Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
These amazing chocolate chip cookies are miraculously vegan. They're easy to make with basic, wholesome ingredients (no mixer required).
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on June 10, 2025
For years, I’ve been searching for my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I want outrageously delicious bakery-style chocolate chip cookies that completely capture my attention upon first bite. I want a chewy middle, barely crisp edges, complex flavor, and rich chocolate chips.
I want all of that in a cookie recipe that’s easy to make. No mixer required. No creaming of softened-but-not-too-soft butter. No chilling the dough for 24 hours. I don’t have the patience for any of that. Sometimes a girl just needs a cookie!
These cookies are among the best homemade chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. My cookie search is over. The crazy part? These cookies are vegan, so they’re free of the usual butter and eggs. I’m honestly shocked.
These amazing cookies are delicious and supremely easy to make. The dough needs a very reasonable 30-minute chill in the refrigerator, and let me tell you, they’re worth the brief wait.
Why This Vegan Cookie Recipe Works
There’s no butter or egg in this recipe, but you’d never guess it. How? Instead of butter (or vegan butter like Earth Balance), these cookies use melted coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or a neutral-flavored oil like avocado oil. The eggs are omitted with no downsides—these cookies still have the perfect texture and flavor without them.
For non-vegans like me, this means that the recipe is even easier to make than standard chocolate chip cookies.
For those with dairy or egg allergies, these cookies are a total game-changer. You can even make these cookies gluten-free by substituting Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free all-purpose blend.
The remaining ingredients are simple and wholesome. You’ll need whole wheat flour, chocolate chips, sugar, coconut sugar or brown sugar, as well as your basic salt and leavening agents. I sprinkled my cookies with some flaky sea salt to make them even more irresistible.
Watch How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
My Recipe Substitutions
I can’t take full credit for this recipe. I was intrigued by the original recipe from the Ovenly Cookbook, via Food52. I made several adjustments to their ingredients and method.
I swapped whole wheat flour for all-purpose, which is undetectable in the final product. I also substituted coconut sugar for brown sugar, which is less refined (for those wondering, it is impossible to make bakery-style cookies using liquid natural sweeteners). I experimented with oils other than canola, which is highly processed and high in omega-6s.
I also found a chilling time shortcut. If you scoop the dough onto the sheets and then chill it, 30 minutes in the freezer works just as well as their 24-hour recommendation. That way, the recipe works with coconut oil, which solidifies at cool temperatures.
Coconut Oil vs. Olive Oil
Your choice of oil impacts the final product. I didn’t notice any textural differences during my recipe testing, but virgin coconut oil offers a slight coconut flavor. Olive oil tastes like, well, olive oil, especially when the cookies are warm.
If you enjoy the flavor of either of those oils on its own, I think you’ll love how they shine through in these cookies, making the flavor more interesting. I’m partial to coconut oil.
If you want cookies that taste like standard bakery chocolate chip cookies, use refined coconut oil or a neutral oil like avocado oil or safflower oil.
Cookie Dough Safety Note
Since the dough is egg-free, it doesn’t carry the usual risk of salmonella poisoning. However, raw flour can carry a slight risk for E. Coli or other pathogens. So, I don’t recommend eating this dough, either!
Here’s more information from the CDC about raw flour (thank you to Tara for sharing).
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
Here are a few more vegan cookie recipes and treats on Cookie and Kate. A few of them require a simple substitution like a flax egg to make them vegan, but I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the recipe.
- Lemon, Rosemary and Olive Oil Shortbread
- Pumpkin Polvorones (Mexican Wedding Cookies)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
- Healthier Gingerbread Cookies: See recipe notes.
- Monster Cookies: See recipe notes.
- Peanut Butter Oat Cookies: See recipe notes.
Please let me know how these cookies turn out for you in the comments. I hope they become your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, too, whether you’re following a vegan diet or not.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Meet the best vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe! These cookies are easy to make with basic, wholesome ingredients (no mixer required). Recipe yields 13 large cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ¼ cups vegan chocolate chips*
- ⅔ cup lightly packed coconut sugar or ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil**
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine, then add the chocolate chips and toss to coat.
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut sugar, regular sugar, oil and water. Whisk until the sugar has incorporated into the oil and the mixture is smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, then stir just until combined and no more flour is visible (don’t overdo it).
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Fill an ice cream scoop two-thirds with dough (or spoon the mixture into even 2-inch mounds), and place the dough onto one of the prepared sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving several inches of space around each cookie.
- Freeze the cookies on their pans for 30 minutes, or chill them for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake until the edges are just starting to turn golden, about 14 to 17 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack and sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt, if using. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Ovenly’s Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies.
*Chocolate chip notes: Use dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand. If you’re not trying to make vegan cookies, I also like Ghiradelli’s bittersweet 60% cacao chocolate chips here.
