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.
Hello Kate,
First, I love all of your recipes. I am the biggest fan of your banana bread as well as your falafel.
I’m looking forward to giving this cookies a try. I bough a big bag of raw cane sugar for your brownies and have a lot left over. Do you think replacing the sugar in this recipe with the raw cane one will be fine?
Thanks and happy holidays!!
Hi Anabell, I wish I could say yes. However, baking is so precise that you need what is stated.
The dough turn out very dry and flaky… i followed all steps, what could hace gone wrong?
Hi! How did you measure your flour? If you didn’t level it off you likely had too much flour.
Do I have to chill it? Can I bake it directly after mixing the ingredients?
Hi Yes, you will want to chill it to make sure they turn out.
First time making cookies believe it or not. I have to say, I can’t see myself straying too far from this recipe, it’s that good (Italian hand gesture). The coconut oil is a winner, adds sublime texture but the cookie’s clean and not overly decadent sans butter and egg. The same can be said for scrambled eggs done in coconut oil. Give it a go. Thanks for the recipe. Happy eating…
I’m glad you think so, Will! I appreciate your review.
These cookies are beyond amazing! I have made them several times with coconut oil and coconut sugar but tonight I only had olive oil and brown sugar. This is by far the best version I’ve had so far. Santa is going to be very happy tonight!
These are soooooo delish! I made a few tiny adjustments and didn’t freeze/chill the dough first and they still came out perfect. My husband is thanking you!
I really wanted to love this cookie, but it wasn’t great. It can’t compare to a standard chocolate chip cookie. I do not believe this had anything to do with the recipe, but the sole fact that the cookie is vegan. I followed the recipe exactly. For substitutes I used whole wheat flour, brown sugar, avocado oil and dark chocolate chips. The cookie tasted too much like the whole wheat flour and was slightly dry.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Thank you for your feedback, Leah.
To be honest they are pretty disgusting. They taste like coconut oil. Glad I halved the recipe in the first place, still a waste of my ingredients and not a well experience.The cookies are a very cakey like texture, not accurate at all. Would NOT recommend!
Hi, I’m sorry you didn’t like this recipe. I’m not sure what happened. How did you measure your flour? Sounds like they were on the dry side, which could mean too much flour.
Best cookies I’ve ever made. So so so good. Thank you for providing these, I’m making them for the second time in two weeks!
I made them with Xylitol instead of sugar and used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. They taste great but I had to add 1 more TBLS of water and oil to get them to stick together. the batter was so dry it crumbled. They are much darker than the ones pictured. They did not spread at all. They are soft tho crunchy on the edges. ?? I was making them for someone who is vegan and staying away from sugar too.
Hi Leslie, I’m sorry your adjustments didn’t work for this one. Baking is quite precise so changing an ingredients won’t always lend to the same results.
Have you made this recipe without the oil?
Sorry to disappoint, I find this works best as written and don’t have an alternative for you.
Beautifully tasty and easy to make chocolate chip cookies
Thank you, Helen! I’m happy you enjoyed them.
Anything with chocolate chips are not my fave. My husband however loves everything with em. I found your chocolate chip cookie recipe over two years ago and haven’t stopped making these. We both love this your cookies. Keep bringing on the vegan recipes! Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you loved them.
i was so excited to try these, however they were a let down :(
like many others who experienced this in the comments, the cookies did not flatten in the oven. There are definitely better cookie recipes.
Thanks Kate
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work for you. Did you chill the batter? How did you measure your flour?
Best cookies ever!!!!!!
My 10 year old daughter baked them with me and the whole family liked them.Even my vegan son wanted to make them again!
Hello! Could i use whole grain spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour instead? I’ve made these before with regular whole wheat flour and they’re great!
Hi! I recommend this recipe as listed. If you try spelt flour, I would be interested in your results!
Amazing is right! So quick and easy and delicious! The coconut oil provides for a crunchy exterior and delicious subtle coconut flavor. The combination of brown and white sugars makes for a chewy inside. These are my new go-to cookie.
Wonderful, Carol! Thank you for your review.
Delicious! We baked some of these, and they were fabulous. The rest we saved as cookie dough balls in the freezer and ate them straight out of the freezer….also amazing. Thanks, love this one!
Sadly these didn’t work well for me. I’m currently living in Europe and the ovens only have top heat (whereas North American recipes are created for bottom heat) so they came out way too crispy. Not a problem with this recipe just an FYI for anyone with this type of oven.
