Home » Desserts » Cookies » Chewy & Soft Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (Better Than Tollhouse!)
These are the best vegan chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever make thanks to using dairy free yogurt as the vegan egg replacement!! Chewy edges and soft, molten middles studded with melty chocolate chips. Easy to make with ingredients you probably already have, absolutely no one will know these cookies are vegan, no dairy and no eggs!
Why these are the best vegan chocolate chip cookies:
This is quite literally theonly vegan chocolate chip cookies recipeyou ever need. Why? Because these vegan chocolate chip cookies truly taste like the best chocolate chip cookies, vegan or not.
This fail-proof vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe is one of the top vegan cookies recipes on the blog (along with these amazing vegan double chocolate chip cookies, which made it into my first cookbook, and these vegan brownie cookies!!) and is the base cookie dough I use for all of my cookies (including these amazing and super easy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!).
Absolutely no one will know that these cookies are dairy free and eggless because of our secret ingredient: dairy free yogurt.
The absolute best vegan egg replacement to exist for cookies. The result is identical to eggs, it’s uncanny.
I swear this is what makes them taste like Tollhouse cookies. In fact, the dough is so good, I even used it to create my edible vegan cookie dough recipe!
We’re talking gooey, chocolatey, melt-in-your mouth, chewy yet soft, downrightirresistiblechocolate chip cookies. Trust me, these vegan chocolate chip cookies taste just like traditional, making them perfect for any eater, vegan or not.
You have the crispy edges with a molten center that make these chewy cookies taste just like classic chocolate chip cookies. You’ll never know this is a vegan recipe!
However, they’re undetectably:
- Eggless
- Dairy free
- Easily gluten-free
- Refined sugar free
- Nut free
- Soy free!
Plus these vegan cookies areso easy to make.We’re talking 1 bowl and ready in as little as25 minutes.
These vegan cookies are so good, I’m thinking of making a single serving version of it, like what I did for my vegan double chocolate chip cookies. Because this cookie dough is a bit TOO easy to make 😉
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Table of contents
- Why these are the best vegan chocolate chip cookies:
- My latest video:
- Are vegan chocolate chip cookies easy to make?
- Simple Ingredients:
- Cookie baking equipment:
- Overview: How to make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from scratch
- How long to bake cookies:
- Are chocolate chips vegan?
- Tips for making the perfect vegan cookies:
- Is vegan cookie dough safe to eat?
- How to store these vegan cookies
- How to freeze cookie dough
- Watch how to make vegan chocolate chip cookies:
- Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
- More vegan cookie recipes that you’ll love
My latest video:
Are vegan chocolate chip cookies easy to make?
Short answer: YES, vegan chocolate chip cookies are honestly easier than regular.
Plus these vegan cookies are made with the simplest ingredients, including applesauce and coconut oil!
Simple Ingredients:
To make the best vegan chocolate chip cookies ever, you’re going to need a few specific ingredients:
- All-purpose flour(or a 1-to-1 gluten free blend): you can make these vegan gluten free chocolate chip cookies just classic vegan chocolate chip cookies! Or if you don’t like gluten free flour blends, you can also try my vegan oat flour chocolate chip cookies!
- Vegan butter: this basically replaces butter in your classic cookie recipe.
- Dairy-free yogurt: the secret ingredient to making these vegan cookies irresistibly gooey and perfect! It might sound weird to make vegan chocolate chip cookies with applesauce or yogurt, but trust me this is the key (check out my vegan egg replacements guide here for more on that). Make sure there is no added sugar here because these cookies definitely are sweet! You can also use flax eggs here (just ground flaxseed mixed with water), but I personally don’t like the texture, and prefer the dairy free yogurt.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar: You can also use coconut sugar here entirely for a refined sugar free vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe . It really reminds me of brown sugar in cookies. Make sure you’re using organic sugar, such as Florida Crystals, which is vegan.
- Chocolate chips: I use Pascha Chocolate stevia-sweetened chips for a low sugar chocolate chip that’s also dairy free. You can also use dairy free chocolate chunks, such as the ones by Enjoy Life! Alternatively, you can chop up a vegan dark chocolate bar instead of using chocolate chips.
- Dairy free milk:this is optional, but I find it helps to mix the dough together! You can use your favorite non-dairy milk here, such as soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk.
- Vanilla extract:Just a teaspoon goes a long way! You can also use vanilla powder for an alcohol free sugar free vanilla option!
Cookie baking equipment:
- Hand mixer or a whisk: this ensures that the applesauce, vegan butter, and coconut sugar get mixed and combined properly. You’ll use a whisk if you’re making these cookies with melted vegan butter, as opposed to room temperature.
- Bowl: these are one bowl vegan chocolate chip cookies!
- Silpat or parchment paper: this ensures that the cookies don’t spread too much. We’re not chilling the dough, which makes cookies made with coconut oil spread easier (otherwise they just don’t!), but we don’t want them spreading too much!
Overview: How to make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from scratch
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
What I love about this vegan cookie recipe is that it’s not far off from making regular chocolate chip cookies, even the gluten free version.
So if you’re a home baker just transitioning to more vegan baking, this recipe will be a piece of cake for you!
