These vegan chocolate chip cookies are the best ever! They are soft, chewy, slightly-crunchy, perfectly sweet and totally satisfying. They’re also super easy to make.
These vegan chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy with just enough ‘crunch’ to be satisfying as you bite into them.
And these cookies were polished off at speed in our house! They’re always very popular.
And when you look at the cookie dough that these cookies make, then you really understand why people eat cookie dough as is. I just about managed to resist eating the cookie dough so that this batch of cookies could get made! But if you do just want to eat straight cookie dough then check out our divine edible vegan cookie dough.
If you love cookies as much as we do (and oh we really do love them!) then check out our vegan peanut butter cookies and our super popular vegan chocolate cookies too.
Ingredients You’ll Need For These Cookies:
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan butter – is the best option for these cookies in terms of flavor and texture. Some readers have made it with coconut oil and reported good results but the best option is going to be vegan butter. You can also make your own homemade vegan butter which has coconut oil as the base ingredient.
- Vegan chocolate chips – you can use either vegan chocolate chips or chocolate chunks which is just a chopped up bar of vegan chocolate. We have made these cookies both ways or using a mix of chocolate chips and chunks. It works perfectly no matter how you do them. In some countries it can be a struggle to find vegan chocolate chips so in that case just chop up a bar of dark chocolate or vegan chocolate. Of course you don’t quite have the symmetry of perfect little chocolate chips but that’s okay.
- Soy milk – can be replaced with a different non-dairy milk.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- These cookies are soo easy to make.
- Add vegan butter and brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together.
- Then add soy milk and vanilla and mix that in.
- Add all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt to a mixing bowl and mix it together.
- Then add the dry ingredients in with the wet and mix in by hand (not by actual hand, just using a spoon for this part instead of the electric mixer) into a thick cookie dough.
- Add in the chocolate chips and mix them into the batter.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls and place them evenly onto the parchment lined baking tray. Aim for 20 cookies.
- Place into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and the tops are very slightly browned.
- When they come out of the oven, take a few chocolate chips and press them down into the tops of the still warm cookies.
- They’re still very soft when they come out of the oven, but they firm up significantly as they cool.
Recipe Tips
Measure your flour correctly. I recommend weighing your flour on a food scale for the best accuracy or, if you don’t want to weigh it, then make sure to use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup.
If the cookie dough is too dry to roll into balls then simply add in a tablespoon of non-dairy milk and try again. Depending on the brand of vegan butter that you use, your cookie dough could be the perfect consistency (as mine was) or a little dry.
If the brand of vegan butter you use has a lower water content (a firm brick or stick style of vegan butter vs a soft spread for example) then your resulting cookie dough may be too dry to easily roll into balls. If this happens, just add in a little more non-dairy milk, a tablespoon at a time until you have the right consistency.
If the cookies didn’t spread then simply flatten them with a fork immediately as they come out of the oven.
When you cream the vegan butter and sugar together it is supposed to warm it up enough so that when you add the other ingredients you end up with a cookie dough that is fairly warm and pliable.
If your butter/sugar mix didn’t cream together for long enough and your vegan butter was very cold, or even if the weather is just very cold, it can end up that your cookie dough is too chilled and your cookies don’t spread.
Baking Time. Ovens do differ, so keep an eye on them. Soft and chewy is around 10-12 minutes. If you want them nice and crunchy you can leave them baking for up to 15 minutes.
Recipe Q&A
Yes! We have done it, check out our recipe for vegan gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
Keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature and they’ll stay fresh for up to a week.
Yes, they are freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
Yes you can, keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days and then let it come to room temperature before rolling into balls and baking them as usual.
More Vegan Cookies
- Vegan Coconut Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
- ¼ cup Soy Milk (60ml) or other non-dairy milk
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips (175g) + more to press into the tops when they come out the oven*
Instructions
- Add vegan butter and brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and cream them together.
- Then add the soy milk and vanilla and mix in.
- Add your flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch and salt to a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix in by hand (don't use your electric mixer for this part) into a thick cookie dough.
- Add the chocolate chips and mix in to distribute as evenly as possible.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Roll into balls and place them evenly on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Aim for 20 cookies.
- Place into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and they are very slightly browned on top.
- When they come out of the oven, press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies.
- Allow to cool and firm up directly on the tray.
- Once properly cooled store in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly using the spoon and level method (spoon the flour into a measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup). Alternatively weigh it on a food scale.
- Cornstarch has a softening effect on baked goods and this contributes to these cookies being very soft and chewy.
- If you can’t get vegan chocolate chips then just chop up a bar of vegan chocolate and use chocolate chunks instead.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes for a soft cookie. If you prefer them more on the crunchy side then you can bake them for up to 15 minutes. Ovens do vary though so keep a close eye on them.
- If your cookies didn’t flatten in the oven then just flatten them with a fork as soon as they come out of the oven when they’re still hot.
- This recipe was first published in 2016. It has been updated with new photos and clearer instructions but the recipe itself is unchanged.
Josie says
Hey there! I had some problems with this recipe, and seeing the great reviews on it I have a feeling I did something wrong. I thought that the dough was a bit gummy(?) and when baked the cookies came out dry and bland. I doubt that it has anything to do with it, but I used hemp milk instead of soy milk. Any ideas with where I went wrong? Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Josie, so sorry to hear they weren’t a success. I also don’t think the hemp milk would have made a difference. Did you make any other substitutes, like using a different flour? The other thing I can think of would be weighing the flour first to use the right amount. They are of course not supposed to be bland at all, but accidentally using too much flour (which is very easy to do) could cause that.
