These vegan chocolate chip cookies are chewy on the inside with crisp edges and the perfect amount of sweetness!

hand grabbing a chocolate chip cookie off a plate

Why I Love These Cookies

I’ve hesitated to create my own chocolate chip cookie recipe since there are thousands of vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes out there already. But many of them are way too sweet for my sensitive sweet tooth. So I set out to create a chocolate chip cookie that would appease my taste buds, aka a cookie that isn’t overpoweringly sweet. I tested these about 20 times, and probably ate near a hundred chocolate chip cookies in the process. At one point I was ready to give up, but I’m so glad I didn’t because I can now share with you my favorite, not-too-sweet, vegan chocolate chip cookies!

close up plate of vegan chocolate chip cookies

Tips for Success

Use melted butter ⟶ Melted butter makes for chewier cookies. Softened butter gets aerated when creaming with sugar and thus will result in a more cake-like texture.

Chill dough ⟶ Technically this step is optional if you’re in a time-crunch, but I highly recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours) before baking. This allows the flour to hydrate and break down into sugars, resulting in a more flavorful cookie with better browning.

Tap pan on counter throughout baking ⟶ Because these cookies contain less sugar than normal, they don’t spread as easily. To help the cookies spread, we take the pan out of the oven and bang it on the counter a few times throughout the baking process. This destroys the air bubbles that form during baking, helping the cookies flatten and crack on top.

Use baking soda AND baking powder ⟶ Chocolate chip cookies usually just call for baking soda. But again, since these cookies contain less sugar they don’t spread and crack easily. The addition of baking powder makes the cookies rise more initially, then flatten and crack during the cooling process.

Chopped chocolate vs chocolate chips ⟶ Chopped chocolate bars melt more readily than chocolate chips. So if you want messy, melty (when warm) chocolate chip cookies, chop up a chocolate bar.

Use gram measurements! ⟶ I highly recommend weighing your ingredients (mainly flour, sugar, and butter) with a kitchen scale*.

stack of chocolate chip cookies with a bite taken out of the top cookie

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie FAQ

Swap the all purpose flour for oat flour (1:1 by weight) and add 1 tsp ground flax/chia seeds (for 8 cookies). You can also skip banging the pan halfway through baking, since the oat flour cookies will spread a bit more.
Or, I haven’t tested this yet, but you can try a gluten-free 1-1 flour blend (I usually have success with Bob’s Red Mill*).

Vegan butter contains some water while coconut oil is solid fat. So if you want to use coconut oil, I recommend using 20 grams (1½ tbsp) coconut oil and adding 1/2 tbsp soy milk. The coconut oil will make the cookies harder at room temperature.

My go-to vegan butter is Country Crock Plant Butter sticks. Be sure to use block/stick butter and not the spreadable tub butter which contains more water.

More Vegan Cookies!

close up holding a vegan chocolate chip cookie

Watch How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you try out these vegan chocolate chip cookies, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

*Recipe updated 2/11/2024 to reduce flour from 90g to 80g for less cakey cookies.

Prep Time:10

Cook Time:14

Chill Time:30

Servings: 8 cookies

Ingredients

26 grams (2 tbsp) melted vegan butter
30 grams (2 tbsp) walnut or pecan butter**¹ or use more vegan butter
30 grams (2½ tbsp) granulated sugar
30 grams (2½ tbsp) brown sugar
1 tbsp soy milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
80 grams (½ cup + 3 tbsp) all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
⅓ cup chocolate chips/chopped chocolate

Instructions

To a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, walnut butter, and sugars. Add milk and vanilla and stir until well combined.
Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (if using). Mix until a dough forms and no dry flour is left. Add a teaspoon of milk if your dough seems too dry.
Stir in chocolate.
Cover and transfer the dough to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).
Take the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350°F.
Scoop about 2 tbsp of dough and roll into balls. Place 2-inches apart on a baking sheet.
When the oven is ready, place the cookies in the oven and bake 10-12 minutes (longer for crispier cookies). Halfway through baking, take the cookies out of the oven and bang the pan on the counter a few times – this helps flatten the cookies and create that characteristic crackly top.
Remove cookies from oven and bang the pan on the counter again. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

1) I like to use half vegan butter and half nut butter for a slightly thicker cookie with a toasty, nutty flavor.

Nutrition Facts

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