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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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.
How well do yhese travel? I always send chocolate chip cookies to my friend and these sound amazing, but need to survive being mailed for a few days.
Hi Justina!
These cookies are great until about 5 days after baking- then I notice they’re a bit drier. But they’re absolutely delicious! If stored properly, they’ll definitely last a longer shipment.
Hi
I’m wanting to make these with gluten free flour but I’m slightly confused by the instructions.
Hi J! So sorry about that! I recommend using King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour, and add in 1 tbsp of cornstarch or arrowroot starch to help with the grittiness of the flour. I hope that helps!
Omg I just made these cookies and they’re sooooo goooood!! I’ve been trying to find a good vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, and tree nut-free (including coconut) cookie recipe for awhile and I went with this one because the recipe looked so simple. Officially my go-to recipe for cookies now! Will definitely check out your other dessert recipes! Thank you so much!!!
This is so wonderful!! So happy to hear it!! Enjoy!
When you said in your YouTube video that this might be my go-to chocolate recipe, I have to admit I was skeptical at first. However, I just made these today and they were AMAZING. Incredibly indulgent, crunchy on the sides and gooey in the middle, but most importantly: they were the best chocolate chip cookies I ever baked.
For most of my life I’ve baked with animal by-products and have now started to make everything vegan as I’ve transitioned to a plant-based diet. Thank you for showing me that I don’t need to sacrifice on flavour and texture when it comes to vegan baking! That using plant-based alternatives are the way to go! <3
This is just so beyond wonderful!! I’m SO happy to hear this!! That’s my goal- just to show how delicious plant-based vegan baking can be!! Enjoy!! Seriously so grateful for this review, thank you!
I have many food allergies and finding desserts that suit my needs is very difficult. I have made your recipe twice, and I can say that apart from being easy to make, they are delicious. The first time I made them with buckwheat flour and the second time with GF oat flour and they were perfect in both cases. Thank you!
I am so so happy to hear this!! LOVE that you used buckwheat flour too! That’s one of my favorite gluten free flours! Enjoy, and thank you again 🙂
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!
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!
Hi! Which brand of vegan chocolate chips do you use?
I recommend using either Pascha Chocolate or Enjoy Life! Those are my fave!
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!!
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 🙂
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 🙂
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 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 🙂
This looks so good! What a great way to enjoy a treat while sticking to the good stuff!
Thank you!
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! 🙂