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.
Made these today, my first time making cookies, tehy are peeerrrrfect! Thanks a million.
From Jamaica!
These are delicious! So different!
Hi! Can i use coconut sugar all the way?
Hi Michael, I found using both the sugars really made this recipe come together. Changing one in baking will really vary your results.
Hey iv made these cookies twice and the first time I only used half the sugar. They were ok but not as enjoyable as the second time I made them following the recipe more accurately.
The second bake the cookies were a little different as I added brown sugar and I think with using the full amount of sugar they came out a flatter cookie. They were yum and I will keep this recipe handy.
I love the chew in them and they taste great
Thank you for your feedback, Dee! Yes, these are best as written as baking it quite precise. I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them.
Hey iv made these cookies twice and the first time I only used half the sugar. They were ok but not as enjoyable as the second time I made them following the recipe more accurately.
The second bake the cookies were a little different as I added brown sugar and I think with using the full amount of sugar they came out a flatter cookie. They were yum and I will keep this recipe handy. I love the chew in them and they taste great
Oh ! Can these cookies be frozen or how long do they keep in an air tight container please ?
Hi Dee, Thank you for your detail! I’m glad you hear it worked for you. These should last a few months in the freezer, but I haven’t personally froze them as they don’t last that long for me. :)
best cookies ive ever made!! both appearance and taste wise
Hi I had written two almost identical messages on your page. Can you please delete the shorter message thanks.
I tried to delete the message but don’t know how.
Thanks again and I have loved baking your cookies and have shared them with family
Just made a batch and they turned out delicious: I’ve replaced water with rice milk (just because I love it) and used only coconut sugar (because that’s the only one I had), they taste so good I’ve immediately saved the link to this recipe.
Thank you for sharing it!
Laura, Italy
I followed the recipe as is written, but my cookies spread out thin while baking. This has happened twice now. Should I reduce the amount of oil as that it the only thing I can think of that os causing them to flop like this?
Hi Sandra, I’m sorry to hear you are having trouble. Be sure to let them chill long enough – maybe let them chill a bit longer and measure flour carefully. Let me know!
Mine would also spread out thin when I’d melt the coconut oil. They stopped doing that when I started using hardened coconut oil and just mixing it really well with the sugars. The cookies are the PERFECT texture and height this way!!! Hope this helps!
Hi Sandra. I have had that happen too. Sometimes the dough is too runny and the dough balls start to spread out too much on the cookie sheet prior to going in the freezer. My solution when that happens is to just pop the entire bowl of dough into the freezer for 5-10 mins…when you take it out, it’s much easier to shape into balls and results in nice plump cookies instead of flat ones! Hope that helps!
No vanilla??
Hi! Not in this recipe. :) I hope you try it and let me know what you think!
I’ve had great success with various liquors like rum and brandy
Thanks for your response about the vanilla.
I made them last night and they turned out…really bizarre. I didn’t have regular white sugar at hand, so I used a sugar substitute called Swerve, which said it could be used 1:1 for baking, etc. So I don’t know if that was the problem.
They turned out weird. Instead of flattening while they baked, they puffed up. They ended up looking like half-dome little breads. The consistency is also of bread, like sandwich bread. So, like little breads that happen to have choc.chips in them. Not inedible but definitely strange.
I put the uneaten ones into the fridge overnight, and next day (today) I poked them and overnight they’ve gotten super hard.
Would like your opinions.
I got the same result so far! I used GF flour and they just look so weird. Not like cookies. Im about to give it a taste..hope they taste okay.
These were wonderful and so easy. My 7 year old pretty much baked them herself. I found them a tad sweet though so we’ll try reduce the sugar a bit next time.
These are incredible! A friend gave me the recommendation of making this with oats. Substituting all of the flour for 1 and 1/4 cup flour with 1 and 1/2 cup oats works so well. I like to add some pecans and a bit of cinnamon.
