The BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe! These easy cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with chocolate chips. Everyone will love them!
Everyone who tries these vegan chocolate chip cookies loves them. It’s not hard to see why. They’re lightly crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle, and packed with gooey chocolate chips. I think they’re the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve tasted, vegan or otherwise!
And these cookies aren’t just delicious—they’re also easy. You can whip them up with basic ingredients in less than 30 minutes (no chilling required!).
I’ve been making this vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe for years, and it’s still one of my favorite treats. I hope it becomes one of yours too!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe:
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Baking powder and baking soda – They help the cookies puff up as they bake.
- Brown sugar – Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar both work well here.
- Coconut oil – Virgin coconut oil will give the cookies a light coconut flavor, whereas refined coconut oil will have a neutral taste. If you prefer not to use coconut oil, you can substitute melted vegan butter. Because vegan butter is generally salted, you should then reduce the salt in the recipe by half.
- Tahini – The secret ingredient in these vegan chocolate chip cookies! Similar to eggs (or flax eggs), it helps bind the cookie dough together. But as a bonus, it adds rich flavor too.
- Water – For moisture.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- Chocolate chips – I love dark chocolate chips here, but feel free to use semi-sweet if you prefer! And if you don’t have chocolate chips handy, a chopped chocolate bar or chocolate chunks will work instead. See my favorite brands of vegan chocolate below.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Where to Find Vegan Chocolate Chips
Heads up: not all chocolate chips are vegan. Check package labels when you shop to make sure you buy ones that are 100% dairy-free.
Thankfully, high-quality vegan chocolate chips are becoming more and more widely available. Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels are my favorites. You can find them online, at Whole Foods, and in many other major grocery stores.
Another great option is to use chopped vegan chocolate instead of vegan chocolate chips. Tony’s Chocolonely, Divine, and Endangered Species are just a few major brands that make excellent vegan chocolate bars.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Making this recipe is easy! Here’s what you need to do:
First, make the cookie dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and use a rubber spatula to mix until they’re just combined.
Then, fold in the chocolate chips!
Next, shape the cookies. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop dough balls onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches between cookies. They’ll spread a little as they bake!
Then, bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in a 350°F oven for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they’re lightly brown around the edges.
Remove the cookies from the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
- Tip: These cookies are extra-tasty dipped in a cold glass of oat milk or almond milk!
Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Tips
- Smooth/runny tahini is key. This recipe works best with runny tahini that will easily mix with the other ingredients. Tahini brands vary widely in consistency, so look for one with a smooth, pourable texture. (I like Cedar’s, Trader Joe’s, and Seed+Mill.) If your tahini is too thick, add 2 to 3 additional tablespoons of water to get the dough to come together.
- Chill the dough if you need to. If your dough is too thin to scoop into balls, stick it in the fridge! Various factors can affect the dough’s consistency (the thickness of your tahini, the temperature of your kitchen, etc.), so don’t worry if the dough is too soft. Whenever this has happened to me, I’ve chilled the dough for just 20 minutes, and the cookies have turned out perfect every time.
- Let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. These vegan chocolate chip cookies will be very delicate when you take them out of the oven. It’s tempting to reach for one right away, but if you let them rest for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, their texture will be better and their flavor will be richer. After 10 minutes, try one (or two), and transfer the rest to a cooling rack.
Storage
These vegan chocolate chip cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
They also freeze perfectly. Let frozen cookies thaw at room temperature for about an hour, or quickly defrost them in the microwave.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
You can also freeze the raw cookie dough balls! Bake off a few at a time so that you can enjoy a freshly baked cookie whenever you’re craving one.
Here’s how to do it:
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Freeze the cookie dough on the baking sheet for 2 hours, or until firm.
- Transfer to an airtight container or bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Bake the frozen cookie dough balls according to the recipe. No need to thaw first!
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
If you love these vegan chocolate chip cookies, try one of these vegan cookie recipes next:
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Almond Butter Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
- Or any of these 15 Vegan Cookie Recipes!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ⅓ cup tahini* (see note)
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, coconut oil, tahini, water, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and use a spatula to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the baking sheets. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes.
Notes
Adapted from Weeknight Baking by Michelle Lopez
Hi, would raw honey work in this recipe instead of brown sugar? Thanks
Hi Anitra, no, exchanging dry and wet sugars throws things off, I would stick to the brown sugar on this one.
I keep making these again and again. They are my go to cookie recipe, the texture is amazing and the tahini gives it an awesome flavor. I usually just use canola oil instead of the coconut.
Hi Leia, I’m so glad you’ve been loving them!
These are so delicious! Been eating vegan for a month now and these were the first vegan cookies we’ve made and even the hubby loved them! We never ever want regular cookies ever again!
I’m so glad you both loved them!
Absolutely one of the TASTIEST cookies I’ve ever eaten. My husband loves these.
It’s a 10 STAR Cookie!!!
I’m so glad you both loved them!
Delicious. Loved them. Will definitely make again!
So delicious, thank you!
How long do they last? Do you suggest refrigerating or freezing for any excess?
Hi Katie, I like to freeze mine after the 2nd or 3rd day!
Amazing! Can’t believe they’re vegan. We froze a batch to bake a couple fresh occasionally.
Hi, I would like to try this vegan cookie recipe but I am allergic to coconut. Can coconut oil be replaced by olive oil?
yep, you can!
These were absolutely amazing! I will be making these again and again. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Omg! These are so good! The dough seemed a bit oily but they baked great! I also added chopped walnuts and rolled oats in mine! The tahini adds such a nice texture and rich flavor! Will definitely make again, thank you:)
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Delicious and beautiful looking cookies.
I made these today and they were so incredible! I was low on coconut oil, so I used olive oil instead and they came out so rich and hearty. The consistency of the cookie is perfection & my carnivore fiancé and his best friend loved too! Definitely will make again & again.
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad they were a hit!
To make half of the serving ( 12 cookies ) , should I half every ingredient in the recipe ?
These look awesome – definitely one to try! 😀
So I missed the bit about this making 24 & ended up making 12 BIG cookies that cooked perfectly in about 11 minutes. Absolutely my top favorite chocolate chip cookie, vegan or not. Mine were cakeish but still chewy with crispy edges so, I mean Holy Sh*@! Definitely going to be my go-to every time. Thank you!!!!
This looks so good, and totally doable! I love that it’s not so complicated.
I just made these cookies with Olive oil and I used Truvia brown sugar. They turned out delicious!! Thank you!!
I’m so glad you loved them!
My 13-year-old son made cookies using your recipes. It turned so good. 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad you all loved them!
Looks marvelous! Can I use oat flour instead of all-purpose flour?
I haven’t tried, but I’ve made them with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free flour and they’re great. I’d go that route.
Thank you! I’ll try then. 🙂
Nice brownies!!!
I made these with vegan butter (Miyoko’s brand) and they were excellent! I was a bit short on tahini so added almond butter as well and the taste is excellent. They did not spread so i flattened the second batch after using the cookie scoop and topped with a bit of sea salt.
I’m so glad you loved them!