This easy vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe will have you questioning if it’s really vegan? Super simple, all in one bowl, and can be Top 8 Allergen Free.
One of the hardest parts about veganism is wondering if you are going to ever be able to have your favorite ever again. But another, more fun, part is realizing that you can have all your favorites with a little creativity
These easy vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe will show you that anything is possible.
I mean these vegan cookies need just one bowl, minutes to prep and bake, are freezable and they only thing you will be wondering is what in the world you haven’t made them yet.
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Frequently Asked Questions on how to make the best vegan chocolate chip cookies:
Can I make these Top 8 Allergen Free?
Whether you have a gluten allergy or dairy or another Top 8, you will be happy to know that you can make these completely free of top allergens.
For the vegan butter, we would recommend using a soy free vegan butter, like Earth Balance soy free in the red tub
For gluten free, we have had the best of luck with King Arthur Measure for Measure flour.
Can I make any substitutions?
Besides the substitutions above for making Top 8 Allergen free, we are frequently asked if you can make them without vegan butter or swap out the sugar for a healthy sugar source.
The answer is yes, but. Yes, you can, but the taste and texture is obviously going to differ once you start making any changes.
For the butter you could make these vegan chocolate chip cookies with applesauce by replacing in the same amount.
For the sugar, we would recommend just replacing with a coconut sugar versus something else.
Can I prep these ahead?
Yes! Let cool completely and then leave in an air tight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze the dough?
Of course. Whether you want to eat the entire batch at one time or you just need a couple here and there, you can totally roll out what you need and then freeze the remaining batter in an air tight freezer container or bag
Can I refrigerate the dough until ready to use?
Absolutely! While chilling dough isn’t needed for this recipe, if you wanted to make the dough ahead, but not ready to make, just cover the bowl and place in the fridge up to a week.
It does take chilled cookies longer to cook so check after the recommended baking time and you may need an additional few minutes to finish your cookies.
What is vegan sugar?
In the United States, most sugar has been processed through bone char. While there are no animal parts left in the sugar, many vegans are not okay with the practice of using animal parts in the refining process.
This refers to white sugar, brown sugar, and powdered sugar.
One easy way to ensure that your sugar has not been processed with bone char is to look for Organic or Non-Gmo sugars as bone char is not allowed with either of these.
Some sugar packages also say bone char free.
This is not the case in most other countries.
What makes these vegan chocolate chip cookies easy?
First, if you are newly vegan and looking for something that reminds you of traditional chocolate chip cookies without sacrificing anything in texture or taste, then this is the easiest recipe you are going to find.
Also, it’s only made in one bowl, there’s only 9 ingredients, and you don’t need to chill the dough before using, which means you can have cookies ready to eat in under 20 minutes.
Are vegan chocolate chip cookies healthy?
When you eat a cookie like this, you release serotonin which is always a healthy thing to have happen.
This recipe does contain vegan butter and vegan sugar; however both of those could be replaced with substitutions like applesauce and coconut sugar to make healthier, although the taste and texture would differ.
Can I eat this cookie dough?
Many people believe that since there’s no eggs in the dough, that they could just eat the dough; however, flour is actually more a risk for salmonella poisoning than eggs.
For that reason, we do not recommend eating this dough.
However, we do have an edible vegan chocolate chip cookie dough that you can eat. As well as a gluten free edible vegan chocolate chip cookie dough.
Are chocolate chips vegan?
Traditionally, milk chocolate chips are not vegan; however, many dark chocolate chips can be vegan.
The main ingredient that makes a cookie not vegan is either milk or whey (whey powder). If those ingredients are not included in the ingredient list, then the chocolate chips are likely vegan.
You could also make your own vegan chocolate chips by following a homemade chocolate recipe and then piping chips instead.
Where do you find vegan chocolate chips?
If you are looking to just find vegan chocolate chips in the store, then you can absolutely find them. They are actually getting easier and easier.
One of our favorites is Enjoy Life, and they can be found in most grocery stores, Target, Walmart, and stores like Whole Foods and natural grocery stores. They are Top 8 Allergen Free and do not contain and dairy or eggs making them completely vegan.
Stores like Whole Foods will also have a large variety of other vegan chocolate chips like Lilys or Chatfields.
What are your favorite vegan chocolate chips?
We have a tendency to just stick with Enjoy Life. They are easiest to find and they taste almost indistinguishable from traditional chips.
However, if we found a good dark chocolate bar that we like, for example Aldi’s 70% cacao bars, then sometimes we use those too.
Should my dough be sticky?
No. If you have sticky dough and followed the instructions, it could be because of the altitude that you live at or maybe things weren’t measure entirely correctly.
In the case of your dough because sticky, we first recommend that you watch the video.