I just made these today! I’ve been cursed with baking for months (nothing has worked!) but these turned out well. I used coconut oil and whole wheat pastry flour and they were (chef’s kiss). I don’t actually know what “2-inch mounds” means (…diameter? height?!) so I just made 13 and they were enormous. They didn’t spread at all but were puffy, so I squished them with a fork at the 10-minute mark and they were good. Is there a reason they’re so large, or could I make 26 smaller cookies?
Hi Emilia! I’m sorry this didn’t seem clear to you. If you got 13 out of the recipe, then that is correct! They may seem larger since you squished them since they didn’t hold their shape.
Can i use only brown sugar? is the only thing i have right now and i really want to make these cookies
Hi Sofia, to get these perfect, you the combination of sugar listed works best.
I’m so happy they can be made vegan! I substituted the oil for a plant-based, non-dairy butter, and I added a little vanilla extract and these turned out amazing. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Loved the cookies when I first made them but left the dough in the frig for a couple days and now cannot form the cookies because the dough dried out and is crumbly, what do you suggest?
Hi Derry, I’m sorry to hear that. This recipe wasn’t meant to have dough stored for that long.
Omg these r amazing i make them with my nieces all the time. Sooo yummmm
Has anyone tried adding oatmeal to this recipe? If so, did you need to adjust the recipe?
Hi Michelle, I’m afraid you won’t get the same results. But, if you do try it, I would be curious.
My 3 year old and me had a craving for cookies, and these turned out delish!
Did not have any chocolate chips in the pantry, so substituted those for raisins. And then added some cocoa, cinnamon and five spice for extra taste.
Thank you SO MUCH for this incredible recipe! You’ve made me one happy vegan… :) I did take several liberties on your recipe and would love to share with interested parties.
-I doubled your recipe. 13 large cookies isn’t enough for my family of 4!
-I didn’t have wheat flour so I used white flour
-I didn’t have coconut sugar or brown sugar, so I mixed one cup of granulated sugar with 3-4 tablespoons of maple syrup to create a light brown, soft sugar consistency that could be “packed”
-I used one whole can of coconut cream mixed with 1 tablespoon of flax seeds in lieu of the coconut oil/E.V.O.O. + water
-Splash of vanilla extract
All other ingredients and measurements were followed exactly as instructed, including–crucially–freezing for 30-35 minutes. This helped them stay formed while baking. I baked for 18 minutes at 350F and they came out absolutely DELICIOUS! Next time I’m going to experiment with adding nuts, or possibly subbing rolled oatmeal for half the flour. Thank you again for inspiring me to explore in my kitchen!
My daughter found this recipe and we gave it a try. These cookies were easy to make and they turned out absolutely perfect! Our family all agreed they were the best chocolate chip cookies we’ve ever had!
These are the BEST chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Especially because I used a ice cream scooper to get the dough onto the pan, they came out thick and delicious omg
I don’t know what went wrong, but we had to toss out these cookies because the taste was bad. I’m certain I must have messed up the recipe as I’ve made many, many C+K recipes which are outstanding. If the flour is old, could that alter the taste? I haven’t used the whole wheat flour in over a year, so perhaps that caused the cookies to be inedible? My wife agrees– we’ve had too many delicious C+K recipes to believe that it’s a problem with the recipe; likely the issues lies with the chef (me).
Hi! I’m so sorry to hear that. I know how disappointing that can be when you are looking forward to a delicious cookie! The flour for sure could have played into it. Or, the leavener. Make sure you measure your flour correctly and let me know if you try them again.
Hello Kate,
I love how this recipe doesn’t require butter or eggs :)
How would you describe the texture of the cookie? Is it more soft or crunchy?
Hi Nina! I have all the description of what this cookie is in the post. Check it out :)
These are absolutely delicious! Hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made, and so easy too!
I made them with 2 different flours yesterday (whole wheat pastry flour (had no whole wheat flour) and all purpose (white) flour), both were yummy, and the dough was different (of course).
In both I used brown sugar (had no coconut sugar) and coconut oil and the 1/2 cup of white sugar as prescribed.
With all purpose flour – the dough was easy to scoop onto cookie sheet. Baked for 14 min. Cooled on rack. Yummy!
