Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These dairy free chocolate chip cookies are soft, gooey, with slightly crispy edges and a buttery flavour you would never expect from dairy free cookies. They have just 9 ingredients, take 20 minutes to make and there’s no chill time required!
I avoided creating my own dairy free chocolate chip cookie recipe for a long time, because there are so many recipes out there.
But what’s great about classic chocolate chip cookies is that everyone has their own version of what the perfect cookie is – so this is mine!
These dairy free cookies are SO good, I can easily sit down and eat 8 of them. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything… 😉 They are super easy to make, but hard to stop eating.
If you’re looking for more dairy free cookie recipes, you’ll love my dairy free oatmeal cookies or my dairy free peanut butter cookies!
Why These Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Work
- These cookies are dairy free and nut free but no one would ever be able to tell! They have a delicious buttery flavor (even without any real dairy butter!)
- These cookies are thick and so soft and gooey inside.
- You can easily freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies!
- This recipe is easy, uses simple ingredients, and comes together in just 20 minutes.
- This recipe uses just one egg instead of two, which keeps the cookies from being cakey.
- These dairy free chocolate chip cookies pair well with a variety of different add ins, like white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or chopped nuts!
Ingredients Needed
We all know how hard it is to find a perfect dairy free chocolate chip cookie recipe, so for that reason I don’t recommend any major substitutions to the basic ingredients (except for the chocolate chips). A few notes about the ingredients:
- Butter: You can use any kind of dairy free butter for this recipe. If you don’t follow a dairy free diet, these also work great with regular butter.
- All-purpose Flour: I don’t recommend substituting all flour in the recipe, as using another type of flour will greatly affect the cookies. However, you can replace up to one third of the flour with white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour without it changing the cookies too much!
- Light Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar is recommended for this recipe but dark brown sugar will still work in a pinch. The cookies will have a slightly different flavor and texture.
- Chocolate Chips: I love using semisweet chocolate chips, but you can use any chocolate chips that you’d like (even vegan white chocolate chips). I also sometimes like to chop up a chocolate bar and use chocolate chunks.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350° F and prepare your baking sheets. Add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer and beat them together until light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes).
STEP TWO: Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, then continue beating, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
STEP THREE: Add the dry ingredients and continue mixing until a dough forms, then add in the chocolate (chopped chunks or chips).
STEP FOUR: Use a medium cookie scoop or make 1.5 tbsp sized balls of dough and place them on the baking sheet, roughly 3-4 inches apart. Bake the cookies for around 8-11 minutes, then cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Please use a kitchen scale or the scoop and level method to properly measure your flour! This is the most common baking mistake I see and the cookies will not turn out as they should if you use too much flour.
- When in doubt, under-bake your cookies rather than over-baking them. One of the key factors in a perfectly soft chocolate chip cookie is to take them out of the oven when they look slightly under-baked. They will continue to bake on the baking sheet and stay soft for days if they aren’t over-baked to begin with!
- If you’re not using a scale to measure your brown sugar, be sure to pack it down. Brown sugar should be packed down in the measuring cup with your fingers or the back of a spoon until it is flat on top and aligns with the rim of the measuring cup.
Storage Instructions
These dairy free chocolate chip cookies will be best when fresh, but you can store them in an airtight container or ziploc bag at room temperature for 5-6 days.
If you want to replicate that fresh out of the oven texture a day or two after baking them, pop one in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.
They will now be gooey and warm again! Just be sure to eat the cookies right after they’ve been microwaved, or else they will harden.
The baked cookies can also be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to eat them.
To freeze the cookie dough, form it into balls with a cookie scoop and place them on a parchment lined plate in the freezer until they are semi-frozen.
You can then place them all into a ziploc freezer bag and freeze them for up to 2 months.
More Dairy Free Recipes You’ll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (158 g) dairy free butter, softened , (or regular butter if not dairy free)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (105 g) light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 cup + 2 tbsp (268 g) all-purpose flour
- ½-¾ cup dairy free chocolate chips or chopped chocolate , (I use semisweet)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, combine butter and sugars, mixing until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract, and beat until just combined (do not over-mix!).
- Mix in the dry ingredients until a dough forms. Toss in the chocolate and mix until just combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to make 1.5-2 tbsp sized balls and place them on the baking sheet around 3-4 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies (one sheet at a time for even baking) for 8-11 minutes. Remove them from the oven when the edges look set. They will look under-baked in the middle! Remove from the oven and leave them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Me and my sister have been on a hunt to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and she recently can’t have dairy. This is our new favorite and beats any cookie recipe even with dairy. We cannot stop making and eating these!!
This made my day! I am so happy you both loved the cookies so much! Thanks for the review Rach 😀
10/10 great resepy
Where are the amount of ingredients you need to use??????😓
Scroll up a bit, they’re right above where you left this comment 🙂
Where are the amount of ingredients you need to use??????
