Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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These vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are thick, soft, with a hint of cinnamon and warm spices. They’re so easy to make and come together in under 30 minutes - no chill time!

vegan oatmeal cookies on parchment paper with chocolate chips scattered around

Oatmeal cookies are one of my favorite comfort foods. Although I have dairy free oatmeal cookies on the site already, I wanted to create a vegan oatmeal cookie that was egg free and just as good. And let's just say - mission accomplished!

These vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies check all the boxes for an oatmeal cookie in my books. Plus, they use simple ingredients and are so easy to make, even if you’re new to vegan baking!

Why These Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Work

The recipe uses ground cinnamon and ground cloves to give the cookies their warm, cozy spice.
These cookies are thick and soft, not crispy and thin!
You can customize these vegan chocolate chip oat cookies by adding chopped nuts, cranberries, or make them as vegan oatmeal raisin cookies!
This recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes, and the cookies can be easily frozen!
I like to make these as bigger cookies, around 3 tablespoon, sized, but you can make them smaller if you'd like to!

Ingredients Needed

Ground/milled flaxseed: To replace the eggs, flax eggs are used as a binder to hold the cookies together. Mixing ground flaxseed with water creates a gel-like substance that has a similar consistency to eggs. Note that the flaxseeds must be ground, not whole. You can also use chia seeds to make chia eggs instead.
Flour: these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies work best with all-purpose flour. You can substitute with part white whole wheat flour, though the cookies may be more dense.
Old Fashioned Oats: this recipe calls for old fashioned, rolled oats, or large flake oats, not quick oats or steel-cut oats..
Chocolate Chips: You can use vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, a chopped up semi-sweet vegan chocolate bar, or dark chocolate as well.

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: Make the flax egg. In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseed with the warm water. Stir and set aside until it reaches a gel-like consistency, around 10-15 minutes.

When it’s ready, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.

STEP TWO: In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat vegan butter, white sugar, and light brown sugar together until light and fluffy, around 1-2 minutes. Stir in the flax eggs and vanilla extract.

STEP THREE: Pour in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and other mix-ins if using.

STEP FOUR: Use a large cookie scoop or your hands to form 3 tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place on the cookie sheet. Add more chocolate on top of the dough if desired.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the edges look set and slightly golden.

How Do I Make Flax Eggs?

Flax eggs are super easy to make! All you need to do is combine warm water with ground flaxseeds (not whole flaxseeds) in a bowl and let it sit until the mixture is gel-like. It should have a similar consistency to an egg.

The water and flaxseed should sit for 10-15 minutes before the flax eggs are ready. If a layer of water forms on top of the flax egg after it's ready, you can spoon out the extra bit of water before using the flax eggs.

FAQs and Expert Tips

Are oatmeal cookies unhealthy?

These cookies are vegan, but they are still cookies. They use vegan butter, sugar, and all-purpose flour so I wouldn’t call them healthy. But hey, life’s short 🙂

What other mix-ins can I add to these vegan oatmeal cookies?

These vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are so customizable, which is part of why I love them! You can get as creative as you’d like with the add-ins, but here are some of my favorites:

- Raisins
- Dried cherries
- Vegan peanut butter baking chips
- Sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, or other nuts
- Shredded coconut
- Dried cranberries
- Chopped white chocolate

Can I use quick oats in this recipe?

Quick oats are more ground up than old fashioned oats, which means they have a finer texture and cook faster. This recipe was tested many times to achieve the perfect flour-to-oat ratio that gives you a thick, chewy cookie. Using quick oats will alter the results so I don’t recommend it.

Can I make these oatmeal cookies with dairy or eggs if I'm not vegan?

If you don't follow a vegan diet, I recommend trying this oatmeal cookie recipe instead.

vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies stacked on top of each other with oats in the background

Expert Tips

Properly measure your flour: Always, always, always properly measure your flour using a kitchen scale or the scoop and level method. Too much flour will make the cookies dense and crumbly.
Don’t over-mix: Be gentle when stirring the flax eggs into the dough. They only need to be mixed until just incorporated.
Add some extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies to get those delicious gooey puddles of chocolate!
If the vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies aren’t perfectly round when they come out of the oven, there’s a hack for that! Grab a ramekin or wide rim cup and gently cover the cookie (while still warm), then swirl the ramekin around in a circle to shape the edges. If the cookies come out too flat for some reason, you can do this to fix that too!

Storage and Freezing Instructions

Store the cookies for up to 5 days at room temperature in an air tight container.

You can also freeze the baked cookies in a ziploc bag for 2-3 months and thaw at room temperature.

To freeze the cookie dough for later, place the dough (formed into balls) on the baking sheet and place in the freezer until they are solid (they don’t have to be frozen completely).

Take the balls of dough off the baking sheet and place in a ziploc bag, then freeze for up to 2 months. Let them come to room temperature before baking.

More Vegan Cookies 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!

The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.