I’m sorry to hear that, Monique.
Hi Kate, I’ve recently discovered your blog and have tried a few recipes to great success. I’m a novice baker so hope you won’t mind answering a couple of basic questions?? Can I use spelt flour instead of the whole wheat flour in this recipe? And on what tack should I bake the cookies and muffins? Thanks for your passion :)
Hi! I haven’t tried spelt flour in this application, but I do know a gluten free all purpose flour works well. Sorry, I’m not sure the second question.
Thanks Kate. Sorry for the typo in the second q?. I meant to ask on which rack of the oven should I bake your cookie and muffin recipes? Thanks
Hi! Middle rack, unless stated otherwise.
Having been a non-vegan all my life, I am used to baking with animal products and I would not be used to the substitutes used in baking just yet (flax eggs, the different oils and butters).
Had tried 3 other recipes before this (Roz Purcell, Happy Pear) and in each one, I found the dough came out a bit on the dry side by the time you reach the combining step. This recipe yields a softer wetter dough when combined, before going into the refrigerator, but trusted it would come together in the end as so many of the other Cookie + Kate recipes have for me. The substitutions are not overly complicated and they are explained well in the intro to the recipe.
This is the only vegan cookie recipe which has worked out well for me- the disks spread out so well on the tray in the oven I have tried dough from chilled and from frozen (having thawed dough overnight in refrigerator); I couldn’t tell the difference after bake really. This is definitely going to be my go-to from here on out. I would highly recommend.
A few things to note:
If you run out of coconut oil, I have found you can make up the remainder with olive oil.
The coconut oil will be solid at room temp so, as shown in the video, make sure it is liquid when adding to the sugars. The water you use should also be warm so these will come together.
Recipe multiplies well, I’ve made up to 4 batches at one time
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Sarah! I’m glad you enjoyed my version.
Hi
Just trying out the recipe now.. it looks great, only curious why it doesn’t call for any eggs?
Hi Brooke! I actually found it works best vegan. I know! Trust me, they’re delicious.
I made second time and I added some sweetened coconut flakes and it turned out the most delicious cookies I have ever baked..
So easy to make! Had all the ingredients on hand and was craving something sweet, so I thought let me see if Kate has chocolate cookie recipe. Happy me she did. I placed it in freezer as instructed. Had only about 1/3 cup of coconut oil not quite enough, but it didn’t make a difference, also used a quarter cup less of regular sugar. Glad they still came out perfect! Also glad I didn’t have to use dairy products. Thank you Kate!
Best chocolate chip cookies we’ve tried yet! Thank you for the recipe
I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Heather.
Hey! I doubled the recipe. I used avocado oil, org whole wheat flour and the same sugars. Org brown and org golden sugar. I forgot to put in the baking soda and baking powder LOL and they still turned out. I didn’t chill them either. Phewf!! Next time I will read the recipe better lol but they turned out!!
The taste of these cookies was very good, but they were VERY crumbly. I followed the recipe so not quite sure what went wrong – if anything. I’d probably make them again if I had vegan friends coming over but wouldn’t make them for myself.
Hi Maddie, I’m sorry to hear that. How did you measure your flour?
Well these were amazing. I’m not a baker, but being stuck inside on a rare snow day in Austin TX and was on the hunt for a coping mechanism. I only had coconut sugar so used 1 cup and had to sub baking powder with vinegar and baking soda since I realized I was out, but they came out great. They cooked in these mounds that meant they were extra gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. Great recipe!
I hope you are staying warm and enjoying these cookies, Sarah! Thank you for your review.
Would these work with whole wheat pastry flour instead? Also, do you think i could replace the white sugar with a mix of white granulated sugar and raw golden sugar? Thank you !!
Hi! Changing all of those elements may require a different recipe. I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Baking is pretty precise.
I made these just as the recipe says + a splash of vanilla and they were the most perfect and delicious chocolate chip cookies I have ever made!
I used peanut oil.
I also did one batch 30 mins in the freezer vs. one batch for a couple hours in the fridge and the freezer ones came out better. I take them our of the oven when they are still pretty soft and almost seem under cooked. They firm up as they cool and stay soft for over 24 hours—if they last that long!
Wonderful to hear, Steph! Thank you for your review.
