These amazing tahini chocolate chip cookies might just be the best chocolate chip cookies you'll ever taste. They're vegan, gluten-free, and so delicious!
I think I've cracked the code on the best gluten-free and vegan chocolate chip cookie of all time. All time you say? Yes, ALL TIME.
I know that might sound like an overly confident statement, BUT it's true. Everything I look for in a cookie, these tahini chocolate chip cookies have. And if that isn't enough to sway you, they're even a requested dessert from my family of non-gluten-free and vegan eaters. They all say they're one of (if not the) best chocolate chip cookie they've ever had.
And I seriously can't wait for you to try them! Because it's my opinion that if you need one thing in your baking arsenal it's a “knock it out of the park” chocolate chip cookie. And these, my friends, are exactly that!
Why This Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Works
- No butter or oil. This recipe is completely oil-free and we accomplish this by using tahini as our alternative. Tahini helps with the flavor and the texture of the cookies!
- Less sugar. We're using two types of unrefined sugars: maple syrup and coconut sugar. In fact, this entire batch of cookies uses less than 1/2 cup of sugar.
- Extra healthy fats. I love adding healthy fats to my baked goods because it helps make them a little more filling. Since tahini is the base of these cookies, we're getting lots of healthy fat with each one!
- Added protein. Lastly, we've got protein thanks to the tahini and quinoa flour. Tahini is actually quite high in protein, so each cookie boasts 3 grams!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Tahini – Tahini makes these chocolate chip cookies nutty and moist.
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup!
- Coconut sugar
- Egg or flax egg – Here’s how to make a flax egg.
- Vanilla extract
- Quinoa flour and coconut flour – The quinoa flour is our grain flour to help hold things together, as well as add some protein. The coconut flour is there to absorb some liquid and make the cookies uber chewy.
- Baking soda
- Sea salt – You can sprinkle a little extra flaky sea salt on top of the cookies after they’re done baking if you’d like.
- Dark chocolate chips – Or roughly chopped dark chocolate.
What Is Quinoa Flour?
Quinoa flour is simply quinoa that has been ground into a fine powder. It’s light in color and has a slightly nutty flavor. Quinoa flour is gluten-free, high in protein and fiber, and it makes an excellent substitute for traditional flours in baked goods. Read more about how to use quinoa flour, or find out how to toast quinoa flour to enhance its flavor.
How To Make Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dough. Beat together the tahini, maple syrup, and coconut sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg (or flax egg) and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Form the cookies. Scoop the dough into balls and place them onto the baking sheet. Gently flatten the balls with your hands.
- Bake. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.
- Cool. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely before enjoying.
Tips for Success
- Don’t over-bake. For that perfect chewy, soft chocolate chip cookie texture, you don’t want to let these tahini cookies bake in the oven too long. Keep an eye on them and take them out of the oven when they are slightly golden brown around the edges.
- Use a cookie dough scoop. This will help you get evenly sized cookies!
- Let the tahini chocolate chip cookies cool completely. They will continue to set as they cool, so this will keep them from falling apart on you.
Variations
- Add some dried fruit. Substitute half the chocolate chips for dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins for a chewy texture and extra layer of flavor.
- Add some nuts. For crunch and nuttiness, try adding chopped walnuts or almonds to the dough.
- Change up the chocolate. Use half white chocolate chips and half dark chocolate chips, or swap in milk chocolate for a creamier tahini chocolate chip cookie.
How to Store
Tahini chocolate chip cookies will stay fresh and delicious for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Yes, you can! Simply place the tahini chocolate chip cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, allow them to thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
More Gluten-Free & Vegan Cookies
- Healthy Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
- GF & Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Salted Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies
- The Best Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Insanely Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
- Gluten-Free Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 egg or flax egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup quinoa flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Beat together the tahini, syrup and sugar until smooth. Then stir in egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir to form a dough. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the dough onto the baking sheet and gently flatten with your hands.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until the cookies are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Dunk in a glass of almond milk and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Very quick & easy to mix up. Very delicious & sweet! At first I thought the dough was too runny/soft, but cookies turned out fabulous! In my oven, cookies only needed 8 minutes to bake.
could chocolate tahini be used and how would that change the recipe with the choc chips?
Would you refrigerate dough before baking?
I doubled the recipe & used 1/2 c tahini & 1/2 c of peanut butter & 1/3 c maple syrup. I added 1 mashed banana & ground 2 T of chia seeds & added along with walnuts.
Delicious! My husband & daughter loved!
Questions regarding the quinoa flour-do you make your own or purchase this flour? If you make your own, is a food processor or blender better? Do you toast the quinoa and then make it into flour or toast the flour after pulverizing? Mine are in the oven now…timer just buzzed!
Sorry, we have only used store bought quinoa flour. I hope your cookies turned out great! 🙂
When you say we can freeze them, do we freeze the batter then bake or bake them and then freeze the cookies?
Either way!
Hi! Made these with what I consider to be standard tahini (not the runny type) and had to add a Tbsp of coconut flour (letting it rest for 15 minutes) to get to a thicker mixture. They baked flat as would soft cookies. Are yours crisp? What brand of tahini do you use?
Mine is pretty runny usually! And they do bake fairly flat, but definitely aren’t crispy!
Hi,
These look delicious!! I have an unopened bag of quinoa flour that is past its BB date. Do you think I should toss it?
Thanks!!
I’m not sure 🙂 You could test the flour in a recipe to see if it is fresh or stale before tossing it
II am making these all the time! So easy and delicious! Nice treat without too much guikt.
Exactly!
I made these with black tahini since I had a lot of it! I also used oat flour since I was out of quinoa and cardamom instead of vanilla extract. Delicious!
Great changes! I’m glad they turned out well 🙂
Made these for the first time and tried baking them in my air fryer which is a new gadget for me this Christmas (oven is not working) and they turned out pretty good even my picky eater husband enjoyed them he thought at first there was peanut butter in them which he dislikes I told him no peanut butter and later after several cookies he said great cookies honey …its a win!
So happy to hear that! Love the idea of baking in the air fryer!
I have almond flour tapioca flour and oat flour. What do you suggest ?
I would do oat flour and maybe a tablespoon or two of tapioca!
Where do you buy flax egg, or how do you make it.?
It should be linked in the recipe 🙂 let me look! We have a tutorial on the site! https://www.simplyquinoa.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
Do you recommend toasting the quinoa flour or just using it straight out of the bag? I can’t wait to try these!
You can do either! If quinoa flour doesn’t have too bitter of a taste for you, then I’d say you don’t need to toast it (I never do!). But if it is, then toasting it will help mellow out that flavor a bit! xo
By far the best chocolate chip cookies i’ve ever made and eat! So simple to make and and so very yummy!
Woohoo! That’s quite the review 🙂 thank you! xx
These are the BEST vegan chocolate chip cookie I have ever tried. The tahini surprisingly made the texture like the traditional cookies. They were incredibly moist and the tahini added wonderful flavour as well. Thank you for your amazing recipes!
YAY! I’m so so glad you enjoyed them! They’re definitely one of my top recipes too!
I don’t have quinoa flour right now. What is a good substitute for that flour? These cookies sound delicious . Thank you for your reply.
Another grain-based flour should work! Maybe even oat flour 🙂
These cookies are awesome! Thanks for a great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I mixed a double batch of these and they are quite runny 🙁 Are they supposed to be like cookie dough?
Hmm I’m thinking maybe it was a runny tahini? The texture is supposed to be on the thicker side, so next time add more flour if the batter feels a bit runny.