- Whisk: In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. This will be the flour mixture.
- Cream: In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegan butter, sugar, brown sugar, dairy free yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk just until combined.
- Fold: Thenadd in the flour mixture(flour, baking soda, and sea salt), and use a rubber spatula the ingredients together until you get a slightly a sticky and wet-looking cookie dough. Don’t worry, it will bake perfectly!
- Mix in the chocolate chips:Fold in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. Then if you have a really hot day, you can chill the dough for 20-30 minutes, but it’s not necessary. The dough is a little wet, but they’ll bake perfectly. If you’re hesitant, however, you can chill the dough and scoop!
- Use a cookie scoop: You’ll next scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can also use a tablespoon or even a small ice cream scoop. I use a medium cookie scoop.
- Bake the cookies: Place the baking sheet into the oven, and bake! After the cookies arebaked, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to set. This is because the vegan cookies are slightly delicate at first! Then you can transfer them to a wire rack to full cool and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt!
It’s important to note that the baking time for these cookies will largely vary based on your kitchen and oven temperatures. Not every oven works the same, which is why it’s crucial you judge the readiness of the cookies based on how they look in your oven, and not necessarily by what the clock says.
My dough is really sticky- help!
Not a problem at all- you can simply chill the cookie dough for 30-45 minutes. This sometimes happens if we haven’t used truly room temperature vegan butter (you should aim for 65F in your butter!) or if you’re making the cookies with melted vegan butter.
How long to bake cookies:
I find that baking these cookies at a350F for just 10-12 minuteswill give the cookie a nice crisp outer edge, and a soft and chewy center. However, I never follow cookie baking times in recipe cards. The reason being? You should always judge the cookies by how they’re baking in your own oven. So for me, 10-12 minutes is perfect. For your oven, it might be 13!
Baking times will vary based on your kitchen and oven temperatures. This is due to different oven fans and how they work, whether your oven is new or old (older ovens run cooler, so be sure to use an oven thermometer!).
Make sure you watch your cookies and bake according to your own oven. Look for the crisp slightly golden brown edges, and allow your cookies to rest after removing them from the oven.
Are chocolate chips vegan?
A common misconception is that chocolate is not vegan, when in reality, there are many chocolate brands out there that are vegan!
For the cookies in the photo, I used a mixture of a vegan chocolate bar that I roughly chopped, along with vegan chocolate chips that I placed into the cookie after baking.
You can go the 100% route, which I personally love because I just love the flavor and strength of 100% cacao, so try out Pascha Chocolate Chips if you’d like! They’re made with only cacao butter and cacao powder, making them vegan chocolate chips! Pascha also has a wonderful stevia-sweetened chocolate chip, which I just love.
Tips for making the perfect vegan cookies:
Make sure all ingredients are room temperature! If your applesauce is chilled and the coconut oil or vegan butter is room temperature, it will cause the oil to split and yield messy cookies. Check out my guide on room temperature butter here for help.
Spoon and level the flour: too much flour will result in cake-y cookies. Be sure to spoon and level your flour, NOT scoop!
Make these gluten free: I’ve tried them using gluten free 1:1 baking flour, and they work perfectly! You can also check out my oat flour vegan chocolate chip cookies for another flour option.
Need lower sugar? No problem! Reduce the sugar content by 25% for an even healthier vegan chocolate chip cookie!
Look for crisp edges: don’t worry- they’ll still be safe to eat if the center is still soft in the middle! Leaving them slightly golden and soft in the middle directly after baking will allow for the perfect texture. Just allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes so that they firm up!
Using regular sugar will yield a lighter looking cookie
Use a cookie scoop for perfectly shaped vegan chocolate chip cookies!
Is vegan cookie dough safe to eat?
Many people try not to eat regular cookie dough, as it contains raw eggs. However, vegan cookie dough is also tricky, as it contains raw flour. Flour can be a sneaky source for E. Coli so it’s best to not eat raw cookie dough, vegan or not!
That being said, if you’re by chance using heat-treated flour, then your vegan cookie dough can be safer to eat, much like edible cookie dough.
Want to enjoy just cookie dough? Here are two of my favorite edible cookie dough recipes that you’ll love:
- Vegan cookie dough
- Chocolate brownie batter
How to store these vegan cookies
For storage tips, you have a few options for both baked cookies and cookie dough: room temperature, fridge, and freezer:
Room temperature: Store the cookies at room temperature on a plate and wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. They’ll last for about 5 days at room temperature.
Fridge: Store the cookies in an airtight container (this will keep them from drying out). They’ll last for about 7-8 days, depending on how cold your fridge is.
Freezer: Store them in a plastic airtight bag or container for up to 3 months.
How to freeze cookie dough
If you decided to make the cookie dough but not bake the cookies just yet, you can store the cookie dough wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
I recommend pre-scooping them into cookie dough balls for an easy fridge-to-bake method. However, you can also store the whole cookie dough in the freezer.
Just let the cookie dough thaw for about 2 hours before scooping!
You are just going to LOVE these vegan chocolate chip cookies. They’re seriously just so easy to make, and an absolute crowd pleaser for both kids and adults.
Enjoy, and happy baking!
Watch how to make vegan chocolate chip cookies:
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
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