The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
It’s true: This is the best vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe ever! These classic cookies are so easy to make, with only 5 ingredients, 5 minutes of prep, and a quick bake in the oven. They’re deliciously soft-baked and chewy, with those crispy edges we all crave. Guaranteed to be a hit!
Everyone needs a good – no, GREAT – chocolate chip cookie recipe. There’s just something about a soft, chewy, freshly baked cookie studded with gooey chocolate that is the ultimate in comfort baking. After going vegan, I found that store-bought vegan cookies left me wanting. So, set out to create the best vegan chocolate cookie recipe that hit all the right notes. And I think I succeeded. If you want/need a lesson on “how to eat 12 cookies at once,” THIS is your recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Easy and classic. This chocolate chip cookie recipe is super easy (always important) and makes tender vegan cookies filled with melty dark chocolate chips. As you’ll soon find out, they’re seriously good.
- Chewy and satisfying. These cookies are just like the classic chewy chocolate chip cookies I know and love, complete with crispy edges and soft-baked middles. I tested and tested until I got the texture perfect, and it was 100% worth it!
- 5 ingredients. Yes, 5! When I say these cookies are easy to make, I mean it, right down to a crazy-simple ingredients list.
Notes on Ingredients
There are only 5 ingredients in this vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe. Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need, along with my notes to help you make the best cookies ever. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below the post for specific amounts.
- Peanut Butter – Peanut butter makes a great replacement for flour in vegan and gluten-free cookie recipes. You can easily substitute almond butter or another nut butter, including sesame seed butter. Just ensure it’s a consistency similar to creamy peanut butter (if you’re using natural nut butter, churn it first to thoroughly incorporate the oil, otherwise, your cookies will be greasy).
- Sugar – I use raw brown sugar. I’m sure granulated sugar or regular brown sugar would work the same. This recipe also works well with coconut sugar or a sugar replacement.
- Bananas – If you’re sitting with some overripe bananas, this is the perfect excuse to use them! Bananas act as an egg replacement in these cookies. Make sure to use the ripest bananas for the most moisture and sweetness.
- Baking Soda – Check the dates on the packaging to make sure it’s fresh.
- Chocolate Chips – I use dark chocolate chips, but you can use any kind you’d like. Double-check that the chocolate you’re using is vegan.
- Add-ins – I add a little sea salt, chopped nuts, and vanilla extract to my chocolate chip cookies for texture and flavor. If you’re also adding chopped nuts, I recommend 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of chopped nuts so you don’t overload the cookies.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
This vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe couldn’t be easier. Follow the steps here and scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe instructions.
- Make the cookie dough. First, add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir for a good 3 minutes. Time it so all the ingredients get fully incorporated into the dough.
- Shape the cookies. Next, scoop the cookies onto a lined baking sheet. I like to scoop first and then roll the dough into a ball, like in the video above. I use 2 tablespoons per cookie, but you can make smaller cookies if you prefer. Remember to adjust the bake time, or they’ll be overbaked (see my notes below).
- Bake, let cool, and enjoy. Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 12-13 minutes. Afterward, sprinkle the cookies with sea salt and serve! Enjoy these cookies warm, topped with ice cream and homemade caramel sauce, or dip them into some whipped coffee for the perfect after-dinner treat.
Tips for Success
- Get your cookie dough balls nice and round. This yields a beautifully shaped, perfect chocolate chip cookie.
- Give each cookie enough space to bake. You want to leave at least 2 inches between each because they spread. I used two cookie sheets and put them on the middle rack.
- Allow the cookies to cool. Trust me! When they’re done, I let them cool on the cookie sheet *OFF* (I move them to an oven mitt or trivet while still on the cookie sheet) the stove for 5 minutes. This helps them to set without overbaking them.
- Don’t substitute the ingredients. Or if you do, don’t expect the cookies to bake the same way. That also counts for smaller or larger cookies. Smaller cookies will bake quicker, larger cookies will take longer.
- Hit them with some salt when you remove them from the oven. YUM. The contrast is phenomenal. A tiny sprinkle of salt really elevates each bite of these cookies. Be sure to do this right when they come out of the oven, or the salt won’t adhere to the tops of the cookies as well.
- Use your air fryer. If you own an air fryer, use it to make vegan air fryer chocolate chip cookies!
How to Store
- At room temperature. Let the cookies cool completely, and then store them covered on the counter for up to 3 days. Because there isn’t any flour, these vegan cookies actually become softer the next day. So, if you accidentally overbake them, they’ll recover.
