There’s nothing more comforting than pulling a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. The smell, the gooey chocolate, the first bite of soft, chewy perfection. These are the moments that make baking magical. And the best part? You don’t need eggs, butter, or dairy to achieve cookie bliss.
My recipe for chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies is one I come back to again and again. It’s simple, reliable, and yields bakery-style cookies with golden edges and soft centers. Whether you’re a seasoned vegan baker or new to plant-based treats, these cookies will quickly become your go-to recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chewy texture: No cakey cookies here, just soft centers with crisp edges.
- Easy ingredients: Everything can be found at a regular grocery store.
- Dairy-free and egg-free: 100% vegan, but no one will ever guess.
- Customizable: Add walnuts, swap in dark chocolate chunks, or sprinkle with flaky sea salt for a bakery finish.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Vegan butter: Provides richness and the classic cookie flavor. I prefer stick style as there’s less water in them than from a tub.
- Brown and cane sugar: For sweetness, moisture, and that perfect chew.
- Coconut milk or vegan cream: Use full fat coconut milk or cream or a vegan heavy whipping cream like Country Crock or Silk brands. You could use a plain creamy vegan milk instead but they won’t be as rich.
- Flaxmeal: Just a tablespoon to help with egg replacement.
- Baking soda and kosher salt: For lift and balance.
- Vegan chocolate chips: The star of the show! I prefer a mix of semisweet and bittersweet but use your favorite brand.
How to make them:
- Use a hand or stand mixer. It makes quick work of mixing the dough but you could do this by hand.
- Sheet pans matter. I prefer using heavy aluminum baking pans as nonstick can often make cookies bake darker and faster. If really concerned about burned bottoms, you can always double your pans before baking.
- Use an ice cream scoop. A retractable ice cream scoop is useful to make cookies all the same size so they all bake evenly. There’s different sizes and I own a mini 1.5”, a 2” (the one I used for these and most cookies I make) and a jumbo 3” size when you want to make bakery style monster cookies.
Tips for success:
- Don’t skip chilling the dough. It prevents spreading for thicker cookies and enhances flavor.
- Use a cookie scoop. For evenly sized cookies that bake consistently.
- Pull them out early. Cookies continue baking on the sheet after being removed from the oven.
How to store:
These cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the dough balls and bake them straight from the freezer, perfect for when a cookie craving hits.
If you’ve been searching for the ultimate vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe, this is it. Soft, chewy, and loaded with melty chocolate, they’re proof that plant-based baking can be every bit as delicious as the classics.
Bake a batch, pour yourself a glass of vegan milk, and enjoy the kind of cookie that brings everyone (vegan or not), back for seconds!
The Best Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
18
servings15
minutes13
minutesSoft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate, these easy vegan chocolate chip cookies are the best egg-free, dairy-free treat you’ll ever bake.
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Ingredients
2 cups plus 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) or 3/4 cup vegan butter, melted and cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp full fat coconut milk or vegan heavy cream
1 tbsp finely ground flax seed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups vegan semisweet chocolate chips (one 12 oz bag)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Either by hand, or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars together until blended thoroughly.
- Whisk the flax seed into the coconut milk or vegan cream and let stand for 5 minutes. Add flax egg mixture with vanilla into butter and sugar mixture until combined.
- Add dry ingredients on low speed until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Let mixture stand for at least 15 minutes so flour absorbs in completely. Mixture may look shiny at first. Chill mixture for at least an hour or preferable overnight before baking.
- Using a medium sized ice cream scoop or about 3 tablespoons of dough, place on prepared cookie sheets about 2.5” apart as they spread a bit.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes, then let cool on trays for 10 minutes to finish cooking before removing to a wire rack.
Notes
- You can use semisweet, bittersweet or even chop an entire block of chocolate to use in these cookies. I’ve found Trader Joe’s vegan chocolate chips the best value right now.
- You can use coconut cream but these also came out great using vegan heavy whipping cream (like Country Crock, Silk or Califia brand). You could use a creamy plain vegan milk in a pinch as well.
- I prefer using stick style vegan butter as it contains less water than tub style but that will work as well as you’re melting it anyway.
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Could anything be subbed for the full fat coconut milk?
You could probably use vegan heavy cream? Silk, Califia, Country Crock Plant Cream and Violife all make it. Report back if you try it!
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These truly are the best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I made one small addition of sea salt flakes after the bakes came out, but that only improved the overall experience.
I do not consider myself a baker, and don’t have all the best baking tools, but after my minimal trial and error, I got some perfect cookies! Definitely make sure to follow the sizing and spacing instructions, unless you want a sheet cookie X-D.
The recipe and instructions were easy to follow, and these may be the best tasting chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Can’t wait to try the tollhouse recipe in the future!
I agree. I have many chocolate chip cookie recipes on my site but always come back to these. A classic for sure!
holy cow. i have searched for YEARS to find the perfect vegan chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe and this is it! i made them with oat milk instead of coconut as that’s what i had on hand and they turned out perfectly. i am thrilled!
Awesome! I love that your search is over! Thanks for the lovely review.