The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: Soft, Chewy, and Perfectly Dairy-Free
Indulge in the perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie experience! These cookies are incredibly soft, wonderfully gooey, bursting with rich chocolate flavor, and crafted with classic, easy-to-find plant-based ingredients. Whether you’re a seasoned vegan baker or just starting out, this recipe promises delightful results every time.
Why This is The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
There’s a universal comfort in biting into a warm, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookie, and everyone deserves to savor that joy. This particular recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookies stands out as a true favorite, especially for anyone navigating dairy or egg allergies, or simply opting for a plant-based lifestyle.
What makes these cookies truly exceptional is their ability to deliver that classic, beloved chocolate chip cookie flavor and texture, but made entirely dairy-free and egg-free. You won’t miss a thing! They maintain their exquisite softness and chewiness even after cooling, making them taste absolutely heavenly from the first bite to the last. Prepare for this to become your new essential cookie recipe that you’ll return to again and again.
Beyond being allergen-friendly, these cookies are remarkably easy to prepare. With straightforward steps and common pantry staples, you can whip up a batch of these delectable treats in no time. They are perfect for sharing with friends and family, satisfying those late-night cravings, or simply enjoying a moment of sweet bliss. Get ready to impress everyone with these unbelievably delicious plant-based cookies!
Essential Ingredients for Your Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Crafting the perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie starts with understanding the role each ingredient plays. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why it matters:
- All-Purpose Flour: This forms the foundational structure of our cookies. For a slightly healthier twist without compromising texture, you can substitute with whole wheat pastry flour. Avoid regular whole wheat flour as it can result in a denser, drier cookie.
- Salt: A crucial flavor enhancer that balances the sweetness and brings out the rich chocolate notes. Don’t skip it!
- Baking Soda: Works with the acid in the brown sugar (and applesauce) to create lift and contributes to that desirable chewy texture and golden-brown color.
- Baking Powder: Our secret weapon in conjunction with applesauce to replace eggs, ensuring these cookies are light and perfectly puffed without being dense.
- White Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps with the crispness around the edges of the cookie.
- Brown Sugar: The molasses in brown sugar is key for moisture and chewiness. It also adds a deeper, caramelized flavor that’s essential for a classic chocolate chip cookie.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: This is the star egg replacement! It provides moisture, helps bind the ingredients, and, most importantly, keeps these cookies incredibly soft and chewy, mimicking the tenderizing effect of eggs. Make sure it’s unsweetened to control the overall sweetness of your cookies.
- Vegan Butter: Crucial for richness, flavor, and texture. We highly recommend using a high-quality stick vegan butter, like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Kitchen, for the best baking results. Ensure it’s softened to room temperature but still solid for proper creaming. Margarine in a tub might contain too much water, affecting the cookie’s spread.
- Vanilla Extract: A splash of pure vanilla extract elevates all the other flavors, adding warmth and depth to your cookies. Don’t underestimate its importance!
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: The heart of any chocolate chip cookie! It’s vital to ensure these are dairy-free. Brands like Enjoy Life, Ghirardelli Premium Baking Chips (select varieties), and Pascha Organic are excellent choices for strict allergies or vegan diets. Always double-check the ingredient label, as “semi-sweet” doesn’t automatically mean dairy-free. You can also chop up a vegan chocolate bar for irregular, melty pockets of chocolate goodness.
Having these ingredients at the right temperature and measured accurately will set you up for vegan cookie success!
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Irresistible Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Follow these simple steps to create a batch of the most delicious vegan chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever had. Precision in baking ensures the best results, so take your time and enjoy the process!
Step 1: Prepare Your Dry Ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisking ensures these leavening agents and flavorings are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which is crucial for uniform rise and texture in your finished cookies. Set this bowl aside while you work on the wet ingredients.
Step 2: Cream Together the Wet Ingredients. In a separate, larger bowl, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, unsweetened applesauce, softened vegan butter, and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) on medium speed, cream these ingredients together until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined. This process incorporates air into the butter and sugars, which contributes to the cookies’ light texture. Ensure your vegan butter is properly softened – not melted – for the best creaming results.
The Magic of Egg Replacement in Vegan Cookies
Traditional chocolate chip cookies rely on eggs for binding, moisture, and leavening. In this recipe, we masterfully replace eggs with a combination of baking powder and unsweetened applesauce. This dynamic duo works perfectly to create cookies that are soft, chewy, and hold their shape beautifully.
The applesauce acts as a binder and provides essential moisture, mimicking the liquid component of an egg. Meanwhile, the baking powder contributes to the rise, ensuring the cookies aren’t too dense. The result? You don’t need a single egg or any dairy milk for these incredible chocolate chip cookies. They are so rich, flavorful, and wonderfully textured that even the most discerning palate wouldn’t guess they’re entirely vegan!
While other egg replacers like flax eggs (ground flaxseed mixed with water) or mashed banana can work in some vegan recipes, applesauce is chosen here for its neutral flavor, which allows the classic chocolate chip cookie taste to shine through without any fruity undertones. It consistently delivers an ideal soft and chewy consistency, making it our top choice for this recipe.
Step 3: Combine and Fold in Chocolate Chips. Gradually add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough cookies. Mix only until no dry streaks of flour remain. Once the dough is formed, gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips using a spatula. We want those chocolatey morsels distributed throughout the dough without crushing them.
Important Recipe Note: Choosing Your Chocolate Chips
A common mistake in vegan baking is assuming all chocolate chips are dairy-free. Many standard brands contain milk ingredients like milk fat, whey, or milk powder. Always read the ingredient label carefully to ensure you are buying truly dairy-free chocolate chips.
