The Best Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe is made to taste just like the traditional chocolatey cookie. Soft vegan cookies are made with lots of chocolate chips and creates a tender cookie center with a slight crispy bite! Easy vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes are made without eggs or dairy. This cookie is tasty from the vegan cookie dough all the way to to the baked cookies! See tips to make gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
Vegan Cookies with Friends
Recently my neighbor kids helped me with some yard work. Is that so nice or what?
I made them some of my best chocolate chip cookies to say thanks. Homemade cookies are the best gift, especially when a child is involved! I used my basic vegan choc chip cookie recipe and they loved it!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
One of my favorite things about making these cookies is the vegan chocolate chip cookie dough recipe itself. In fact, you can roll this edible cookie dough into balls and freeze them and have a quick dessert of frozen cookie dough ball bites. It’s an amazing, yummy treat!
You should try that with my red velvet chocolate chip cookies. Or better yet, my vegan sprinkle chocolate chip cookies turn into amazing (and colorful) cookie dough bites!
Can you eat raw cookie dough?
Because there’s no egg in vegan chocolate chip cookies, you can eat it raw without concern for the bacteria that might be present in raw eggs.
If you were making this recipe to eat only as frozen cookie dough balls, I would recommend making them on the small side so you don’t hurt your jaw biting into a solid chunk of frozen cookie dough.
Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can make these vegan chewy chocolate chip cookies gluten free. Substitute gluten-free all purpose baking flour for the all-purpose flour. There are a variety of gluten free flours at most grocery stores these days!
I confess that I enjoy adding a little bit of almond flour to my GF cookies. A quarter cup of almond flour combined with gluten-free all purpose flour is perfect and keeps the cookies soft.
A batch of these vegan dairy free cookies in a Christmas goodies bag would be so special!
How to make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from scratch?
If you’re wondering how to make chocolate chip cookies vegan, I’m here to tell you it’s easier than cracking an egg! In fact, it’s so easy to make homemade vegan chocolate chip cookies because you follow the same process as making any easy cookie recipes.
In this recipe for chocolate chip cookies we’re using a mixer to create a fluffier batter. Place vegan butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluff, about two minutes.
Next, add the chia seeds, vanilla, and water, and mix again until combined.
Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Then pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat until combined.
Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined. Drop cookie dough balls (I use a cookie scoop to keep the cookies the same size) and bake for 9 – 10 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool for a minute on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Is a store-bought cookie mix vegan?
Many store-bought cookie mixes are not vegan, but be sure and check the label. I look for eggs, dairy, and even things like lard. Those are clear indications that this is not a vegan friendly cookie mix!
Here are some cookie mixes that are made without eggs or dairy: Duncan Hines Snack Size Cookies, Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie mix, Miss Jones Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix (is organic, all natural too).
What are vegan cookie brands?
If you want to skip homemade chocolate chip cookies altogether, consider these brands of pre-made vegan cookies: Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Enjoy Life Soft Baked Cookies, the Alternative Baking Company (found at most health food stores), and more!
Are chocolate chips vegan?
Not all of the chocolate chips are vegan. Be sure to read the labels and even when you’ve found a brand you like, check them periodically because they do sometimes change their ingredients.
For example, some of Ghirardelli chocolate chips used to be dairy-free, but not any more! They changed their formula and now all their chocolate chips have dairy in them.
Here are some go-to dairy-free chocolate chips: Trader Joe’s chocolate chips, Kirkland (available seasonally at Costco), Lilly’s, and Enjoy Life.
Expert Tips
Use these expert tips to make this best chocolate chip cookie recipe perfect every time:
- Sit your vegan butter out about 30 minutes before making the dough so that it will be softened
- I use Earth Balance because it has a great, buttery flavor
- You can make a butterless vegan cookie by using coconut oil instead of the vegan butter. For help with that, check out my Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- You’ll see I use water in this recipe, but you could sub in almond milk, soy milk, or even coconut milk
- If having no sugar in your diet is important, you can make these cookies sugar free by using granulated and brown sugar Swerve in place of the sugar listed below. In addition, you’ll want to use Lily’s stevia sweetened dark chocolate chips that also happen to be dairy free as well
- Sometimes to make these cookies extra yummy, I’ll do half peanut butter in place of half of the vegan butter
- Some cookie doughs needs to be refrigerated before baking, but I don’t do that with this recipe. I only refrigerate the dough if I’m making it ahead of time.