**Oil notes: You’ll detect a light coconut or olive oil flavor in these cookies. Use whichever one you prefer. For completely neutral-flavored cookies, use a neutral-flavored oil such as avocado oil or safflower oil.
Make it gluten free: Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free all-purpose flour blend works well in this recipe.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Can you use almond flour instead of whole wheat?
Almond flour isn’t a 1:1 substitute, sorry!
What do you say about spelt flour? Can I sub 1:1?
Cut sugar by 50%. Cut chocolate chips by 50%
Can unsweetened applesauce replace the oil?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
These cookies are truly amazing and so easy to make!! They are my new favorite chocolate chip cookie, not dry at all, but very tender. I used olive oil and could not discern it in the final product. I used olive oil because I had no coconut oil in my kitchen today and it was rainy and I really felt like baking! :)
Thanks for all your work on this one. It’s great.
I’m happy you loved it, Sharon!
These were great. Soft and not too dry. Used whole wheat flour and coconut oil. Thank you for creating a healthier cookie option. I love your recipes!
Thank you, Terra!
Could 1/2 cup coconut flour be substituted?
Coconut flour isn’t a great alternative as it just soaks up all the moisture.
Ummmm…these were beyond amazing!!!! I was skeptical (water as a cookie ingredient?), but these exceeded my expectations and are my #1 go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.
I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks and it just made a magical explosion of deliciousness in my mouth. My kids (4) LOVED them and I need to stop typing this so I can go make a batch.
Thank you for sharing, Hope!
Pretty good! You can tell they are vegan, maybe it’s the lack of egg, but I was looking for a dairy-free option since I am off dairy these days and these were satisfying.
I like that they have an exterior crisp but they are soft and gooey inside. They are quite sweet so you could cut back on the sugar easily to make them a bit healthier.
Hello and thank you for this recipe !
I tried freezing them and not freezing them (meaning putting them directly into the oven after I made the dough) and I don’t get the difference. What’s the need to freeze/chill them ? (I used coconut oil).
Also, they taste good, a bit too sweet for me but that’s me. Thanks
As always, wonderful recipe to follow. Thank you Kate!
Next time, I will lower the quantity of sugar as they are a quite sweet ;)
I started vegan baking a little over a year ago and this is my new favorite recipe! I’ve made this almost every week for the past month for my kids (and well, for me too :-) ). This is so easy to make and they’re DELICIOUS! I love that they have whole grains and can be made with olive oil instead of vegan butter. They can be made with ingredients that I usually have on-hand.
I love to hear that, Denise! Thank you for your erview.
These sound amazing, but I need to watch my sugar as I am diabetic. An a sugar substitute be used, like Swerve which is erythritol? Also, how to store? Can they be kept in a cookie jar on the counter?
I’m not sure on trying with a different sugar, sorry!
Amazing cookies! Crisp outside and soft & chewy on the inside. Can you tell me please if they freeze well? I look forward to trying more of your recipes!!
I find that most cookies freeze well. Thank you for your comment, Jackie!
May I ask, can I use substitute coconut sugar for the cane sugar?
Metric measurements?
Hi! Can you eliminate the 1/2 cup of regular sugar for this recipe?
These cookies are amazing. My family prefers them over traditional cookies. People ask me for the recipe all the time. The texture is absolutely perfect and the flavor is addictive.
Not sure if I did something wrong. My “dough” was very crumbly and didn’t hold together like dough. I used avocado oil and brown sugar rather than coconut sugar. Any tips on how to get a more dense dough?
Love these! So easy to make and even better than the non-vegan ones. I’ve made them every year for our Christmas party and everyone raves about them!
Can you freeze the dough and then thaw it out to bake another time? I’d love that option:)
Hello, yes, you can bake these from frozen, there is no need to thaw. Just be sure to store the dough in balls in an airtight container.
I have tried this recipe and Ovenly’s Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (ingredients and process basically identical) but I find that the cookies seem a bit “oily” especially on my fingers.
I am wondering if using butter (wrecking the vegan part) would lead to a better product?
Hi Joan, if these cookies aren’t to your taste, you can definitely experiment with other options. Butter is a staple of many chocolate chip cookie recipes.
Thanks for the reply, they are a good cookie with butter. Wondering if the same will work for the Spice up the Curry ginger cookies!
These cookies turned out absolutely perfect—chewy, flavorful, and so easy to make! Thanks for a go-to recipe.
These are fantastic. Almost hated to send them to my daughter who is now begging for more. My new favorite. I made them with canola oil because I didn’t have any coconut, and I didn’t want olive oil flavor in my cookies. :)
Just the title “Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies” already has me craving a batch! There’s nothing better than warm, gooey cookies straight from the oven. Can’t wait to try this recipe out
Hi
I would like to get involved with the making of eggless and butterless edible cups. Would it be possible for you to give me a sound recipe which will allow me to start making of these cups…. thank you
Hi Tony, I’m not sure I know what you mean by cups. I have many vegan recipes.