Vegan Brown Butter Cookies
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My vegan brown butter cookies have crisp edges, a warm caramelized flavor, and gooey half-melted chocolate chips. You’d never believe they’re made with no eggs OR dairy!
Why I love vegan brown butter cookies
As much as I love a good vegan chocolate chip cookie, sometimes I need a more elevated version. Que, my vegan brown ‘butter’ cookies. The vegan brown butter adds a slightly nutty, toffee-like flavor, and the chocolate chips take it to another level.
The trick is using the right vegan butter to replicate what traditional dairy butter does. Once you get that down pat, it tastes like any good cookie out there. Here’s why you should make them:
- The perfect texture. They’re soft yet chewy, with crispy edges and pools of half-melted chocolate chips. Sign me up!
- Brownbutter flavor- without the dairy. When I first developed this recipe, there were only a handful of vegan butters worth baking with. Nowadays, there are some fantastic options that make all the difference.
- Simple ingredients. If you bake vegan desserts regularly, there’s a good chance you already have everything you need.
Table of Contents
Ingredients needed
The full printable list with measurements is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Vegan butter. Use high-quality vegan butter (I like Miyoko’s Creamery or Country Crock plant sticks), preferably in block form. Vegan butter in spreads often contains added water, which can make the cookies firmer rather than soft.
- Brown sugar. I tried this recipe with white granulated sugar, brown sugar, and a mix of both. I preferred using all brown sugar as it gave the cookies a deeper buttery flavor while keeping the centers soft and gooey.
- Dairy-free milk. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any plant-based milk works.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good cookie recipe!
- All-purpose flour. Sifted to remove any clumps. Use gluten-free AP flour (with xanthan gum) if desired.
- Baking soda. To keep them from overspreading.
- Salt. Brings out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Chocolate. I like to use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips. It helps ensure there are pools of chocolate. Luckily, my vegan chocolate chips can be made into bars, then broken into chunks.
- Mix-ins (optional). Swap the chocolate for chopped walnuts, pecans, or vegan white chocolate chips.
How to make vegan brown butter chocolate chip cookies
Step 1- Brown the butter. Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it simmer until it begins to bubble, then reduce the heat to low. Mix the butter with a rubber spatula until it thickens and turns golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool in a bowl for 10 minutes.
Step 2- Mix the wet and dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, add the brown sugar. Pour the butter over the sugar, whisk to combine, then add the milk and vanilla.
Step 3- Combine. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Let the dough mixture sit for 10 minutes, then fold in the chocolate. Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes.
Step 4- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, form 24 cookie dough balls.
Step 5- Bake. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until the edges lift from the baking sheet. Let them cool completely.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Be patient when browning the butter. I tested a few different brands, and some took longer to caramelize. Keep the heat low, stir often, and remove from the heat as soon as it smells nutty to prevent it from burning.
- Let the butter cool before mixing. For thick, bakery-style cookies, the browned butter should be cooled until it’s no longer hot and has started to thicken. If I’m in a hurry, I pop it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Want even gooier cookies? Five minutes before they’re done baking, press an extra square or two of chocolate into the tops, then return the cookies to the oven to finish baking.
Storage instructions
To store: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. If you want to keep them fresher for longer, refrigerate them for up to one month.
To freeze: Place the cookies in a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to six months.
More vegan cookie recipes
- Vegan peanut butter cookies
- Vegan cookie dough
- Vegan Levain cookies
- Vegan shortbread cookies
- Vegan chocolate chip cookies
Vegan Brown Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour 245g
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan butter chopped, 225g
- 2 1/2 cups brown sugar or use a mix of white and brown, 500g
- 1/2 cup milk of choice I used unsweetened almond milk, 120mL
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chopped, 170g
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients and mix well.
- In a small saucepan, add the chopped butter. On medium heat, melt it, until it begins to bubble. When it bubbles, reduce to low. Using a rubber spatula, mix the butter around until it thickens and goes a golden color. Remove from the heat and transfer into a glass bowl. Let it cool for 10 minutes. It should have the texture of softened butter. If not, chill in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add your brown sugar. Add the browned butter and beat together, until combined. Add the milk and vanilla extract and beat together, until smooth.