- Freeze. To freeze your vegan chocolate chip cookies, flash-freeze them (like you’d freeze bananas), then transfer the solid cookies to a freezer bag. Thaw the cookies on the counter for an hour or in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter, or any nut butter (250g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar, (200g)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda , (12g)
- 1/4 cup mashed banana, (56g)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, (120g)
- optional: pinch of sea salt, chopped nuts & vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a large baking sheet or two smaller baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- In a bowl, add all 5 ingredients and stir together until all combined and smooth, about 3 minutes by hand.
- Using 2 tablespoons per cookie, scoop the dough and roll into a ball. Place on the baking sheet, allowing at least 4 inches of space between each cookie. Bake for 12-13 minutes until the cookies are beautifully crackly and set.
- Remove from oven. Sprinkle with some extra sea salt on top.Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5-10 minutes (trust me) outside of the oven, then transfer to a wire rack. You don’t want to disturb them before that – the cookies are still cooking from the residual heat. Serve and enjoy! Store the cookies in an airtight container once cooled, or leave them on the wire rack.
Notes
- You can use any kind of sugar as long as it’s granulated. I use raw brown sugar; you can use coconut sugar or even white sugar (whatever type you have) or granulated monkfruit sweetener.
- Make sure your baking soda is fresh!! Try this easy test.
- I use Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips, use any you have!
- If you want smaller cookies, do them at 1 tablespoon and bake for 10 minutes instead!
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
I did mine with almond butter and they came out very thin but with a crunch. Not sure what happened. Maybe I’ll try with peanut butter next time. Very yummy!
Hi Mabel we’re so happy that you liked it. Using a different nut butter will change the results, I hope this helps.
I’ve already made this recipe three times and EVERYONE loves them! So easy to make too 👍🏻
Totally my kind of cookie. Minimal ingredients, minimal effort, awesome result. I’ll be making these again for sure – especially because it is a great way to use up all the black bananas that are in my freezer 🙂
Thank you so much Chrissy! We love them too.
I just made these cookies and let me say, Whoa was I skeptical! I am really good at looking at ingredients in a recipe and knowing if I will like the taste of the combination of them. That being said, I liked every one of these ingredients, but didn’t want to be eating peanut butter, banana cookies. Well, I decided to try them anyway because of my curiosity, but still I was highly skeptical that they would taste good. Before I get to how the cookies tasted, I have to talk about the cookie “dough”….uuumm that alone is scrumptious! I thought about just making tiny bite sized balls of it with a bit of sea salt on top and freezing them for snacking, and I may do that next time because that “dough” was just ridiculously good! Now, the baked cookie taste: WOW! In a surprisingly delicious way! Unbelievable how authentically “chocolate chip cookie” like they taste, but with a scrumptious twist! These are a winner!
I used raw turbanindo sugar and a little over 1/4 c. of chocolate chips, a little over 1/4 c. of pecans, and a little over 1 tsp. pure madagascar vanilla (can you tell I’m “a little over” the top)!😂
Thank you for this recipe! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks so much for your incredible review Cynthia! We really appreciate it.
Excellent recipe. I used half tahini and half protein cruncy peanut butter, 1/2 Truvia and 1/2 cup sugar. I will reduce the sugar next time to 3/4 overall.
This cookie recipe is simply delicious! My son asks for these often, and since it is such a quick recipe I am happy to oblige. I use a cookie scoop and usually get about 23 cookies. Thanks, Jessica!
These look so good! Any chance I could use apple sauce instead of banana? Bananas don’t last very long here lol 🤣
Hi Aseel,
Haha yes that works!!
These are the best cookies ever!! I’ve never liked a chocolate chip cookie better. Simple to make too. Your directions are fantastic.
Just one question on sugar. I used brown sugar the first time and they were great. Half brown and half organic white last time and tasted like too much sugar. I’ve been using maple syrup for baking, but I’m worried that replacing the sugar would make the consistency horrible. What options would you suggest to reduce sugar and/or make them sugar free?
Hi Susan,
SO happy you enjoyed!!
If ½ brown ½ white is too sweet for you you definitely don’t have to do that. You’re correct – maple syrup will throw off the texture.
You can safely reduce the sugar by at least ¼, and even in half. The texture may change a bit but not dramatically. If you want to use unrefined sugars like coconut sugar and date sugar you can although coconut sugar will be a slightly overwhelming flavour profile and date sugar is a bit drying as a heads up!
Please make more cookies recipe like this ! I can’t eat butter, oil or flours, this recipes is just perfect! Can you share the recipe in weight measurements?
Hi Angel! Aww I’m so happy this helps and I’ll keep that in mind for future recipes!
I’ve added gram measurements! 🙂 Enjoy so much!