The Best Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies: Soft, Dairy-Free & Irresistible
There’s truly nothing quite like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. The warm, gooey chocolate, the perfectly soft and chewy texture, and that comforting aroma filling your kitchen – it’s a timeless delight. But what if you’re looking for a plant-based alternative that doesn’t compromise on flavor or texture? Look no further! This recipe delivers the **best chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies** you’ll ever taste. They boast a rich, deeply chocolatey flavor with that quintessential hint of salt, and a wonderfully soft, yet perfectly chewy center that makes them utterly irresistible.
Creating a truly exceptional **vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe** took dedicated testing and fine-tuning. My goal was to replicate the beloved classic without any eggs or dairy, ensuring every bite is just as satisfying, if not more so. The result? Cookies so delicious, rich, and perfectly textured that no one will ever guess they’re entirely plant-based. Get ready to impress vegans and non-vegans alike with these incredible **dairy-free chocolate chip cookies** that are surprisingly simple to make.
Why This Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe is a Must-Try
Crafting the perfect **dairy-free and egg-free chocolate chip cookie** requires understanding the role of each ingredient. This recipe isn’t just a simple substitution; it’s designed to deliver superior results, making it the best choice for your plant-based baking adventures. Here’s what makes these **soft and chewy vegan cookies** stand out:
- Rich Brown Sugar for Ultimate Chewiness: Unlike recipes that rely solely on white sugar, incorporating a significant amount of brown sugar is key to achieving that signature chewy texture in these **plant-based chocolate chip cookies**. Brown sugar, with its molasses content, not only adds a deeper, caramelized flavor but also provides essential moisture. This moisture prevents the cookies from becoming dry and crumbly, instead ensuring they stay wonderfully soft and delightfully chewy from the first bite to the last.
- The Secret to Softness: Cornstarch: Cornstarch is our secret weapon for achieving an incredibly soft and tender crumb without any eggs. While some cookies aim for a crisp texture, for these classic **vegan chocolate chip cookies**, we’re all about that melt-in-your-mouth softness paired with chewiness. The cornstarch helps create this delicate texture. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in preventing the cookies from spreading too much on the baking sheet, giving them a beautiful, slightly domed height that looks as good as it tastes.
- Effortlessly Simple Ingredients: One of the best aspects of this recipe is its simplicity. You won’t need any unusual or expensive specialty ingredients. Forget about tricky aquafaba, messy flax eggs, or costly commercial egg replacers. This recipe uses common pantry staples, making it accessible and straightforward for anyone to whip up a batch of amazing **egg-free chocolate chip cookies** with ease.
Key Ingredients for Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Understanding the role of each ingredient is crucial for baking success. Below, you’ll find important notes on the specific ingredients used in this recipe for **soft and chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies**. For the precise measurements and full instructions, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Vegan Butter: The quality of your vegan butter significantly impacts the final texture and flavor of these **dairy-free cookies**. Choose a block-style vegan butter (like Miyoko’s Kitchen or Earth Balance sticks) over tub varieties, as they typically have a better fat content for baking. It’s essential that the butter is at room temperature and softened, but not melted, for proper creaming with the sugars. This ensures a light and airy dough.
- Organic White Sugar: This sugar contributes to the slight crispness around the edges of your cookies and helps with browning. Using organic white sugar is often preferred by those avoiding bone char processing, common in some refined white sugars.
- Brown Sugar (Light or Dark): This is a star ingredient for achieving that signature chewiness. The molasses in brown sugar adds moisture, depth, and a delicious caramel-like flavor. While light brown sugar works beautifully, opting for dark brown sugar will intensify the richness and chewiness of your **plant-based chocolate chip cookies** even further due to its higher molasses content.
- Vegan Milk: Just like the butter, ensure your chosen vegan milk (almond, soy, oat, or cashew all work well) is at room temperature. This helps it emulsify properly with the other wet ingredients, preventing the dough from splitting and ensuring a smooth, consistent texture.
- Vanilla Extract: A good quality vanilla extract is vital for enhancing the overall flavor profile of any chocolate chip cookie. It adds warmth and complexity, complementing the chocolate beautifully.
- All-Purpose Flour: Standard all-purpose flour provides the structural base for these cookies. Measure it correctly by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off, rather than scooping directly, to avoid a dense cookie.
- Cornstarch: As mentioned, cornstarch is key to a soft, tender interior and helps prevent excessive spreading, contributing to thick, perfectly formed **vegan cookies**.
