The Best Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies. Made with brown rice flour and almond butter, these are so soft, chewy and with a moist fudgy interior! You only need 8 ingredients and 20 minutes to make these! You would never guess they are oil-free!
BEST VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
I am not kidding when I say these are the best vegan gluten-free chocolate chip cookies! I have a lot of cookie recipes on this blog, a lot. And lots with chocolate chips, like these Crispy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies made with almond flour are a huge reader favorite.
For these though, I wanted to share a classic and perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe that really tastes like a traditional cookie made with butter, oil, white flour and white sugar, but so much healthier. These are amazing and so authentic!
Bonus is that these are gluten-free and oil-free and only 8 ingredients. You can learn all my tips on How to Bake Without Oil! You won’t miss the butter or white sugar, I can guarantee that. These are made with unrefined sweetener maple syrup. They are moist, fudgy and have an irresistible crispy edge. They are also ready in about 20 minutes!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 8 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- brown rice flour: This keeps these vegan chocolate chip cookies gluten-free.
- roasted almond butter: This replaces the oil and makes these cookies so fudgy and moist. You can use store-bought or homemade. If using store-bought, make sure it is a smooth runny kind, not a stiff or thick one. I recommend the Trader Joe’s almond butter and the Target Good and Gather almond butter brands.
- maple syrup
- molasses: This adds a wonderful depth of flavor and texture to the cookies.
- coconut sugar
- baking powder
- vanilla
- chocolate chips
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Step 2: Add the brown rice flour, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar to a large bowl and whisk very well to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 3: In a separate medium bowl, combine the almond butter, syrup, vanilla, molasses and water. Stir until completely smooth.
Step 4: Pour over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until all the dough comes together and no more flour is visible. It should be very sticky and thick, yet SOFT, not stiff.
Step 5: Drop 2 tablespoons worth of batter (or use a cookie scoop) onto the pan about 2 inches apart to allow room for them to spread.
Step 6: Take a small piece of parchment paper and press each cookie down to between 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Place extra chocolate chips on top.
Step 7: Bake 1 pan at a time for 10-11 minutes until the edges are turning golden brown.
HOW TO STORE THESE COOKIES
These vegan gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are so buttery and moist and will stay moist and delicious for 3 days, as long as they are sealed in an airtight container. They will soften more as they are stored, but are still amazing.
ARE CHOCOLATE CHIPS VEGAN?
These days, many chocolate chip brands sell dairy-free options. Many, however, contain milk, so make sure to read the label first. I love the Whole Foods 365 brand but there are brands at Trader Joes, Sprouts and many grocery stores that simply use cocoa, cocoa butter, vanilla and sugar, just read the label!
SUBSTITUTIONS
- Can sub the maple syrup with agave if desired.
- Can sub sunbutter for nut-free, just make sure it is really smooth and keep in mind that it will yield a sunbutter taste.
MORE VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPES
- Cashew Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Crispy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 5 Ingredient Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Grain-free Chocolate Coconut Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
THE BEST Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (120g) brown rice flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons (30g) coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup (180g) semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips (plus extra to put on top if desired)
- 3/4 cup (192g) super creamy roasted almond butter**
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) pure maple syrup*
- 2 teaspoons (10g) vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (20g) regular unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap, I used Grandma's molasses)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) water
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and make sure to zero out in between each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C)and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Add the brown rice flour, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar to a large bowl and whisk very well to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the almond butter, syrup, vanilla, molasses and water. Stir until completely smooth.
- Pour over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until all the dough comes together and no more flour is visible. It should be very sticky and thick. (see photo)
- Drop 2 tablespoons worth of batter (or use a cookie scoop) onto the pan about 2 inches apart to allow room for them to spread. Place only 9 on a sheet so they don't get overcrowded. Now, depending on the thickness of your almond butter used (as some are really drippy) it will affect how stiff/soft your cookie scoops are. If your cookie scoops slowly spread out once dropped onto the pan, then you don't need to flatten them. If they hold their shape (as in the photo), take a small piece of parchment paper and press each cookie down to between 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Smooth and piece together the edges to a round shape. Place extra chocolate chips on top of each cookie, if desired.
