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, warm 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!
Reader Review:
Why you need to try my vegan chocolate chip cookies:
These vegan chocolate chip cookies should just be labelled as the best chocolate chip cookies. Because they’re not amazing for being vegan. They’re amazing. Period. Not flat, like other vegan cookies, not too puffy, just right chewy edges with soft, warm molten centers.
It’s the top vegan cookie recipe on my blog (along with these amazing vegan double chocolate chip cookies, which made it into my first cookbook!) and is the base cookie dough I use for all of my cookies.
Every time I make these, no one believes me 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: crispy, chewy edges with a molten, SOFT center. Ugh, YUM. In fact, the dough is so good, I even used it to create my edible vegan cookie dough recipe!
And did I mention, it’s easier than traditional cookies?? 😉 Just a bowl and a whisk is needed- no fancy equipment nor methods!
My latest video:
Key ingredients I chose when making this recipe:
- Vegan butter: Some vegan cookie recipes on the internet suggest coconut oil, but I’m not a fan of this. This is because coconut oil is 100% fat, whereas traditional dairy butter is about 80-82%. That means the rest is water, which adds moisture. KEY. The more fat you have, the “shorter” the cookie (think shortbread: crumbly), but we want soft and chewy, so coconut oil just doesn’t work here. That’s why I recommend Miyoko’s. But if you’re nut free, I believe the second best option is Plant Crock.
- 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 yogurt, but trust me this is the key (check out my vegan egg replacements guide here for more on that).
- Vegan Chocolate chips: The chocolate you use in your CHOCOLATE chip cookie matters! My go-to combination is (because yes, I use more than one chip, that’s how you get the good flavor!!): Enjoy Life dairy free “milk” chocolate chip with Valrhona Oriado chocolate feves OR Endangered Species 70% sea salt chocolate (the sea salt is GOOD my friends). Other brands that work are Guittard, Hu Kitchen, and Pascha (though sometimes, I think some of the flavors of Pascah are a bit “earthy” tasting). Lily’s won’t really melt that well so I don’t really opt for these.
Figuring out baking time for this cookie recipe:
A trick I learned years ago is to use the baking time of cookies more as guidelines for the literal recipe you’re baking in the moment. Why? Because honestly, every oven is a bit different. In my oven, I’m baking this cookie recipe for 14 minutes. This same recipe bakes for 16 minutes in my mom’s oven because it’s 30 years old, isn’t QUITE 350F when set, and it’s just different.
I always look for the doneness in the edges of the cookie. Look for the crisp slightly golden brown edges, and allow your cookies to rest after removing them from the oven.
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!
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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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Chewy & Soft Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (Better Than Tollhouse!)
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 18 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These are the best vegan chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever make!! 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 thanks to our secret and simple ingredient!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour , sifted and spoon & leveled*
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2/3 cup (150 g) salted vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (135 g) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) organic granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (85 g) dairy free yogurt or unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 g) vegan chocolate chips* (semi-sweet or your choice!)
Instructions
- Prep: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and measure out all ingredients.
- Whisk: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the vegan butter, sugar, brown sugar, dairy free yogurt, and vanilla. Then add in the flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold together. Stop just before all of the flour is mixed in.
- Add in the chocolate chips: Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Chill: Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, but preferably 2 hours. The longer, the better, as the flavor will develop even more. When the dough is nearly done chilling, preheat the oven to 350F.
- Bake: Using a cookie scoop, and roll about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie for regular sized cookies, or 3 tablespoons of dough for large cookies onto the sheet. Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes (my oven, I bake them exactly 11 minutes each time for large cookies) or until the edges are lightly golden and are “set.” The middles shouldn’t be dough-y looking, but if they’re still soft, that’s perfectly fine.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. This allows the cookies to firm up to hold together.
- Enjoy: Sprinkle with extra 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.
Notes
Gluten free: I really only recommend using King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten Free Flour or a similar blend with xanthan gum that also weighs 125 g per cup. Please note that Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF Flour will NOT work here.