- Baking Soda: This leavening agent reacts with the acidic components (like molasses in brown sugar) to create lift and contribute to a soft, chewy texture.
- Sea Salt: A touch of sea salt is crucial! It balances the sweetness of the sugars and chocolate, enhancing all the flavors and giving these **chewy chocolate chip cookies** that irresistible sweet-and-salty balance.
- Vegan Chocolate Chips or Chunks: The star of the show! Make sure to use truly vegan chocolate. Chopped chocolate bars often melt beautifully and create delicious puddles of chocolate, while chips maintain their shape. Whether you prefer milk chocolate alternatives or dark chocolate, ensure your choice is clearly labeled as dairy-free and vegan.
Understanding Vegan Chocolate Chips: A Crucial Detail
When baking **vegan chocolate chip cookies**, selecting the right chocolate is paramount. Many people assume that dark or semisweet chocolate chips are automatically vegan, but this isn’t always the case. It’s surprisingly common for these varieties to contain hidden dairy ingredients such as milk fat, milk solids, dry milk powder, or even whey. These animal-derived ingredients make the chocolate non-vegan.
To ensure your cookies are truly **plant-based and dairy-free**, always carefully read the ingredient label on your chocolate chips or chunks. Look for brands that explicitly state “vegan,” “dairy-free,” or “plant-based.” There are many excellent vegan chocolate options available on the market today, from classic chips to gourmet chunks, ensuring you can find the perfect chocolate for your delicious **egg-free chocolate chip cookies**.
Baking the Best Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies: Step-by-Step Guide
Making these **irresistible vegan chocolate chip cookies** is straightforward, but remember that chilling the dough is a critical step for optimal texture and flavor, so plan accordingly! This quick guide will walk you through each phase, ensuring you achieve perfect **soft and chewy dairy-free cookies** every time.
1. Cream the Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, using either a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, a hand mixer, or a sturdy whisk, cream together the room-temperature vegan butter, organic white sugar, and brown sugar for a full 3 minutes. This crucial step incorporates air, making the cookies lighter and chewier. The mixture should become light, fluffy, and pale in color. Next, add the room-temperature vegan milk and vanilla extract. Mix for another 30 seconds until everything is well combined and smooth. Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature to prevent the mixture from curdling and to achieve the best emulsion.
2. Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and sea salt. Whisking ensures that the leavening agents and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which is essential for uniform baking and flavor in your **plant-based chocolate chip cookies**.
3. Combine and Chill the Dough: Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed, or by hand with a spatula, until just combined – approximately 1 minute. Overmixing the dough can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough cookies. As soon as the flour streaks disappear, stop mixing. Gently fold in your chosen vegan chocolate chips or chunks until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Once the dough is ready, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. This chilling period is vital for the flavors to meld and the butter to firm up, preventing the cookies from spreading excessively during baking and ensuring those perfectly **thick and chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies**. About 15-20 minutes before you plan to bake, preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Form and Space the Cookies: Once your dough is sufficiently chilled and your oven is preheated, use a heaping tablespoon or a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5-2 tablespoons) to portion out the **vegan cookie dough**. Roll each portion into a neat ball. Arrange the dough balls on your prepared baking sheets, ensuring you leave about 3 inches of space between each cookie. This generous spacing allows the cookies to expand without running into each other. It’s important to keep the dough as cold as possible during this step; if you’re working in a warm kitchen or baking in multiple batches, return the remaining dough to the refrigerator between scoops to maintain its ideal temperature and prevent premature spreading.
5. Bake to Golden Perfection: Place the baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 11 to 12 minutes. The cookies are ready when their edges are lightly golden brown, but the centers still look slightly soft and underdone. This is the secret to their ultimate chewiness. Immediately remove the baking sheets from the oven and, without touching the cookies, let them cool on the hot baking sheet for 5 crucial minutes. This allows them to set properly and continue baking slightly from the residual heat. After 5 minutes, carefully transfer the **soft and chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies** to a wire rack to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool, revealing their perfect texture.
Expert Tips for Baking the Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
While this recipe for **easy vegan chocolate chip cookies** is designed to be straightforward and forgiving, a few expert tips can elevate your baking and guarantee perfect results every single time. Follow these recommendations to achieve exceptionally **soft and chewy dairy-free cookies** that everyone will adore.
