These are the best soft and chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies you’ll ever bake. Made with simple ingredients, including quinoa flour, coconut oil, and coconut sugar, they’re gluten-free and delicious!
If your perfect cookie is soft and chewy instead of crispy and crunchy, this vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe is for you. These cookies happen to be gluten-free and egg-free, but the best part is their texture. They totally nail that chewiness I love in a chocolate chip cookie, even without the standard ingredients! (These Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies are pretty incredible too.)
Why These Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Will Steal Your Heart
We LOVE this cookie recipe around here—it’s one of my favorites to bake up on a rainy day or when I’m craving something sweet. Here’s what makes them so awesome:
- You cannot tell that they're vegan (or gluten-free). These cookies skip eggs, dairy, and wheat without sacrificing flavor or texture!
- They have a rich, nutty flavor. That extra layer of flavor makes them even tastier than the classic version.
- They're totally loaded with chocolate chips. I mean, that’s what we’re here for, right?!
- You can make them ahead of time. Not all gluten-free and vegan chocolate chip cookies store well, but these do.
What You Need
The ingredient list for these vegan chocolate chip cookies is clean, simple, and easy to find. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Quinoa flour – This has consistently been a favorite flour of mine and it works great in baked goods. It's full of protein, which provides structure (important if you're not using gluten). Quinoa flour is also high fiber, naturally gluten-free, and has a light texture.
- Arrowroot powder – I often add a little starch to my gluten-free baking because it not only helps lighten things up, but starches also help bind. So while I think you probably could leave the arrowroot out, it definitely helps with the chewiness factor.
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Coocnut oil – This is my dairy-free substitute for butter! Coconut oil is vegan, but it definitely doesn't have quite the same texture as a butter cookie. I'd say it gets a little fluffier, but also keeps them chewy at the same time.
- Coconut sugar – This is definitely my granulated sweetener of choice, since it's less refined. But it's also swappable with brown or white sugar. It's dark in color, so it definitely makes these cookies look more brown, but it works wonderfully!
- Flax egg – A flax egg helps bind everything together.
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips – Make sure you buy a brand that’s vegan. Not all of them are!
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Making vegan cookies from scratch is actually quite easy. For this recipe, you'll need a mixing bowl, a baking sheet, and a piece of parchment paper to line the baking sheet.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, arrowroot, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Beat the coconut oil and sugar until creamy, then mix in the flax egg and vanilla.
- Finish the dough. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill the dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the quinoa flour to hydrate and the coconut oil to firm up.
- Shape and bake. Divide the dough into balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 9 to 11 minutes.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes to set.
Tips for Soft and Chewy Cookies
If you're a fan of chewy chocolate chip cookies, then I want to share a few tips I have for keeping your cookies soft and chewy:
- Make sure you have enough oil and fat. Lots of times people try to cut back on oil to make cookies “healthier”, but that will also likely lead to a drier cookie.
- Underbake your cookies slightly. This will help them stay nice and chewy.
- Store them in an airtight container. If you're keeping them for more than a few days, I recommend freezing them.
Simple Swaps
Many of these ingredients can be swapped with other things you might have in your pantry:
- Any other grain flour should work (almond or coconut will not).
- Another starch like tapioca, corn or potato will work.
- Any type of granulated sugar can be used.
- Use butter or dairy-free butter instead of coconut oil.
- A regular chicken egg can be used in place of the flax egg.
How to Store
- Room temperature: You can store these vegan chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: For longer storage, keep them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm them in the microwave for melty, gooey chocolate chips.
More Gluten-Free Vegan Cookie Recipes
Soft & Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch I haven't tried these with tapioca or potato
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips I like Enjoy Life
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients and set aside.
- Beat together melted coconut oil and coconut sugar until creamy. Add flax egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Add flour mixture into wet ingredients, mixing fully between each. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Cover bowl and chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from fridge and let sit for 5 minutes. Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough and shape into balls. Flatten the balls between your hands into discs, then place them on parchment and repeat until no dough remains.
- Bake cookies for 9 – 11 minutes until edges are brown and crispy.
- Let cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
OH. MY. GOSH. You are a genius, thank you so much for this recipe. My toddler is allergic to basically every flour and I’ve tried so many “alternative” chocolate chip cookies that were absolutely disastrous. This is excellent!!! I subbed potato starch for arrowroot (1:1), a “real” egg for a chicken egg (due to allergy), and light brown sugar for coconut sugar (since that’s what I had on hand). Baked for full 11 minutes. These turned out beautifully. They absolutely taste like “normal” cookies. You can’t tell they’re GF at all — great texture — aside from a veryyyy subtle quinoa taste at the end. But I didn’t mind that at all since it makes them taste more complex!! Thank you so so much, this was such a treat to find.
