These dairy free chocolate chip cookies have the perfect texture with crispy edges and a chewy middle. They require only 9 simple ingredients and no chill time! Plus they’re ready in less than 20 minutes.

Update: This recipe was originally published in 2018 and has been republished with all new photos.

These truly are the best homemade chocolate chip cookies whether you’re avoiding dairy or not. I’ve made them so many times and fed them to countless dairy loving people. Not a single person has noticed the lack of butter or milk. I mean it. You truly can’t tell.

Each bite is chewy and loaded with chocolate. Soft, with a little crisp, and every bit as delicious as classic chocolate chip cookies you’ll find in any bakery. Good luck not eating the whole baking sheet of cookies, friend.

So how do I make them dairy free? Instead of shortening or butter I use a combination of coconut oil and a vegan butter. My go to brand is Earth Balance. Their vegan buttery sticks are awesome for baking. (Not sponsored. I’m just telling you what I use.) Mine come from Whole Foods but I suspect most natural food stores will carry them.

In December I keep tins full of yummy treats on the kitchen counter that we munch on while we’re in the midst of all the Christmas stuff. If you’re looking for more holiday treat inspiration I recommend Vickey’s Party Mix, Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars, Orange Almond Cookies, Almond Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, No Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies, and Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies (this is my version with dairy).

Ingredients for Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Coconut oil: Be sure to use refined coconut oil so your cookies don’t have any coconut flavor.
  • Vegan butter: I recommend Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks but use whatever vegan butter you prefer. Do not melt the butter before beating into the cookie dough mixture. Melted butter will give you cookies that spread too much when baking.
  • Brown sugar: You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar.
  • Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is also known as white sugar and it’s the sugar you’ll see most often in baking.
  • Baking soda: We only use a small amount of baking soda but it’s an important ingredient for chewier cookies.
  • Eggs: The eggs help us achieve the chewy cookie texture we want.
  • Vanilla extract: It doesn’t take much vanilla but it adds so much flavor.
  • Flour: We’re using all purpose flour for these dairy-free chocolate chip cookies.
  • Chocolate chips: To keep these cookies dairy free be sure to select dairy free chocolate chips. I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips in these cookies but dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips also work well. You can even use chocolate chunks if you like!

How to Make the Best Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

First beat the coconut oil and vegan butter in a large mixing bowl. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and baking soda. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the flour until well combined. Now stir in your chocolate chips.

Use a spoon or cookie scoop to create dough balls. Spoon the balls of dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake. Bake time can vary a bit depending on the size of your cookies. Immediately after baking gently press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of each cookie. This will make your cookies look like they came from a bakery! The best cookies will have chewy centers, crisp edges, and plenty of melty chocolate chips (the best part)!

Refined vs Unrefined Coconut Oil

Refined coconut oil has little to no coconut flavor so I strongly recommend using that. An unrefined coconut oil will have a strong coconut flavor which I think detracts from the classic chocolate chip cookie taste we want.

Should you melt the coconut oil and butter?

You do not want to use melted coconut oil or melted butter in this dairy free chocolate chip cookie recipe. Melting those ingredients will cause the cookies to spread too much as they bake.

What kind of chocolate chips are best in these cookies?

To keep these cookies dairy free you’ll want purchase dairy-free chocolate chips or allergy friendly chocolate chips. These are easily found in most grocery stores on the baking aisle beside regular chocolate chips. You should see a label that indicates they’re vegan chocolate chips but if you’re unsure simply reading the ingredient list and look to see if milk is an ingredient.

I really love the Simply Delicious Semi-Sweet Morsels from Nestle Tollhouse. They’re made with only 3 ingredients: organic chocolate, organic cocoa butter, and organic cane sugar. Walmart even carries them! This is the option I see most often.

How to Store Chocolate Chip Cookies

Store the finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

More recipes like this:

Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

Almond Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

No Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

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4.91 from 10 votes

Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

These dairy free chocolate chip cookies have the perfect texture with crispy edges and a chewy middle. They require only 9 simple ingredients and no chill time! Plus they're ready in less than 20 minutes!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes

Ingredients 

  • ¼ cup refined coconut oil, not melted
  • ½ cup vegan butter, I recommend Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, not melted
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2½ cups all purpose flour
  • 12 ounces dairy free semi-sweet morsels, can use dark chocolate chips or chunks if you prefer

Optional: Extra 1/2 cup dairy free semi-sweet morsels to add to the top of each cookie after baking.

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    • In a large mixing bowl beat vegan butter and coconut oil on medium for 30 seconds.
    • Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and baking soda. Beat until combined.
    • Beat in eggs and vanilla.
    • Slowly beat in flour until all combined.
    • Stir in 12 oz of chocolate chips.
    • Spoon dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. I prefer smaller cookies so I use a small scoop but it’s all a matter of preference.
    • Bake for 7 1/2 – 8 minutes. (If you’re doing larger cookies you may require a little extra time.) Optional: As soon as you remove the sheet from the oven add a few chocolate chips to the top of each cookie. The cookies will be very soft so you can easily press the chips into the top. This ensures that every cookie looks every bit as chocolatey as it is!
    • Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

    Notes

    To ensure you get the perfect cookie every time make sure you’re doing the following:
    Carefully measure your ingredients. Too much flour makes cookies dry. Too little flour makes them soupy.
    Do not overcook them. I make smaller cookies and 7 1/2 minutes is the optimal baking time. Increase the time to 8 to 10 minutes for larger cookies but pay attention to them. Cookies should look a little doughy when you remove them from the oven with a bit of browning around the bottom. They firm up quickly while they sit to give you a deliciously chewy texture.
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @thewholecook and hashtag it #thewholecook on Instagram.

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