Why do people love these vegan chocolate chip cookies so much? I'll tell you why.
Each bite of this cookie starts with the crispy edges, perfectly sweet from the brown sugar. It caramelizes on the hot tray to give a little snap with each bite. Next comes the soft and chewy center of the cookie, filled with tiny flakes of chocolate and large chunks of chocolate that make your heart sing.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get better, at the end are a few sprinkles of flakey sea salt that deepen the chocolate flavor, intensify the sweet, and elevate this cookie from good to divine.
Free from: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, corn, celery, and more
Have I mentioned that chocolate chip cookies are my favorite? I think most people will agree with me that they are one of the best cookies around. So if you are going to make some homemade cookies, why not make the best? This is a great recipe to make because of how it is such an easy recipe.
If you need a different cookie, make sure you check out my gluten free and vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe (which is based on this recipe!) or my vegan oatmeal raisin cookies for when you feel a little healthier.
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Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make these cookies!
- Ground Flax Seeds + Boiling Water - This is what makes the flax egg for these cookies, aka, the thing that binds them together. I can’t recommend enough that you use boiling water and mix it with the flax to rest for 5 minutes. That will give you the best results in your cookies.
- Vegan Butter - See below for some of my favorite options.
- Brown Sugar - You can use white sugar in a pinch, but brown sugar brings a depth of flavor to the cookies that can’t be beat!
- Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Soda
- Salt + Flaky Sea Salt
- Chocolate Chips - See my thoughts below on the best vegan chocolate for these cookies.
Best Vegan Chocolate Chips
Okay, so I know I said chocolate chip cookies but I have a secret: Using a chocolate bar that you chop up will give you a better cookie.
Doing this means you get tiny flakes of chocolate that just melt into the cookie as well as the big chunks of chocolate that just tempt you with a little nibble.
My favorite vegan chocolate bar brand is Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate. This bar contains soy but is dairy free. It makes the most perfect chocolate chip cookies. You can also use their Bittersweet chocolate bar if you like a more dark chocolate flavor.
But let’s say you do want some chocolate chips. No worries, I got you covered on that, too.
Best Allergy Friendly Vegan Chocolate Chip : Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. These chips are rich with a nice chocolate flavor, melt just enough in the oven to get all delicious, but don’t turn into liquid chocolate. Plus, they are free of major allergens! You can get them in normal chip size, mini chips, and chocolate chunks.
Best Grocery Store Brand: Simple Truth or Sprouts Brand chocolate chips. Both of these major realtors make vegan chocolate chips for their store generic and they are accidentally vegan and totally delicious.
Best Sugar Free Chocolate Chip: Pascha Chocolate Chip with Stevia. For a lower sugar option, these are a great option and they are made with real stevia.
Best Vegan Butter
These cookies use vegan butter to make them rich and flavorful. There are several excellent vegan butters on the market that work great in this recipe.
I prefer to use stick vegan butter as opposed to out of a tub or even coconut oil. The stick variety has a better ratio of fat and water that makes for a better cookie. Some of my favorites are:
- I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter - This is the one I reach for in my grocery store and is the butter used in the cookies in these photos. It is free from nuts, tree nuts, and coconut making this a really allergy friendly option.
- Country Crock - The plant based butter sticks are a great option. They have a few different varieties based on different oils like coconut, olive, and avocado. Choose one that fits your needs the best.
- Earth Balance Soy Free - This soy free option works well with one modification. Replace 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of vegan shortening when making these cookies with the Earth Balance tub. That way you’ll get the right percentage of fat to water and make these cookies chef kiss delicious.
Instructions
The full instructions with all the measurements are written down in the recipe card below! Be sure to check that out. Here is where we can get into some details about this cookie recipe.
For this recipe, I recommend that you use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a hand mixer. This is so you can really mix the butter and sugar together, getting a light and fluffy texture. Don’t skip that step! It’s important to the final structure of the cookie.
Preheat the oven to 375F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper. Set these aside for the moment while we make the dough.
Let’s make the flax egg. Add the ground flax seeds to a small bowl that is heat safe. Pour the boiling water over and mix well. Let it rest for 5 minutes to allow it to fully gel.
In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
Grab your room temperature vegan butter and add it to your stand mixer or large bowl. Add the brown sugar. Mix on medium-high for 4-5 minutes or until the butter is light and fluffy. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to incorporate everything.
Add the flax egg to the bowl with the vanilla. Let it mix in. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and let it mix well.
Finally add the chocolate chips. If the dough is a little wet, add 1 tablespoon more of flour. If the dough is a little dry, add 1 tablespoon of your favorite non-dairy milk.
Using a cookie scoop, portion out 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you like, and I totally recommend it!
Baking the Cookies
Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. They may look a little bit underdone, but don't worry! They are cooked. If you like your cookies a little crispier, add a few minutes to the bake time, I'm thinking about 15 minutes would be perfect! I prefer chewy cookies so I like to remove them from the oven at the 12 minute mark.
Let them rest on the tray for at least 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Allergy Substitutions
If you are avoiding corn, replace the cornstarch with an equal amount of arrowroot powder or tapioca starch.
To make these gluten free, I recommend that you instead check out my gluten free and vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is based off of this recipe and formulated for gluten free flours!
How to Store
These cookies are best eaten in 5 days if kept in an airtight container on the countertop.
To store them before baking, make the cookie dough and portion out into dough balls. Freeze the cookie dough for 1 hour on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a freezer safe container. These will keep frozen for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, add an additional 3-5 minutes of baking time.
To store them after baking, place fully cooked and cooled cookies into a freezer safe container. Layer parchment paper or wax paper in between each layer of cookies. This will keep for up to 3 months. Make sure you allow them to thaw completely before enjoying from frozen.
More Vegan Recipes to Love
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Recipe
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- mixing spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- baking trays
- parchment paper
- Cookie scoop (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 3 tablespoons boiling water
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small heat proof bowl, mix the ground flax seeds with boiling water. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes to gel.
- In a medium sized bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl with your hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter with white and brown sugars on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the flax egg mixture and vanilla.
- Now add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed, and making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are mixed.
- Add the chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate). Let it mix together one last time.
- Scoop cookie dough onto the prepared baking trays using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, or using a tablespoon.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and have crisp edges. Remove from the oven and let rest on the hot cookie tray for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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