Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies | Soft, Chewy & Dairy-Free (Bakery-Style, No Chill)

Setting the Scene: Warm Cookie Glow, Zero Dairy, All Comfort

The tray lands on the counter and the kitchen fills with that unmistakable perfume—vanilla, caramelizing sugar, and chocolate going glossy at the edges. These Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies bake up with just the right contradictions: rims that whisper crisp, centers that bend and stay plush for hours, and melty pockets of dairy-free chocolate that feel like tiny luxuries. No eggs, no butter, no compromise. A few smart swaps—plant butter or refined coconut oil, a touch of cornstarch for tenderness, and just enough plant milk to keep the crumb supple—deliver the classic bakery texture you crave, minus the dairy run.

This is the kind of cookie that wins bake sales and weeknights alike. The dough stirs together in one bowl, no chill needed, and scoops cleanly. You’ll learn a handful of tiny techniques (whisk sugars until glossy, pull while centers are pale, rest a few minutes on the hot sheet) and suddenly you’ve got a house cookie that just happens to be fully vegan.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients (Makes 22–24 cookies)

Wet + sugars

• ½ cup (105 g) light brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (120 ml) melted vegan butter or refined coconut oil, cooled 10 minutes
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) unsweetened plant milk (oat, almond, or soy)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (reacts with soda for lift)

Dry

• 2¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
• 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch (ultra-soft center insurance)
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine sea salt

Chocolate & mix-ins

• 1½ cups (255 g) dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks (mix of semisweet + dark for dimension)
• Optional: ¾ cup toasted walnuts or pecans
• Optional finish: flaky sea salt

Coconut oil note: choose refined for a neutral flavor. If using unrefined, expect a gentle coconut whisper—lovely with dark chocolate.

Tools

• 2 rimmed sheet pans + parchment
• Mixing bowl, whisk, and spatula (or a hand mixer)
• 2-tbsp cookie scoop (No. 30)
• Wire rack and small offset spatula

How to Make It

Whisk the Glossy Base
In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar, granulated sugar, and melted (cooled) vegan butter or coconut oil for 45–60 seconds until the mixture looks shiny and syrupy. Whisk in the plant milk, vanilla, and vinegar. That quick vinegar addition seems tiny, but it gives just enough lift and keeps the crumb tender without eggs.

Combine Dry for Chewy, Not Cakey
In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until uniform. Tip the dry mix into the wet and fold with a spatula just until you see only a few flour streaks. Sprinkle in the chocolate (and nuts, if using) and fold 1–2 more times. The dough should be soft and scoopable—not greasy, not stiff. If your kitchen is very warm, rest the bowl 5–10 minutes so the flour hydrates and the dough thickens slightly.

Scoop, Space & Bake to “Barely Done”
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two pans with parchment. Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds, spacing 2½ inches apart. Bake 9–11 minutes, rotating once, until edges are set and lightly golden and centers look puffed and just underdone. Pull the tray and finish with flaky salt if you love a sweet-salty hit.

Set the Chew
Cool cookies on the sheet 7–8 minutes—carryover heat finishes the middles without drying them—then transfer to a rack. For picture-perfect rounds, gently “scoot” soft edges with a round cutter while hot. They’ll stay soft and bendy for hours.

Storage That Keeps Them Plush
Store airtight at room temp 3–4 days with a small piece of bread or a marshmallow (vegan) in the container to maintain moisture. Freeze dough balls up to 2 months; bake from frozen at 350°F for 11–12 minutes.

How to Make It (Tiny Techniques with Big Payoff)

Sugar-Gloss = Crackly Tops
Whisking the sugars into warm (not hot) fat dissolves them slightly, creating that papery, bakery-style sheen on top as the cookies cool.

Cornstarch Magic
With no egg proteins to tenderize, a tablespoon of cornstarch steps in to soften gluten and keep the centers plush on day two (and three).

Vinegar + Soda = Lift
Just 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar reacts gently with baking soda for subtle aeration—no baking powder needed—and a cleaner flavor.

Temperature = Texture
Fat too hot? The dough spreads. Too cold? The dough bakes puffy. Aim for cooled, pourable fat and room-temp milk so everything emulsifies smoothly.

Creative Twists (All Vegan, All Irresistible)

• Espresso Dark Chocolate: Add 1 tsp instant espresso to the sugars. Finish with flaky salt. Deep, café vibes.
• Tahini Halva Swirl: Replace 2 tbsp fat with tahini and marble a spoonful on top of each scoop; sprinkle sesame seeds.
• Maple Pecan: Swap ¼ cup sugar for pure maple syrup and fold in toasted pecans; add +1 tbsp flour to balance moisture.
• Orange–Cardamom: Rub 1 tsp orange zest into the sugars and add ¼ tsp ground cardamom to the dry mix.
• Trail Mix Energy: Fold in ½ cup chopped almonds + ¼ cup dried cranberries.
• Triple Chocolate: Use a mix of mini chips, chunks, and shaved bar chocolate for varied puddles and studs.
• Gluten-Free Path: Use a quality 1:1 GF baking flour. Let the dough rest 10–15 minutes before baking for best hydration and spread.

Troubleshooting (Before You Bake the Second Tray)

• Too flat/greasy? Fat was too warm or flour under-measured. Cool the base longer and weigh flour (280 g). A 10-minute fridge rest helps.
• Too puffy/cakey? Over-measured flour or overmixing. Fold only to combine; next batch, reduce flour by 1–2 tbsp.
• Crumbly dough? Add 1–2 tsp plant milk and fold briefly.
• No shine/crinkle? Sugar didn’t dissolve enough—whisk the base longer—or your fat was cold.
• Spreading unevenly? Start with cool pans; warm trays sabotage spread consistency.

Ingredient Notes (For Flavor and Ethics)

• Vegan butter vs. coconut oil: Vegan butter gives the most classic cookie flavor; refined coconut oil offers a more neutral profile and chewy center.
• Chocolate matters: Choose dairy-free chips clearly labeled vegan; for puddles, chop a bar you love to eat—quality shows.
• Plant milk pick: Oat milk brings subtle body; soy or almond keeps flavor cleaner. Avoid sweetened milks unless you reduce sugar slightly.

Nutritional Spotlight (Per cookie, 1 of 24; approximate)

The sugar ratio and cornstarch keep the crumb moist and bendy, while dairy-free chocolate brings the indulgence.

Final Inspiration: A Cookie Everyone Can Love

There’s a quiet thrill in a cookie that checks every box—golden edges, gooey middle, melty chocolate—and also happens to be plant-based. These Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies don’t announce their credentials; they simply disappear off the tray. Learn the rhythm—whisk glossy, fold gently, pull while still pale—and you’ll have bakery energy on demand, whether you’re baking for vegans, dairy-free friends, or just yourself on a Tuesday.

Stack them on a platter with a flutter of salt, tuck a few into lunchboxes, or spoon-and-freeze a stash for late-night cravings. Warm, melty, generous—this is the classic cookie, evolved.