With whole wheat pastry flour, the dough was a lot more runny. I scooped up this dough into a muffin tin, because I thought the cookies would turn out super thin otherwise. Baked for 17 min, left in pan overnight to cool. Funny looking shape but still yummy!
Still learning about whole wheat flour. A quick google search says whole wheat flour is for bread, whole wheat pastry flour is for cookies. But obviously depends on other ingredients!
Thank you for sharing! Yes, ingredients does really apple. I appreciate your review, Anita.
Oh Kate! You’ve outdone yourself on this recipe. I followed it precisely, used coconut oil as we happen to like it. Certainly can understand if someone wants no trace of it and using avocado oil would solve that. These are PERFECTO! Great job! Thank you!
Hiya!! :) Can I have the measurement in Gram please? I wanna measure it correctly. Thanks ❤️❤️
Hi Monica, sorry I don’t provide those. This is a helpful conversion table that may help.
Hi, I’m really looking forward to making these cookies but I’m not sure what ‘packed brown sugar’ exactly means?
I have granulated ‘brown’ cane sugar and in my country people just call it brown sugar. But I’ve noticed that in some American recipes people use brown sugar that looks kind of ‘wet’. I googled different types of sugar and it seems that depending on where people live in the world they have a different idea of what brown sugar is.
So, I guess my question is: do i need brown sugar that’s heavy and kind of moist or is it ok to use granulated brown sugar that in texture is more similar to regular white sugar?
Hi Julia! Great question. All that means is to make sure you pack the brown sugar into your measuring cup. More on what brown sugar is . I hope this is helpful!
Just made these with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and coconut oil, and a 1-to-1 sugar/lakanto blend. Tasty, but a bit too oily, and a bit too many chocolate chips for my taste – I almost couldn’t taste the cookie base because it’s so rich! The oil not incorporating fully could have had to do with the sugar blend. Next time, I think I’ll leave out the last tablespoon of oil and use 1/4 cup less of chocolate chips and see what happens.
Thank you for your feedback! Sorry these weren’t amazing for you, Kate.
Thank you so much for this recipe, Kate! I’ve really struggled to be able to make eggless cookies as my family does not eat egg, and this recipe was the first one to turn out well!
I made it once exactly to recipe, and then I made it again with dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and almond slivers, along with replacing half the coconut oil with melted butter. It turned out amazing! For anyone who isn’t vegan, butter made the cookies fluffier! Will definitely be making these many more times! Thanks again for the fantastic recipe :)
I’m glad it turned out so well for you, Rey! I appreciate your review.
I was very skeptical about this recipe. I have a very definite way a chocolate chip cookie should taste. I pride myself on my chocolate chip cookie….these are amazing. There has not been one recipe yet that we haven’t liked of yours.
Keep those recipes coming.
I’m happy to hear they passed your test! I appreciate your review, Lori.
Replaced 2 tbsp applesauce for 2 tbsp of oil. Maybe a little cakier, but worked out well and turned out good. Next time I would maybe decrease the sugar bc these ARE super sweet!
this is the BEST cookie recipe i’ve found – and i’ve been through a hella lot.
however, the last time i made them i tasted a bitter salty taste in some bites. i THINK this could’ve been my baking soda (potentially being too old) or too much of it. apart from that, literally perfect.
i almost never use a mix of sugars, i just use pure cane sugar and i’m extremely satisfied with the results. like, 10/10. i use scent & taste free coconut oil. and i like to add a splash of vanilla.
thank you for the recipe! x
Yes! I love that you agree with me, Roma. Thank you for your review.
Can you use almond milk instead of water?
Hi M, make this recipe as stated otherwise I can’t guarantee the results.
Great recipe! I changed it a bit…
added almond milk (instead of water)+ approx. a scant 1/2 c. more liquid, because
added 1/4 c. of cocoa powder – would have been too dry w/o the extra liquid
added 1 c. mini m&ms – for color :)
baked this as a bar. When cool iced with vanilla ‘butter’cream made w/coconut oil
Came out just like a soft chocolate shortbread (with extra chocolate)
Yum!! Thank you for the excellent idea!
