Delicious Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies: Vegan, Chewy & Baked in 7 Minutes!
These Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies are incredibly thick, satisfyingly chewy, and bursting with rich chocolate flavor. Best of all, they’re baked to perfection in an astonishingly quick 7 minutes! Achieving that ideal texture, these cookies offer unparalleled convenience and taste every bit as wonderful as their traditional counterparts, all while being completely egg and dairy-free.
This delicious recipe is proudly sponsored by Cosori! We deeply appreciate you supporting the brands that enable Jessica in the Kitchen to continue sharing amazing recipes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own and reflect my genuine experience.
For those who frequently visit my website, it’s no secret: I have an undeniable passion for chocolate chip cookies. Over the years, I’ve shared countless variations, exploring every delightful possibility. From classic traditional vegan recipes to super simple 5-ingredient flourless options, and even gluten-free wonders, not forgetting the uniquely flavored Salted Tahini Cookies. Now, I’m thrilled to introduce a game-changing addition to the collection: Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies! Get ready for a new level of cookie perfection and convenience.
These Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies are nothing short of phenomenal. They are incredibly delicious, remarkably easy to prepare, and feature the absolute best part – an unbelievably quick bake time. This means you can satisfy your cookie cravings faster than ever before! I absolutely adore the fact that there’s no preheating required for your air fryer, and these cookies bake in roughly half the time compared to conventional oven baking, yet they taste just as, if not more, incredible. The air fryer truly transforms the baking process into a speedy, no-fuss endeavor, yielding consistently perfect results every single time.
My Secret Weapon: The Cosori Lite 4QT Air Fryer
For achieving these wonderfully baked cookies, I relied on the fantastic new Cosori Lite 4QT Smart Air Fryer. My journey with Cosori Air Fryers spans many years, and I’ve always been impressed with their performance and innovation. This particular model, with its stunning teal color, was a welcome upgrade and an absolute joy to use. Seriously, have you seen that vibrant hue? It adds a pop of color to any kitchen!
I cannot recommend this Air Fryer highly enough! It consistently delivers exceptional results, not just for cookies, but for a wide range of dishes. Among its many outstanding features, our favorites include its ability to reach temperatures up to 450°F, providing versatile cooking options for everything from crispy fries to perfectly roasted vegetables. It operates significantly quieter than many other models, making for a more pleasant kitchen experience. The integrated “shake” button is a brilliant addition, offering a timely reminder to toss or flip your food midway through cooking, ensuring even browning and crispness. Furthermore, Cosori has prioritized safety with this model, incorporating numerous features like automatic shut-off if it detects overheating. For the tech-savvy cook, its compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant allows for convenient voice control, adding another layer of ease to your culinary adventures. You can delve deeper into its full capabilities and discover more about this incredible appliance here.
Key Ingredients for Perfect Vegan Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
Understanding the role of each ingredient is essential for baking truly amazing vegan chocolate chip cookies. Below are important notes on the ingredients and instructions. The FULL recipe, with precise amounts and detailed steps, can be found in the recipe card further DOWN BELOW (please scroll to it).
- Vegan butter: For the best results, ensure your vegan butter is at proper room temperature. This allows it to cream beautifully with the sugars, creating a light and airy base for your cookies, which is crucial for their tender texture. Many brands work well; choose one that is reliably soft when at room temperature.
- Organic white sugar: This provides sweetness and contributes to the crispness of the cookie edges. Using organic sugar ensures it’s processed without bone char, keeping it truly vegan.
- Brown sugar: Incorporating brown sugar is key for achieving that signature chewy texture and adding a wonderful depth of flavor. You can use either light or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar contains a higher molasses content, which will impart an even richer, more caramelly flavor to your cookies and enhance their chewiness.
- Vegan milk: Just like the butter, your vegan milk should also be at room temperature to ensure it blends smoothly into the mixture without causing the butter to seize. Any variety of unsweetened vegan milk will work perfectly – oat, almond, or soy milk are all great choices. I personally love using soy milk for its creamy consistency.
- Vanilla extract: A staple in most cookie recipes, vanilla extract is vital for enhancing the overall flavor profile, adding a warm, aromatic note that complements the chocolate beautifully. Use a good quality pure vanilla extract for the best taste.
- All-purpose flour: The foundation of our cookies. For precise measurements and consistent results, I recommend spooning the flour into your measuring cup and then leveling it off, rather than scooping directly from the bag. This prevents over-measuring, which can lead to dry, dense cookies.
