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.
I NEVER write reviews.. like I’m saying ever. But these cookies are the absolutely best cookies I’ve ever had. SO SO GOOD. I just had to comment. I am so happy to have found this recipe and will use it forever! I did not change a thing- simply AMAZING!
I’m so happy you did! Thanks for sharing, Carolyn.
It was very easy and quick! They were yummy and super chocolatey. They tasted a bit like popcorn and were crunchy.
My 3-year-old and I LOVED these cookies. They were so easy to make!
I omitted the white sugar and it turned out great. My 5 yr helped and had so much fun making them and eating them. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome!
I cut the sugar to a total of 1c (1/2 c white & 1/2 c brown sugar). They taste great but seemed like not enough oil or water. They didn’t hold together. Lots of crumbs. Any ideas?
Did you chill the dough like in the instructions?
Wow what an amazing cookie!!! We used coconut oil and the flavor and texture were perfect! Watch the time and don’t over bake! Enjoy!
Just want to give a word of encouragement to those with a bit of kitchen know-how to not be afraid of stepping into vegan cooking, even if you’re not vegan. As well, don’t be afraid to experiment — as long as you stick to like ingredients and ratios, they most likely will turn out great!
I’m moving soon and need to use up my various bulk dry goods so they don’t go to waste. I followed this recipe but changed half the flour to .25 rye flour and .25 almond flour, only brown sugar as sweetener as well as some sweetened shredded coconut replacing 1:1 the chocolate chips. Everything else was the same. And yes, I know this type of thing is a huge eye roll when it comes to recipe reviews and people subbing nonsense and getting poor results.
However, this worked absolutely perfectly! So get out there and bake and experiment while staying loyal to the ratios of like ingredients. Thank you so much to the original poster, it is an incredibly delicious recipe!
Thank you for the encouragement! I’m glad you like this one.
I have been on a long expedition in search of the ideal chocolate chip cookie, and the search is now over!! BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. (I used olive oil as opposed to coconut oil)
Thank you for commenting, Liz!
I tried this recipe using whole wheat flour, brown sugar & coconut oil. The dough was very crumbly & texture a bit gritty. Not sure what went wrong. Ended up baking most of it in 1 big cookie & it was easy to cut into squares. Not as moist & chewy as I expected.
Hi Cathy! Did you let it rest in the refrigerator? You can easily over stir cookie dough, leaving with you with an undesired result.
We substituted sucanot for the sugar to make them a bit healthier and they turned out amazing! Everyone loved them!
These are SO good!!! Perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This is definitely my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe!
I love Cookie + Kate recipes, but I seem to be in the minority in this one because I struggled. The dough was suuuper crumbly and didn’t improve with chilling. After baking, they were hard and not chewy with lots of crumble. The only change I made was to use avocado oil, per the note, instead of coconut since I don’t love the flavor of coconut in my chocolate chip cookie and I wanted something more neutral than olive oil. I also used semi-sweet Christmas chocolate chips since that’s what I had on hand but don’t think that affects texture. I’m pretty sure I didn’t screw up measuring since I’m usually very careful (but maybe?) I am a high altitude baker — I live in Boulder, so perhaps it needed more moisture. Any thoughts?
Hi Meredith! I’m bummed to hear that. It could be your altitude for sure since that can play into baking significantly. How do you measure your flour? That will impact it as well. You want to sift your flour vs just scooping up the amount. Does that make sense? You might have had too much flour.
I made this recipe with all purpose white flour (because that’s all I had at the time and this recipe sounded delicious so I wanted to try it!) and it still worked out wonderfully!
Super delicious! I used coconut oil and brown sugar. Loved the touch of sea salt! I can’t wait to try this again with whole wheat flour.
The name of this recipe does not do these cookies justice! The word ‘amazing’ does not cut it, but it’ll do for now. I’ve been wanting to make chocolate chip cookies for a while now. So today I tried this recipe and oh my God! I have to keep myself from eating the entire batch!
I’m so glad you love these cookies! Thanks for your comment and review, Raisa.
Has anyone added some nuts to these ?? If so how did they turn out ?
Scrumptious and easy! I did not cool mine before cooking and they still came out perfect. I doubled the recipe and needed to add an extra tbsp of water. I also used half the amount of regular sugar called for and instead added sweetened coconut flakes (I mixed these in with the dry Ingredients and chocolate chips). I then sprinkled a pinch of both Maldon salt and coconut flakes on the top of each cookie. So tasty!
Thanks for sharing, Cora! I like the additions.
Hi Kate,
I haven’t tried these yet, but would like to know, could i use Coconut sugar instead of white sugar for the sweetener?
Thanks :)
Mary
Hi Mary! These actually call for coconut sugar or brown sugar, plus regular sugar. I found that these worked best with the variation. I hope this answers your question!
These are amazing! I used grapeseed oil and a gluten-free flour blend. Can you make ahead and freeze? If so, what’s the best method to defrost?
These should freeze well, although I haven’t tried it. You could try to gently warm in the microwave before eating or set on the counter.