After that, you can able a few tablespoons of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticky.
Tips on how to make the best vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe:
We list a ton of tips above and highly recommend that you read each one if before you cook your cookies; however, if you want the short version here’s some easy tips on making the best vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe.
- Preheat the oven before you start making your dough
- Make sure to watch the video before making
- Use a cookie scoop to ensure uniform size of cookies so they bake at an even temperature.
- Don’t make substitutions unless you are aware of the changes it will make to your cookies
- Watch your cookies in the oven as all oven temperatures are different you may need to pull out your cookies earlier or leave longer
What are other awesome vegan cookie ideas that I should make?
Whether you are doing a cookie exchange or you just want to switch up and make a new vegan cookie recipe, we have you covered.
We have over a dozen vegan cookie recipes that you can find when you click on our best vegan cookie recipes roundup.
We have everything from the salted caramel cookies you see above, as well as things like:
- vegan snickerdoodles
- vegan classic sugar cookies
- vegan peanut butter cookies
- vegan oatmeal cookies
- and more!
Just click here.
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Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp vegan butter, measured, then softened
- 1/2 cup vegan cane sugar
- 1/4 cup vegan light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (we like a combination of chips and chunks)
- 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (for the top)
- salt flakes for topping, OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (177˚C).
- In a bowl, add softened vegan butter and both sugars. Beat with a mixer (stand or hand) until light and creamy about 2 -3 mins.
- Add vanilla extract and apple sauce and beat them until combined (about 15 – 20 seconds).
- To the same bowl, add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. *Dough should fall apart into crumbles durning the mixing process. (See video for reference)
- Add 3/4 cup chips and use a spatula to fold the chips in.
- Use a cookie scoop to make 12 cookies and place on a baking sheet.
- Use the other 1/4 cup chips to add to the top of dough balls.
- Bake the cookies for 10 – 12 mins. *It’s important to stick to this time frame so you don’t over bake the cookies. If it seems they need more time, then don’t take them out!
- Remove from oven and let rest about 15 – 20 mins to set. Add salt flakes if desired.
- Store any leftovers in an air tight container.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Andrew and Larisha are doing the Lord’s work with this recipe LOL! I haven’t had a cookie that kept its thickness the entire time it baked like this one did. Years and years of flat and thin vegan chocolate chip cookies really made me grow a bitterness in my heart toward vegan cookies but today that changed, these are the absolute tastiest and visually pleasing cookies I’ve ever made since going vegan (7 years ago) this is now my new go-to. Seriously. Phenomenal!
OMG we love you! Thank you so much for this glowing review! We’re thrilled to hear that you liked it
I wrote you guys when I first make these cookies last year at the top of the pandemic. Well, I have to tell now I can’t go to a family gathering without getting a request to bring “my” chocolate chip cookies! No worries, I always give you the credit and share your link to the recipe! These are some good cookies!
We’re so happy to hear that it’s a hit for everyone!
Excellent recipe–cooking isn’t my forte, but the cookies came out perfect. Thank you so much for creating this recipe!
So happy to hear you liked it, we appreciate you taking time out of your day to leave a review!
Easy and delicious. I’ve missed cookies and ngl ik its bad but cookie dough to and this tastes like the real thing. Loveeee.
So happy to hear you liked it, we appreciate you taking time out of your day to leave a review!
This is one of the easiest to follow vegan chocolate chip cookies recipes that I’ve seen. I was able to find all of the ingredients at my local Target. Unlike other recipes where I had to go to multiple stores and or order in from Amazon. Also they were a big hit with my none vegan family. Thank you both for always putting out easy to follow vegan recipes.
So happy to hear you liked it, we appreciate you taking time out of your day to leave a review!
Fantastic cookies! Thank you…
We’re so happy to hear that it was a hit! We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. Have a great week.
Followed the author’s recommendations to substitute flax egg, 1 tablespoon ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 10 mins, besides using applesauce. Thank you for responding to my query. Cookies came out great and taste like the real deal cookies. No need to let everyone know they are vegan I just shared the recipe.
PS. I left dough overnight in the fridge because I had no time to make and bake the same day.
Glad to hear the sub worked! Thanks for leaving a review
This is so delicious! It’s not only super delicious it’s super easy to make. I’ve made this recipe every Friday for the last month…….I can’t help it. It’s addicting. My brother called these cookies “the best chocolate chip cookies he’s had in his life.” And they really are! Make this!
Love it Vickie! We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. Have a great week.
These cookies are delicious and was so easy to make! I am new to Plant based eating and I love sweets and these cookies hit the spot! I let my daughter try them and she thought they were regular dairy cookies. Thank you!!