Baking times: baking times will vary based on your kitchen and oven temperatures. Be sure to watch your cookies and bake according to your own oven. Read my tips in the post for how to ensure your cookies are done.
Vegan Chocolate Chips: I recommend Enjoy Life and some of the Valrhona feves are naturally dairy free and vegan (like the Oriado blend- my favorite!).
- 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.
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!!
You do,know the Lily’s contains milk fat…
Hi Sally! Their vegan dark chocolate chips do not. They’re in the orange bag and are labeled baking chips. Some of their chips do contain milk fat, but many of their products are vegan. Just be sure to always read the label!
Duuuuh! Now I see the difference. My dough is chilling now…my husband and I both licked the beaters…soooooooooo yummy!
Hi, the video mentions baking powder in the cookies but there’s no baking powder in the written recipe. Which is correct?
Hi Adriana! So sorry for the confusion! The recipe card is the most up to date, but stay tuned for a new video coming soon 🙂
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!
Confused you mentioned in the notes “Please note that Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF Flour will NOT work here” and then in the comments here you say you highly recommend it.
Hi! So those were older reviews, before Bob’s changed their recipe formula. After they changed it, I couldn’t use it anymore for this recipe, so I made a note for all other bakers!
Amaaaaaazing cookies 😍🤤
Second time I make this recipe, instead of using apple sauce (which I never have at home unless I make my own) I use vegan vanilla yogurt ! Soo good and soft and chewy, they are loved by all the family!
Definitely the best vegan cooky I’ve ever eat !!!!
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!
I did a little less coconut sugar, added a big splash of maple syrup. Also used 1 cup oat flour 1/3 cup almond flour. less almond milk. turned out amazing!!
Aw this is wonderful!! Thank you so much!! Love to hear that the oat flour worked!
So my sister has had to cut out eggs, dairy and soy from her diet due to her little one not being able to handle those things in her breastmilk. I can’t imagine being a new mom and then having to change things so drastically in your diet. I have made this twice and a couple other recipes from you. They’re always to die for and I just have to tell you, you’re a genius and you truly have made a difference in our world. I’m so glad I found you. Keep up the great work. Thank you.
Oh my goodness!! Thank you so much for being here!! I can’t tell you how much messages like this mean to me- thank you so much. So glad you all enjoy, and can’t wait to hear what you think of the other recipes!
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!
Also – eigentlich schreibe ich ja keine Kommentare – aber jetzt muss ich 🥰
Die Kekse sind der Hammer – so so so so so ( ich kann eigentlich unendliche so ‘s schreiben 😅 ) lecker.
Deine Rezepte sind sowieso der Knaller .
So schön präsentiert und sehr gut nachzubacken und immer wieder hast Du neue , tolle Ideen ❣️
Es macht immer wieder Spaß bei Dir reinzuschauen .
Bitte – Bitte für immer weitermachen !!!
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!
Wow, delicious, definitely for keeps. I’ve made then almost ten times. Thanks!
This is awesome 🙂 Enjoy!! Thanks for the review!
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!
What’s the total amount of flour in gram?
Hi there! 210 grams total!
Hello! Is there a reason the recipe says 180g? Made it as written and they did not turn out well, maybe the flour measurement is wrong?
Hi Sonia! It should read 230 g. Let me know if you’re seeing it correctly!
Hii
can I use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips?
Absolutely! I do all the time 🙂
Would brown sugar or granulated sugar work in place of coconut sugar? And is it a 1:1 ratio?
Yes absolutely! Either of those options works, and at a 1:1 ratio!
Can I substitute the butter with olive oil? how much should I use? I can’t have fatty foods due to health reasons. Can I omit the oil entirely in a cookie recipe?
Hi there! Unfortunately olive oil wont’ work here, I’m so sorry!
Hi, I was following your previous recipe where it was your old vegan chocolate chip recipe and seems like you updated it. Can I have the old one, please?? it was soo good
Hi Christina! Yes! So the old version, the only thing different was the flour was 1 3/4 cup, and it was just coconut oil (instead of the option of vegan butter)! You can use an extra tbsp of DF milk too if you need!
