Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

This vegan coconut chocolate chip cookies recipe delivers freshly-baked cookies with warm, melted chocolate chips, and tender, buttery cookies with a crispy crust. It’s the best cookie ever!

If you love coconut and chocolate together, be sure to try these tasty Almond Joy Bites or these Chocolate Coconut Macaroons.

A freshly-baked batch of vegan coconut chocolate chip cookies sit on a wire rack to cool. A bowl of chocolate chips sits behind them.

Chocolate chip cookies must be the best treat on earth, and this recipe is a perfect example.

Homemade cookies are so special, especially when they’re vegan. The aromas that make their way through your kitchen will be rewarding enough, let alone getting to eat them.

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • Brown sugar adds flavor and moisture, keeping these cookies soft and chewy in every bite
  • Coconut oil is the star ingredient and adds amazing richness, texture, and even flavor (if you don’t use refined coconut oil)
  • Make coffee-shop quality cookies by placing chocolate chips on top of the unbaked cookies

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Coconut oil — Use refined coconut oil for a more neutral flavor, but virgin coconut oil adds delicious coconut flavor to these cookies.
  • Brown sugar — Use light, dark, or homemade brown sugar.
  • Granulated sugar
  • Flax egg — You can substitute a chia egg.
  • Applesauce
  • Vanilla
  • Flour — Use all-purpose flour or substitute whole wheat pastry flour (different than whole wheat flour) or a high-quality gluten-free flour.
  • Cornstarch
  • Baking soda + Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Plant-based milk — I prefer to use soy milk in my vegan baking, but you can also use almond milk.
  • Chocolate Chips — There are so many dairy-free chocolate chips to choose from.
A coconut is cut in half, with one half showing the brown outer crust and the other half showing coconut inside. There is a spoon sitting on a jar of coconut oil next to the coconuts.

What Coconut Oil is Best for Cookies?

Coconut oil is made from the meat of a coconut. It is saturated fat, meaning that it is solid at room temperature. Virgin coconut oil (also referred to as unprocessed) is made from fresh coconut meat and as a result has a stronger coconut flavor. Refined coconut oil comes from filtered and dried coconut meat, resulting in a more neutral flavor. Either refined or unrefined coconut oil are great for making cookies. Avoid coconut oil that is in liquid form at room temperature.

How to Make Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s the step-by-step at a glance:

  1. Cream together the coconut oil and sugars until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the flax egg, applesauce, and vanilla. 
  3. Stir together the dry ingredients.
  4. Make the cookie dough by beating the flour mixture with the wet ingredients. Add the plant-based milk to achieve the right consistency.
  5. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.
  6. Place rounded tablespoons of dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are done.
  7. Remove from the oven and wait for a minute before placing on a wire rack to cool.

Here are more detailed steps-by-step instructions:

Step One: Cream the Sugar and Fat

Looking at a beater full of creamy vegan butter and sugar whipped together in a stand mixer.

Use a mixer on medium speed to cream together the coconut oil and sugars. Beat for up to 3 minutes, to get a light and fluffy texture.

Add flax egg, cornstarch, water, applesauce, and vanilla and beat again until fluffy.

Step Two: Stir the Dry Ingredients

Dry ingredients, like flour, in a glass bowl.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Step Three: Make the Batter

Looking down on a mixing bowl full of cookie dough batter.

Pour the flour into the bowl with the creamed butter mixture. Stir to combine. Add chocolate chips and stir some more.

Step Three: Drop and Bake

Looking down on a baking sheet with cookie dough balls ready to be baked.

Use a cookie scoop to drop rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. If you prefer chewy cookies, 8 minutes is a good target. If you prefer crispy cookies, bake them a little longer.

When they’re done, remove them from the oven and allow the cookies to sit on the pan for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storage Tips

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.

New to Vegan Baking?

The idea of making cookies, cakes, or muffins without eggs or dairy can seem like a hill too tall to climb. But with the simple tips in my Guide to Vegan Baking, you’ll be baking like a vegan pro in no time!

Freezing Cookies

I love freezing these chewy coconut oil chocolate chip cookies and then reheating them right before serving so people can enjoy that “fresh-from-the-oven” feeling. Also, freezing the cookie dough balls is a great idea, too. Then you can bake-and-serve just about any time you want.

These coconut and chocolate chip cookies are made with coconut oil rather than vegan butter or peanut butter. I was worried that the cookies would have a strong coconut flavor from the oil. The good news? They don’t.

What is Coconut Oil?

We get coconut oil from pressing the white part from the inside of a coconut, otherwise referred to as the meat. You might recognize it most as coconut flakes because that’s how we most commonly see it. Coconut meat has a high-fat ratio, over 80%. That’s a lot, which is why coconut oil is one of the few plant-based sources of saturated fat.

