Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
114 Comments
Updated Jun 13, 2021
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These are the best vegan chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had (and made). They’re soft on the inside, have crispy edges, and flatten into the most perfect little cookies in the oven.
You guys. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about chocolate chip cookies in a long time. And I mean gluten-free, paleo, vegan chocolate chip cookies that actually taste like the real deal, classic, chewy chocolate chip cookies. If you’ve done any amount of gluten-free, grain-free baking then you’re probably familiar with how most “dietary restricted” cookies turn out – thick, dry, chunky and crumbly. Not exactly mouth watering, eh?
So I set out to create the best chocolate chip cookies that met all my dietary needs – and then some! Now, I’ll be honest, this winner of a recipe took three tries. I had several fails, which I Snapchatted along the way (because fails are always funnier when you share them – ha!).
But once this version was baking in the oven I knew it was gonna be a winner. How so? Because it flattened all on it’s own. It didn’t take any manual, finger-smooshing flattening…it melted into the most golden, gooey, sweet, chocolate chip cookie – effortlessly in the oven. Winner winner.
What I love most about this cookie is that it’s crispy and golden on the edges, but soft and chewy on the inside. It’s the best of both worlds…and it’s highly addictive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. In fact, I think I’ll be taking a stash of these cookies on my Portugal trip with me in three weeks for the perfect sweet treat at 35,000 ft!
The key to this cookie is creaming the palm shortening, coconut milk, vanilla and coconut sugar together. Then, adding your dry ingredients to the creamed ingredients. The dough will be quite sticky and tacky as you mound the cookies on your parchment paper, but trust me, that’s a good thing. I tried two versions of this recipe with honey, which didn’t turn out, and one version with not enough liquid/fat, which also didn’t turn out (read: it was a hockey puck). Thankfully, my dad is more than happy to eat my recipe fails, which makes me feel better as I used up a ton of expensive almond flour!
But life is about sticking with it…so I didn’t give up. And in the end, I’m so glad I did…because now I have the best chocolate chip cookies to munch on.
For more gluten-free and paleo cookie recipes, make sure to check out my Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, No Bake Cookies, Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies, Flourless Almond Butter Cookies and Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies.
Enjoy!
If you make this, I’d love to see! Tag your photo with #downshiftology on Instagram.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Description
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup organic palm shortening or vegan butter (don't use coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk, (shake the can to mix)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- Place the shortening, coconut sugar, coconut milk and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to blend all ingredients together until creamy.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for one minute, until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop heaping tablespoons of dough, evenly spaced. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are turning golden brown. (Note: if the cookies haven't flattened all the way, gently tap the baking sheet on your counter as soon as you remove them from the oven and they'll flatten).
Nutrition
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Not sure what happened to my cookies. I followed the instructions exactly. But, when I took them out of the oven, everything had melted into one giant pile. This has never happened to me before, so not sure what went wrong. Was there supposed to be an egg in this? I’m not sure what would have held the cookie together. It makes sense that the cookie dough would just melt as palm shortening would just turn liquid when heat is applied. Any ideas?
Hi Alda – no, there’s no egg in this recipe as it’s vegan. It sound like you may have had a little bit too much liquid. Did you make sure your shortening was solidified, not liquid. And you use full-fat coconut milk, not carton coconut milk or another nut-milk?
Hello,
I LOVE your channel and have made dozens of recipes. I was wondering if you might know why my Nutella came out grainy and super hard, never pourable. It’s still delicious in oatmeal as it melts very nicely:) thanks for any input you may have on this issue.
-Alexis of Colorado
Hi Alexis – I’m happy you love my recipes and videos! For the nutella, that usually happens if the hazelnuts aren’t roasted long enough, which allows them to release their natural oils. But glad you were still able to enjoy it on your oatmeal! :)
Hi Lisa! I used ghee instead of palm shortening as I read on the comments you recommended that substitution. For some reason the cookies ended very oily and all melted together in the pan. Any idea what could have been wrong?
