If we told you that you could make delicious chocolate chip cookies using only plant-based ingredients that taste exactly like traditional ones, you would have every right not to believe us.
However, we would like to dispel your doubts and show you that veganizing your favorite classic chocolate chip cookies while keeping their traditional taste is indeed doable, and it’s way easier than you might think. No sophisticated ingredients or confusing baking techniques - just a quick and easy method with very little effort.
Read our article and learn about the best vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe, and surprise your loved ones with perfectly chewy and soft plant-based cookies.
Is Chocolate Vegan?
First of all, let’s make things clear about eating chocolate on a vegan diet. It’s worth noticing that chocolate itself is indeed vegan, as it’s generally made with cocoa mass, cocoa butter, and sugar. So, it’s totally safe to include it in your plant-based menu.
Still, when shopping for vegan chocolate chips, make sure to always read the labels, as some chocolate brands add milk to their products.
The following brands offer vegan chocolate chips that will work perfectly in your vegan cookie recipe:
- Simple Truth Organic
- Enjoy Life
- Target Simply Balanced
- Equal Exchange
- Pascha
- Lily’s Sweet Stevia Sweetened
- Scharffen Berger (dark chocolate baking chunks)
- Guittard (semi-sweet or extra dark chocolate chunks)
Note that some of the vegan chocolate chips packages say ‘May contain milk’ because they are produced in facilities where non-vegan products are also made. As most vegans would still consider them to be vegan, some people would stay away from such products due to severe allergies to milk.
If you’re worried about any potential milk traces in your vegan chocolate chip cookies, the brands Enjoy Life and Pascha are certified dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.
Where to Buy Vegan Chocolate Chips?
You can find most vegan chocolate chips at any regular grocery store - you don’t necessarily have to bother searching for them in specific organic-food shops. Simply grab a pack or two while doing your weekly shopping, and you’re sorted!
If you’re planning to get your hands on vegan chocolate chips in advance and maybe save a few dollars at the same time, you can order them online.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies - Ingredients
Apart from vegan chocolate chips, you will also be using a few other simple ingredients to make your vegan cookies. You can also make them gluten-free, if you prefer by switching from regular flour to oat flour.
For the recipe (11-14 cookies), you will need:
- 1 cup white, spelt, or oat flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup vegan chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp plant milk of choice (plus more if needed)
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or sunflower oil (you can also use melted vegan butter)
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
Top tip: If you want to make your vegan cookies a little bit healthier, you can opt for sugar-free alternatives, such as xylitol or granulated erythritol.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies - The Method
Once you’ve got all the required ingredients in place, it’s time for baking!
- Start by combining all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and vegan chocolate chips) in a mixing bowl.
- Once combined, stir in all wet ingredients (plant milk, oil, and vanilla extract). Keep stirring until a cookie-dough consistency is achieved. You can also add a little more plant milk if the texture is too dry.
- Form the dough into one big ball, place in a bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze until the dough is cold.
- Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Form small dough balls and place them on a greased baking tray. Make sure to leave enough room between the balls to allow them to spread.
- Place the baking tray on the center rack and bake your cookies for 11 minutes.
- Take your cookies out of the oven and let them cool. Don’t worry if they look underdone! They will firm up once they’ve cooled.
- Prepare a cup of coffee or hot milk and indulge!
How to Store and Freeze Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies?
You can store your leftover vegan cookies in an airtight plastic container for up to 3 days. Add about ¼ slice of bread to the container if you want to keep your cookies soft. For more crispy cookies, store them in a glass container.
If you’d like to make the cookie dough ahead of time and freeze it, you can do so by rolling it into small balls and freezing them in an airtight container. They’ll stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once you’re ready for baking, simply pop the balls on a baking tray and throw them in the preheated oven. There’s no need to thaw the cookie dough - add another 1 or 2 minutes of baking time, and that’s it!
The Bottom Line
Vegan chocolate chip cookies are a great alternative to our beloved classic treats that are equally soft, chewy, and, most importantly - delicious.
Within a very short amount of time and with only a few simple ingredients, you can create mouth-watering plant-based cookies that taste just like traditional ones. Don’t believe us? Get ready for a vegan bake-off and try them yourself!
