These are the best Vegan chocolate chip cookies ever! They are thick with chewy edges and soft gooey centers. This one bowl recipe comes together in less than 20 minutes total. No dough chilling required. They are great for birthdays, holidays, Christmas and more!

Vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These Vegan chocolate chip cookies have the best texture.
  • They are made without chia eggs, without flax eggs and without milk.
  • No stand mixer required. This easy recipe is easily mixed by hand.
  • The coconut oil gives these cookies chewy edges.
  • These chocolate chip cookies contain no butter and no eggs.
  • The middles are soft and gooey.
  • There are loads of melted chocolate chips throughout.
  • This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, Vegan, and nut free.
  • Check out these Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for another delicious dessert.

Ingredients & Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for Vegan chocolate chip cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients list and instructions.

Use melted refined coconut oil. Refined coconut oil has no coconut flavor. Unrefined has a slight coconut flavor. Allow the melted coconut oil to cool before mixing in with other ingredients.

Light brown sugar and granulated sugar add sweetness. I have not tried this recipe using coconut sugar or a sugar free alternative. Replacing granulated sugars with a liquid sweetener like maple syrup will not work.

Two teaspoons of vanilla extract add a great homemade flavor.

Unsweetened applesauce replaces eggs. This is by far my favorite Vegan egg replacement. I have not tried this recipe using chia eggs or flax eggs.

Both regular all purpose flour and gluten free 1 to 1 flour work well. Measure flour carefully. Although 3 cups sounds like a lot, it is necessary to offset the melted coconut oil and applesauce.

Baking soda helps these cookies rise slightly.

Add in a pinch of sea salt if desired. Highly recommend!

Use any type of Vegan chocolate chips. See section below all about Vegan chocolate. Enjoy Life makes great dairy free dark chocolate chips. Feel free to use Vegan white chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.

Applesauce, coconut oil and other ingredients.

Vegan Baking

Vegan baking has its challenges. Here are the Vegan swaps in these Vegan chocolate chip cookies.

First, melted coconut oil replaces butter. Coconut oil does not have a buttery flavor, but it creates delicious chewy edges. These Vegan cookies without butter rely on coconut oil as the fat.

Applesauce is a great egg replacement. It adds moisture and texture. Unlike eggs, applesauce adds a very subtle natural sweetness. As a rule of thumb, 1 egg is equivalent to ¼ cup applesauce. So, the ½ cup unsweetened applesauce is equivalent to 2 eggs in this recipe.

Feel free to use any type of Vegan chocolate for these quick Vegan cookies. There are several brands that make great options.

These Vegan Brownies are another favorite dessert!

Taste & Texture

These Vegan chocolate chip cookies taste like classic cookies! They do not have a buttery flavor, but they are absolutely delicious. There are melted chocolate chips in every bite.

The edges are golden brown and chewy. These cookies have a soft gooey center.

How to Make

Step 1

First, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl, add melted coconut oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir until combined.

Coconut oil and sugars in bowl.

Step 3

Add in vanilla extract and applesauce. Stir to combine.

Oil and sugar in bowl.

Step 4

Then, add in flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir until combined.

Light colored Vegan dough.

Step 5

Fold in chocolate chips. The dough may look slightly greasy due to the coconut oil.

Vegan cookie dough in bowl.

Step 6

Use an ice cream scooper to scoop balls of dough onto lined baking pan.

Cookie dough balls on pan.

Step 7

Then, use hands to slightly flatten each ball of dough into a cookie shape. These Vegan chocolate chip cookies do not spread much while baking.

Flattened balls of cookie dough.

Step 8

Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown. Do not over bake!

Baked Vegan cookies on pan.

Step 9

Lastly, remove from oven. Allow Vegan chocolate chip cookies to cool on pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Expert Tips & Tricks

For best results, carefully measure all ingredients.

When melting the coconut oil, add more than you need to a skillet. Then, melt and measure out the ¾ cup needed. Pour any extra coconut oil right back into the jar. It will solidify once cooled.

Mix coconut oil and sugars until completely melted. Be sure there are no clumps of sugar remaining.

The cookie dough will be slightly greasy. This is from the coconut oil. If it becomes too greasy, take a paper towel. Blot any excess grease.

Use an ice cream scooper to scoop balls of dough. This ensures they are round and equally sized.

Then, use hands to press down into cookie shape. These plant based cookies barely spread while baking.

Bake homemade Vegan chocolate chip cookies only until edges are lightly golden. They are made to be soft and gooey inside.

Cookies without eggs or butter.

Is Chocolate Vegan?

Pure chocolate is Vegan. However, most chocolate products are made with milk or cream.

There are several great Vegan chocolate chips sold today.

Enjoy Life brand makes allergy friendly chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. They are dairy free, Vegan, gluten free and melt well.

Nestle Tollhouse now makes an allergen friendly option. I have tried these and they are delicious!

Pascha also makes Vegan chocolate chips.

How to Serve & Store

Serve Vegan chocolate chip cookies once slightly cooled. They are not overly fragile.

Serve with almond milk, coffee or tea. They are delicious with oat milk hot chocolate.

Alternatively, serve with this Vegan ice cream!

Store healthy Vegan cookies covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freeze for up to 1 month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to chill the dough?

No. There is no need to chill the dough. If making ahead of time, chill dough. Then allow it to thaw for 15 to 20 minutes before baking. You will need to flatten balls of dough like outlined in the recipe.

Is the dough safe to eat?

This dough is egg free, but still contains raw flour. For that reason, it is not safe to eat the dough raw.

How do you replace eggs in Vegan baking?

Replace eggs with unsweetened applesauce in this recipe.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes! Freeze cookies for up to 1 month.

Are they healthy?

These Vegan chocolate chip cookies are not any healthier than regular cookies. These cookies are made without butter and without eggs. They do still contain sugar.

Stack of Vegan cookies.

You May Also Like

If you make this Vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on InstagramFacebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along!  For more ideas, see these Vegan Recipes.

Vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Vegan chocolate chip cookies are absolutely perfect! They are thick with chewy edges and a soft gooey center. There are melted chocolate chips in every single bite. These Vegan cookies are great for any occasion!
4.83 from 23 votes

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • First, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add melted coconut oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Stir until combined.
  • Add in vanilla extract and applesauce. Stir to combine.
  • Then, add in flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Stir until combined.
  • Fold in chocolate chips. The dough may look slightly greasy due to the coconut oil.
  • Use an ice cream scooper to scoop balls of dough onto lined baking pan.
  • Then, use hands to slightly flatten each ball of dough into a cookie shape. These cookies do not spread much while baking.
  • Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown.
  • Lastly, remove from oven. Allow cookies to cool on pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

  • Use melted coconut oil.  I recommend melting this before gathering all of the other ingredients.  That will give the coconut oil enough time to cool down before mixing with the other ingredients.
  • Applesauce replaces the eggs.  I have not tried this recipe using chia eggs, flax eggs or another Vegan egg replacement.
  • Both gluten free 1 to 1 flour and all purpose flour can be used.  I used King Arthur Flour gluten free 1 to 1 flour for these photos.
  • The cookie dough may look slightly greasy due to the coconut oil.  If needed, lightly blot cookie dough with a paper towel to remove some of the excess grease.
  • Bake cookies only until edges are lightly browned.  These cookies are meant to be soft and gooey in the middle.
  • Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze cookies for up to 1 month.
Calories: 329kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 78mg, Potassium: 53mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 2IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 2mg

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