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Just like the classic cookies you know and love, but with no oil, no eggs, no butter, no refined sugar….and they just happen to be gluten free as well. You’ve gotta try these Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies today!
It’s always cookie time around here. My kids are dessertaholics (that’s a thing, right?). So, we tend to always have sweets of some sort in the kitchen.
I like to experiment with flavors and ingredients, but this time I decided to go classic. And these Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies do not disappoint! Totally kid approved!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Oats ~ Oats are the base of these cookies. I like to use old-fashioned rolled oats. They retain some texture, but still create a nice soft cookie. Quick-cook oats may be used instead.
Do not use steel cut oats.
While oats are inherently gluten free, they are often processed on equipment that also processes gluten. If you need a gluten free option, be sure to look for certified gluten free oats.
Flour ~ Almond flour helps keep baked goods moist. I wouldn’t recommend subbing for another flour if you don’t have to.
For a nut-free option, try oat flour or all-purpose flour. You may need a little extra liquid if you go this route. Use the step-by-step photos as a guide to what the batter should look like.
Sweetener ~ I like coconut sugar and pure maple syrup because they are unrefined and minimally processed. I also find them to be less sweet than regular white cane sugar. Be sure to use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
Brown sugar may be used in place of the coconut sugar. Note that not all sugars are vegan due to the way they are processed. Look for one with a certified vegan label or choose organic sugar which is always vegan.
Agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Nut butter ~ Cashew butter has a natural sweetness with no noticeable taste in the baked cookies.
Peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter may all be substituted. Just know that all three of these will provide noticeable flavor in the cookies.
For a nut-free option, use sunflower seed butter. Note that sunflower seeds can react with baking soda and cause a greenish color when the cookies cool. This is a natural reaction and is harmless!
Milk ~ I generally use oat milk or almond milk. Any variety of non-dairy milk, with the exception of canned coconut milk, will work. Choose an unsweetened, plain variety.
Chocolate Chips ~ Traditional chocolate chips are not vegan, but there are plenty of dairy-free brands on the market today. Our favorite are the Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chips. Feel free to use your favorite brand.
Not a chocolate lover? No problem. You can use dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped nuts instead.
How to make the recipe
These vegan cookies are so easy to make! No mixer needed. Grab the kids and let them help you….just don’t be surprised if some chocolate chips go missing along the way!
Place the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a large mixing bowl (1) and whisk to combine (2). Add the chocolate chips (3) and stir well to distribute throughout (4).
In a separate mixing bowl or large measuring cup, add the nut butter, coconut sugar, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla (6). Whisk well until smooth (7).
Pour the wet into the dry (7) and stir well to incorporate (8).
Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate and moisten all of the oats and flour. The dough should be quite sticky and hold together well when pressed.
Using clean, slightly damp hands, take a couple of tablespoons of dough and form it into a round cookie shape. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough (9).
The cookies aren’t going to spread very much, so make sure they are the size and shape you want them.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the edges start to crisp up (10).
Cool the cookies for a minute or two on the baking sheets before removing them to a wire rack (11) to cool completely.
Storage/Freezing
Store leftover vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in an air-tight container on the counter for about a week. Make sure they have cooled completely before transferring them for storage.
If you’d like to keep them longer, you can freeze them. Place them in one even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet or large plate. Place in the freezer for an hour or two. Once the cookies are frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. They should keep well for 2 to 3 months.
Pro tips for success
~ Use old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. Do not use steel cut oats.
~ Almond flour provides moisture. If you substitute for another flour, you may need to add more liquid ingredients.
~ Make sure to mix the dough well. Scrape the bottom the bowl to ensure all of the oat mixture gets moistened properly.
~ Let the dough rest for 15 minutes to allow the oats/flour to soften.
~ The cookies won’t spread much, so make sure to form them into the shape and size you want before baking.
~ Slightly dampen your hands when forming the dough to prevent it from sticking. You may need to re-dampen your hands as you go.
~ Bake until the edges are starting to crisp up. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
~ If you make the cookies about 3 inches, you will get about 18 to 20 cookies. Obviously, making them smaller will yield more cookies. Also, be mindful that smaller cookies will take less time to bake.
~ Try dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped nuts instead of chocolate chips for different variations.
~ Make the cookies are completely cooled before transferring to a container for storage.
FAQs
I prefer old-fashioned rolled oats. They provide a nice chewy texture, while still be soft enough. Quick oats will also work, but aren’t as hearty as rolled oats.
