
Hi Jordyn. Yes, coconut oil or another oil can be substituted.
Thank you! Just following up to say these are mine and my husband’s new favorite cookie ever! They turned out so, so good. I ended up substituting the butter for canola oil since I didn’t have any on hand and they turned out great.
Thanks, Jordyn, for sharing this with me! I appreciate your stellar review and feedback as well! I love these are your favorite cookies! Happy cooking!
My new obsession!!
ik heb een vriendin op slapen en we dachten we maken chocolate cookies maar ik ben allergisch dus vegan recept !
super lekker echt zo smullen
is heerlijk
Merci !
Could you substitute apple sauce for the vegan butter or oil?
I have never tested with apple sauce, so I’m not certain. It could work. If you try it, let me know! Happy cooking!
Nora I have been a devoted fan for years, and these are my most recent obsession! Thank you! Do you have any recommendations/ideas for how I can give them a Mexican chocolate twist for my in laws? 😄
Oooh yes, I would suggest a little cinnamon and chili powder perhaps? Thanks for being a fan and loving my recipes all these years!
These cookies are fool proof as far as I can tell. They are very easy to make and the texture is perfect! I have even added fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of molasses to make this into a great Christmas cookie! It seems like I always have a batch of these in my fridge to throw in the oven.
Hi Jen. I love your flavor variation ideas – Yum! I’m thrilled you are loving the cookie recipe. Thanks for your fabulous review! Happy baking!
I made these, and they came out fantastic! So delicious. I want to make a second batch, but add peppermint extract, for the holiday season. Any recommendations on how much to use for the base recipe? I found mixed responses on searches.
I’d add 1/2 teaspoon I think, you don’t want to add too much. You could also add some crushed candy canes if you wanted. 🙂
Haven’t made these yet but they look delicious. How would I convert these to bars?
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure if it will work or not. Maybe bake in a 9×13 inch pan?
These are so good and easy to make!! I’ll be making these again for sure! Thank you for the recipe!!
Wondering if I can substitute plain water for plant milk if I have none on hand.
I haven’t tried it but I think it will work in a pinch.
Can I use non-Dutch processed cocoa?
You can, yes.
These are literally the best. Ive made them for a kid’s birthday party, for a friend, and of course for myself — in fact I keep thinking I’ll make a different cookie but I can’t get away from how amazingly good — and easy! — these are! Perfect.
Thank you for your rave review on the cookies, Veronica! We love them at our house, for sure! Happy cooking!
Thank you—these are phenomenal! Definitely a new favorite. You’re our first stop whenever we’re looking for a new recipe – as we say in our household, “you can’t go wrong with Nora Cooks!” You never lead us astray!
All of your cookie recipes are just fantastic!
Oh, Nora… these are FANTASTIC! I am going to feed them to some (non-vegan) teen boys after church tomorrow. I just KNOW they’ll devour them! Thanks, much! (And, P.S., I will only make them when they’re not gonna be sitting around my house…I can’t control myself!)
Hi Adrienne. I’m so glad you love the cookies. Yes, I’m sure they disappeared quickly! They always do at our house! Thank you for your wonderful feedback!