Why do you need two measurements of sugar confused
Hi Marie! The combination of sugars help these cookie turnout so well. I hope this helps!
I thought these were a little dry. Any ideas?
How long did you bake them?
This recipe was great! I’m wondering if I could replace the oil for vegan butter next time though?
Thanks!
Wow! Your recipes never disappoint and I love how easy they all are to turn into vegan recipes since we try to eat mostly vegan. But I needed to bake cookies for hospice families and figured I’d make them with eggs and butter so they’d be “normal” but then I came across this recipe and gave it a try. You’d never know there’s no animal products in it – and they’re so easy to make without having to fuss with chia seed eggs etc. Perfect flavors – sweet but not saccharine. But it’s the consistency that really wins. Chewy in the center but nice crunch on the edges. Thank you!
Can I add nuts to this recipe? I love pecans in my chocolate chip cookies!
You could try it! Although, without trying it, I’m not sure. Let me know how it goes for you!
WOWWW omg so good I feel like “I can’t believe I made these” hahaha thank you so much for this recipe it’s delicious and SO EASY! I loooooove chocolate chip cookies and these are very very good!
I used olive oil & I didn’t have regular sugar so I used only 1/2 cup packed tight of brown sugar and a little more. Baked them for about 18 minutes at 350.
Thanks again!!! Happy Holidays!!
Thanks for your review!
Hey Kate. I made these cookies last night and they are perfect! So good. I’m new to vegan cooking and your recipes have been so helpful. My non-vegan husband ate one and said “that’s what I’m talking about!” not knowing they were vegan. I just rolled my eyes and said “thank you”. Lol. Thanks for the great recipes. I bought your cookbook too and so far, all the recipes I’ve tried are keepers!
Gail
Hooray! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for taking the time to comment and review, Gail.
Mine didn’t turn out well..they were falling apart on pan (almost too dry) so I had to work them with my hands a bit to stay together. They turned out ok but I trust I made an error somewhere along the way.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you allow them to chill in the refrigerator or freezer?
I’ve tried plenty of vegan Choco chip cookies and these are always my go to! I blend oats into flour to replace the wheat flour, Do half chocolate and half pecans, add vanilla and half the sugar since I don’t like things too sweet. They bake beautifully every single time! Thank you!
Seriously amazing! My mom kept saying they’re not going to be good because they’re vegan, and when she ate one, she said, “I should have known – cookie and kate!”
I was cleaning out my pantry so I used 1/2 coconut and 1/2 olive oil, and1/2 coconut sugar and half brown.
I love that! Thanks for sharing, Lindsey.
My 9 yr old daughter and I enjoyed making these cookies and they turned out amazing! I loved the splash of coarse salt on top, it gave the cookies an awesome kick. Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ll make these again next week when I go back to work (my coworkers will be so happy to try them!). Thanks again and keep up the good work, Dana!
These cookies taste like heaven! With the addition of flaky salt on top it gave it that extra something that makes them even more addictive, I never would’ve thought of adding salt, thanks so much for the tip! I made these with my 9 yr old daughter and she’s already asking me to make some for her favorite teachers ;) plus, they’re the healthiest cookies I’ve ever eaten! Thanks so much, Kate!
This recipe sounds incredible. When using whole wheat flour, do I have to reduce the flour at all? ( I have seen on other recipes when substituting whole wheat flour for white flour, then you should reduce wwf to 3/4 cup to 1 cup of white.) Also wondering, if you could use the coconut oil and sugar in Molasses cookies?
Hi Mary! You don’t need to reduce the flour here, use as indicated. As for the Molasses cookies question, I’m not quite sure without trying it since baking can be tricky!
I’ve never tried vegan cookies, but I liked the idea so i tried making them. Unfortunately I wasn’t completely happy with them. I was planning on giving them to my boss, but I don’t feel like they measured up. They didn’t brown at all even after 20 mins of cooking, and they fell apart quite easily. For cookie loving vegans who want some cookies, they do taste pretty good.
I’m sorry to hear that and that’s not been my experience. Did you let them chill prior to baking?
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and time. I make your healthy banana bread on a regular basis and love it. I’m now on my quest for a cookie recipe, but I do have some have requirements:
1. Low in fat
2. Not tons of refined sugar
In the banana bread recipe I tried both coconut oil and subbing apple sauce for the oil. When I subbed apple sauce, it came out even more delicious!
Is there any way I could make this recipe without oil (or a much smaller amount) and less refined sugar? The banana bread worked for me because I had tons of ripe bananas on hand…
Or if not, does anyone know where I can find a naturally sweetened, low fat, vegan, delicious, simple cookie recipe?
Hi Alex! I don’t have a solution for you right now, sorry! Baking can be quite the science and I’m not sure without trying it.
Try Deliciously Ella Chocolate cookies madd with turtle beans! I have not tried these ones yet but easing the reviews before I bake tomorrow!
Where!?
https://deliciouslyella.com/recipes/black-bean-cookies/
i sub applesauce and dates for the sugar and oil….