Marilyn, we’re so excited to help you on your new journey! Glad you loved the cookies
These are definitely the best vegan chocolate chip cookies I’ve had! I subbed GF flour and it still worked great for me, I could eat the whole batch!! Thank you guys for the amazing vegan recipes, can’t wait to try more 🙂
We’re so excited to hear you liked them! What kind of GF flour did you use? We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. Thanks so much!
Definitely the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made (including non vegan ones)! Extremely chewy, just the right amount of sweetness and with the sea salt on top it was just perfect. No “vegan” taste after all so it’s perfect for when you want to bring something to a gathering without people being weird about it because it’s vegan lol. 5* of course😋 was super quick to make as well!
We are so happy to hear that you loved them so much! Thanks for taking time to leave a review!
Absolutely delicious and easy to prepare. I will never buy store bought chocolate chip cookies again.
So happy to hear you like it! Thanks for taking time to leave a review!
These were literally the best cookies I’ve ever made. Not kidding when I say they were so much better than the ones I used to make when I was not vegan and also my family loved them. I’ve always cooked and when I became a vegan I didn’t find a lot of good recipes and that made me feel terrible. When I accidentally found your channel on YouTube I’ve never stopped making your recipes so I can’t even explain how thankful I am with you guys. This shows that vegan is the best. Send you love from Argentina 🇦🇷
So happy to hear you loved the recipe. We’re so happy you found our channel too! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate that a lot. Have a great week!
These turned out perfectly! Thanks for making vegan easy and delicious 😋
We’re so excited that you loved the recipe! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment, we appreciate that so much!
Excellent recipe and toddler friendly baking. So maybe ours didn’t turn out as pretty because my 3 year old has a heavy chocolate hand. But they were delicious and easy. Will definitely make again!
Nothing wrong with a bit more chocolate 😉 We’re so happy to hear you liked it! Thanks for taking time out of your day to leave a review. We really appreciate it.
Very easy recipe to follow. I made this recipe twice as I thought I messed somewhere the first time.. Both batches were a little dry and kind of had the texture of a shortbread cookie…? What did I do wrong? 😔
likely overmixing or over adding flour
This recipe was so easy and DELICIOUS! The salt was definitely a game changer. Thank you!!!!!!
We’re so happy to hear it was enjoyable! Thanks for taking time out of your day to write a review, it’s much appreciated!
Aghh really wished this would work out. Sounds like it’s us and not the recipe since everyone else loving it. We bought some all purpose gluten free flour (rice flour/tapioca starch mix). It’s coming out flakey and dry (short bread like). Any tips on how to tweak it or did I choose the wrong flour? Our friend is gluten, dairy, soy, allergy (rough) haha. Any tips appreciated!!
We’ve only tried gluten free with King Arthur 1:1 mix. Maybe try that one? Either way, gluten free mixes just react differently and you will have a nice cookie but it won’t be the same as the photos. Hope that helps
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve made. Thank you!
So happy to hear that. Thanks for taking time to leave a review!
these cookies are AMAZING!!! I’m dairy free and haven’t found a recipe to satisfy my cookie cravings until I found this one. So incredibly easy to make and my family ate them all within 20 minutes! They had no idea they were vegan until I told them. My brother is a big chocolate chip cookie fan and he said they were his favorite cookie. 10/10 would recommend and will definitely be making these again.
So happy to hear! Thank you for taking time to share the review
these are delicious! i’ve made them several times. today i used whole wheat pastry flour and added some quick oats and they turned out excellent 🙂
so happy that you are enjoying them
I ran across this recipe and couldn’t wait to bake them.
I don’t have words for how delicious these cookies are and easy to make! My husband and I loved them!!
We’re so happy to hear this!
This has become my favorite vegan cc cookie recipe! My family even loves these cookies and they’re normally hesitant to try anything vegan. These are truly the best and so easy to make
So glad to hear that the recipe was a hit with everyone! That’s always a win. We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!
So delicious and easy!!!
So glad to hear you are enjoying the recipe. We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!
Cookies didn’t turn out as gooey as the ones in the video but they were still soft and delicious!
Glad to hear you still enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! We appreciate that
put simply, these cookies slap. thanks again y’all
Thrilled to hear that! Thanks for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate it so much
Wow that cookies recipe really is one of the best best I’ve ever tasted !! Thank you <33
We’re so happy to hear that! Thank you for leaving a review!
So easy to make!!! My son who is kinda Vegan cause he lives in my house thought these cookies were amazing. He was more excited he could eat the cookie dough raw. Love you guys and your enthusiasm for the Vegan lifestyle. You are my go to site now for recipes. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for leaving a review! Just a heads up, raw flour can still be a risk, but we do have an edible cookie dough on our site.
Could i replace the applesauce with a flax egg instead? Thanks in advance
Yes you can