- Bake 1 pan at a time for 10-11 minutes until the edges are turning golden brown. Mine were perfect at 11 minutes.
- Cool 10 minutes on the pan and then cool another 10 on a cooling rack. They will crisp and firm up as they cool. You must wait for them to cool at least 10 minutes or they can crumble because of the rice flour, but will be fine after cooled. Keep sealed so they don't dry out.
Notes
- Can sub the maple syrup with agave if desired.
- Can sub sunbutter for nut-free, just make sure it is really smooth and keep in mind that it will yield a sunbutter taste)
Nutrition
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These look so good too, Brandi! Cute as a button comes to mind 🙂
They are the perfect chocolate chip cookie….just like a traditional classic cookie, thanks Audrey!
Thank you so much sweet Audrey!!
I made these yesterday and they were PERFECT! The first bite took me back to my childhood – definitely the classic chocolate chip cookie, but without the loads of butter and sugar. I always steal a little bite of the raw dough to see how it tastes and I was blown away at how amazing it tasted. Once again, it reminded me of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies and how my brother and I used to steal bites of the raw cookie dough. The texture of these cookies…incredible! My favorite cookies are those that have a combined crispy/chewy texture and these were spot on. Excellent recipe, as usual, my friend! xo
Oh wow, thank you so much for such fantastic feedback Mandy! I’m so glad you felt about these cookies the same way we do! They really are the perfect classic chocolate chip cookie without all the yucky ingredients! Thank you so much sweetheart!! xoxo
I made these yesterday and they were delicious AND easy! My husband’s response was basically the same as your husband’s response…don’t change a thing!
I used sunflower seed butter instead because that is what I had on hand. I think I should have added the extra water that you mentioned, but was worried about them spreading too much. Half way through the cooking I flattened them a little with a spatula and cooked a little longer than the recipe recommended…all my own fault. Also, I did not know molasses is a binder so I learned something.
We love the cookies…thank you for a simple, delicious, grain free, vegan recipe!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear such awesome feedback and that your hubby loved these as much as mine did! Yes, it really just takes one trial to be certain since it all boils down to the thickness of the nut butter used and sunflower is definitely thicker than almond butter, so next time that one extra tablespoon of water should yield them perfectly! Thanks again for the feedback! 🙂
I do not make a lot of gluten-free & oat free cookies but these looked fabulous & that us why, I made them!
They were superb, really the max! So delicious with a vegan cafe latte! Xxx
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, thank you so much Sophie for making them!
I love all of your tasty recipes, dear Brandi! xxx
I think you should make a cook book! xx
Hi, would it be ok to use any other nut butter? I have cashew or a mixed cashew, peanut and hazelnut butter.
also the coconut sugar, is there any other I can use?
thanks Vivian
Hi Vivian! Sure, you could try pretty much any nut butter you like, as long as you don’t mind the cookies taking on that flavor. I would really suggest warming up slightly the nut butter prior to measuring so it’s very smooth and pourable, if it’s super thick to begin with. If after a couple of minutes your batter is stiff (it should be thick and sticky but not stiff) then add just another teaspoon or so of water until it comes together. You could try just regular white sugar or light brown sugar lightly packed. The brown sugar has molasses in it so it will change the texture a bit but should still be delicious. Please let me know how they turn out!
Hi Brandi,
I made these today I used cashew butter and caster sugar, my daughter is celiac and vegan so I made them for her, I personally loved them but she found them to sweet.
I was wondering if I could leave out the sugar, with having the sweetness of the maple syrup and molasses.
would this affect the recipe at all?