Delicious, cookies tasted amazing. I really like the recipe functionality of making 2x or 3x times, that made it really easy to follow as I was making a lot. Will be my go to chocolate chip recipe!
I’m so happy you loved the cookies Melanie! Thanks so much for the review 😀
Hiya how are we meant to know how much ingredients to use x
The recipe is right above where you left this comment
Very good!
I’m so glad you loved them David!
These are it! I’ve tried many dairy free chocolate chip cookie recipes and been disappointed, but these are amazing! I was out of eggs so I subbed 1/4 cup of applesauce and it worked perfectly. These cookies are chewy, “buttery,” not too sweet, and just oh so perfect!
I’m so happy you loved them Grace! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
I’m confused as to why these are considered dairy free when they use both butter and chocolate chips. They are delicious, but “dairy free”? Not to a dietitian.
These cookies use dairy free butter and dairy free chocolate chips
I’ve been dairy free for 10 years and somehow my stomach didn’t combust when I made these! It’s a miracle. I simply followed the recipe and used a dairy-free butter and dairy-free chocolate chips, like she suggests.
Dietician approved!
Are these cookies considered vegan?
Hi Brittany! This recipe uses an egg, so the cookies are not vegan. You can try using a flax egg if you want to make them vegan.
Hi! What adjustments would you recommend for high altitude?
Hi Maddie, I don’t specialize in high altitude baking, but you could try increasing the oven temperature by 25°F and lower the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Here is a more detailed resource that could help!
It’s delicious I want to make, can you tell me how many grams of butter
Hi Manal! It’s 158 grams of butter 🙂 Enjoy!
my new go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies! couldn’t stop eating them
Hi Marly! So glad to hear that! They are my favorite too 🙂 Thanks for the review!
This cookie recipe is gorgeous….. First time that i made this kind of cookies and
I loved the taste and texture, and its so easy to prepare it…
Hi Marilys! I’m so happy to hear that you loved the cookies! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
This recipe is perfect and just like regular chocolate chip cookies but non-dairy friendly for my allergy baby! Thank you so much. They are delicious!
Make sure you take them out and finish cooking on the tray like the instructions say- it’s makes them perfect!
Hi Kim! Yay, I am SO happy to hear that you loved the cookies! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂
Came out great and they were very fluffy like cake almost, highly recommended you try this!
Hi Shelby! I’m so happy to hear that you loved the cookies! If they were fluffy or cakey the flour may have been over-easured or the butter and sugar were beaten for too long – they haven’t ever turned out like that for me before! But as long as you loved them, then that’s great to hear! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review! 😀
I baked these for my lactose intolerant teenager. Like Shelby, mine came out fluffy and cakey. I must have beaten the butter and sugar too long. They were still so delicious, but next time I’ll be sure not to over beat the ingredients. Thanks for the recipe!
Amazing recipe for a soft chocolate chip cookie!! I also froze the dough and it worked out perfectly to bake half on another day!
Hi Jill! I’m so glad you loved the cookies! I always like to keep a stash of cookie dough in the freezer too 🙂
I have had to adapt to a dairy free lifestyle because of my baby. Thank you so much for this recipe! My husband isn’t fond of many of my dairy free foods, but he said these cookies were better than “regular” chocolate chip cookies. We LOVE them!
Hi Mallorie! Wow what a compliment! I’m so happy that the cookies were a hit, and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
These were super easy and delicious! Definitely making them again!
Hi Kristina! I’m so happy to hear that you loved them! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂
Was looking for something to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon and these cookies were absolutely the right choice! So soft and delicious. Your suggestion about when in doubt, under-bake them, was really helpful because I always tend to over-bake. I’m so happy these turned out so well!
Hi Ellen! Nothing better than making chocolate chip cookies on the weekend! I am so happy to hear that you loved the recipe and that you found the tips helpful too! Thanks so much for giving it a try and for coming back to leave a review 🙂
These cookies were amazing and didn’t last long at our place. I used real butter, although I am only imagine they would taste just as good with a vegan alternative. I don’t have a mixer and was a little nervous that they wouldn’t turn out, but they were SO tasty! Will be making again, very soon 🙂
Hi Chelsea! I’m so happy to hear that you loved the recipe! Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Such an easy recipe for any level of baker! Also appreciate the helpful tips!
10/10 will make these again!
Hi Adrienne! I’m so happy to hear that you found the tips helpful and the recipe easy to follow! Thanks so much for giving it a try 🙂
Thanks for the cookie recipe.Please can I skip the eggs?
Hi Marist! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 I have never made these cookies without eggs so I can’t say how they will turn out. You could try replacing them with flax eggs or with a few tablespoons of vegan milk! If you’re using milk I would try a little bit at a time and add it at the end so that you can see how each addition affects the consistency of the dough. Good luck!
Move over gma because THESE are the BEST chocolate chip cookies i’ve ever had!! Honestly nothing tops them!
Hi Shylo! Yay! I’m so happy you loved the recipe so much! Thanks so much for giving it a try 🙂