Hi Ariana – hmm, maybe the ghee is too thin and liquidy for this recipe. It might require less, if using ghee. I’ll have to give it a try using ghee next time and see if something else needs to be altered. Hopefully you were still able to enjoy your misshapen cookies!
What could I substitute the palm shortening for? I don’t have any and finding it hard to find any online. Looking forward to making these!
Thanks,
Sian
Hi Sian – you could use butter or ghee as well.
These came out perfect were delicious! The whole family loved them. Thank you!
Hi Bethany- That’s great! Now you always have a paleo chocolate chip recipe to go to :)
I was craving cookies, but wanted to stay away from gluten, so I decided to check out downshiftology, cause I love Lisa’s recipes. I found this recipe and I had pretty much all the ingredients except the palm shortening, so I tried butter. Boy were these cookies good. I have tried other gluten free recipes, but this is definitely a winner recipe. Thank you Lisa, for providing us with these delicious recipes. Blessings!
Hi Liz- That’s great you finally found a winning paleo cookie recipe you love! Can’t wait for you to try my other paleo cookies now :)
These are definitely the best tasting gluten free chocolate chip cookies I’ve tasted! But, as other reviewers stated, my cookies spread out and simply wouldn’t stay together. It made for a nice crumble for ice cream though lol!
I tried again adding in almond butter as well as an egg to bind and they held up well. I’ll do another batch without an egg as well. I’m glad to have discovered how shortening makes for such a great flavor in these cookies!
Hi! I love your recipes!!
Can I make the dough for this and freeze it? (I looked for this question in the comments here but didn’t see anything- sorry if it’s a repeat!)
Thanks!
Hi Alice – I’ve actually not tried that yet. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
Hi Lisa, I have many of your delicious recipes. However, I just made these cookies and they are very oily. I measured 3/4 cup of room temp palm shortening. Does cold vs room temp make a difference? Does it make a difference when measuring? Also, never sure of when to use cold vs room temp.
Thank you
Hi Ann Marie – my palm shortening is usually at room temperature as well, so that shouldn’t have impacted it. But sometimes it’s just very little things in baking that make a difference. You could always try reducing the amount a little next time. :)
Hi Lisa, I made these cookies using Kerry Gold butter and the cookies spread out a lot while baking. I used my kitchen aid mixer to blend everything. What do you think caused the cookies to spread so much and make it thin and crumbly? Is it the butter or do you think I mixed the cookies a lot? I make a lot of your dessert recipes and love it so I am really curious what went wrong this time. Any tips will be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Ankita – It may have been that you overmixed or that the dough just got a bit too hot before baking. Did you make sure the butter was in solid form, and not melted?
Hi Lisa
I just made these cookies using coconut oil and almond milk since I didn’t have palm shortening or coconut milk in a can.I noticed when I was creaming that it appeared to separate.
I baked them but they really spread out thin. They taste good but very crumbly and soft.I baked 15 min instead of 10…..was the coconut oil the problem?
Hi Andrea – yes, those substitutions would have been the problem. Almond milk is thinner than full fat coconut milk and coconut oil is thinner and oilier than palm shortening.
Can we use butter instead of shortening Lisa?
Hi Terra – yes, no problem!
Hi! These look so yummy! Question: can I use regular white flour in place of almond flour? I’m allergic to almonds.
Hi Barbara – I haven’t tried using regular white flour as I am gluten-free. But It could possibly work! Just not sure how the texture will come out.
These really are the best!! I mean, WOW! My search for gluten free vegan chocolate chip cookies is finally over. Thank you so much!!
Hi Jackie – Wow, I’m so glad you love these cookies! They taste just like the real thing :)
I was once a fan of Toll House choc chip cookies until I made Lisa’s. These are the best “ever” choc chip cookies. Big hit with my family and co-workers. I use Enjoy Life choc chips. Delicious.