Marly’s Tips

  • Be sure to soften the coconut oil slightly.
  • Reserve some of the chocolate chips to press into the cookie dough balls before baking, so each one is topped with lots of chocolate.
  • Add some chopped almonds to the dough for added texture.
  • You could add coconut flakes to the dough.
  • Make these double chocolate by adding approximately 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the cookie dough batter.
  • I love mini cookies, so you could make these smaller, but be sure to reduce the baking time
  • Sprinkle some coconut extract into the batter for extra coconut chocolate cookies

Now, you know what goes well with a cookie? How about some Vegan Skinny Hot Chocolate? I know. It’s perfect!

Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies are cooling on a wire rack. A cup of chocolate chips sits beside them along with a measuring spoon with baking soda in it.

More Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you’re into super-power, flavorful chocolate chip cookies, check these out:

A close-up on a stack of four chocolate chip cookies sitting on on top of the other. More freshly baked chocolate chip cookies are in the background.

These vegan coconut chocolate chip cookies are one of our favorites. We hope they will be for you, too!

A freshly-baked batch of vegan coconut chocolate chip cookies sit on a wire rack to cool. A bowl of chocolate chips sits behind them.

Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

These vegan coconut chocolate chip cookies are crispy in all the right places and sport a chewy, chocolatey middle, where it counts.
5 from 8 votes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 32 cookies
Calories: 134kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut oil room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 flax egg
  • ½ cup applesauce , unsweetened
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons plant-based milk*
  • 12 oz bag dairy-free chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • Cream together the coconut oil and sugars with a stand mixer or hand-held mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the flax egg, applesauce, and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
  • Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until well combined. Add the plant-based milk, one tablespoon at a time, mixing until you have a nice cookie dough consistency.
  • Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.
  • Place rounded tablespoons of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are nice and gold around the edges.
  • Remove from the oven and wait for a minute before placing on a wire rack to cool.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to a week. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Recommended Equipment

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

* If the dough is too dry, add a tablespoon additional plant-based milk.
Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 33mg | Sugar: 14g | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.3mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

33 Responses to Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyTereza Reply

    5 stars
    So easy and so delicious!!
    This is the second recipe I’ve tried from your website.. I’ll be definitely coming back for more and more recipes <3

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyShannon Reply

    Did you use refined or unrefined coconut oil? Since you said they don’t taste coconutty, I figure it’s refined but wanted to check. The photos look awesome! Thanks

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Shannon, I use Better Body Coconut Oils which comes in refined and virgin, etc. I love that I can find Better Body Foods at places like Walmart which helps make vegan, healthy living so much more affordable and accessible! You’re right though, using a refined coconut oil does help reduce the coconut taste in the finished product.

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyLacey Olsen Reply

    I thought you should know that I’ve made this recipe at least 2 dozen times! It’s my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and I’m not even vegan! AND I did have to drop dairy due to a breastfeeding issue, so this recipe was there to get me through it! So thank you!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Lacey – you just made my day! I’m so glad you love this recipe because I do too! That makes us like Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie Buds!

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySandra Reply

    I submitted this recipe to foodgawker.com using the link to this page so you get credit of course. Hope that’s ok. The world NEEDS to have this recipe! It was so yummy raw too. I added a little unsweetened flaked coconut too.

    I had to leave them in the oven longer than the recipe says because they came out raw and falling apart at first.

    I even froze these and took them out of the freezer for an hour or so, popped them into the microwave for like 15 seconds and it was like fresh baked again. Thank you!

    PS This is by no means a lot fat recipe because it’s “vegan.” There is a lot of coconut oil in this recipe but it makes these taste decadent and non-vegan. Yum.

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyLeslie Reply

    these are wonderful!! they taste like traditional cookies, but much lighter! I used white chocolate chips and 1 cup of ground oatmeal in place of 1 cup flour (only b/c I was short)… and they’re delicious! My 2 year old vegan loves them!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      I’m so glad you liked them!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAmber @Almost Vegan Reply

    These look perrrfect. I love thin, chewy CC cookies.

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyHeather {Multiply Delicious} Reply

    These cookies look delicious! I just started to bake and cook with coconut oil and I’ve loved it! I can’t wait to try these amazing cookies! There is nothing like a chocolate chip cookie in my opinion!

  8. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJen @ LitasWorld Reply

    OMG those cookies look divine!!! I’m so going to buy the Scharffen Berger next time I’m at the store (my favorite chocolate) and make this recipe!! They look so yummy..thanks for taking the time to figure out the adjustments to work with coconut oil. YUM!!

  9. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJason Reply

    Excellent photo progression…suspenseful and dramatic. And it made me hungry!
    Jason

  10. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyRicki Reply

    I never bake with margarine–only coconut oil! I love it (and of course the bonus is that it’s good for you). 🙂 Your cookies look phenomenal–just the right balance of crisp and chewy. Now you’ll have to start using coconut oil to saute, in other baking, on your muffins. . . ! 😉

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