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.
Please stop advertising cookies with chocolate in as “dairy free” – my granddaughter would not be able to eat these due to the milk solids in the chocolate.
Hi Michelle, as you’ll see in the recipe card, these cookies call specifically for dairy free chocolate chips.
Wow Michelle! Do some reading or research first before throwing stones. My kids are dairy-free as well with cow’s milk protein allergy and we have found plenty of chocolate brands that do not use milk or milk solids…take a minute to read the labels. We often use a dark chocolate bar that we chop up. No need to lash out at the creator, especially when you haven’t done your own research… just a bit aggressive really!
If I wanted these to be dairy free and gluten free, could I use Red’s 1:1 flour instead of all purpose?
Yes that should work! Give it a try and let us know if it does!
I’ve been making this exact recipe for about 6 months now, I never change a thing, if we get invited to an event where I need to bring something, I make these cookies. Everyone has always loved them, definitely a staple in our household. Can’t wait to try other recipes from here!
Thank you for your review – Love to hear this!
Hi, do you think these would work baking it together in a skillet ?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why not. Let us know if you give it a try and how it worked for you!
Chilled them for 2 hours and baked them for 10 minutes. I was a little nervous at first, but they looked and tasted amazing. The perfect snack for my dad who can’t have milk products, he couldn’t stop eating them and said they were the best cookies he’s ever had!!
So happy to hear this! Thank you for your review!
This was a delicious recipe! I love that’s it’s dairy free! I used a flax egg and it turned out great! I will need to invest in a kitchen scale though, they were a little puffy even though I properly scooped the flour, but still! So good!
Thank you so much for your review!
I have made these multiple times they are so delicious I just wish I knew how long they can stay good in the freezer.
So glad you enjoyed these! You can store the cookies in a ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 2 months- just let them thaw at room temperature before enjoying!
Yes just one question how long can they be in the refrigerator for not bake?
I would say just a couple days, but if you need them to last longer than that I would freeze the dough.
The best dairy cookies I have made I just have a quick question how long can the raw cookies last in the freezer
I would say 3-6 months depending on how well they’re stored and sealed!
Okay thanks.
I loveeeeee this recipe. I learned a lot of new things about cookies xD. Thanks!
can I use salted butter and then remove the salt?
It depends on how sweet you like your cookies! I personally like desserts to be on the slightly less sweet side so I often am fine with salted butter and the added salt in the recipe. If you’d like it more sweet, then you can use just the salted butter and no added salt.
Dairy free due to baby having a dairy allergy. I’ve been struggling wanting something sweet and these hit the spot! Husband thinks they’re really good too! I’m going to try and use this recipe to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Fingers crossed they taste just as good!
Hi Brittany! Happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed these! I also have a dairy free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you could use here!
The perfect pregnancy craving fix!!!
I chopped up 2 vegan chocolate raspberries bars and added them instead of chips. Delicious! Thank you.
Hi Helen! Love the idea of chocolate raspberry bars! Thank you for your review 🩵
I made these following the recipe and they came out super puffy, almost like a cake! From the picture, I don’t think they’re supposed to be 😅 any ideas why this happened?
Hi Alicia! Sounds like there may have been too much flour use. I suggest weighing your flour with a food scale to get the right amount of flour. Also be sure to not overmix the cookie dough.
Can I use dairy-free margarine instead of vegan butter?
Hi Karen! Yes that should work.
I would like yo try this recipe for a cookie cake. How much time di I bake it for?
Hi Rhonnie! I haven’t tested this as a cookie cake so I really can’t say for sure. For a 9 inch cake I would start with 15-20 minutes and add time slowly from there.
I recently found out I was lactose intolerant and so a concern for me, someone who loves baking, was concerned about how dairy-free bakes would taste. I can honestly say these cookies are the best I have ever made. I made 12 quite large cookies.
Hi Sofia! So happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies! I also don’t eat dairy and love baking, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to make delicious treats dairy free 😉
These are the best dairy free chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. I highly recommend subbing out the vanilla extract for vanilla bean paste. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for your review! Glad you enjoyed these cookies 🍪
These are delicious! I can’t have dairy so this recipe is a lifesaver. Thank you.
Hi Daneshay! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for your review 😊
Would it be okay if I made the dough the night before and bake them the next day? Or would that ruin the cookies? Sorry, I’m new to baking from scratch. Thanks!
Hi Justice! Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough! You can find more details for freezing under the “Storage and Freezing Instructions” section. Let me know how they work out for you 😊