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These vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, loaded with chocolate and so easy to make! They take just 20 minutes, there's no chill time, and you only need 10 simple ingredients!
Peanut butter cookies are such a childhood favorite of mine- and I know I'm not alone! My soft and chewy peanut butter cookies are one of the most popular recipes on the blog so I knew I had to make a recipe for vegan peanut butter cookies that was both dairy free AND egg free!
Vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are the perfect cookie to dip in a glass of milk, and did I mention how easy they are to make? Almost too easy - you'll be running to the kitchen to make more!
Why These Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Work
- Peanut butter can sometimes make cookies dry and chalky - but not these! These recipe only uses 1 cup of flour, which helps make the cookies soft and chewy.
- These cookies are loaded with chocolate chips - and we all know that peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven!
- This recipe requires ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
- You can make these cookies soft and thick, or you can make them flat and crispy if that's more your style! All you have to do is add 1 tablespoon of vegan milk to the dough. In the photo below, the one on the left is has milk added into the dough (thin and crispy), and the one on the right does not.
Ingredient Notes
- Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter works best, and I like to use regular Jif or Skippy peanut butter instead of natural. You can use natural but the cookies texture will be affected slightly.
- Ground/milled flaxseed: The ground flaxseed mixed with water acts as an egg substitute (please note that it must be ground, not whole!). You can also use chia seeds to make a chia egg instead.
- Flour: These cookies work best with all-purpose flour.
- Brown sugar/white sugar: I don't recommend substituting other sugars, but you could use coconut sugar instead of the brown sugar if that's all you have.
- Chocolate chips: I recommend semisweet or dark chocolate in these cookies, since it balances out the sweetness and goes so well with peanut butter! You can use semisweet chocolate chips or chopped up vegan baking chocolate. You could even use vegan white chocolate chips, crushed peanuts, or leave the chocolate chips out.
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 by adding the flax to a bowl with warm water. Stir and set it aside until the consistency is gel-like (around 10-15 minutes).
STEP TWO: When the flax egg is ready, preheat the oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer until smooth.
STEP THREE: Add both sugars and mix until light and fluffy, then stir in the flax egg and vanilla extract.
STEP FOUR: Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined (don't over-mix!). Stir in the chocolate chips.
STEP FIVE: Make 1.5 tablespoon sized balls of dough and bake one tray at a time for 8-11 minutes or until the edges and middle look slightly set. Let cool for 15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
flax egg 
peanut butter cookie dough
FAQs and Expert Tips
Nope! No chill time required. Note that if you made any substitutions to the recipe, they may spread more. Sometimes I like to bake one cookie first to see if I want the dough chilled or not.
Over-baking the cookies will lead to hard cookies, so keep a close eye on them when they're in the oven. The edges should be golden brown and the cookies should look slightly soft in the middles.
This is likely a case of over-measuring your flour. Too much flour will also lead to dry, dense, or crumbly cookies.
Absolutely! Chopped peanuts add a lovely crunch to the cookies.
If you do not follow a vegan diet, I would recommend trying these soft and chewy peanut butter cookies, then add chocolate chips to them.
This ridges on top of the cookies are from using a cookie scoop! If you just make the cookie dough balls with your hands they will be smooth on top.
Expert Tips
- Properly measuring your flour is crucial for soft peanut butter cookies. I highly recommend a $10 kitchen scale since measuring your ingredients is the most accurate option. If you don't have one, you can learn how to properly measure your flour here.
- Press some extra chocolate chips into the dough before it's baked to create gooey pools of chocolate on the cookies!
- Don't over-mix the flax egg into the dough. It just has to be gently stirred into the bowl.
- For thin and crispy cookies, add 1 tablespoon of vegan milk to the cookie dough.
- I love to sprinkle sea salt on the cookies after they're baked, I love how it balances out the sweetness!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
The cookies will last up to 5 days at room temperature in an air tight container.
You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer ziploc bag. When ready to eat, remove the cookies from the freezer and leave them at room temperature until thawed.
MORE VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE
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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!
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground/milled flaxseed
- 2½ tablespoon warm water
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened
- ½ cup creamy/smooth peanut butter (SEE NOTES)
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour *SEE NOTES
- ½ cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of milled/ground flaxseed and 2½ tablespoon of warm water to a small bowl. Stir and set aside until the mixture becomes thick and gelatinous (around 10-15 minutes). *SEE NOTES
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat butter and peanut butter together until smooth.
- Mix in brown sugar and white sugar for 1 minute. Add in the flax egg and vanilla extract.
- Mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda until combined. Do not over-mix! Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form 1.5 tablespoon sized balls of dough. Press a few more chocolate chips into the top of each cookie (if desired). Put the dough onto the baking sheets, around 3-4 inches apart and bake one sheet at a time, for 8-11 minutes. The edges will look golden brown.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes (you can sprinkle with some sea salt if desired), then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Melissa
So fun to bake these with littles! My husband has a huge sweet tooth and is hard to impress, and he said they're THE BEST 💕
Gabby
Hi Melissa! I am so happy to hear that the cookies were a hit! How sweet that you baked them with your little ones and so glad it got your husband's stamp of approval too! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review 😀
Alyssa DelTurco
AMAZING I’ve made these 2 or three times now and they’re my GF’s new favorite cookie. I use all coconut sugar and for the “brown sugar” I mix it with maple syrup until it’s a similar consistency. And use GF flour. Still turns out awesome. LOVE!!
Gabby
Hi Alyssa! Yay!!! I'm so happy to hear that you both love the cookies and that they turn out well with the substitutions! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂
Tanya Small
Best peanut butter chocolate cookies ever. The combo of soft and chewy is on point!
Gabby
Hi Tanya! I'm happy to hear that, what a compliment! Thanks so much for the review!
Shayla
Mmmm, soo yummy! My daughter made me try a bite of hers. I ate 4 right after that
Gabby
Hi Shayla! I'm so happy to hear that you both loved the cookies! Thanks for the review 🙂
Daniella
These are delicious and easy and my 3 year old loves them!
Gabby
Hi Daniella! I'm so glad to hear that they are kid-approved! Thanks so much for stopping by 😀
Anna Frevola
Last minute company and these are my go to. Easy quick and most of all delish! Such great instructions. Great recipe
Gabby
Hi Anna! So glad that you that you found the recipe easy to follow and that they were a hit with your guests! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Pat
I love peanut butter and these are the best!
Gabby
Hi Pat! So happy to hear that you loved the recipe! Thanks so much for stopping by 😀
Leah Henderson
best cookies ever!
Gabby
Hi Leah! I'm so happy to hear that you liked them - thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
Simmy
Hi! Can I use dairy free spread in place of vegan butter?
Gabby
Hi Simmy - yes you sure can! 🙂
Simran
Thank you! Going to try them today!