Can’t wait to try this recipe (love chocolate chip cookies, and every one of your recipes I’ve tried have been fantastic)! Can I use walnut oil instead of coconut or olive oil?
Thanks,
Jeanne
Hi Jeanne, I’m not too familiar with it. But, it may work. Let me know!
Hi would sunflower oil work in this? Thanks
Hi Kat, I haven’t tried it, but it may. Let me know!
I used half whole wheat flour and half unbleached white. I couldn’t get the pans into the freezer, so I put them in the fridge for a couple hours and then baked the cookies. Worked out just fine. I also used turbinado sugar for the white sugar.
These cookies are delicious!! My husband likes his cookies soft, and I like them crisp. This was a great compromise. We are both happy:-).
What makes cookies very crispy? Is it butter? Curious.
These are the new #1 in our house! Made them GF using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour and they were SUPERB! Surprisingly, I did enjoy them using avocado oil over the coconut oil. And the touch of sea salt at the end is totally worth it! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Awesome! Thanks, Alisa!
These are phenomenal! I made two batches this weekend because the first one disappeared so quickly. Somehow chewy, crisp, and soft all at the same time – everything you want a chocolate chip cookie to be. I used Guittard chocolate chips which I definitely recommend!
I plan to use honey instead of granulated sugar. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Thanks.
Hi Katy, to get the same results you need to follow the recipe as written. Sorry!
Will there be a big difference if I use canola oil?
Hi Catalina, I haven’t tried it and recommend as written. Sorry to not be more helpful!
These didn’t turn out well for me :( Not sure what happened but they were dry and didn’t flatten at all in the oven (after 30min in freezer). They literally kept the same shape somehow. I refrigerated some too and they are hard as a rock even after defrosting.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that, David. How did you measure your flour? It seems like there may have been too much. Did you forget the oil?
Thanks Kate for the reply! I do normally love all of your recipes.
I used a kitchen scale – using around 300g of Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour. I guess that is where I maybe went wrong? I did remember to use the oil. I’ll give it a shot again, use measuring cups and make sure the consistency is not as dry.
Okay, so I have NEVER left a review for a recipe before but these are some of the best Chocolate Chip Cookies I’ve ever eaten, nevermind, made. I’ve finally found my true love recipe! The following substitutions/additions turned out perfect:
– 1 1/4 Gluten free Flour (Bob’s Red Mill) and 1 Cup of Organic Oats (instead of Flour)
– 1/4 Cup Oat Milk (Instead of Water)
– I used Avocado oil (1/2 cup) (Instead of coconut/olive oil)
– I added 1/3 Cup Walnuts
I baked til the outside edge was just golden. The outside of these cookies has a perfect crispness while the inside is soft and the oats are chewy. Seriously, thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
Thank you for your detailed review, Pony! I know others may find this helpful.
These look so delicious and I’m planning to make them for my Christmas cookie box! Would the results vary if I use whole wheat flour for bread making? They never sell regular whole wheat flour at my nearby grocery store. Or can they be substituted with regular white all purpose flour? Thanks so much in advance :)
Hi! You could try all purpose, but I can’t guarantee the results. I would suggest checking the comments to see what others may have tried.
I just made them yesterday with regular whole wheat flour (thank goodness my friend was baking with me and she brought an entire bag) and it was genuinely super delish! I will try making it with a little less sugar because it was too sweet for me, but my family all loved it and it was crunchy and chocolatey the next day, too, which I appreciate.
Thank you for sharing, Meg! I’m glad you loved them.
Do you think a vegan butter stick + 1T would work instead of coconut or olive oil?
Hi Kendra, I found these worked best as written.
Hi
My husband is so picky when it comes to Chocolates Chip Cookies. So when I made these, OMG he feel in love with these. He told me don’t lose this recipe ❤️
Thank you
Bari B
California
Hello! These look great.
Just wondering if you’ve tried both regular whole wheat flour and white whole wheat flour? I’ve seen sources that say you cant use them 1:1 in recipes without alternating it but i’m not sure. Really looking forward to making them!