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!
This cookie recipe is so good, it’s the same recipe I used to develop my small batch chocolate chip cookies (for when you just need 3 or 4 chocolate chip cookies) AND my single serve chocolate chip cookie!
My latest video:
Quick Look: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Method: One bowl, a whisk, and a silicone spatula. Whisk the wet ingredients, fold in the dry, scoop, chill, & bake!
- Why Make THIS Version? Crisp, golden edges meets soft, chewy centers with molten chocolate chips- all without eggs & dairy!
- Secret to Success: Using dairy-free yogurt as the vegan egg replacement for the perfect chewy & soft texture.
- Key Ingredients: All-purpose flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegan butter, dairy free yogurt.
- Baking time: 12-15 minutes.
- Freezer-Friendly: Yes. Freeze your finished cookies for up to 3 months (and even the cookie dough!)
Table of contents
- My latest video:
- Quick Look: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Reader Review:
- Why my vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe works:
- Key ingredients:
- How to make the best vegan chocolate chip cookies:
- Figuring out baking time for this vegan cookie recipe:
- Common mistakes when making this cookie recipe:
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQ’s:
- Other vegan cookie recipes you’ll LOVE:
- Chewy & Soft Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (Better Than Tollhouse!) Recipe
Reader Review:
Why my vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe works:
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 (including my chewy vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!).
My 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 rigorously tested this recipe over the years with multiple vegan egg replacements, and I swear (and readers agree) 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!
Key ingredients:
- 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 using a good vegan butter. Currently, I make my own (coming soon!), but Plant Crock is a great option.
- 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! And using multiple varieties REALLY boosts depth of flavor. My go-to combination is: Enjoy Life dairy free “milk” chocolate chip with Valrhona Oriado chocolate feves.
- All-purpose flour: Like any classic chocolate chip cookie recipe (including my vegan double chocolate chip cookies!), all-purpose flour is a must! For my gluten-free bakers, I have tested this recipe with gluten-free 1:1 flour (specifically King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour), and it works wonderfully!
- Light brown sugar: I’ve spent so many years developing this recipe and playing around with different ratios of sugar (because that’s another key driver of texture in a cookie recipe!). What I’ve found is that a ratio with higher light brown sugar to granulated in a vegan cookie recipe gives the proper chewy texture while also helping the cookies spread just enough.
- Granulated sugar: My biggest note here is using vegan sugar. Not all granulated sugar is vegan in the U.S. due to processing with bone char. A brand that’s certified vegan (like Florida Crystals or Wholesome Sweets) OR is certified organic will be naturally vegan.
- Baking soda: Seems like an odd ingredient to need to talk about, but I’ve seen SO many chocolate chip cookies call for both baking soda AND baking powder. In my testing, I’ve found that this recipe only needs one– baking soda. If I used baking powder, the cookies would puff up way too much.
How to make the best vegan chocolate chip cookies:
1. Chop the chocolate (if using! Or you can just use chocolate chips). A mix of both vegan milk chocolate and dark chocolate produces such a good, rich flavor!
2. Next, whisk together the wet ingredients. This is your melted vegan butter, light brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Then whisk in the baking soda.
3. Add in the flour and cornstarch, and fold JUST before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
4. Add in both your chopped chocolate and chocolate chips. I’ve found this gives my chocolate chip cookies more flavor depth and texture variety with pockets of mixed chocolate!
5. Fold the chocolate into the dough JUST until incorporated. This prevents over-mixing of the dough. You want to make sure you don’t over-mix the dough!
6. Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet.
7. Chill the dough for 2+ hours.
8. When ready to bake, space about 2 inches apart on several baking sheets (or bake in batches!) at 350F for 12-15 minutes.
Figuring out baking time for this vegan 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.