Thank you SO much for the kind review! All of your substitutions sound so great! I’m so glad you loved them!
Thank you for this recipe. I am hoping to use it for my son who has fpies and can only eat very limited ingredients. Just curious, can a regular egg be used instead of the flax?
Most definitely! I hope he enjoys them!
Can these be baked as cookie bars in an 8×8 pan? 🙂
I haven’t tried, but if you do, let me know how they turn out!! I love cookie bars!
OMG! I love this recipe!!! It came out fabulous!! I get to enjoy chocolate chips cookies again that are gluten-free and vegan! They taste delicious. And I’m not missing any of the other stuff I used to love in cookies (cow’s butter, eggs, white sugar, etc).
Now that I’ve tested the first batch, (which means I ate a whole dozen in three days all by myself), I can make them for my son & boyfriend. Since, I love them, I know they will too! The first few cookies didn’t come out right because I didn’t flatten them. But after I did that step, babbbyyy!! These cookies were the bomb!
I so appreciate you! I had to leave a comment to express my gratitude. THANK YOU Alyssa!
Thank you so much for the kind message!!
AMAZING!!!! Thank you for the great recipe! I think it’s the first recipe I’ve found that I didn’t have to substitute something. They came out just like your picture and tasted fantastic. 😊
Yay!!! So so happy you like them, Leslie!
What can I use instead of coconut oil?
Vegan butter would be your best bet!
Made these today,no substitutions or alterations. Tasted great but… ended up with a giant flat cookie. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance
Did you let them chill? It sounds like the coconut oil wasn’t cold enough!
This is my favorite cookie recipe, THANK YOU SSOOO MUCH
Woohoooooo!!! What a great review 🙂 xox
I love these and so do my mom vegan co workers! However, when I make them, the chocolate chips WILL NOT Stick to the batter no matter what i do because of the oil. I follow directions exactly. I end up just having to stick most of the chips into the cookies with my fingers before baking. Is there any way to fix this? Thanks!
So strange! I would suggest scooping the batter into your hands to form the balls before baking them to be sure you get the chocolate chips in.
Hi!
I made these with coconut flour instead of quinoa flour (didn’t have it) and my cookie dough was super dry when I pulled it out of the refrigerator, witch resulted in dry cookies. Is coconut flour more “dry” then quinoa flour?
Thanks !
It’s WAY more dry! Coconut flour is super super absorbant and really can’t be substituted for other flours. You usually use at least 1/2 less if not more and tend to need to add eggs to compensate for the moisture. Sorry that happened!
Can I use coconut flour instead?
Unfortunately coconut flour is completely different than other flours and can’t be used to substitute 🙁
Hi! I was going to make these cookies (and the Almond/Quinoa Flour Bread) and I was wondering, are you supposed to use baking soda or baking powder? In this ingredient list, it says baking soda, but when I click on the link, it takes me to an Amazon page for baking powder.
It should be baking soda!! Sorry about that 🙂
Hi!!
These are delicious, I was never able to make cookies, and I finally found a recipe that worked! These days of confinement, I shared with my neighbours and they loved them too!
I do not have any more chocolate chips but I will try them again with pumpkin seeds and spices. I hope it works.
Quick question have you tried with other flours?
Thanks,
M
Woohoo! I’m so glad you all liked them. I do think your subs would work as well 🙂 I haven’t tested with another flour, but I’m sure it would work with another grain-based flour!
I just took a batch out of the oven. They look beautiful and smell devine. I gave some to my picky eaters and they ate them.That says a lot! I just had the last 2. They are fantastic. I definitely will keep this recipe. The only changes I made: used 1 real egg and potato starch. They were perfect. Thank you.
YES!! So so glad you (and the kiddos!) liked them 🙂
Can I use coconut flour or regular whole wheat flour instead of the quinoa flour?
Whole wheat would be better!
Can these be made without arrow root flour?
I haven’t tested, but probably! Or you could use tapioca/corn/potato starch.
can i sub almond flour?
Haven’t tested – sorry! I do have other cookie recipes that use almond flour though 🙂
I did not beat coconut oil with sugar but melted by mistake , my cookies come out crumbly not chewy, can it be because not beating sugar with oil. Also i uses 0.75 doing and find it even then too sweet , so i am guessing i can try half cup coconut sugar next time? I also replaced with 2 eggs the flax i though it should have sticked together
It sounds like they were too dry! I think you made too many changes for me to know specifically what happened 🙁 I’d say next time just try one substitution at a time and see how it works.
Can I use almond flour? Thanks x
I haven’t tested with almond flour! So I’m not sure 🙂