Hi Kate,
My husband and I made 2 batches of these cookies, one for him with Ghiradelli chocolate chips and one for me with Lily’s chocolate chips (made with stevia). Both were tasty, but both batches are very, very dry – they literally crumble when you try to eat them. Can you suggest what we might be doing wrong? Because there is no chewy middle in these at all!
Thank you so much for your help, and your newsletter and your book! I’ve learned many new tasty recipes from you!
Hi Gail, I’m sorry to hear that! How are you measuring your flour? Are you leveling it off? If you aren’t that could be causing more flour which would make them dry/crumbly. Are you following the resting step?
Hi Kate, I am leveling the flour, and I have put them on the baking pans in the freezer for 30 minutes before cooking. We are using Lakanto Monk Fruit sweetener, white and brown, for the sugar. The brown is the same granular consistency as the white, so it doesn’t pack down like classic brown sugar does. Could that be it? We used avocado oil instead of coconut oil because I don’t like the coconut taste of foods that contain it.
Hi! The sugar is most likely your problem, Gail. Baking is so precise that changing something like that can impact the results.
Delicious cookies! My toddler loves baking so we’ve made this a few times now and they’ve always turned out perfectly. I’ve used olive oil as I can never be bothered melting coconut oil, but I’ll try it with coconut oil eventually because chocolate and coconut always taste great together. I always use my stand mixer to really whisk the sugar/oil together because I don’t think my toddlers whisking skills are quite ready yet!
Thanks for a really tasty, easy to follow recipe!
I’m happy to hear that, Tess!
Hi Kate, my husband and I each made a batch of these cookies. The taste is great, but they aren’t chewy, they are very hard and brittle. Can you give me any direction on what I did wrong? Thank you!
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. How did you measure your flour? Did you allow the proper chill time?
I enjoyed these cookies but the first few were oily. I used safflower oil and I didn’t like the taste. For the rest of the batter, I added 1/4 cup quick oats, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, & dash of salt (because I omitted the salt for sprinkling). This was much better! I’ll probably make them again but the carbs and saturated fat content seems high.
I used sunflower seed oil, reduced the sugar and added 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and a touch more oil; absolutely delicious!
I am not even really a chocolate chip cookie person, but these are DELISH!! Seriously people…you need these cookies in your life. Perfection. I like my cookies chewy and soft, not crunchy, so I take them out at the 14 or 15 minute mark. Also, I can only seem to find 50% cocoa chocolate chips, instead of the 60% cocoa the recipe calls for, and I find the cookies way too sweet with 1 1/4 cup of the 50% cocoa chocolate chips so I use 1/2 cup. Lastly, I use 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup melted coconut oil…that way you still get the lovely coconut flavour, but it is a little bit more subtle (I like them with the full 1/2 cup of coconut oil, but my son finds it too much). This is now my go-to chocolate chip recipe…give them a try, they really are amazing!
Hooray! I’m happy you enjoy that, Donna.
Hi Kate,
I just left a review a few mins ago…would you mind omitting my last name when posting please?
Thanks!
Hi Donna! Already taken care of :)
These are AMAZING as promised! I was looking for a heathier ccc recipe that didn’t use butter and this provided the framework for it. I reduced the white sugar to 1/3 c (because I was out) and added chopped dates, applesauce and walnuts. Instead of water I added orange juice, but only enough to moisten. Followed the rest of the instructions as written. Coming out of the oven they looked better-than- bakery terrific! Next time I’ll try leaving out the white sugar altogether because they are a bit too sweet for my tastes.
Thank you for sharing how you made this work for you! I’m happy it turned out with your changes.
best ever!!!!!!!!!!!
Hooray, Mika! I appreciate your review.
Hi Kate, what does “packed” sugar mean? Not familiar with that term?
And how many grams are in the cups (Ireland, so grams rather than cups) please? Are we talking mugs or teacups please?!
Hi Taz, you want to make sure you pack the sugar into the measuring cup. Does that make sense?
Second time I’m making these. Delicious— chewy inside, crunchy outside. But they don’t spread out much for me; they keep their airy dome shape. I’ve chilled them nearly an hour before baking. But we’re very happy with them. Best chocolate chip cookies — easy, and vegan! Thank you!
Hi this recipe is looking really nice. It will be helpful if you can provide the measurements in metric.
Thanks
Hi Richa, sorry to disappoint, but I use US measurements. You can use an online converter, if that helps!
