The best vegan chocolate chip cookies ever made with simple ingredients for the gooiest cookie! Made in one bowl and easily gluten free, these crispy edge and gooey center vegan chocolate chip cookies are for all eaters!
Think that chocolate chip cookies can’t be made vegan and healthy, and still taste like the real deal?
Well, these cookies tick all the boxes. I’m talking gooey. Chocolatey. Melt in your mouth. Sweet. And downright addictive chocolate chip cookies that just so happen to be undetectably healthy and vegan, along with being gluten free!
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Are vegan chocolate chip cookies easy?
Short answer: YES! Honestly, I think making these cookies is actually quite easier than making regular cookies. In fact, these vegan cookies are so easy, you don’t even need to chill the dough.
Plus these vegan cookies are made with the simplest ingredients, including applesauce and coconut oil!
What you need to make the BEST vegan chocolate chip cookies:
To make the best vegan chocolate chip cookies ever, you’re going to need a few specific ingredients:
- Organic flour (or a 1-to-1 gluten free blend or Paleo flour like cassava flour)
- Coconut oil: this basically replaces butter. It’s important that the coconut oil is softened and not melted- you’ll basically be making chocolate chip cookies, just with vegan ingredients!
- Unsweetened applesauce: the secret ingredient to making these vegan cookies irresistibly gooey and perfect! It might sound weird to make vegan chocolate chip cookies with applesauce, but trust me this is the key. Make sure there is no added sugar here because these cookies definitely are sweet!
- Coconut sugar: I love coconut sugar because it really reminds me of brown sugar in cookies.
- Chocolate chips
- Dairy free milk: this is optional, but I find it helps to mix the batter together!
In terms of cookie baking equipment, I recommend the following:
- Hand mixer: this ensures that the applesauce, coconut oil, and coconut sugar get mixed and combined properly
- 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!
How to make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from scratch:
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!
- In a medium bowl, add in the applesauce, softened coconut oil (not melted coconut oil!), and coconut sugar. use a hand mixer to beat together the applesauce, softened coconut oil (make sure it’s not melted), vanilla extract, and coconut sugar.
- Then sift in the dry ingredients (flour and baking soda), and mix the ingredients together until you get a thick batter, like below. You can also add in the optional tablespoons of dairy free milk here to help with mixing.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a cookie scoop (I use a medium cookie scoop, but you can use any size) to scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies and sprinkle with a little sea salt!
Why use coconut oil and applesauce?
I actually love how coconut oil works in this recipe. I think it helps to make these healthy vegan cookies also nut free because many vegan butters that are on the minimum ingredient range use nuts.
I like to keep many of my recipes nut free, as people with nut allergies tend to not be able to enjoy vegan and/or Paleo recipes.
Coconut oil works wonderfully in this recipe because it is known to absorb quite a bit of moisture.
With applesauce, this ingredient basically acts like the egg, but also adds a bit of moisture back into the recipe, because coconut oil is completely fat (whereas butter has some water content).
This makes sure that your gluten free chocolate chip cookies are perfectly gooey and structured instead of dry or crumbly.
Are chocolate chips vegan and where can I buy them?
Well sure they are, if you use the right ones! A common misconception is that chocolate is not vegan, when in reality, there are many chocolate brands out there that are vegan!
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!
You can also use one of my favorite brands, Lily’s Sweets! They’re sweetened with stevia and also vegan, making them the perfect addition to these cookies 🙂 However, you don’t even detect the stevia, which I know is a flavor that turns most people off!
Top Tips for Vegan Chocolate Chip 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.
- Swap in vegan butter for coconut oil: while I think that these cookies taste amazing with coconut oil, vegan butter, like Miyoko’s or Forager Project, adds a nice “buttery” taste that you would find in regular chocolate chip cookies.
- Make these gluten free! I’ve tried them using gluten free 1:1 baking flour, and they work perfectly!
- Need lower sugar? No problem! Reduce the sugar content by 25% for an even healthier vegan chocolate chip cookie!
- Slightly under-bake the cookies: don’t worry- they’ll still be safe to eat! 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 light looking cookie
- Use a cookie scoop for perfectly shaped vegan chocolate chip cookies!
How to store vegan chocolate chip 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 vegan 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!
And there you have it, folks! A delicious and healthy vegan chocolate chip cookie that’s gooey, sweet, and undetectably healthy.
Let me know if you give these cookies a go in the comments section, and if you’re on Instagram or Pinterest, I’d love to see your creations there so be sure to tag me!
I hope you love these cookies as much as I do!
