Best Chewy Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Who Makes Who Makes the World’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies?

You do! Trust me, you can perfect dairy-free baking at home! This recipe is designed to give you a foul-proof, classic chocolate chip cookie that you can use over and over again.

These dairy-free chocolate chip cookies will flip your family on their heads in disbelief! My kids gobbled these up and had no idea they had no dairy.

If dairy-free cookies are your thing, you're going to want to try all of our other cookie recipes! Oat flour peanut butter cookies and small batch chocolate chip cookies (both dairy-free cookie recipes) as well as our healthy cookie dough and healthy no-bake cookie dough bites.

Why You Should Make These Cookies

Here are the top 4 reasons to make these dairy-free chocolate chip cookies:

1. Use simple pantry ingredients. You only need a few simple ingredients to make these cookies from scratch, and you can do so without shortening!
2. These cookies are super customizable, you can add in walnuts or other nuts or top them with sea salt.
3. Perfect classic texture. Chewy and soft on the inside, moist, with crispy edges make for a delicious bakery-style treat that you won't believe there is no dairy!
4. Works for many dietary restrictions. Gluten-free, no dairy, and can be made with no egg and vegan by using an egg replacer. It is the perfect recipe if you have a dairy allergy or are avoiding dairy.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements.

Wet Ingredients

• Vegan buttery sticks: I've tested this recipe with coconut oil and vegan butter and I highly recommend using Earth Balance buttery sticks overusing coconut oil to maintain the buttery flavor and reduce crumbling. I have not tested it with shortening so I am not able to comment on how to use it.
• Brown Sugar: I highly recommend making these cookies with light brown sugar and not substituting coconut sugar. Substituting with coconut sugar may cause the cookies to be flat and sticky.
• White Sugar: Use granulated sugar to provide structure and crisp texture.
• Eggs and Egg Yolk: Eggs and egg yolks provide binding and moisture to the cookie dough.
• Vanilla Extract: Provides a delicious warm flavor and vanilla fragrance.

Dry Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: For gluten-free dairy-free cookies, use a gluten-free flour blend like Bob's Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Flour. I've tested these cookies with this flour and it works very well. Do not substitute for almond flour.
• Baking soda: Ensure you have fresh baking soda and that you are using baking soda, not baking powder. Baking powder can cause cookies to rise too much leaving them cakey.
• Arrowroot: Arrowroot or cornstarch creates a delicate and soft texture.
• Salt: Salt enhances and balances the sweet flavor.

Other Ingredients

• Dairy-free chocolate chips: Enjoy Life and Simply Delicious Semi-Sweet Morsels are two of the best dairy-free dark chocolate chips I have used. For this recipe, I used dark chocolate Enjoy Life Mini morsels.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies without Butter

Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.

• Steps 1 through 3: Measure out the dry ingredients and whisk them together in a large bowl. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegan butter sticks.
• Step 4: Add in eggs and egg white and beat until smooth.

• Step 5: Add in vanilla and mix.
• Steps 6 and 7: Begin to add in dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
• Step 8: Fold in dairy-free chocolate chips.

• Step 9: For the best results, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 2 hours.
• Step 10: Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out 18 equal-sized cookies.
• Step 11: Place the cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on a cookie or baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. Alternatively, you can make tablespoon-sized balls.
• Step 12: Bake cookies at 325 for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before moving to a cooling rack.

Tips for Baking Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Correct measurement is key. Be sure to measure your flour using the scoop and level method and make sure you pack the brown sugar.
• Don't skip the chill. Chilling the dough is the secret to non flat cookies! Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to ensure that your cookies do not spread. You do not want to skip this step!
• The butter should be at room temperature. You do not need to use melted butter when creaming the sugar and butter. Room temperature butter works best.
• Do not substitute ingredients listed, especially flour. No substitutions other than those noted have been tested with this recipe. I do not recommend swapping almond flour or coconut flour for all-purpose flour in making this recipe. Check out my no brown sugar cookies for a cookie made without brown sugar.
• Cookie Cake Directions: Try pressing this cookie dough into a pie plate sprayed with cooking spray to make a yummy cookie cake! Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350F.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container with a piece of bread for up to a week on the counter.
• Make Ahead and Freezer Instructions: Freeze cookie dough in balls on a cookie or baking sheet until frozen and then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. The balls of dough can be baked right from frozen with additional minutes added on as necessary.

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