Hi Christine – Haha! Now you can make your Toll House chocolate chips right at home, and they’re gluten free and vegan! :)
OK…Best….alternative….chocolate…chip….cookies…EVER!! I made a couple of adjustments
Didn’t have coconut milk–used Full Fat Stonyfield vanilla yogurt
Used 1/4 C butter and 1/2 C Almond Butter (as someone else mentioned)
Added an egg
And, of course–extra Chocolate chips::}}
Lisa, you are awesome!! Thank you so much for all you do…
Hi Sherrie – I am so glad you loved these cookies! :)
I made these last night and even though I’m pretty sure I followed the recipe correctly, my cookies spread a LOT and came out very crumbly. Tasted great though!
I’m glad you loved the taste of the cookies! If it was too hot in your kitchen/home, that could have contributed to them spreading more. You can always chill the dough before baking so it doesn’t spread as much. :)
Do you think I can substitute almond flour with plantain flour instead? I have made these several times and love them but the almonds irritate my stomach….
I actually haven’t baked much with plantain flower so don’t know how it will affect the recipe. But if you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Do you think the recipe would turn out similar using coconut oil or butter or even a combination of the two in place of the palm shortening? I can’t find palm shortening at any stores where i live in Ontario.
You could certainly give it a try! Just make sure to keep them fairly solid (at room temperature) when you cream everything together (and not liquid). I might try the butter first. Let me know how it turns out!
I live in Ontario too. The only place I’ve been able to find organic palm shortening is by ordering it from the states on iHerb.ca .
If there were 10 stars, I’d click that! I was dying for something good that wouldn’t blow my Paleo diet. Saw this recipe. Ran and made it as fast as I good. They’re absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! AMAZING!!! Just like the originals – only better! Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Wonderful! I’m so happy you loved the cookies Kathy! :)
Best ever Paleo cookies I’ve ever made! These were soft and crunchy just perfect!!!
Awesome! I’m thrilled you loved the recipe Joselyn! :) x
Hi! What’s a good alternative for the shortening?
You could use butter or vegan butter (if you’re dairy-free).
These photos make me feel hungry. It’s so appetizing. Thank you for sharing your gluten-free, paleo, vegan chocolate chip cookies recipe. I’m not really a fan of cookies, but your recipe is so inviting that I want to try it now.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the recipe. :)
Hi Lisa do you mind letting me know what brands you use in the shortening and the almond flour ?? I would love to get it right lol. Mine came apart in the middle. Thank you so much.
Hi Marina – the brands I use are linked on the Shop page on my website. :)
These cookies are amazing!!!! How should these cookies be stored? If I wanted them to be more chewy should I add an egg?
Yay! Happy you love them Kim. And yes, you could definitely add an egg for a more chewy texture. :)
Hi Lisa! Question, whenever I make these they fall apart and crumble a lot. They taste delicious though ;) Any ideas as to why mine fall apart? I really want to make these for a get together in a week, but wanted to see if you could help me troubleshoot this? Thanks!
These do tend to crumble a bit more than a standard chocolate chip cookie because there’s no egg in it. If you don’t have a problem with eggs, you could try reducing the palm shortening by 1/4 cup and adding one egg. That should hold it together a bit better. :)
Thank you! I’ll definitely have to try this!
2nd time around and they were perfect! Wonderful recipe, highly recommended. So simple, easy, quick, and yummy. Thank you!
Yay! Glad you love the cookies Sarah. :) x
Love this, thank you! Question – I’ve made these twice and baked for 10 minutes both time but both times, they’re definitely not baked enough to hold their shape. Have you or anyone else reported needed closer to 14 minutes? Havent tried that yet but imagine it would need at least an additional four from the consistency at 10 minutes, Thanks!
Hi Jillian – Every oven is different, so you may certainly need to increase the time. I actually just re-made this recipe since I moved and found I needed more time as well. My old oven might have cooked a little hotter, so I’ll provide a greater range for the time in the instructions. :)
Hi Lisa, I am a great fan of your recipes. We tried to make these cookies, followed the instructions, exactly same ingredients but the cookies turned out to be too mushy, fell apart too easily. We used Kitchen Aid Mixer to mix all the ingredients. Any tips? Should I use xanthum gum?