- Gently fold through your dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes, to cool slightly. Add the chopped chocolate. Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form 24 balls of dough and place on the two baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to look cooked.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
These were okay, but I used vegan margarine. Wasn’t great.
Hi Ally- I think that’s why they weren’t ideal- I don’t recommend vegan margarine as it has even more fillers than tub vegan butters, to keep it spreadable even after it’s been in the fridge. I do recommend using vegan butter (Country Crock or Miyoko’s are my go-to).
Can you please add the measurements in grams/ml? Helps in being exact. Thank you!
Yes, I’ll update it today, as I’ve just retested this recipe to get the metric measurements 🙂
Totally agree with you about metric measurements. I made this recipe and my cookies turned out completely flat and carmelized.
I needed a double batch so I used 590g brown sugar (3 unpacked cups) and 400g cane sugar (2 cups). I’m so sad that this didnt work. Currently freezing the batter to hopefully help with the spreading when I bake tomorrow.
Hi Jazelle- I’ve updated it to included tested metric measurements- I hope that helps. Freezing them to prevent them from spreading is a good idea. Also, ensuring the browned butter had solidified a little before mixing them in.
The flavour was amazing, but the cookie spread was out of control. I suspect it’s because the recipe calls for 500 grams of brown sugar and only 245 grams of flour. That’s got to be wrong.
Hi Rosalie, did you chill the dough and keep them in balls when you placed them on the baking tray? This will slow the spread and keep them cookie shaped as they bake. If you’re concerned about this happening again, you can leave the dough to chill for a bit longer – 2 hours should ensure no issues. Hope this helps!
amazing recipe!! I swapped regular for gf flour and added pecans too. Absolutely delicious, will 100 percent be making these again!
Kaylee, thank you for your lovely comment and feedback. I’m SO glad it worked out well using GF flour. Did you use Bob’s Red Mill by any chance? That’s our go-to GF flour, but my team and I have slowly been testing out other blends too.
These cookies are SCRUMPTIOUS! I have made these a few times now for family and friends and they love them! I have added walnuts a few times and they are so good!
Thank you for sharing!🥰
That’s wonderful Poppy, thanks so much for sharing!
I followed the recipe to the T and they spread out so much, they were flat. They look nothing like the picture. Im thinking I should have refrigerated the dough. I have some leftover that I did refrigerate. Im going to make some more tomorrow and see how those come out.
Hi Ray Ray, if they spread out too much, I wonder if the brown butter was still liquid when added to the cookie dough? That’s what causes the cookies to overspread, or if the vegan butter brand was not from a stick/had too many fillers in it. If you let me know the brand, I can troubleshoot for you.
Add 1-2 tbsp of miso paste (i use white) to the butter while melting/browning– you won’t regret it! it’s been literal years of looking for a decent chocolate chip cookies recipe and this is THE BEST ONE! Other ones have always been too fluffy. Thank you thank you!
That is a very interesting tip Rebecca and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much 🙂
THANK YOU for this DELECTABLE vegan cookie recipe! I’ve made it several times now just as you recommend but have also added walnuts to it as well. Family and friend rave about how yummy these cookies taste!
Cookies suuuuper spread out waaay too much when baking! 10 minutes was not enough time so I added 5-10 more minutes and the center still looked gooey and underbaked.
Let rest on pan, was chewy and sticking to my teeth!
Hi Lopez- I’m sorry to hear that. Did you mix the brown butter in when it had firmed up a little? That’s usually what keeps them nice and thick and puffed up. Unless you made the cookie balls super large, adding extra time would make them super dark.
Arman, what vegan butter did you use? I tried to brown Earth Balance butter it had the worse smell. NO, it was not burnt. I just bought the butter so I know that it was good. I have used a vegan butter for brown butter cookies before and I forgot which one I used and it turned out really well for the browning of the vegan butter.
