These vegan chocolate chip cookies will make your mouth water! They are super chewy and soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, and do not require any fancy ingredients. Once you sink your teeth into one, you will certainly be back for more!
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Cookies are one of my favorite treats to have for dessert or as a sweet mid-day snack. If you want the perfect treat to satisfy your sweet tooth, you will also want to try my other vegan cookie recipes, such as my oatmeal raisin cookies, red velvet cookies, and matcha cookies.
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❤️ Why you’ll love it
This easy vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe requires less than ten steps and no more than an hour of your time. Most ingredients involved are basic kitchen staples you likely already have in your pantry!
I personally love that they are incredibly versatile. In addition to chocolate chips, you can add extra goodies to the batter to enhance the texture and taste and to make them more festive.
By following this recipe as written, you will end up with warm, gooey cookies that are crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. I am confident it is the best vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe you will try!
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🧾 Key ingredients
Dark chocolate chips – Make sure to choose vegan chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life or Callebaut. You can also swap out the chocolate chips for chocolate chunks or white chocolate chips.
Sugar – This recipe uses a mix of dark brown sugar and white sugar. I also tested this recipe with cane sugar and turbinado sugar instead of brown sugar and found the cookies were just as delicious!
Apple sauce functions as a vegan egg substitute. Use unsweetened apple sauce to not change the sugar levels in the cookies.
Vanilla extract and cinnamon help enhance the flavor. While the cinnamon is optional, I highly recommend it!
All-purpose flour – I also tested this recipe with a gluten-free flour blend and found it works just as well.
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
🥘 Equipment
An electric hand mixer will make combining the ingredients much more effortless. It is better for emulsifying the ingredients than doing it by hand.
Silicone baking sheets are easy to clean, nonstick, and help to distribute the heat evenly. You can also use parchment paper.
Ice cream scoop will help you create even, perfectly-sized cookies.
To help fold the ingredients together, I personally recommend the hand-crafted olive wooden spatula from Forest Decor.
👩🍳 Instructions
Making vegan chocolate chip cookies
STEP 1
Combine the vegetable oil, brown and white sugar, apple sauce, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the ingredients on low speed for two minutes until well emulsified.
STEP 2
Mix in the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda) until completely incorporated. The mixture will be very thick but still soft. If the mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk to loosen it up.
STEP 3
Gently fold in the chocolate chips using a wooden spatula. Chill for at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading.
STEP 4
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. In the meantime, line the baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop two tablespoons of dough. Roll the dough into balls and place them 2-3 inches apart on the lined baking sheet.
For soft, pillowy cookies, leave the cookies as is. For thinner, chewy cookies, use a small glass to flatten them until they are at least 1 inch thick.
STEP 5
Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the color turns barely golden brown around the edges. My oven takes approximately 12 minutes without a fan to reach the perfect color and texture.
STEP 6
Remove the cookies from the oven. Let them cool on the baking tray for at least 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool. The cookies will puff up in the oven and slightly collapse as they cool.
💡 Expert tip
Use a digital scale rather than relying on the scooper for the best vegan chocolate chip cookies. Even the slightest variances can significantly change the texture of the cookies.
🔄 Variations
You can customize these chocolate chip cookies using various add-ins and toppings. Try this recipe with rolled oats and raisins, similar to my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe.
You can also give your cookies an extra protein boost by adding my creamy homemade peanut butter or crushed nuts. Or, top it with flaky sea salt for a delicious sweet and salty combination.
You can add themed candies as I do in my Funfetti, Halloween cookies, and Christmas cookies to add color and fun to your cookies for holidays and special occasions.
❄️ Storing tips
To store: To keep the cookies fresh, soft, and chewy, store them in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for 1-2 days. After two days, place them in the refrigerator.
To freeze: Wait until they have completely cooled to room temperature, then place them in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Thaw at room temperature. They will not stick together. So you can stack them and easily separate them if needed.
🤔 FAQs
In this recipe, I recommend chilling the dough to prevent the dough from spreading. However, I have tested this recipe by chilling the dough slightly, chilling it for an extended period, and keeping it at room temperature. I did not see a significant difference in the end quality of the cookies.
You may have used too little flour or needed more baking soda. Or, you may have flattened the cookies too much before baking or had your oven set at too high a temperature. To ensure you get soft, fluffy cookies, always use a digital scale for accurate measurements and a digital thermometer to make sure your oven is at the correct temperature.
To freeze the raw dough, place the scooped cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Bake the cookies directly from frozen by adding a couple more minutes to the baking time.
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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup Vegetable oil I used sunflower
- ¾ cup Dark brown sugar
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup Apple sauce unsweetened
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Cinnamon optional, but recommended
- 2+½ cups All-purpose flour or GF flour blend
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 +½ cups Dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine oil, sugars, apple sauce, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to beat together on low speed for 2 minutes until well emulsified.
- Stir in the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda until completely incorporated. The mixture should be very thick but still soft. If too stiff, add 1-2 Tablespoons of non-dairy milk.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Cover and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes to prevent spreading.
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190C. Line baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop 2 Tbsp amounts of dough. Roll into balls and place 2-3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet.
- If you want pillowy, soft cookies, don’t flatten them. If you want chewy, thinner ones, flatten them with a small glass, at most 1 inch thick.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until just barely golden brown around the edges. I need 12 minutes in my non-fan oven to get them perfect.
- Remove from the oven and cool them on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Cookies will puff up more in the oven and collapse slightly as they cool.
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