Hi Ankita – these are a more crumbly cookie, but they should definitely stay together enough to be picked up. It sounds like maybe you blended the ingredients a bit too long or too much. When you blend the first few items together, you just want to cream them. If you over mix, the palm shortening may start to melt and become liquidy. Also the temperature of where you live can affect the palm shortening. After that, you just want to mix until combined. Again, not over mixing. I made these again just a couple of weeks ago and noticed that the oven in my new apartment required several more minutes of bake time than my old oven (which may have cooked hot), so if they’re too mushy, you may need more time as well. Hope that helps! :) x
Hi Lisa, I just noticed that we used palm shortening Nutiva brand- but the one made with red palm oil and coconut oil. Not the exact one you used. Do you think that can affect the texture as it had coconut oil? Thanks for replying, Lisa!!
Ahh, that could likely play a role if it’s a blend of coconut oil. More coconut oil would likely affect the texture or ability to hold together as it has a lower melt point.
I ordered my daughter to have just ONE cookie as we are having carne asada steak and fries. I have just scoffed 3 ?. I’m such a hypocrite! I ran out of almond flour so blitzed up some oats, I couldn’t get them any finer however the cookies are still yummy and of course more-ish! They have a flapjack kind of texture. Will definitely make those once the almond flour arrives. Biscotti baking in the oven….
Oh, too funny! Haha. And at least now you’ll know how they taste with almond flour vs oat flour. So you can tell your daughter that you were just taste testing and you needed to be “really” sure. ;) x
Hi Lisa. I can’t use coconut sugar, Can I sub stevia powder which would be 1 TBSP. Will this work?
Hi Cyndy – I haven’t tried this recipe with stevia, so I’m not sure how that would turn out. But it’s always worth a try. :)
Lisa,
I am new to your site and see you use coconut palm oil in many of your baked goods. Have you researched the health/adverse effects of Palm oil? The American Heart Assoc recently came out with a recommendation to use coconut oil on your body but not in your body. I would like your take on this.
Thanks, Jenny B
Hi Jenny – I do use coconut oil (and to a lesser degree, palm oil) in many of my baked goods. I’ve also read the article from the American Heart Association which has been widely debunked. Here are a couple of articles you might find interesting: http://drhyman.com/blog/2017/06/26/coconut-oil/ and https://draxe.com/coconut-oil-healthy/ As someone who’s worked in healthcare/biotech for 10 years, I always remind people to “follow the money” – meaning, who funded the research/study as it can indicate a clear bias. In all honesty, the sugar in these recipes would do far more damage to your body than the coconut oil. But cookies are a dessert recipe after all, so I’m okay with a little splurge. ;) x
OH MY GAWD…this recipe is the bomb girl! WE made these and it was moist yummy and delicious… We did add 1/4 cup more chocalate chips…YUMMO!! Thank you!
Yay! So happy you like the recipe! And more chocolate chips always sounds like a good idea. ;) x
OMG these look sooo freakin good!!! the only thing tho is that I don’t have any palm shortening… do you think I can replace the shortening to vegan butter??? and if so, does it have to be solid (like Harden in the fridge??)
Hi Kate – I haven’t tried them with a vegan butter, but I think they’d work! And yes, it should be in a fairly solid state (comparable to a shortening), as you need to cream it with the other ingredients. Let me know how it turns out! :) x
Wow I’m impressed! I doubled the recipe right off the bat knowing these would be good. I used butter instead of the shortening and for half the butter I subbed smooth raw almond butter, and I also added one egg and some chopped walnuts. The flavor and texture are almost identical to that familiar classical chocolate chip cookie I grew up on! Amazing, my new favorite. Thank you!