Do not use steel cut oats as they are much to hard and do not use instant oats as they are more like flour.
In the absence of egg in vegan baking, it’s important to have some fat in the recipe to make the cookies soft and moist. The nut provide healthy fats without the need for oil or butter.
I would say these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are healthier than the average cookie. They have protein, fiber, and healthy fats and contain no butter, oil, or refined sugars.
That being said, these cookies do contain a good bit of sugar and should be considered a treat.
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- Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
- Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies
- Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
- Chocolate Almond Cookies
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups certified gluten free rolled oats
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or organic brown sugar
- 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips
- ¾ cup cashew butter or your favorite nut or seed butter
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk oat, soy or almond milk work well
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, coconut sugar and chocolate chips.
- In a bowl or large measuring cup whisk together the cashew butter, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla.
- Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Let the dough sit for at least 15 minutes.
- Using slightly damp hands, form the mixture into balls and flatten into about a 2-3 inch disc. Place them on the prepared baking sheet. You may have to re-dampen your hands as you go so the dough doesn't stick.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes until starting to brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to continue cooling completely.
Megan says
Made my own cashew butter with no added oil and subbed oat/coconut milk. I’m not vegan but these were the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I’ve made in years. Love that they are wheat-free too!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Yay! I love that, Megan. Thank you!
Patrick says
Jenn – Looks like a great recipe. Not so sure if the claim of “no oil” is totally correct, though. The cashew butter link takes you to Woodstock brand cashew butter on Amazon.com. Ingredients for this cashew butter are “Dry roasted cashews, organic sunflower oil or safflower oil”.
Jenn S. says
Feel free to make homemade cashew butter!
beanpip says
I made these yesterday in my wee cold Scottish kitchen and they were sooooo good thank you! The whole family love them 🙂 (we ate some for breakfast!)
Jenn S. says
Wonderful! Thank you! I’m so happy you loved them! And cookies for breakfast are always a good idea! 🙂
Lili says
Best vegan, oil-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookie I’ve tried yet. I gobbled up 4 in a row chastising myself after 2 but unable to control my hand! Thank, thank you, thank you!
Jenn S. says
HaHa!! Best comment ever! 🙂 Thank you, Lili!
Lisa says
Would substituting the cashew butter with peanut butter be a big deal? It’s the only ingredient I don’t have handy – or is there another option to substitute it with?
Jenn S. says
Hi, Lisa. Peanut butter should work great – you’ll just have Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies – sounds good to me!! 🙂 Let me know how they turn out!
Lisa says
Thanks so much for the quick reply! I realized I had cashews in the pantry and made my own cashew butter! I’ll make the cookies this weekend. 🙂
Jenn S. says
Oh perfect! Can’t wait to hear how they turn out! Enjoy!
Lisa says
Just took them out of the oven and had to try one…a little hot but still delicious! Probably better after they’ve cooled and set! 🙂
Jenn S. says
It’s so hard to wait until they cool, isn’t it?! Enjoy every bite!!
Sue says
Made a batch with larger cookies and a batch with smaller cookies. Used vegan Choc Shot to add chocolate flavour. Didn’t have choc chips so added peanuts and raisins. Used SR flour and golden syrup where I didn’t have the correct ingredients. They have come out a little too chocolatey flavour for the smaller grandchildren so would use one squirt instead of two next time (and there will be a next time). They are crisp on the outside and nicely soft and crumbly inside. I would give myself 7/10 this time and know with the slight variation, that I can do better. The true test will be when my teenage Grandaughter tastes them.
Thank you for this tasty, versatile recipe. Sue Xx
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Sue! Glad I could provide some inspiration!
Karen Talmon says
Sooo flippin delicious! Seriously! We all thought they tasted even better the next day… then there were 6 left, and by 12:00 (pm), they were gone! I will be making these tomorrow again! So good!
I was at my brother’s and didn’t have almond flour, so used whole wheat…. didn’t have coconut sugar, so used brown sugar and didn’t have cashew butter, so used coconut oil. The cookies still turned out amazingly!
Thank you for this recipe! I would like to share it on my blog and will definitely tell them to go to your blog! 🙂
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Karen! I am so thrilled you all loved them. They don’t last long around here either. 🙂 Thank you for wanting to share. I’d be happy for you to do so with a link, just please don’t post the recipe in full. Thanks again!! Enjoy your weekend.
Jasmine says
These sound and look so good! If you don’t mind I have a basic cooking and baking substitution question.