Common mistakes when making this cookie recipe:
Swapping out the fat. I use a vegan butter that’s homemade (recipe coming soon!), but I also really like these cookies with Country Crock’s vegan butter sticks. Earth Balance has a very strong flavor, so I try to avoid that. But swapping in ingredients like coconut oil may dramatically change both the flavor and texture of your cookies, as I mentioned above.
Reducing the sugar. Using sugar isn’t just for flavor- it’s also for the science of developing the texture and the look of your cookie. If you want a moist, chewy, and soft cookie with just crisp edges, you need to keep the sugar ratio the same. Altering with the sugar ratio completely alters your texture AND flavor of the cookie (like in my chewy vegan pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!).
Not weighing the ingredients. This is one of those traditional baking tips that is paramount to any baking recipe. Weighing your ingredients will ensure that you’re not using too much flour (which will prevent your cookies from spreading properly!). Usually a cup of sugar consistently weighs what we would use for the metric measurements, but flour in particular is tricky because you can easily put way too much flour into a cup. This drastically alters your baking results!
Over-mixing the dough. This is true even if you’re using a gluten-free flour blend! Over-mixing the dough creates a tough texture in your cookies. I try to stop JUST before the dry ingredients are incorporated. Then add in the chocolate chips and fold JUST until the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQ’s:
100%. I actually really question recipes that don’t call for chilling your cookie dough for this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe because I’ve found in testing my recipe, not only does chilling the dough help with texture or look, but it also helps develop the flavor of your cookies! I recommend chilling my vegan chocolate chip cookie dough for at least 2 hours to really lock in flavor and texture.
Absolutely! I sometimes stir in vegan candy bits (like vegan candy-coated gems that mimic M&Ms, crushed chocolate creme cookies (like my homemade vegan Oreo cookies!), or even chopped nuts (toast them in the oven first!). It’s also why I created my vegan s’mores cookies with crushed graham crackers and gooey vegan marshmallows from this very dough!
Yes, absolutely! I do this all of the time actually. Make sure to pre-scoop the dough and then let it chill for 5 minutes in the freezer unwrapped. This helps the dough set so you can then properly wrap and chill the dough without squishing the form. I’ve baked the dough from frozen before, but 5 minute on the counter as the oven preheats will give these cookies the perfect amount of spreading in the oven.
Easy- too much flour. If you’re using US Cups, it’s so easy to over-measure the flour (I’ve done it!). I highly recommend using a kitchen scale and the metric system when baking this recipe.
Other vegan cookie recipes you’ll LOVE:
Vegan Stuffed Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
🌟MADE THIS RECIPE & LOVED IT?🌟I’d love it if you’d like 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: 7
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 22 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
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) organic granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (85 g) dairy-free yogurt, 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.
- Scoop: 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.
- 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: Place into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes (my oven, I bake them exactly 14 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.
Dairy free yogurt: I really recommend using dairy-free yogurt here, but if you can’t access it, you can use unsweetened applesauce.
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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookies
- Calories: 258
- Sugar: 23.9 g
- Sodium: 113.4 mg
- Fat: 9.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.2 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 5.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0.7 mg
Tried them yesterday, they are the best vegan cookies I’ve ever made. Thanks for the recipe, I’ve finally found THE ONE.
This is just awesome 🙂 WOW!! Just cried happy tears at this- literally made my day, thank you so much for the review!! ENJOY!!!
Hi! Made these, super yum! Only thing is the website didnt allow me to change the multiplier. I doubled the batch
Hi Becca, thanks for the heads up. Hope you enjoyed the cookies!!
No I did not use a scale.
Try that next time! It’s a simple step that makes such a difference!
This may be a silly question… if I simply use gluten free flour, these cookies are considered gluten free and vegan? Baking for a crowd and I’ve never done this type of baking 🙂
Yes!! No silly questions here!
Ok these are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I ever had – vegan and non-vegan. They’re so chunky and chewy and rich and absolutely easy to make!
This is just AWESOME!! WOW!! Thank you so much for this lovely review!! And for being here too 🙂 ENJOY!!