Yay – that’s wonderful to hear Risa! And love the modifications you made. I actually have a ton of almond butter leftover from filming this video https://downshiftology.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-butter/ …so I think almond butters cookies are on the horizon as well. Thanks so much for your feedback! :) x
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Omg!!!!! Lisa, these are the best gluten free, vegan, paleo chocolate chip cookies I have ever had!!! I just made them, fresh out of the oven and they are AMAZING!!! No need to look further, you nailed it! Thank YOU!!! D :-)
Yay – I’m so happy to hear you love them!! :) x
Quick question: these look like the kind of cookies my household would enjoy, the only issue I have is that we are all allergic to all nuts and wheat therefore we love any grain free recipes, but we are unable to use almond flour :(… Would you be able to recommend how to replace the almond flour with coconut flour for example?
Unfortunately, using coconut flour would change the liquid ratios across the board, as it’s highly absorbent. It would also have a different texture. Not that that’s bad…it’s just different and an entirely new recipe. I can play around with it and add it to my “to do” list though! Are you able to eat tapioca/cassava flours? You might also be interested in my nut-free pancake recipe, which is delicious! :)
Thecoconutmama has a couple of choc chip cookie recipes using coconut flour. It’s always better to use a recipe that someone has experimented with when using coconut flour because it cooks very differently. You might be able to substitute cassava flour on a 1 to 1 basis in a cookie recipe, but I haven’t tried it.
I’ve made this recipe several times and even thought the taste is very yummy they turn out greasy… what am I doing wrong? I even reduced coconut oil. I used butter that was completely room temperature maybe that was my mistake? butter too soft?
Hi Vivian – that could be the culprit. Palm shortening at room temperature is still more solid than butter at room temperature. And I haven’t yet tested this recipe using butter. I’m glad you love the flavor though…so it might just take another try or two! :)
So…all you are really avoiding is wheat and dairy with this recipe? It’s still loaded with carbohydrates. And what’s the point of coconut sugar? It’s main sweetening component is sucrose (about 1/2 glucose and 1/2 fructose). And let’s face it: sugar is sugar is sugar. A lot of trouble and expense to not eat a couple of tablespoons of wheat flour.
Just curious if you have tried making these with cassava flour
Hi Cindy – I have not. But given how popular they’e been, I guarantee that more cookies (and some using cassava flour) will be in your future! ;) x
these cookies look FAB! can’t wait to try them out. the recipe is totally up my alley. :)
Love to hear that! Thanks Renee! :) x
Wauww these look amazing! I’ve never used/seen palm shortening before but I’ll keep my eyes open so I can make these soon! :)
Palm shortening is great go-to for baking! And a perfect butter alternative for non-dairy folks. Glad you like them Sophie! :) x
Does the coconut milk have to be canned and also does it need to be put in the fridge overnight?
Hi Jenn – I used canned full-fat coconut milk as it’s thicker and creamier than what you’d buy in the grocery refrigerator section (and doesn’t have flavorings/other ingredients). Mine wasn’t cold, just room temperature and I shook it to make sure it was all combined before opening. You could definitely use any type of coconut milk/almond milk, but if it’s thinner you may need to add a bit more almond flour. Let me know how they turn out! :) x
These are amazing! I’ve made a similar recipe many times but never thought of using coconut sugar. The texture looks perfect :-)
Thanks Aimee! And yes, I think the coconut sugar makes all the difference. One can never have too many cookie recipes, right? ;) x
We made these tonight but they just didn’t come out right for whatever reason. Too soft and just fell apart to easily. Seemed a bit too oily as well. I’ll attempt the recipe again and see if maybe I did something wrong.
Bummer! I find that the brand of almond flour and/or coconut milk can sometimes play a role in baking. You may have to tweak slightly based on your ingredients. Maybe add a little more almond flour or reduce the coconut oil? Good luck! :) x
We use Honeyville Almond flour. That’s what I’m thinking. I’ll let you know when I do. Thanks for getting back.
These cookies DEFINITELY look and sound like a game changer. Yum! For sure pack these on your upcoming trip :)
I’ve already had to put the remaining cookies in the freezer – otherwise I’d eat them all! ;) x