One of my absolute favorite and most reliable brands for strict allergies and vegan baking is Enjoy Life. They offer a range of delicious dairy-free, nut-free, and soy-free chocolate options. Other great brands include Pascha Organic and certain varieties from Ghirardelli or Guittard that explicitly state “dairy-free” or “vegan” on their packaging.
For an extra luxurious touch, you can also use a high-quality vegan chocolate bar, chopped into chunks. This creates beautiful pools of melted chocolate throughout your cookies.
Expert Tips for Baking Your Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies to Perfection
Step 4: Scoop and Arrange on Baking Sheet. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a nonstick baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking. Use a mini cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons) to drop even balls of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving ample space between each cookie (about 2 inches). This allows them to spread without merging. For a truly professional look, you can press a few extra chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie dough ball before baking.
Step 5: Bake to Golden Perfection. Bake your vegan chocolate chip cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes at 350°F (175°C). The sweet spot for me is usually right around 12 minutes. You’re looking for cookies where the top is no longer visibly doughy and the edges appear lightly set and golden brown. The centers might still look a little soft, and that’s exactly what we want for a perfectly chewy interior. It’s crucial to resist the urge to overbake them; overbaking will result in dry, hard cookies instead of the desirable soft and gooey texture.
Step 6: Cool and Enjoy. Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven. They will be beautifully puffed up. Allow them to cool on the baking pan for about 5 minutes. During this time, they will gently settle into a slightly flatter shape and continue to set, preventing them from breaking when you move them. After 5 minutes, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Cooling on a rack allows air to circulate around them, ensuring they cool evenly and prevent the bottoms from getting soggy.
If you’ve been searching for a foolproof, always-perfect vegan cookie recipe, this is it! You truly can’t go wrong with these. They are not only incredible fresh out of the oven but also remain delightfully delicious the next day, and even beyond, making them ideal for meal prep or a quick grab-and-go treat.
Smart Cookie Hack: Freezing Vegan Cookie Dough
One of my favorite secrets for having warm, fresh-baked cookies at a moment’s notice is to freeze uncooked cookie dough. This is a game-changer for spontaneous cravings or unexpected guests!
Here’s how to do it: Simply roll the prepared cookie batter into individual balls, just as you would for baking. Place these dough balls on a piece of parchment or wax paper (they can be close together, but not touching) inside a freezer-safe zip-top bag or an airtight container. Once frozen solid, they can be transferred directly to a bag to save space.
When you’re ready to bake, there’s no need to thaw! Just place the frozen dough balls directly onto your prepared baking sheet and pop them into the oven. You’ll typically need to add just a few extra minutes (2-4 minutes) onto the usual baking time. This method ensures you always have warm, fresh-from-the-oven cookies with minimal effort!
Can You Freeze Baked Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Absolutely! Baked vegan chocolate chip cookies also freeze exceptionally well, making them an excellent candidate for batch baking and long-term storage. This is ideal for ensuring you always have a delightful treat on hand.
To freeze baked cookies, first ensure they are completely cooled to room temperature. Then, place them in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. For ultimate freshness and to prevent freezer burn, you can also wrap each individual cookie tightly in cling wrap before placing them in the container.
When you’re ready to enjoy a frozen cookie, simply remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes. If you prefer a warm, gooey cookie, you can gently reheat it in a microwave for 10-15 seconds or in a preheated oven at 300°F (150°C) for a few minutes. Then, enjoy its fresh-baked texture and flavor all over again!
Explore More Irresistible Vegan Desserts
If you loved these vegan chocolate chip cookies, you’ll be thrilled to discover a world of other amazing plant-based treats. Here are some more delightful vegan dessert recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth:
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cups: A classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter, made entirely plant-based.
- Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Seasonal flavors meet chocolatey goodness in these soft, spiced cookies.
- Vegan Muddy Buddies (Puppy Chow): A fun, crunchy, and addictive snack perfect for parties or a casual treat.
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge: Rich, creamy, and decadent fudge that’s surprisingly easy to make.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies: Quick, easy, and satisfyingly chewy – perfect when you don’t want to turn on the oven.
- Best Vegan Apple Crisp: A warm, comforting dessert with tender apples and a sweet, crunchy oat topping.
Enjoy expanding your vegan baking repertoire with these fantastic recipes!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Joy Shull
10 minutes
12 minutes
22 minutes
30
cookies
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Ingredients
-
2 1/4
cups
all purpose flour -
1/2
teaspoon
salt -
1
teaspoon
baking soda -
1
teaspoon
baking powder -
1/2
cup
white sugar -
2/3
cup
brown sugar -
1/2
cup
unsweetened applesauce -
1/2
cup
vegan butter,
softened (see notes) -
2
teaspoons
vanilla extract -
1 1/4
cups
semi-sweet chocolate chips,
dairy free
Instructions
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until thoroughly combined. Set this dry mixture aside.
-
In a separate large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the white sugar, brown sugar, unsweetened applesauce, softened vegan butter, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy.
-
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
-
Gently fold in the dairy-free chocolate chips with a spatula until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
-
Use a mini cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons) or two spoons to drop rounded portions of batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
-
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10 – 13 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and set, and the tops are no longer doughy. For me, 12 minutes is usually perfect. Avoid overbaking. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking pan for about 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories:
128
kcal
,
Carbohydrates:
20
g
,
Protein:
1
g
,
Fat:
5
g
,
Saturated Fat:
2
g
,
Polyunsaturated Fat:
1
g
,
Monounsaturated Fat:
1
g
,
Trans Fat:
0.02
g
,
Sodium:
115
mg
,
Potassium:
21
mg
,
Fiber:
1
g
,
Sugar:
12
g
,
Vitamin A:
145
IU
,
Vitamin C:
0.04
mg
,
Calcium:
23
mg
,
Iron:
1
mg
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