- Let the cookies sit on the pan after removing from the oven for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool
- If you love an oatmeal flavor to your cookies, replace about 1/2 cup of the flour with 1/2 cup of oat flour (oatmeal placed in a blender and pulsed until a flour consistency).
- What’s the difference between a vegetarian cookie and vegan cookies? These cookies are made without eggs, butter or milk.
- You can use chia or ground flax seeds or even applesauce as an egg replacer in cookies.
- See, these are mostly everyday ingredients you can find in your grocery store. No crazy ingredients!
More Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Do you love vegan cookies? Here are some of the best cookie recipes, all with different takes on the vegan chocolate chip cookie!
- These Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies are more of a low fat, healthy cookie and include whole wheat pastry flour.
- This Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is double chocolate cookies goodness!
- And for a real change of pace, how about this Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake? It’s like a big chocolate chip cookie served in cake style, complete with frosting. It’s perfect for parties!
Did you know cookies did not become popular in this country until about 100 years ago? What a shame, eh? I think it’s important to make up for lost time, so we should make a double batch of these cookies today!
We hope you love this recipe for Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies as much as we do! If you make a batch, be sure to use your phone to create an image and share it on Instagram using #namelymarly so we can see it too!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter 2 sticks, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granular sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350F. Lin a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl. User a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the chia seeds, water and vanilla and mix again to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Pour the flour mixture in with the butter mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined. Drop by rounded spoonful about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, depending on your desired final cookie. If you prefer chewier cookies, remove them around 8 minutes. If you prefer crispier, cook for a few minutes longer.
- Once the cookies are done, allow them to cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in a sealed container for up to a week either on the counter or in the fridge. Or you can freeze these cookies for up to two months.
Using Ground Flax Seed as an Egg Replacer
I sometimes like to use ground flax seed as a replacement for eggs in a recipe. It adds a little bit of texture, moisture, and some omega-3’s to boot! I use 3 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed for each egg in the recipe.
Whatever egg replacer you use, they do a great job of making delicious cookies. Check out my Vegan Baking Guide for more information.
Don’t you just love ground flax seed? I just picked up a bag today at Whole Foods. I have been eating it with my oatmeal/cereal for quite awhile but just recently started adding it to my baked goods. So so yummy! These cookies look great, and I can’t wait to give them a try. As always, thank you for sharing Marly!
Yes – it is really versatile. Do you buy the dark or the golden flax seed? We’ve tried both. I like adding it to baked goods just to try to help myself believe it’s healthy. Sure they’re cookies…but they’ve got omega 3 rich flax seeds!!!
Hey Marly, these look great, and I love the way you solved your dilemma. Your’e right! Children should learn the value of helping others (especially neighbors) without expectation.
Hey, I was just thinking to post the recipe I developed for vegan chocolate chip, so I hope you don’t think I’m a copy cat (smile).
By the way, thanks for that sweet question on my last post…
What sweet question? Now I’m going to have to go back to your site and check it out!
I don’t think you’re a copy cat – I can’t wait to see your recipe!
I need to explore more vegan cuisine, and those cookies look mouthwatering I think the kids enjoyed the cookies maybe more so than money. I hate to bring everything down to money.
These cookies taste as good as they look. My favorite egg replacer is the apple sauce. I highly recommend it. I think I have used 1/4 cup. I would love to see any vegan entrees you decide to make!
What nice kids! And how sweet you are for baking them cookies. I bet they loved them!
I love these kids next door. They are so cute. They’re very polite too and that is something to be noted. I’m really lucky to have such nice neighbors. I’m also lucky to have met such nice people like you. It makes all the work of blogging worthwhile! My best to you! Marly
Your cookies look just like the old standby Tollhouse cookies. I’ve passed the recipe along to my daughter. She’ll love it!
[…] to my recipe. You’ll see the link below for the base recipe, but I also want to call out my vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe because it’s a very common stand-by. And I have used it many times by adding around […]
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