Hi Linda! Oh no, I’m not a fan of Earth Balance, as it does not bake well at all. I swear by Miyoko’s and Country Crock, and those are the two I named for this recipe, and had success with. If you get a chance to pick either of those up, you won’t be disappointed.
I followed the recipe exactly, but sadly my cookies never puffed up at all. They just spread out and flattened 🙁 I’m disappointed with the result, but at least they taste great!
Hi Raena- I’m sorry to hear that. Did you mix the brown butter in after it had firmed up a little? If it’s too liquid-like, they usually stay flat and won’t puff up.
These cookies are not good with gluten free flour. I followed the directions to a T and ended up with horrible excuses for cookies, LOL! I don’t blame the recipe. I’m sure it’s great otherwise.
Oh no, Anjelica- which GF flour did you use? I’ve made these with King Arthur GF flour, and they worked well- that or Bob’s Red Mill are the only two I really find are a true cup for cup measurement- there’s so many brands on the market now, but all vary considerably.
The cookies spread out more than you’d think, make sure to give a lot of space.
Made these this past weekend and while I had my doubts, these came out amazing! Some tips: I used miyokos butter and it browned perfectly (although it took way longer than normal butter), but to add more flavor I let it cool over some walnuts which I added it at the end. For the sugar I did half light brown sugar and half white sugar but I would probably put a little less in next time since they were pretty sweet. I also didn’t have any alternative milk so I quickly blended up some water with a little bit of oats, flax, and cashews which turned out perfectly for this recipe. I then formed the dough and let them sit in the freezer for a few days to let the flavors come together. I tried baking them straight away and they came out very round and vegan butter forward rather than like a good cookie. So I would definitely recommend letting them chill for a bit and then flattening them down 1/2 before baking, then at the 5 min mark give them a few taps in the oven. I would 10000% recommend this recipe to anyone looking for an awesome and impressive vegan cookie or just cookie recipe in general.
These are honestly the best cookies i’ve ever had. Even better than David Lebovitz’s recipe. Just follow exactly, including letting things sit. They turn out crispy yet soft, chocolatey, and delightful.
Sorry I forgot to leave a rating in my last comment
This is my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! I’ve been searching around for a good recipe for years since I’ve gone vegan, and I assumed I couldn’t brown plant-based butter. But I’m so glad I was wrong. I did 1 and 1/4 cups each white sugar and brown sugar, which worked out well, though maybe a little flat. Might try more brown sugar next time
These are a weekly staple in my house! Everyone begs for me to make them and they cannot even tell they are vegan!!!
Can this recipe be made keto friendly? How much sugar/brown sugar should I use if using a keto friend sugar replacement??
I’d stick with my keto chocolate chip cookies recipe, Caeol- this one wouldn’t just require the sugar swapped, but the flour too.
I have tried countless vegan cookie recipes and this is IT. She’s a legend, she’s an icon, she’s the moment! Seriously I have been brought to tears by my failed cookies but this recipe was so easy and unfussy and the cookies were phenomenal! I did half brown/half white sugar and def let the dough rest, 10/10! Can’t wait to try more recipes! Ty!
You are the icon and legend, Jess!
I made these and the texture is perfect! The problem I had was a baking soda taste. That seems to indicate some of the soda did not react. I will try reducing the amount of soda next time.
Vegan or not- best cookies ever! This is everything I could ever want in a cookie and it’s so perfectly balanced. Used country crock vegan butter sticks and the cookies turned out just like the ones pictured!!
Hi!! I cannot wait to make these!!! Omg I miss the brown butter cookies!!! Do you have a vegan butter you prefer?? I earth balance is good, although it has palm oil but it should work. Mykonos I think burns quickly.
I like Naturli- Easily the most similar to dairy based butter 🙂
Hi! What brand of vegan butter do you recommend?
Hello Olivia! I’ve tried most mainstream brands (in many of my vegan recipes, including this one), and Country Crock sticks and Miyoko’s are consistently the best ones. They are also what makes my vegan brownies so good.
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1. I’m wondering if the amount of sugar could have made them spread too?