- Cornstarch: This seemingly small addition plays a significant role! Cornstarch acts as an excellent binding agent and helps create a tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth texture, mimicking some of the properties of eggs in traditional cookies. It also aids in the overall structure.
- Baking soda: Essential for leavening, baking soda reacts with the brown sugar’s molasses (an acidic component) to create lift and spread, resulting in those perfectly soft and slightly puffed cookies.
- Sea salt: A pinch of sea salt is crucial for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors, especially the chocolate. It really makes the chocolate sing!
- Vegan chocolate chips or chunks: The star of the show! High-quality vegan chocolate chips or chopped chocolate chunks are essential for that luxurious chocolatey goodness.
What Makes a Chocolate Chip Vegan?
It’s a common misconception that all dark or semisweet chocolate chips are automatically vegan. Unfortunately, many popular brands of chocolate chips—even those labeled dark or semisweet—contain milk fat, dry milk powder, or other dairy-derived ingredients, making them unsuitable for a vegan diet. To ensure your chocolate chip cookies are truly vegan, always check the ingredient label carefully. Look for chocolate chips that explicitly state “vegan” or are certified dairy-free. Fortunately, the market now offers a fantastic array of delicious vegan chocolate chip varieties, so you have plenty of choices to make your cookies perfectly plant-based!
How to Bake Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies in Your Air Fryer
When planning to bake this recipe, remember to factor in the essential chilling time for the dough, which significantly improves the cookie’s texture and flavor. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the steps you’ll need to follow for these delightful Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Step 1: Cream the Wet Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, using either a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, a hand mixer, or a sturdy whisk, cream together the softened vegan butter and both types of sugar. Beat them together for a full 3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and noticeably pale. This step incorporates air, which is vital for chewy cookies. Next, pour in the room-temperature vegan milk and vanilla extract, mixing again for another 30 seconds until everything is just combined and smooth.
Step 2: Combine the Dry Ingredients. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and sea salt. Whisk thoroughly for about 30 seconds to ensure these dry ingredients are evenly distributed. This prevents pockets of baking soda or salt in your finished cookies.
Step 3: Form the Dough and Chill. Gradually add the whisked flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix gently on low speed or by hand until the dry ingredients are just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain, which typically takes about 1 minute. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies, so stop as soon as it’s combined. Finally, fold in the vegan chocolate chips or chunks using a spatula until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Once mixed, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of two hours. This chilling process is vital; it allows the flavors to meld, the butter to firm up, and the flour to fully hydrate, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the air fryer and results in a chewier, richer cookie.
Step 4: Prepare for Air Frying. Once the dough has thoroughly chilled, use a 1 1/2 heaping tablespoon cookie scoop to form uniform balls of dough. This ensures even baking. As you scoop, try to keep the remaining dough in the refrigerator or a cool spot to prevent it from warming up too much, which could affect the cookie’s final texture. Arrange the cookie dough balls in your air fryer basket, leaving about 3 inches of space between each cookie. This generous spacing is crucial to allow for proper air circulation, ensuring each cookie bakes evenly and prevents them from melding together as they spread slightly during baking. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to bake in multiple batches.
Step 5: Air Fry to Perfection. Set your air fryer to 325°F (160°C) and bake the cookies for exactly 7 minutes. Immediately after the cooking cycle finishes, resist the urge to open the air fryer door. Instead, leave the cookies undisturbed in the hot, switched-off air fryer for an additional 3 minutes. This residual heat allows them to continue setting and firming up without overbrowning the exterior. After this crucial resting period, carefully remove the air fryer tray and let the cookies cool on it for at least 5 minutes. They will be quite delicate when hot, so allowing them to cool on the tray helps them set further before you transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This patience will be rewarded with perfectly shaped, chewy cookies!
Expert Tips for Air Fryer Cookie Success
While these vegan chocolate chip cookies are designed to be relatively straightforward and fuss-free, a few key tips can ensure your batch turns out absolutely perfect every single time:
- Don’t Overcrowd the Air Fryer: This is arguably the most important tip for air frying anything, especially cookies. Ensure there’s ample space between each cookie dough ball (at least 3 inches). This allows hot air to circulate freely around each cookie, promoting even baking and preventing them from steaming instead of crisping. Refer to the photos above for an ideal spacing example.
- Respect the Cooling Time: The extra 3 minutes the cookies spend in the hot, switched-off air fryer is not optional. This “carryover cooking” allows the cookies to finish baking gently and set their structure without the risk of the edges becoming burnt or excessively crispy. Skipping this step can result in underbaked centers or cookies that fall apart.