Hi Vivian! So glad you loved them, thank you! 🙂 The reason your daughter found them too sweet is because you used caster sugar, it is much more fine than coconut sugar, which is what I used for the recipe. Coconut sugar has a much different flavor and is caramel-like but not as intensely sweet. These cookies aren’t too sweet with the coconut sugar at all, so I would definitely try it with that next time and they will be less sweet. Also, cashew butter is mildly sweet too, so that had a slight affect. Almond butter is much more nutty-tasting. However, if you want to try them leaving out the sugar, I think they would almost not be sweet enough, so if anything I would just use 1 tablespoon of caster sugar if you don’t want to use coconut, but the result is a different flavor than with the almond butter and coconut sugar. Hope that helps! Thank you again for making them!
How have I NOT commented on your blog yet? Well…here I go! WOWZA! These cookies! Amazing! Wonderful photo, too! Now…I am hooked on your blog and will be commenting more often! Swing by my place when you get the chance! LOVE meeting fellow vegans!
Thank you so much Jennifer for such kind comments! I really appreciate it! Will definitely check out your blog!
These cookies definitely look dreamy to me, and the photographs are incredible! They are so beautiful, and make the cookies look even more desirable! There aren’t many things I love more than a good chocolate chip cookie, and I can just tell that this is going to be my new favourite recipe for them. Mmm! You’ve outdone yourself again Brandi, you are such an amazing cook!
Awww thank you so much Harriet for the compliments on my photos, I really appreciate that so much!! You are so darn sweet, thank you! These are definitely my new favorite cookie! Hope you try them!
I’ve had this email in my inbox to remind me to come tell you how bad I want to snuggle in with a giant pile of these babies, and I needed to just come do it because every time I look at my email I get hungry!! Love me a good chocolate chip cookie! Soft, pillowy, crisp, crunchy…you name it! It’s all good for me! I actually used to use brown rice flour in my cookies when I first changed my diet many years ago but haven’t used it in forever because that’s all I used for so long!! I need to start again since you reminded me how awesome it is! And you know the love affair I have with molasses…put it in everything! Such a great ingredient. Y.U.M.
Thank you so much Sophia! These were incredible and I’ll be making them quite often! I love molasses too and have used it my other cookie cake recipe and my dark chocolate molasses cookies and even in ice cream and muffins,lol, as you can I use it a lot in my desserts! It is a wonderful ingredient! Such depth of flavor when the right amount is used!
Could I substitute white rice flour for the brown or will other changes be necessary? Thanks in advance!
Hi Sue! I have not tried it with regular white rice flour, but it’s worth a shot. Just make sure it’s regular rice flour and NOT the “sweet sticky” glutenous rice flour, which would be labeled that way. That kind definitely won’t work. Please come back and let me know if you try it with the white rice flour, thank you!
Hi Sue! Just letting you know I tested a batch last night making these with white rice flour and they were gritty…so definitely make sure to use brown rice flour as the cookies were sensational with that! They were still tasty with the white rice flour, but the texture was definitely gritty and not nearly as delicious!
Those sounds so so good, Brandi! I have never used brown rice flour, as it is hard to find where I live, but the look of those cookies really makes me want to order some brown rice flour online and get baking <3
It is so worth it and you can use brown rice flour for so many things too Kat! Thank you so much!
You have done it with these cookies, Brandi! I honestly cannot wait to try them – they look SO chewy and perfect! As soon as I get my hands on some brown rice flour I’m going to be whipping up a batch!!
You are so kind Ceara, thank you!!! They really are chewy, the molasses does that magic, which I love in these! Yes, get some brown rice flour….then you can make these AND the brownies, haha!
You are such a versatile baker I just love it!! These look great, I adore all kinds of unique cookies, but even for the skeptics these look perfect! Well done my friend.
Aww thank you so much Brittany, you are so sweet to say that!! xo
These look delicious and love the pictures, Brandi! I really like that you used brown rice flour here, it’s so appealing to me, because I’ve had never been used this before. The use of almond butter is amazing, I bet it gives a little more creaminess and fluffiness to the cookies with a delicious hint of almond.
Thank you very much Florian! So glad you love the pictures, I appreciate that! These cookies turned out even better than I imagined!!
These sound amazing! I love a crispy cookie on the outside with a chewy soft center. Can’t wait to try these. I almost always have brown rice flour on hand…love it!
