Soft, chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies with crispy edges and gooey chocolate centers, 100% plant based. ♡
These vegan chocolate chip cookies are the dairy free cookies that made my non vegan friends demand the recipe. Soft, chewy centers, crispy edges, and gooey chocolate chips that look and taste exactly like the classic. For more ideas, see our Vegan Creamy Cashew Pasta.
100% plant based and dairy free with no mystery ingredients. One bowl, no chilling required, ready in 25 minutes. Let’s make it together.
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, plus 3 tbsp warm water
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chunks, optional for gooier pools
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt, for topping
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- **Prep.** Heat oven to 350F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment.
- **Flax.** Whisk flax and warm water. Let sit 5 minutes until gelled.
- **Wet.** In a large bowl, whisk melted vegan butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Stir in flax egg.
- **Dry.** Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and chunks.
- **Scoop.** Scoop 2 tbsp rounds onto sheet pans, 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
- **Bake.** Bake 10 to 11 minutes until edges are golden and centers look slightly underdone. Cool on the pan 5 minutes before moving to a rack.
Why This Recipe Works
Using melted vegan butter instead of creamed butter is the single trick to chewy, flat, bakery style vegan chocolate chip cookies. Melted butter coats the flour proteins differently than creamed, which gives you chewy texture and lovely crispy edges. Creamed vegan butter makes cakey, puffy cookies every time.
A flax egg (ground flax plus warm water) is the vegan swap for the egg that would bind a traditional cookie. The flax gel holds the dough together so the cookies spread perfectly and hold their shape, while also contributing a small amount of moisture that keeps them soft.
Brown sugar plus a full tablespoon of vanilla delivers the deep, caramelized, classic chocolate chip cookie flavor. Brown sugar contains molasses, which keeps cookies soft and chewy, and real vanilla amplifies the brown butter notes without actual butter. This combination is why egg free cookies can taste like the childhood classic. For more ideas, see our Vegan Buddha Bowl Tahini Dressing.
Tips
- Use melted, not creamed, vegan butter for chewy cookies.
- Vegan swap: flax egg replaces the egg and vegan butter replaces dairy butter here.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds for that just baked gooey feel.
- Scoop with a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies.
- Do not overbake. Pull them when the edges are set but the centers look slightly underdone.
Variations
- Swap half the chocolate chips for vegan white chocolate or peanut butter chips.
- Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans for chocolate chip nut cookies.
- Stir in 1 tsp espresso powder for deeper chocolate flavor.
- Use 1 to 1 gluten free flour for gluten free vegan cookies.
- Top each dough ball with flaky sea salt for salted chocolate chip cookies.
- Add a tablespoon of oats to the dough for chewier texture.
Looking for more vegan ideas? Try our Vegan Chickpea Curry or Vegan Banana Bread next.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Creaming the butter: Melt the vegan butter. Creamed butter makes cakey, puffy cookies instead of chewy ones.
- Skipping the flax rest: Let the flax egg gel 5 full minutes. Rushed flax egg does not bind.
- Overbaking: Pull cookies when the edges are set but centers look underdone. They finish setting on the pan.
- Hot dough on pan: Use a cool sheet pan. Hot pans melt the dough too fast and the cookies spread into puddles.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- **Prep.** Heat oven to 350F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment.
- **Flax.** Whisk flax and warm water. Let sit 5 minutes until gelled.
- **Wet.** In a large bowl, whisk melted vegan butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Stir in flax egg.
- **Dry.** Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips and chunks.
- **Scoop.** Scoop 2 tbsp rounds onto sheet pans, 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
- **Bake.** Bake 10 to 11 minutes until edges are golden and centers look slightly underdone. Cool on the pan 5 minutes before moving to a rack.
Notes
Sources: USDA FoodData Central for nutrition data and Physicians Committee plant based nutrition reference.
