Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These vegan chocolate chip cookies are perfectly soft, chewy, and made in one bowl. Ready in just 12 minutes, they taste like something from a bakery.
My partner loves my eggless chocolate chip cookies and considers them to be one of my best dessert recipes ever. Some friends recently asked if there was a way to adapt them to make them vegan, and unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. Instead, I set out to create a complete vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. After years of testing and tweaking, it turned into something much bigger.
These cookies have actually won multiple baking awards in Australia and the United States- which still blows my mind- and they continue to be one of the most popular recipes on my site. They’re made in one bowl, require NO vegan butter or margarine, and somehow still come out soft in the middle, chewy on the edges, and packed with chocolate chips.
I love that they don’t need any chill time or specialty ingredients, and make even the biggest carnivore think they’re from a bakery.
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What people are saying
★★★★★ – “Made your vegan chocolate chip cookies (award-winning) 2x in 1 week. I am vegan and these are AMAZING! My 8-year-old granddaughter asked if I would make them for her birthday in September… she is an extremely picky eater…does not seem to like a lot of foods kids eat, so this is a bonus. Thank you! 💕” – Beth
Key Ingredients
- White and brown sugar. A combination of both sugars ensures the cookies are crisp around the edges while being soft and gooey in the middle.
- Coconut oil. Be sure the coconut oil has been softened to room temperature. You want it to have a soft, buttery texture. Remember to use refined coconut oil, as it has no coconut flavor.
- Plant-based milk of choice. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any dairy-free milk (like oat, coconut, soy, cashew, etc.) will be fine.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any cookie recipe!
- All-purpose flour. Nothing fancy here, just simple white flour. If you notice it clumps, I suggest sifting it first.
- Baking soda and powder. Both leavening agents are used to ensure the cookies remain thick and chewy and do not spread too much.
- Salt. Brings out the natural sweetness of the cookies.
- Chocolate Chips. Reserve a handful of vegan chocolate chips to add on top of the cookies, so there are plenty of them in every bite (my secret trick!). I typically make my own, but I like Enjoy Life chocolate chips and their chocolate chunks. Also, most dark chocolate over 68% is dairy-free.
How to make vegan chocolate chip cookies
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- Make the cookie dough: Cream together the sugars and coconut oil. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until a smooth dough remains. Fold through the chocolate chips.
Step 2- Bake: Place balls of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just done.
Step 3- Let them firm up and cool: Carefully remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on a cooling rack before enjoying.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not over-mix the cookie dough, as this can affect how much the cookies spread. Mix until everything is combined, and fold in the chocolate chips at the end.
- If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use vegan butter instead. Try to use good-quality butter, preferably from a stick. Some vegan butter contains added water, which can change the texture of the cookies. I’ve had success using Miyoko’s or Kite Hill.
- Avoid overbaking the cookies. Remember, they continue to cook as they cool down. Besides, they are vegan and are fine to be a little undercooked. I recommend removing them from the oven once the edges begin to brown.
- For chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies, remove them from the oven at 12 minutes.
Storage and make-ahead
To store: Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Please ensure the cookies have cooled entirely first. Otherwise, they will become soft and limp.
To freeze: Place cooled cookies in a ziplock bag and label it 6 months from the date they are made- that is how long they will keep! To enjoy cookies from the freezer, allow them to thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.
Make ahead: You can freeze the cookie dough for later. I don’t recommend freezing the cookie dough for more than a month, as the dough will become too crumbly.
Frequently asked questions
Melted coconut oil smooths the dough and causes the cookies to spread more, making them thinner. This is why I always recommend softening your coconut oil to room temperature.
I don’t recommend using just one kind of sugar, especially all brown sugar. The cookies turn out a little too soft, and the molasses flavor can be quite overpowering. If anything, it would be better to use all white sugar instead.
Even though this recipe is uses no eggs or milk, you still shouldn’t eat the raw cookie dough. It has untreated raw flour, which can lead to food poisoning. For a safe-to-eat cookie dough, try my vegan edible cookie dough.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar * See notes
- 1/3 cup coconut oil softened like butter, NOT melted
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened almond milk can substitute for any non-dairy milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large tray with parchment paper or a cookie sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and white sugar with the coconut oil and whisk well, until glossy. Add in the milk of choice and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add in the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix very well, until a dough remains. Using a rubber spatula, fold through the vegan chocolate chips.
- Form 12-15 balls of dough using either a cookie scoop (2 inches) or a large spoon. Place them on the lined tray and top with extra chocolate chips. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges have gone slightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray completely.
Notes
- Brown sugar sub: Coconut sugar works.
- Leftovers: Keep at room temperature for up to 5 days or the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Bake from frozen: To make cookies from a frozen state, allow the dough to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature. Once it is chilled but durable, they are ready to be baked!
Nutrition
More vegan cookie recipes
- Healthy oatmeal raisin cookies
- Vegan white chocolate macadamia nut cookies
- Vegan peanut butter cookies
- Vegan Levain cookies
- Healthy monster cookies
- Vegan shortbread cookies
Originally published April 2022, updated and republished April 2025
Hi Arman! Thank you for this recipe and walkthrough. I made them today. I did substitute the coconut oil for vegan butter, and only had mini chocolate chips, but they turned out amazing. This recipe is also easy, 10 out of 10. I had limited ingredients this time around. I look forward to trying them with coconut oil next time.
Hi! Can I make this dough and put in fridge or freezer till ready to bake, or do I need to bake them, then freeze them?
Thanks!
Yes you can 🙂
Yum.
I tried these for the first time and they are amazing
Can you use coconut sugar instead of white sugar
Yes!!
I did not expect these to be sooo good!!! I actually love the lil hint of coconut aswell, hands down the best vegan cookie I’ve ever tasted. Thank you so much!!!
Needed something quick and more importantly using simple ingredients as I was staying at my mother’s house. These were great and enjoyed by not only myself but all the non-vegans. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hey!
Thank you so much for the recipe! The cookies came out amazing!!
Everyone back home loved them!
Great vegan cookie recipe! So easy and consistent – love it!!!
I’ve made so many vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes and this one is the best overall! The taste, texture, ingredient list is all perfect- it is the vegan replica to the Tollhouse recipe I’ve been using for years. I look forward to your other recipes! Thank you for solving my cookie craving!
Amazing vegan cookies, these are delish!!! Thanks a bunch! God bless!
Thank you, Cynthia!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times absolutely amazing thank you for sharing.
If I made smaller cookies would I need to decrease the cooking time or would I still leave it at 12 minutes for chewy cookies?
Definitely reduce it to 10 minutes!
My toddler and I made this recipe for the first time together when we decided to bake after someone gifted us a kitchenaid! I was so impressed, happy, and satisfied with this recipe it is now my official go-to recipe for chocolate xhip cookies!! Thank you for altering this delicious vegan recipe!! 😋
So good! Best vegan cookies recipe I have found in years! Made them a few days ago with refined coconut oil and again today with vegan butter and they are both delicious. Great edges and not cakey like many other vegan cookies. Thanks very much Arman!
This is such a great recipe! Thank you. I used Erythritol instead of sugar at a 1 to 1 ratio and they turned out great! They are softer than a conventional sugar cookie however; but still great.
Next time I will substitute a little coconut blossom sugar for its caramel flavour. And I think I will add a little more flour, and less sweetener.
Thanks for the feedback, Nathan!