“Sometimes a girl just needs a cookie!”. That is me today. I wanted a recipe that gave me the shortest time between deciding I wanted a cookie and eating a cookie. I read many of the over 900 comments prior to making these. I bake by weight and used the following:
312 g KAF White Whole Wheat
7.5 oz Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
102 g coconut sugar (organic, unrefined)
99g granulated sugar
125g melted coconut oil
2.5 oz warm water
According to Cooks Illustrated, a cup of whole wheat flour measured by volume by a home baker will weigh 156 grams. When a recipe does not provide a weight I either go with the listed gram weight on the package or the CI suggestion. I went with the CI suggestion here.
I don’t bake with coconut sugar often. I found a recipe that called for 1 cup of coconut sugar and provided a gram weight of 154. I found another at 170 and yet another at 180. I decided to use the 2/3 of 154 since it was closest to the weight of ½ cup packed brown sugar.
I loved the comment by Sarah to use warm water. My coconut oil did not solidify when I added the water!
The total weight of the prepared dough was 929g. Divided by 13 I would need 71 g per cookie. I wanted to use my ice cream scoop and that held, on average, 77 g so I just made 12 cookies!
The first pan of cookies scooped nicely. By the second pan (a matter of just a few minutes) the dough had started to become crumbly. I really had to pack it in the scoop.
Cooked one pan at a time. After 14 minutes the cookies hadn’t spread at all. I had read some comments regarding that happening. I decided to try something like Sarah Kieffer’s pan banging. I took the pan out of the oven, placed it on a towel, picked up one side and gently dropped it on the counter. I did this 3-4 times. The cookies flattened out just enough! I put the cookies back in the oven for 3 more minutes.
I placed the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let them cool completely before trying. They are really good! They are as you describe “a chewy middle, barely crisp edges, complex flavor, and rich chocolate chips.”
Next time I will make these using brown sugar and a neutral oil just to taste the difference. I may use a little less flour – somewhere between 240 – 312 – maybe around 275g.
Thank you for commenting and for your feedback, I appreciate it.
Omg this recipe is amaaazing. Literally everyone loved it, we keep making it and freezing them to last a few days but they don’t!!
I made them with gluten free flour and used chocolate chunks, perfection!
I want to make them for someone who’s allergic to corn so I can’t use baking powder, I made paleo baking powder at home from baking soda, cream of tar tar and arrowroot powder. Should I then add more baking soda as per the recipe?
The paleo baking flour is 2 parts baking soda & arrowroot powder and 1 part cream of tar tar.
I’m glad you loved it, Tumi! Thank you for your review.
Just made these and they turned out great! I followed the recipe exactly, using avocado oil for the oil. Instead of making 13 large cookies, I used a regular cookie scoop and got exactly 24 cookies (spaced out 12 on each pan). Took them out at 14 min (even though they still looked underdone) and they cooled on the pan and developed the perfect crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle ratio.
Can you sub the whole wheat flour for oat flour ?
Hi! I haven’t tried it with these, but I know it works well as a replacement in other applications. Let me know if you try it!How to Make Oat Flour for guidance on measuring.
My baby developed a milk allergy and I still want to nurse and am ADDICTED to chocolate! This recipe is DELICIOUS and even though I don’t have the allergy they didn’t make me feel bad. Dairy doesn’t always agree with me so this recipe is perfect.
Thanks so much!
I’m happy you can enjoy these, Tierra!
Hi Kate,
I’ve made these about 4 times now and each time they’ve turned out amazing! My 8 year old particularly loves them and they’re healthier than regular ones, so that’s great! While the texture is perfect (crisp bottom and edges and softer, chewy insides), I have never gotten the cookies to spread at all. They stay the same shape pretty much. But like I said, they’re very good otherwise. So what we do now is that we flatten them just a bit before baking. But I’m just curious why these aren’t spreading for me.
Thanks.
Hi! Be sure to measure your flour precisely and chill for long enough. I’m happy you still enjoy them!
I have made these cookies twice using safflower oil. I refrigerated the dough only a few hours. They came out perfect and so yummy! The third time I made them I used coconut oil and again refrigerated the dough a few hours but because coconut oil turns solid my batter turned rock hard in the refrigerator. You recommend using coconut oil and state to refrigerate the batter so how do you get around your batter turning hard when using coconut oil?
The cookies turned out great, and looked just like your picture! I used brown sugar and sunflower oil, and froze for 30 minutes before baking. Thanks for an easy recipe that doesn’t require butter or eggs!