I have been vegan since I was a teen living in San Diego CA, I met my husband who just Turner 40 this month in north TX 10 years ago! who I’m exceedingly proud to say has just recently converted to a vegan lifestyle with me via years of trying a baked teryaki tofu buda bowl here and Buffalo style cauliflower “wings” there and truly cooking to satisfy an apitite seeking conventional American southern style tastes has been a very fun challenge but baked recipes have laregly alluded me. I just found your blog through a tumbler link to the strawb/lemonade cake (:0 thumbs up BTW) and feel you are a good person to ask what a good overall substitute for cashew butter would be? My husband is super allergic and it seems like its the one ingredient that wants to sabotage my ongoing quest to prove the superiority of my- now our lifestyle 😛 I’ve tried sunflower butter as per a suggestion of a friend and it surprisingly turned things green and visuals are still big for Charlie I was thinking almond butter might be to dry and penut butter would change the taste to much??? I’ve been avoiding cashew recipes for to long.
Your blog looks great! thanks for being a new resource in the good fight.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Jasmine! Thank you! How exciting that your hubby is on board now too! Cashews are definitely found all over in vegan recipes, but I’m confident you can still make some yummy treats with some subs. I’m surprised sunbutter turned your recipes green, but I don’t use it that often – maybe it was just that particular brand? Either way, sunbutter is definitely a different flavor, which in certain instances would likely be fine, but not in all. The almond butter I buy is actually quite runny and I use it a lot in place of butter/oil. I get the Trader Joe’s Raw Creamy Almond Butter. You could also try making your own pecan butter, which is a GREAT sub for butter/oil (I use it in my Vegan Toffee Bars!). Just blend pecans until smooth in a food processor. It only takes a few minutes as pecans are super soft and “buttery.” Another good one to try might be macadamia nut butter, which is a little more neutral in flavor. I don’t use it much because it’s super expensive and I’ve never tried making my own (raw macadamias are also expensive!). And, yes, if you don’t mind the peanut butter flavor, that would certainly work too. For these particular cookies, I might go the pecan butter route first, but really any of those subs should work. Let me know what you end up trying and how they turn out! Good luck! And if you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a comment on the blog or shoot me an e-mail! Have a great week!
Alisa Fleming says
I seriously never get tired of seeing different chocolate chip cookie recipes, and your version is actually quite far from the norm. I love all of the nutty goodness!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Alisa! One can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes! This is definitely one of my faves!
Aimee says
These look perfect. When I make recipes, I nearly always mess with the ingredients but don’t think I’d change anything here – everything sounds so delicious and wholesome!
Jenn S. says
Aw, thank you, Aimee! They really did turn out amazing! But, I am guilty of changing things up all the time too…even from my own tried and true recipes. LOL!
Cathy says
These look so good. It’s great that vegan food can be made to be just as nice as non-vegan!
Jenn S. says
Yes, so true! And sometimes, I think the vegan version is often better because it doesn’t leave that greasy feeling in your mouth! Thanks, Cathy!
Ann says
OMG Jenn these are truly beyond delicious, and my brother still doesn’t believe they are vegan! I was thrilled they turned out perfectly the first time and far exceeded my expectations. Beautiful taste and texture. Totally cookielicious 🙂 Thank you so much for the recipe, the only one I’ll go to from now for sure. Oh and I’m stoked I stumbled upon your blog and I can’t wait to make more of your yummies x
Jenn S. says
Thank you so much, Ann!! You totally just made my night! I’m so happy you guys love them. And I’m totally stealing that word – cookielicious! 🙂 I hope you find lots more recipes to love here as well! Thanks again. Have a great weekend!!
jacquie says
my all time favorite cookie and they look fantastic! thanks for posting. a question though – is there something I can substitute for the “milk” as I don’t typically have “milk” products in my place and I would like to be able to make this at a moment notice when a craving hits. Thanks.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Jacquie. You can try water or juice. It just needs a little more liquid. I can’t say it will be the EXACT same taste/texture using one of those, but I would think it would work fine. Let me know if you try it.
Becky Striepe says
These look so amazing! I need to make them.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Becky!! Let me know if you do!
Strength and Sunshine says
If I had children, there would be 2 things I would force them to learn to bake well right when they can stand….granola and cookies. Otherwise I would be ashamed of my children….those to skills MUST be mastered 😛
Jenn S. says
HaHa!! And we make both of those things quite often – we are good! 🙂