- Working with Chilled Dough: If your cookie dough has been chilling for significantly longer than 2 hours (e.g., overnight), it might become very firm and difficult to scoop. If this happens, simply let the bowl of dough sit out on the counter at room temperature for 10-15 minutes until it softens just enough to be easily scooped without losing its cold integrity.
- Baking in Batches: Since you likely won’t be able to bake all the cookies at once, it’s vital to keep the unbaked dough cold. Between each batch you place in the air fryer, return the bowl of remaining dough to the refrigerator. This maintains the consistent cold temperature of the dough, ensuring that every cookie bakes with the same beautiful shape and texture, preventing excessive spreading.
- Parchment Paper is Your Friend: Always line your air fryer basket with parchment paper. This prevents the cookies from sticking, makes cleanup a breeze, and allows for easier transfer of the delicate hot cookies. Just make sure the parchment paper doesn’t extend too far up the sides, potentially blocking air circulation.
- Know Your Air Fryer: Air fryers can vary slightly in temperature and cooking intensity. The first batch is always a test. Keep a close eye on your cookies during the last minute or two of the suggested baking time. If they look a bit too pale, add another minute. If they’re browning quickly, reduce the time slightly for subsequent batches.
- Can’t Find Vegan Butter? This recipe was specifically developed to utilize the unique properties of vegan butter, which contributes significantly to the cookie’s rich flavor and texture. Therefore, I strongly advise against substituting oil, as it won’t yield the same results. If vegan butter is unavailable or you prefer an oil-based cookie, I recommend trying my Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, which is designed to be made with coconut oil and delivers excellent results.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
How to Store Baked Cookies
Once your delicious vegan air fryer chocolate chip cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will maintain their freshness, chewiness, and delightful flavor for up to 4 days. For optimal freshness, you can also place a slice of bread in the container with the cookies; the bread will absorb moisture, keeping the cookies softer for longer.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Absolutely! This recipe is fantastic for meal prepping or simply ensuring you always have a stash of homemade cookies on hand. You can freeze both the baked cookies and the unbaked cookie dough:
- Freezing Baked Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool completely to room temperature. Then, arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for about an hour until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. This prevents them from sticking together. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply let them thaw at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before serving. For a warm, freshly baked feel, you can pop them back in the air fryer at 300°F (150°C) for 2-3 minutes.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: This is a wonderful way to have fresh cookies anytime. Scoop the cookie dough into individual balls, as you would for baking. Place these dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ensuring they don’t touch, and freeze until they are solid (typically 1-2 hours). Once firm, transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer bag or an airtight container. They can be kept frozen for up to 3 months. When you crave a fresh cookie, you can bake them directly from frozen! Simply add an extra minute or two to the air frying time (so, bake at 325°F for 8-9 minutes), keeping an eye on them for optimal doneness.
Enjoy, friends! I truly hope you fall in love with these incredibly easy and utterly delicious Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you do make this recipe, please take a moment to snap a photo and share it! Tag#jessicainthekitchen onInstagram—we absolutely adore seeing your culinary creations. We’d also be thrilled if you could leave a comment below with your feedback and give the recipe a rating. Your support means the world to us! Thanks so much for baking along!
Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter, 1 stick or 112g, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup organic white sugar, 100g
- ½ cup brown sugar, 100g
- 3 tablespoons vegan milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups flour, 210g
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 8 ounces of chopped vegan chocolate chips/chunks
Instructions
- Cream together the vegan butter and sugar for 3 minutes. You can also use a whisk. Add in the vegan milk & vanilla extract and mix again for 30 seconds.
- In a bowl mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and sea salt. Add that into the wet ingredients. Mix gently until fully combined (about 1 minutes). Fold in the chocolate chips and stir until just combined. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Scoop out the cookies as 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons each. Allow 3 inches for each cookie. Keep the dough cold while doing this (don’t let it thaw too much).
- Air fryer at 325F at 7 minutes. Leave the cookies in the hot off air fryer for another 3 minutes (don’t open the door) and then remove and let cool for at least 5 mins on the warm tray before removing from air fryer tray.
- Allow to cool fully on a wire rack and enjoy!
Notes
How to Freeze Baked Cookies: Freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough: Form the dough into balls and freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once the dough is frozen through, transfer it to a freezer bag or airtight container. You can bake it from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the baking time.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.