These are perfect!
Aw I’m so happy to hear!! Enjoy, and thank you for the review!!
Can I substitute tapioca flour instead of arrowroot?
Yes you can! 🙂
I made half a batch of this recipe and it makes 11 cookies. I used the measurement in grams but I think my batter was too light, I don’t know if I overbeat my butter or with my flour I should add more (I didn’t use Bob’s because it’s hard to find). But I just went with it and baked them in 2 batches. The first one I was using light-coloured baking sheet and my cookies flatten a bit and was super soft. The 2nd batch I used dark-coloured baking sheet and my cookies rose and didn’t collapse even after cooling down, and they’re firmer. Both are delish and melts in my mouth. But I just wonder why the first one turned flatter than the 2nd??
Hi Laras! What GF brand did you use? It sounds like it might have been the flour- I’ve tried this now with Bob’s and with King Arthur, but I know that GF 1:1 flours aren’t always 1:1! Also did you use a piece of parchment paper down on the baking sheet? I find that helps the cookies not spread SO much on a light colored baking sheet! You can also use a silpat! My guess is that it might have been the flour, but the darker colored baking sheet will definitely prevent them from spreading if they’re going straight onto the cookie sheet!
I’m in love!!! These are amazing, i had to stop myself from eating all of them. Best chocolate chip cookie recipe by far non-vegan and vegan.
Aw this is AWESOME!! So happy to hear it thank you for this review!! Enjoy! 🙂
This looks so good! What a great way to enjoy a treat while sticking to the good stuff!
Thank you!
These are fabulous! I made them exactly as written and they turned out perfect. Slightly harder on the outside and moist in the middle. They didn’t crumble at all. Delish!! Thank you!
This is just wonderful!! Thank you so much for leaving this review! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Would I be able to use an egg instead of the applesauce?
Hi Deborah! Theoretically, yes, as 1/3 cup applesauce replaces 1 egg to make a recipe eggless, but I haven’t personally tested this recipe with eggs so I can’t guarantee they’ll come out they way they’re intended!
Did the egg work out?
These truly are the BEST chocolate chip cookies EVER – vegan or not! The whole family lovesssss them 🙂
Aw I’m so happy to hear it!! Enjoy 🙂
These are my go to chocolate chips cookies (vegan or not)! They are just perfect; taste and texture. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! 🙂
This is so wonderful!! So happy to hear it, thank you so much for the review! Enjoy 🙂
I’ve probably already left a comment here before BUT I must comment again to tell you that these are my favourite choc chip cookies ever. I’ve basically tried every chocolate chip cookie recipe out there (vegan ones that is) and these are always a hit. I have a 5 month old but when I was pregnant with him I basically made these twice a week and there was never a crumb left!!
Thanks for your recipes!!
Oh my goodness!! This so sweet! So so glad you loved them!! And also congrats on your newborn 🙂 Enjoy!!
Hi! Which brand of vegan chocolate chips do you use?
I recommend using either Pascha Chocolate or Enjoy Life! Those are my fave!
I am new to baking in general and especially vegan and gluten-free. Theses cookies taste wonderful. Question though, they are flat and oily. What might be the culprits? While I have read up on possibilities, like I will be testing the actual temperature of the oven, I wanted your insight. Thank you.
Hi Mary Laura! It sounds like your baking powder could definitely be it- when was the last time that you got a new container? I find that’s the most common issue with many people, since we don’t think to change it out that often (especially through the summer, when the house is a bit warmer!). Another question- what baking sheet did you use? Did you use any parchment paper or a silicone baking mat? The darker the baking sheet, the less the cookies will spread, and a piece of parchment paper or silicone mat also helps with that. Lastly, it could be that your dough was simply not chilled enough! Depending on how warm your vegan butter was, your dough could have perhaps done with another 10-15 minutes chilled in the fridge! I hope this helps!
Can I use apple apple sauce for this recipe and reduce the coconut sugar
Yes, absolutely to both! As long as you don’t reduce the coconut sugar too much- you can safely reduce it by 1/4 cup without too much difference. I hope that helps!