Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
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.
Table of Contents
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
Hello, I am wondering if you would have any suggestions about making chocolate chip cookie bars instead of individual cookies and what size pan to use? Thank you and I love all of your recipes! Take care, Chapin
Yes! Just bake it in a pan and increase the cooking time by 4-5 minutes, or until set around the sides!
5 stars is underated. By far the best chocolate cookies on this planet. Love you Arman
Thank you so much, Akeala!
Recipe looks great!! Could I use olive or avocado oil instead of coconut oil?
You could try!
Hi Arman, Thank you for your great recipes! Could you please clarify something? When you say whisk coconut oil and sugars until the batter is glossy, do you mean with a whisk or with a mixer, or with a spoon? What exactly is glossy? Thank you! I’m never sure if I should be using a mixer, a spoon, or a whisk.
Margie
Hi Margie! Whisk is fine. Glossy is when it’s sort of shiny/shimmering.
Thank you for the awesome recipe. I subbed 1 tsp each oat flour, coconut flour, and ground flax with 1/3 cup water mixed in for the plant milk and they are perfect. With the mini enjoy life brand choc chips too! My new go to” recipe!
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. Please keep posting vegan recipes… I have found some good ones in the Big Man’s World …where I found this one! Thank you! 💕
Thanks, Beth!
Excellent!!!! This recipe was so very good, I made specialty large chocolate chip vegan cookies
Crispy outside soft inside. Perfect
The best cookies!!!
Thanks, Michaela!
This recipes is very very good , I added 1/2 tsp cinnamon next time I will add 1tsp . I reduced the brown sugar to 1/4 cup and 1/4 of coconut palm sugar next time I will even reduce more the brown sugar to 2tbs , I did 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts I can’t imagine 1 cup of chocolate chip it would be too much and too sweet for me . I had to add a tad more milk I baked them for 16 minutes there was a nice rise but next time I will flattened the dough so they are thinner in all it’s a very good recipe very adaptable to any kind of fixings you want to add.
These are great staple vegan cookies! Mostly just household ingredients, simple recipe & DELICIOUS lil cookies!
Thanks, Sabina!
Really good cookies but they spread out like crazy! From experience, coconut oil and vegan butter do that so I have better luck with canola oil! Well I have had better luck with canola oil until now. 😂 Still good flavor so thanks so much!
These are amazing! I have made them several times (even had to use almond extract once) and they are perfect every time! The only modification I make is that I only add about 1/2 of the chocolate chips that the recipes calls for (personal preference of less choc chips), but this recipe is a winner 🙌
10/10. Very nice recipe, tastes like cookies. I did have a bit of a struggle with the coconut oil as it gets all over the place, so keep that in mind. I made them smaller than the recipe states (and cooked shorter too) but I do not use a timer so unfortunately I cannot say how long. In summary: great recipe.
Wow, these are delicious. I make them at least once a week; my husband and grandkids love them. (I could devour the dough…) Here is my favorite way to make them: I use almond flour, and add chia/ flax seed and finely chopped pecans in the main recipe. (Make sure you slightly flatten before baking). But I’ve also made with a mixture of 2/3 almond flour and 1/3 whole wheat, very good too. In any version I make, I use Erithrotol (plant-based sugar, zero calories or sugar/mix with tiny bit of molasses to make “brown” sugar. No one notices it’s not real sugar) I switched out to all white flour for grandkids, they LOVED them. This is such a good recipe, I know it by heart now. Thank you for creating this lovely cookie!
My previous comment should’ve had five stars, my computer changed it to 4 by accident. Would’ve given more stars if I could!