I still have not had a chance to make these cookies from Cookie and Kate, but have tried the summer rolls and peanut sauce – we ate the sauce right out the bowl it was AMAZING – my husband puts it on his toast! Looking forward to trying more delicious things!
These were really amazing!! Thank you so much for this ! My cookies turned out so freaking amazing after reading this recipe! I baked for my coworkers who’s been working with me for a long time as a celebration and they loved it! ^^ Even baked it for Christmas and everyone was so hyped!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
The cookies were amazing! Thank you for this amazing recipe.
-Henry Hudson (founder of Hudson Bay)
Wow- these are surprisingly yummy! Will definitely be sharing this with my friends and making again! Very easy to make and hard to believe they’re made with wholewheat flour. A winner!
I’m happy you loved them, Estelle!
Hi, are these chocolate chip cookies hard, or soft/chewy?
They are soft and chewy on the inside!
Made this today, my kids loved it. So simple and easy. Thank you!
Made these for my husband today. We just recently changed to a plant based diet. He loves these cookies. I used avocado oil in place of coconut oil.
This cookies were amazing! I used bread flour because it was all I had, and I added pecans and a little bit of cocoa powder to the batter. DELICIOUS!
Thank you, Mollie!
I don’t understand how you can call this recipe “adapted”. It’s *exactly* the same as the Ovenly recipe except that their original recipe uses all-purpose flour and you use whole wheat.
Hi JV, I’m sorry you feel that way and are upset. I used their recipe as a base, and referenced it — giving them the appropriate credit. I did make other variations as well.
I am dairy-free and these, as stated above- have been total game changers. They are so yummy and no one ever has to know they are vegan/ dairy-free!
Thank you for your review, Kayel!
It tastes like flour and we followed the ingredients and instructions completely the same as it said.
Hi Amy, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m confused by your result since you followed everything exactly as I tested these several times before posting them. That was not my experience.
AMAZING!! I love coconut so the coconut oil added a wonderful flavor. I also made them gluten free by using King Arthur 1:1 gluten free flour. These will be my go to choc. chip recipe from now on! Thanks Kate!
Hello, I made these this evening and they were delicious! I made them with unbleached all-purpose flour since I wanted something bad for me! ;) Also, I wanted to note that I used avocado oil since I have heard some things recently against coconut oil. I put the dough ball in the freezer, instead of the pans, because that’s what I had room for, and it worked out! The entire family (not vegans) gobbled them up! I am so glad I made these! I made them as close to the same size as the photo and they cooked wonderfully! It is also great to have this recipe on hand since it doesn’t require flax seed like other vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes!
Thanks for sharing, Paris!
Hi Kate,
love this recipe. If i wanted a double chocolate, chocolate chip cookie can i swap 1/4 or 1/2 cup of the flour with cocoa powder?
Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes!
I’m not sure without trying it sorry, Xena! Let me know if you try it.
Loved it! I amped it up with some hazelnuts and switched dark chocolate for white. Also, didn’t have enough olive oil so I did half sun-flower, half olive. I have to be honest that I was a bit sceptical at first at seeing how greasy the dough was (could it be the sunflower oil?). But I added a bit more flour and it turned out just fine. Thanks for this easy & healthy deliciousness!
Hi Mia, the mix of oil could be it. I’m happy they were still delicious in the end!
Kate,
I love this recipe. However, I need your help…Bobs Red Mill stopped selling “Ivory Wheat Flour” which was perfect for this recipe.
What White Whole Wheat Flour would you recommend as a replacement? (I noticed King Arthur and Hodgson Mill have a variety).
I tried Bobs Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour, and it wasn’t very good.
Thank you,
Jeff
Hi Jeff! I don’t mind Whole Food 365 brand!
I’m not much of a Baker at all, I’ve maybe baked 5 things from scratch in my life. But I have to say these are the best cookies ever! I’m very health conscious but have such a sweet tooth. So I make healthier versions of sweets that I cant get in the shops! I loved the idea of using whole meal flour… I did tweak the recipe a little.. I used a teaspoon of vanilla extract, I used 1 cup brown sugar in total, and I used 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk in addition to the water. These came out perfect!
Love these! I doubled the recipe, and ended up subbing the 1 cup of white sugar with 3/4 cup pure maple syrup and decreasing the oil by 3 tbsp. I also couldn’t decide whether to use coconut oil or olive oil, so I ended up using half of each and I couldn’t taste either of them at all (once cooked of course, could definitely taste the olive oil in the dough lol). And lastly, I used vegan dark chocolate chips and also decreased to about 1 3/4 cups as the 2 1/2 was a bit overkill. They turned out perfect! Will definitely have to save this recipe!
Oh my goodness, THE most scrumptious, easiest choc chip cookies to make ever, and as a bonus…. its VEGAN!!! The only downfall…
I didn’t make ENOUGH! Hubby and I were just fighting for the last cookie haha we ended up going halves This is definitely a keeper, and looking forward in checking out your other recipes. Guess what ill be doing tmrw….making a double batch of these COOKIES!!