Sandra says
This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, vegan or not! They are easy to make, my whole family loves them, and they meet my son’s allergen-free needs. This is my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Thank you so much Sandra, I am so happy to hear that! 🙂
B says
Hey, I was wondering even if it takes more time… can it be done without the electric mixer ? (In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.)
Thank you!!!
Alison Andrews says
Sure, I have heard from readers who have managed it without an electric mixer, so it’s definitely possible. Just keep stirring until the butter is nicely softened and the butter and sugar together have more of a ‘creamy’ texture.
Chriisy says
Okay basic recipe. I agree with the other commenter, you should half the bp and bs. The cookies puffed up like little cake biscuits.
Sarah says
I made this recipe today, having lost my usual (vegan) choc chip cookie recipe in our house move. I thought it was very nice but next time I will halve the raising agent; i often find that U.S, recipes tend to use baking soda as well as baking powder and, to me, there was a bit too much as it left an after taste which was a little bit bitter.
Other than that, very nice, will make again, thanks for this recipe.
I made with white sugar as it was all that was in the cupboard and I substituted half a spoonful of custard powder (nondairy) instead of half of one of the corn flour spoonfuls as I often do that to give a little bit more colour to the baking.
Heather says
So glad I found this recipe!!! I was looking for a simple vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe, one that I had the ingredients on hand. So many had coconut oil, which I have used before but don’t have in my kitchen regularly. Made the cookies tonight and they turned out perfect!!! So yummy! I added walnuts. I didn’t feel I needed to press the extra chocolate chips into the cookies after they were baked, which is saying a lot for me because I am a chocolate addict. Thank you again for a great recipe!!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear that Heather, thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Annalisa Mappala says
Hi Alison
I made these cookies with all purpose GF flour and the consistency was not the same. The batter was too moist.
I used vegan butter and oat milk. Maybe should I have omitted the oat milk?
Help.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Annalisa, using gluten-free flours instead of wheat flours can definitely change things, but usually it’s more towards the dry side than too moist, so I’m stumped there. I am actually testing some gluten-free chocolate chip cookies this afternoon, so there may be a recipe for that coming soon that will be designed as gluten-free. In the meantime you can definitely try using less oat milk or adding more flour if you find the consistency too wet. All the best! 🙂
Susan says
Hi
Do you think oat flour would work for this recipe ?
Thank you
Alison Andrews says
Hi Susan, I don’t really think so, though I haven’t tried it. If you wanted to make it gluten-free my first recommendation would be to switch for a gluten-free all purpose flour blend rather than a single type of flour like oat. All the best! 🙂
Tess says
Can you make the dough ahead of time and bake them on the day you are going to eat them?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Tess, yes you can. You can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 3 days and then when you’re ready to continue with them, let the dough sit on the counter to come to room temperature again and then carry on as usual! 🙂
Jennifer says
Great recipe, but I think next time I will try it without the corn starch. We didn’t chill our dough or anything, and they still came out as round cookie balls, so I am thinking the corn starch had something to do with it. Wonderful flavor though, thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jennifer, sorry to hear that! I don’t think it was the corn starch. That can happen if the vegan butter isn’t creamed for long enough, so the dough is still very cold when it goes in. You can just cook it for a couple minutes longer or you can flatten with a fork before they go into the oven. So glad they still tasted good though!
Jessica McCarton says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I love it. I’ve been playing around with a few recipes looking for the PERFECT texture and “almost” get it right, but these cookies are exactly the way I love chocolate chip cookies.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! 🙂
Annie says
Hi! I made these last weekend and although they did not flatten out (I did press them down a little in the middle of baking), they were great! So soft, chewy and crunchy on the edges <3 I would like to make these again, but can you do the dough day before baking? It would save time and they would be ready faster for fathers day lunch 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi Annie, sure yes, you can make the dough in advance (even a couple of days in advance would be fine) and keep it in the fridge and then roll them into ball and bake when you’re ready.
Annie says
Thank you for your quick response! I was just making the dough! 😀 I´m gonna bake few cookies for me and then save rest of the dough and bake the cookies tomorrow morning for my family <3
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! I forgot to mention, because the dough will be chilled, the cookies might not spread as much as usual. You could leave for a couple of minutes longer, or you could flatten them with a fork before going into the oven. Or maybe you’ll just enjoy them a bit more puffy! 🙂
Dee says
This recipe was awesome I just had to use less flour, but they were delicious.Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
So glad they were delicious. Thanks Dee! 🙂
Millicent says
I made these a couple of days ago for my cookie-addicted omni best friend. I’m vegan and at his house a few times a week, and he’s always eating cookies that I can’t have! I halved the recipe as I didn’t want a full batch – still came out with 10 large cookies. He was super impressed, and like many others have said, he couldn’t even tell they were vegan! Delicious! Thank you for this tasty and easy recipe 🙂
Alison Andrews says
That is fantastic to hear! Thanks for sharing and the great review! 🙂
Ben says
Just made these. They turned out really well and just how you said – ‘are soft, chewy, slightly-crunchy, sweet and satisfying’.
Thanks for the recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Brilliant! So glad they came out well, thanks for posting! 🙂
Bails says
These cookies did not turn out the way I wanted to or expected them to. They stayed in high balls, didn’t flatten out like the photos. I love flat, chewy cookies and these just weren’t it. So far the only cookies that have turned out like the photos have been the snickerdoodles. Not sure what is different, I am not making any substitutions in the recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Bails, that is such a pity, it’s definitely not supposed to happen, but some factors can cause cookies to not flatten properly, usually it is when the cookie dough is still too cold when it goes in the oven. So it’s a good idea to beat your vegan butter and sugar for a bit longer so that it’s really soft and room temperature before you continue. And then if they are still not flattening once in the oven, let them cook a couple of minutes longer. Hope this helps! All the best!