- Mastering Chilled Dough for Perfect Spread: Chilling the dough is one of the most crucial steps for achieving thick, chewy, and perfectly shaped cookies. If your dough chills for longer than the recommended 2 hours (e.g., overnight or for a full day), it might become very firm and difficult to scoop. Simply let the dough sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, or until it softens just enough to be easily scooped without crumbling. Avoid over-softening, as this can cause the cookies to spread too much. The cold butter in the dough is what prevents excessive spreading, ensuring your **plant-based chocolate chip cookies** retain their beautiful form.
- Optimizing Baking in Batches: If you’re baking a large batch and need to use your oven multiple times, it’s essential to manage the dough temperature. Between batches, always return the bowl of remaining cookie dough to the refrigerator. This keeps the butter firm and the dough cold, preventing it from warming up excessively on the counter. A cold dough ensures consistent results with each tray, yielding uniformly **soft and chewy vegan cookies** without them flattening out prematurely.
- Choosing the Right Vegan Butter (No Oil Substitutions!): This recipe was specifically developed using stick-form vegan butter (like Earth Balance or Miyoko’s Kitchen), which has a similar fat and water content to traditional dairy butter. For this reason, I strongly advise against substituting liquid oils (such as coconut oil or vegetable oil) directly into this recipe, as the texture will be significantly different and likely result in flat, crispy cookies. If you’re looking for a **gluten-free and oil-based vegan chocolate chip cookie** option, I recommend trying my dedicated Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, which is formulated to work with coconut oil for equally delicious results.
- Don’t Overmix the Dough: After combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to tough, dense cookies instead of the desired **soft and chewy texture**. Gently folding in the chocolate chips at the end also helps prevent overmixing.
- Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: Ensure your vegan butter and vegan milk are at true room temperature. Cold ingredients don’t cream together as effectively, leading to a less cohesive dough and potentially impacting the final texture. Softened butter creams easily with sugar, incorporating air that makes the cookies light and tender.
Storing Your Delicious Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
To keep your **soft and chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies** fresh and delightful, proper storage is key. Once completely cooled, place the cookies in an airtight container. They will maintain their incredible taste and texture at room temperature for up to 4 days. For optimal freshness, you can also add a slice of bread to the container; the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread, helping them stay soft longer.
Freezing Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies: Baked & Dough
One of the fantastic things about these **easy vegan chocolate chip cookies** is how well they freeze, both baked and as raw dough. This makes them perfect for meal prepping desserts or having a quick treat whenever a craving strikes!
Freezing Baked Vegan Cookies: Once your **plant-based chocolate chip cookies** have completely cooled, arrange them in a single layer in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking, or place them directly into a freezer-safe bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply remove them from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for about 30-60 minutes. For a “freshly baked” experience, you can also gently warm them in a microwave for 10-15 seconds or in a low oven for a few minutes.
Freezing Vegan Cookie Dough: To enjoy warm, fresh cookies anytime, freezing the dough is an excellent option. First, form the dough into individual cookie balls as you would for baking. Place these dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch. Freeze them solid for at least 2-3 hours. Once fully frozen, transfer the solid dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or an airtight container. They can be stored for up to 3 months.
Baking Frozen Cookie Dough: When you’re ready to bake, there’s no need to thaw the dough! Simply place the frozen dough balls directly on a prepared baking sheet and bake them in a preheated oven as usual. You’ll likely need to add an extra 1-3 minutes to the baking time (typically 12-15 minutes total) to ensure they are cooked through. This method is incredibly convenient for enjoying warm, homemade **dairy-free chocolate chip cookies** with minimal effort.
We hope you absolutely love these **chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies** as much as we do! They truly are a triumph in plant-based baking, proving that you don’t need dairy or eggs to create a classic, comforting, and utterly delicious cookie. Whether you’re a long-time vegan or simply exploring more plant-based options, these **soft and rich dairy-free chocolate chip cookies** are sure to become a staple in your recipe collection.
If you whip up a batch of these amazing cookies, we’d be thrilled to see your creations! Please snap a photo and share it on Instagram, tagging #jessicainthekitchen. Your feedback is invaluable, so please consider leaving a comment below and giving the recipe a star rating. Happy baking!
Vegan 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 heaping tablespoon each. Allow 3 inches for each cookie. Keep the dough cold while doing this (don’t let it thaw too much).
- Bake at 350°F/180°C for 11-12 minutes. Remove immediately from the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes (don’t skip this part) then move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
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.
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