Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp ground/milled flaxseed; 2½ tbsp 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 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt; 1 cup all-purpose flour (*SEE NOTES); ½ cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

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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!

vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on parchment with a spoon of peanut butter

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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!

vegan peanut butter cookies split in half and stacked on top of each other

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.

two vegan peanut butter cookies side by side

Ingredients Needed

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.

ingredients to make vegan peanut butter cookies in bowls with labels

Step By Step Instructions

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.

step by step showing how to make vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

spoon showing texture of a flax egg — flax egg

vegan peanut butter cookies dough on baking sheet — flax egg

Do I have to chill the cookie dough?

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.

Why are my cookies not soft?

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.

Why didn't my cookies spread?

This is likely a case of over-measuring your flour. Too much flour will also lead to dry, dense, or crumbly cookies.

Can I add crushed peanuts to these cookies?

Absolutely! Chopped peanuts add a lovely crunch to the cookies.

Can I make these cookies with dairy and eggs?

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.

Why don't my cookies have the ridges on top like yours?

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.

vegan peanut butter cookies split in half with more cookies around them

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!

vegan peanut butter cookies stacked on each other with more cookies around them

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

vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on parchment with text overlay

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.