You know what, I think I did use cups for this one. I used the scale for the peanut butter cookies so that can explain how those turned out so well! I’ll chill them a little less next time (I legit tried 7 of your recipes in one day so I was tired by the time the dough was chilling 😄) and measure them out. But definitely think and delicious over all!!!
Oh that’s so good to know!! Okay yes, definitely try with the scale next time, I’d be curious to hear how they came out with the spreading or just chilling them a bit less if you’re still using cups! But this is just the best comment, oh my goodness- the best! Just made my day 🙂 Thank you so much for trusting me with your ingredients and time!! It’s the best compliment!!
Oh I LOVE it!! These are just fabulous, thank you for sharing!! They definitely spread a bit less when chilled overnight, but I personally love that! Also are you using a kitchen scale or cups? Using cups may have given them a bit more flour, which would also account for less spreading. But I think they look gorgeous, thank you for sharing!!
Made your recipe for chocolate chip coolies. They did not spread out thin like your pictures.
Any suggestions what I did wrong?
Hi David! Oh I actually think these look quite spread and lovely!! How did the flavor turn out?
They were pretty good the first couple days but turned crumbly after that. got to eat them faster.
So sorry you found them crumbly!! Did you happen to use a kitchen scale?
These are wonderful, now I need to make them for 100 people for the soup kitchen. Help! I need to do this in bar form, will it work as is, or is there a modification I should do? Also, could I use shortening in place of the vegan butter (again, soup kitchen so nearly zero budget)? I would really appreciate any advice you might have. I am always up for trial and error (I am usually winging it anyway, don’t tell!), but some guidance on this great recipe would be most appreciated. Thank you!
So so happy you loved them!! Okay SO, shortening I wouldn’t recommend because they won’t spread as much, and it will also lack flavor unfortunately :/ so much flavor comes from the butter! There are definitely a bunch of different vegan butters on the market, BUT Miyoko Schinner just posted a quick and easy vegan butter recipe with a neutral oil, coconut oil, and dairy free milk (the base for most vegan butters, and you’ll find that everywhere on other blogs!), and her recipe would definitely work here! It’s on her instagram!!
I made these, and wow are they good! I added walnuts and sprinkles (b/c I need fun), and they’re so yummy!
AMAZING! Oh I love that you added sprinkles 🙂 Sounds fantastic!!
I’ve made these several times now and despite the warning on the recipe I used Bobs red mill 1:1 this time and it turned out perfectly! not sure why author thought it would not but pleased to say it was not an issue 😁 best gf, vegan cookie recipe I’ve tried!
Oh I’m so happy it worked!! I haven’t used Bob’s in years because I had a few bad bags of it so I stopped recommending it. I may try it again!! Thanks for this!!
I‘ve made tons of vegan chocolate chip cookies over the years but couldn’t find a recipe I was completely happy with and then almost gave up. And now I‘ve made these today and can officially say THEY‘RE PERFECT 😭😭💛 Thank you for the recipe!
Magic Woman!!! Delicious and frighteningly easy! Can we talk details? Which shelf in the oven do you bake on? Regular bake or convection? I cooked longer to get browning so mine are a bit crunchy/chewy – perfect for a glass of flaxmilk, mind ya, but I also love a gooey cookie sometimes too. I have found most veganized baked goods I do simply do not have that browning I was accustomed to getting. Any ideas? And lastly, do you think these would work as bars? Thank you!
What temperature do we bake them at?
I often use 350. These cookies came out wonderful at that temperature when I tried it.
Hi Kacey, the cookies bake at 350!
Hi! Making these now – can the dough be frozen? I want to make a double batch but I want it to be an activity with my toddler! To include him, it’d be nice to take the dough out of the freezer when we want to make cookies. Rather than just thawing cookies!
Hi Ellie, Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough. Sounds like that will be one happy toddler!