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    Home » Dessert

    Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

    Published: Jun 29, 2020 · Modified: Sep 8, 2022 by Larisha Bernard · This post may contain affiliate links · 81 Comments

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    These easy vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe are truly divine! Simple, one bowl, and Allergen Friendly.

    If you have ever wondered if vegans can have cookies, look no further. This easy vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe will show you that anything is possible.

    Cookies are something that makes everyone happy! It takes us back to the happy memories and always puts a smile on our face.

    These vegan chocolate chip cookies are thick, soft, and buttery making them great for any occasion.

    What are vegan chocolate chip cookies?

    Vegan chocolate chip cookies are a variation of the standard drop cookie featuring chocolate chips however they have no dairy, eggs, or other animal by-products.

    The standard chocolate chip cookies is widely credited to being created by Ruth Wakefield in 1938 in the United States. They are extremely popular

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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.

    Pin these easy vegan chocolate chip cookies for later:

    Print Recipe
    4.91 from 63 votes

    Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

    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.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 12 cookies
    Calories: 254kcal
    Author: Larisha Bernard

    Ingredients

    • 8 tablespoon vegan butter, measured, then softened
    • ½ cup vegan cane sugar
    • ¼ cup vegan light brown sugar, packed
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¾ cup vegan chocolate chips (we like a combination of chips and chunks)
    • ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips (for the top)
    • salt flakes for topping, OPTIONAL
    US Customary – Metric

    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. Add ¾ 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 ¼ 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

    *After extensive testing, this recipe was updated in 2023 to change baking soda to 1 teaspoon instead of ½ and also up the applesauce from ¼ to ½.  We believe this will help the issue some people were having with cookies not flattening and staying in a ball.  
    Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 356IU | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Frances

      December 07, 2022 at 8:20 pm

      5 stars
      These are so good and easy to make. Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Petite

      May 23, 2022 at 7:59 pm

      5 stars
      my first time making chocolate chip cookies and they came out perfect thanks to this recipe! 👍

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        May 24, 2022 at 10:45 pm

        So glad to hear you enjoyed it

        Reply
    3. Kiana

      April 25, 2022 at 9:47 pm

      4 stars
      Any advice for making the cookies less cakey? I followed everything to the exact measurement and they still turned out cakey. The flavor was delicious though.

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        July 27, 2022 at 9:15 pm

        Hmm, we’ve never heard them described as cakey. That typically happens from mismeasurement, especially the flour ratio. If you’re scooping the flour, we’ve encourage you to spoon flours into cups or use the grams measurements

        Reply
    4. Hannah

      January 11, 2022 at 8:09 pm

      These are delicious! I also wanted to share the app/website FEP Chocolate List which helps consumers find chocolate companies that don’t use child slave labor on their farms. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        January 11, 2022 at 9:17 pm

        Thank you

        Reply
    5. Shurlanna

      January 02, 2022 at 8:22 am

      5 stars
      These cookies were super easy to make and so delicious. We cut them into Christmas tree and gingerbread shapes for the holidays so we ended up with way more than 12 lol thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        January 11, 2022 at 9:29 pm

        HAHA love that! So glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    6. Devika

      December 18, 2021 at 10:28 pm

      5 stars
      These were delicious! No one could tell they were vegan! Thank you so much for this recipe!

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        January 11, 2022 at 9:29 pm

        That’s what we love to hear! Glad everyone liked them

        Reply
    7. Yifat

      November 11, 2021 at 9:10 pm

      5 stars
      Wow. I tried these for the first time this week and already made them again. I am lazy, 7 months pregnant, and craving cookies every day. These cookies are so quick and simple to prepare and very rewarding to eat, especially soon after cooling. .

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        January 11, 2022 at 9:29 pm

        So glad you are loving them so much!

        Reply
    8. Lysa

      September 02, 2021 at 11:55 am

      5 stars
      Best cookies ever! Please go make these if you haven’t.

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        October 21, 2021 at 7:08 pm

        So happy that you loved it! Thanks for taking time out to leave a review!

        Reply
    9. Lysa

      August 29, 2021 at 6:27 pm

      5 stars
      AMAZING. You can eat it as cookie dough or baked, both are equally as good. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe.

      Reply
      • LarishaBernard

        October 21, 2021 at 7:35 pm

        So glad that you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
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