I tried the gluten free version of these, and while utterly delicious, they spread A TON in the oven. I even tried to chill the dough before baking and had the same result. Any advice?? Thank you!
Hi Stephanie! What brand GF flour did you use? 🙂
I halved the recipe and added around a tsp of powdered instant coffee, best cookies from texture to taste. Chew and thin.
I tried this recipe and the cookies were delicious! The one issue is that browning vegan butter is very different than browning regular butter. Your recipe says to let the browned butter cool for 5-10 minutes but at that length of time, it’s still liquid. Melted butter in a cookie recipe results in super flat cookies. Regular browned butter solidifies pretty quickly in the fridge. I think I need to let the butter cool a lot longer and see if it solidifies next time. That way the cookies will be more fluffy and plump.
You are absolutely right Greg, which is a super important note for me to update with, so thanks for that. So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Hi. Do you really mean 2 1/2 cups of sugar? I’m used to using 1 1/2 cups with that amount of flour. Thanks!
Hi Dana- no, the measurements for this recipe are correct. I recently retested them to, to provide metric measurements 🙂 Did you use regular AP flour?
After two failed tries, I read and re-read the recipe but I think something is off. Both times my cookies puffed up but then ended up oily and completely flat. The first time, because it said to mix all the dry ingredients, I mixed everything, including the sugar, and so had to mix the melted butter with the other remaining liquids. But despite following the recipe exactly the second time, and letting the dough rest even longer, they still turned out oily and flat.
Sorry to hear that. The oily and flat result is almost always down to the butter being too warm when it’s mixed with the sugar. After browning, it really needs to cool until it’s thickened and closer to the texture of softened butter. If it’s still liquid when it goes in, the cookies will spread and turn greasy. I’d pop it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes next time and check the consistency before mixing. I’m not sure what butter brand you used, but it could also be it- I’ve had best results with Miyoko’s or Country crock sticks.
Can I sub coconut oil for vegan butter?
You can, and just skip the brown butter-step.
Sorry, I meant to leave this on your vegan brownie recipe. I’m making both of these things today. My daughter is on an elimination diet, and can’t have gluten, refined sugar, or dairy, but she can have eggs.
Sorry, one more question! If I’m using eggs instead of flax, should I reduce the amount of coffee? Not sure if the extra liquid volume from the eggs will ruin the recipe. I’m making them right now lol!
I have made these several times and I love them every time. I’m gonna try freezing the cookie dough itself this time to see if I can have dough prepped for when I want a few cookies:)
That sounds like a great idea Kelly! I would shape them into balls before attempting to freeze the dough, just so that they’re relatively ready to go when you bring them out to thaw. And make sure they’re in a freezer safe, air tight container if you can! Let us know how you go 🙂
I’m going to try this with coconut sugar, since we’re attempting to do without refined sugar as much as possible. Any thoughts on whether this will work?
It will work, it just might not be as soft in the middle.
Can u freeze or refrigerate the dough if you don’t plan on baking right away? I want to make them a few days from now but would like to prep a few things! 🙂
Hello Sarah! Yes, you can. When recipe testing cookies, we do a test batch to see how well it stores/make ahead/bakes from the fridge, and it works really well. You did say a few days- I’d try no more than 3, because sometimes the edges of the dough balls become quite brittle and bake up a little greasy. Let me know how you go 🙂
Hi, do you not need xanthan gum if using gluten free flour? Or should I look for a gluten free flour with it included?
yes, you would 🙂
Can almond flour be used? If so how much?
Not that I’ve tried
I used unbleached all-purpose flour., Becel vegan butter…they turned out very spread flat, greasy, chewy in the center but crunchy on the outside but didn’t even look done?! What did I do wrong… Or was it just my choice of butter?
Hi Nathalie- I’ve never heard of Becel vegan butter so I just took a look- is it a margarine? That’s the only one I could find, and unfortunately, would be what resulted in them being flat and greasy. Unbleached AP flour is totally fine to use.
Hi! Your instructions say melt the chopped chocolate until it bubbles. You meant melt the chopped butter.
Lisa
Ahh thank you! Amended!