Enjoy, and happy baking!
More vegan cookie recipes that you’ll love
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
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PrintUltimate Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
The best vegan chocolate chip cookies ever made with simple ingredients for the gooiest cookie! Made in one bowl and easily gluten free, these crispy edge and gooey center vegan chocolate chip cookies are for all eaters!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups organic flour
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3–6 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add softened coconut oil, applesauce, coconut sugar, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer to beat the wet ingredients together until completely combined
- Add in dry ingredients to wet and mix with a spoon. Add in dairy free milk by the tablespoon until batter is a sticky consistency, but not pourable.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop, spoon about 1.5 tablespoons of batter per cookie onto the sheet.
- Place into oven and bake for 9-10 minutes, just until cooked.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. This allows the cookies to firm up to hold together.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and enjoy! store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days, a week in the fridge, or a month in the freezer.
Keywords: vegan chocolate chip cookies, best vegan chocolate chip cookies ever, vegan cookie recipe, vegan gluten free chocolate chip cookies
Ok you are seriously some kind of magical baking fairy! 🙂 These look soooo gooey and delicious, and I love how simple the ingredients are!
★★★★★
You are so sweet!! I hope you love them!!
Hello! What do you think would be some of the best flours to use for this recipe! Dying to try! Thank you so much!
Hi Meg! Aw so wonderful to hear! So if you’re not GF, then just all-purpose flour works great! I love the organic AP flour by King Arthur 🙂 For GF, I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill GF Baking 1-to-1 flour (different from their GF flour), and if you’re doing Paleo, cassava flour works great!! Enjoy!
These are the most delicious cookies EVER. I baked them for a housewarming party and everyone couldn’t get enough!! Insane flavor and texture. You are amazing, keep doing your thing because you rock! I can’t wait to bake more of your recipes. Thank you SO much!!
Oh my goodness! This just made my day! Thank you so much for your kind words! Truly, my heart skips a beat STILL when people say they love my recipes! It’s just the best feeling 🙂 Thank you for being a part of the community, and enjoy!! 🙂
These look amazing. Can I use almond flour?
Aw thank you! So I haven’t tried this combo personally, but someone did mention they tried 1 1/2 cups almond flour and 1/2 cup coconut flour. I can’t personally speak for this but others have said that it has worked for them!
These look absolutely amazing! What about substituting coconut sugar with maple syrup? Maybe adding less milk.
Thanks in adavance 🙂
Hi Valentina! Aw thank you! I can’t guarantee the texture of the cookies if you swap in maple syrup. If it were me, I would see if I could omit the milk, but I can’t guarantee the results!
These are great thank you!! I used whole grain sorghum flour which made them soft like consistency but they melted in my mouth I love them:) do you think they would work with coconut flour too?
★★★★★
Aw my goodness thank you so much! That’s wonderful 🙂 I haven’t personally tried them with coconut flour, but if I were to try it, I’d try it with almond flour as well!
These are great thank you!! I used whole grain sorghum flour and they melted in my mouth, do you think they would work with coconut flour too? thank!
★★★★★
Literally just made these and they are sooo quick and easy to make…not to mention super tasty!
★★★★★
Aw this is wonderful to hear!! Thank you for the rating 🙂
Hello, I’ve been searching for a good vegan, low fructose, gluten free and refined sugar free chocolate chip cookie recipe and was so excited when I ran across this one! Until I realized that the recipe called for applesauce. I am fructose intolerant and can’t have apples. Would you possibly have any recommended alternatives?
Thank you! (:
Hi Hadleigh! Aw you are so sweet! I’m so sorry you can’t have apples but you can swap in 2 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3-4 tbsp of water! If the mixture is too thick to mix, add in the 4th tbsp of water 🙂 Enjoy!
Aww thank you so much, you’re a Cookie Monster life saver!
I’m going to try this out, so excited! (:
YAY!! Let me know how they come out! 🙂 Enjoy!
Totally making these !!!!
I’m not GF. I have oat flour, almond flour and whole wheat flour…which one you think will work best ????
Also, don’t have coconut sugar, can I sub brown sugar 1:1 ???
😬
Aw I hope you love!! You can sub in brown sugar 1:1! For the flour- so I’ve only tested this with all purpose flour, gluten free 1:1 baking flour and cassava flour! If it were me, I would use the oat flour between the three of the choices that you have but I unfortunately cannot guarantee the same results as the recipe is written for! Wheat flour can at times be finicky so I think the best results would be with oat flour, but again I just can’t guarantee that it will work completely!