Thank you so much Jenn! I’ve had brown rice flour for years, but don’t use it very often for sweets, but will be more now!
That top photo w/ the melty chocolate chip is killing me!!
Awww thanks Annie, so glad you like it!!
Are blackstrap and unsulphered molasses the same thing?
Hi April! No, blackstrap is much more dark and richer in flavor…it would be too strong in flavor for these. I just used regular molasses….labeled Grandma’s original molasses on the bottle. I’ll update the recipe.
I only buy blackstrap and wouldn’t want to get a big jar of the other kind just to use a small amount… would it work to do half blackstrap and half maple or something? So the blackstrap isnt so strong?
Yes, you could do half and half and I think that would be just fine!
Oh, my word!! That first pic with the melty chocolate chips and the glass of milk had me drooling!!! They look perfect and sound like the classic chocolate chip cookies I had as a kid. It’s a true sign of success when even the picky eaters approve! I need to get more almond butter and then I’ll be baking these cookies! Hope you have a great weekend, Brandi!
These look fantastic! Just like the real thing! I’m wondering if there’s a sub for the rice flour, though? I bet almond or coconut flour would work to make them paleo. Of course, coconut flour may be more trouble than its worth.
Thanks for making these! I can’t wait to try them!
Hi Christine! Since the rice flour is the main ingredient and focus here and worked SO incredibly well, subbing it will yield a different result. Most definitely do not sub with coconut flour…coconut flour is so incredibly absorbent that they would be dry pucks. I have only tested these with brown rice flour and the results were simply amazing. You could try almond flour but honestly, it will be possibly too chewy because that will be a lot of almond in the recipe (almond butter already) and may make them too moist since almond flour is so moist. The rice flour really did give them the classic traditional cookie texture. You could try maybe sorghum or buckwheat, but be warned, it will change the flavor since both of those are much stronger in flavor.
I would never guess these were free of so many things, the texture looks classic and perfect and SO tasty! I love the chocolate chips on top to give them all that perfect polka-chocolate look 🙂
Thank you so much Natalie! The best part is they taste so incredible, yet so much healthier than traditional ones!
AMEN!!! As a celiac who can’t tolerate even gluten free oats, its always frustrating when most vegan gluten free recipes call for oat flour. Thanks for the awesome recipe – as always!
Aww you are so welcome Casey!! I hope you try them and let me know if you do!!
Brandi! These cookies look insane! The texture looks so perfect.
I’ve had brown rice flour in my pantry for a while and don’t think I’ve ever used it! But now I have the perfect reason to 😉
Thank you so much Leah, you are so sweet! We absolutely devoured these cookies! Let me know if you try them!
I’m not a maple syrup nor a molasses user 🙁
Have any other ideas as substitutes?
Just use agave instead of syrup and add one more tablespoon of agave instead of the molasses and reduce the coconut sugar by 1 tablespoon. I think that should work fine. Also, increase the salt from 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon since molasses has sodium in it and aids in the flavor, by eliminating it, you will need to increase the salt. Let me know how they turn out, I think those subs should work just fine! 🙂
I’m with your husband, these look perfect! You can tell they’ve got that lovely crisp outside and the perfect texture inside and packed with chocolate chips 😀
Need to get my hands on some brown rice flour – stat!
Thank you so much for your sweet words Emma, these are our new favorite cookie around here now!!
This little cookies look seriously tasty. I’m going to make these later on today, I’d have to use peanut butter in place of almond butter.
Hi Charlene! Great, just keep in mind that peanut butter is stickier and less oily than almond butter, so your batter will likely be thicker. You may need a teensy bit more water. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Brandi, I made these yesterday and added a tad more water to even out the heaviness of the peanut butter. I must say they came out nice, we literally ate the entire batch as soon as they came out the oven. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
I’m so happy to hear you loved these so much Charlene that you ate them all right away, haha! Thank you so much for the feedback!!
Just made these little beauties and they are fantastic! Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Yay! I’m so incredibly happy to hear that Cheryl, thank you so much!!