Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Eggs

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These cookies are soft, sweet and seriously indulgent, even though they are made without eggs, completely plant-based and gluten-free. Basically, they might be the most inclusive chocolate chip cookies ever. Oh, and they are refined sugar-free too.

Despite all that, they are also incredibly easy to make, quick, and made with simple, nourishing ingredients. In this recipe, you will also find possible ingredient substitutions, so you really have no excuse not to try them.

Why You Don’t Need Eggs to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

Traditional chocolate chip cookies can absolutely be made without eggs and still turn out beautifully. Eggs can be replaced in many different ways. I actually wrote a complete guide to egg substitutes for exactly this reason. You can use everyday ingredients or products specifically designed to replace eggs.

When you remove eggs from a recipe (where they are rarely essential for flavor) the important thing is simply to understand what function they were performing and replace that function where necessary.

In these cookies, we do not need eggs because the other ingredients already do the work. The vegan butter provides richness and tenderness, the plant-based milk adds the moisture the dough needs, the flour gives the cookies structure, and the baking soda helps create the right texture and spread. So removing the egg does not mean compromising the cookie. It simply means building the same balance in a different way.

Ingredients & Substitutions for Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Eggs

Gluten-Free Flour

Let’s start with the flour. I used a ready-made gluten-free flour blend for these cookies because I wanted to keep the recipe as simple as possible. Any gluten-free blend should work well with the quantities listed in the recipe card.

If you prefer to use regular flour, you can use the same amount. I have not tested the recipe that way, though, so I would suggest trying a small batch first and adjusting if needed.

Vegan Butter

My little secret here is to use salted vegan butter and skip the extra salt in the dough. Sweet and salty together just make everything taste better, and I swear this is one of the secrets to making seriously indulgent cookies.

If you cannot find salted vegan butter, regular vegan butter works perfectly, just add a generous pinch of salt to the dough. And if you prefer not to use butter at all, you can replace it with coconut oil.

Coconut Sugar

For these cookies, a granulated sweetener works much better than a liquid one, so to keep them refined sugar-free I chose coconut sugar. If you prefer, you can use regular white sugar or brown sugar instead, both will work just as well.

I also added a little maple syrup, but only because I did not have enough coconut sugar at home, and it worked perfectly well. If you want to use only maple syrup — or agave syrup — instead, remember to reduce the amount of plant-based milk, since you will already be adding more liquid to the dough.

Plant-Based Milk

Here you can use whichever plant-based milk you prefer. I usually use unsweetened soy milk so I can control the sweetness with the other ingredients, but almond, oat, walnut or pretty much any other plant-based milk will work. I would only avoid coconut milk if you do not want its flavor to come through in the cookies.

Chocolate Chips

You can use chocolate chips here, or do what I did and roughly chop a bar of dark chocolate without refined sugar. I actually prefer chopping a chocolate bar because you end up with pieces in different sizes, including a few larger chunks that create those extra-chocolatey little surprises in every bite.

If you want to keep the recipe refined sugar-free, just make sure the chocolate you use is not sweetened with refined sugar. Otherwise, any good dark chocolate will work perfectly.

Vanilla

Vanilla extract is basically the essence of cookies of any kind. It is not strictly necessary, so you can consider it optional, but I definitely recommend using it if you have some. If you do not, you can also add a few drops of orange juice instead. Of course, it will give the cookies a different subtle flavor, but still a very interesting one.

Baking Soda

We use baking soda to help the cookies spread properly, brown beautifully and develop that classic cookie texture, slightly crisp around the edges while staying soft in the center. You only need a small amount. Too much can affect both the flavor and the texture, so I would not increase it unless you are adjusting the whole recipe.

It is technically optional, and the cookies will still bake without it, but the texture will be a little different: they may spread less and turn out slightly denser. So if you have it, I recommend using it.

How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are very simple to make and you do not need a stand mixer or hand mixer. A bowl, a whisk or wooden spoon, and a spatula are enough.

Step 1. Cream the Vegan Butter and Coconut Sugar

Add the softened vegan butter and coconut sugar to a medium bowl. Mix vigorously with a whisk, wooden spoon, or spatula for about 2–3 minutes, until the mixture looks creamy and well combined. Because we are using coconut sugar, the mixture will stay darker and slightly more grainy than a traditional butter and brown sugar mixture. This is completely normal.

Step 2. Add the Wet Ingredients

Add the vanilla extract, and soy milk. Mix again until everything is evenly incorporated.

Step 3. Add the Dry Ingredients

Add the gluten-free flour blend to the bowl, then sprinkle the baking soda evenly over the flour. Switch to a spatula and mix just until no dry flour remains. Avoid overmixing once the flour has been added. The dough should be soft and easy to shape, but not runny.

Step 4. Fold in the Chocolate

Add the chocolate chips or roughly chopped dark chocolate and gently fold them into the dough. You can also keep a few pieces of chocolate aside to press into the tops of the cookies before baking. It makes them look more generous and gives you those larger melted chocolate pockets.

Step 5. Shape the Cookies

Divide the dough into portions and roll them gently into balls. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between each one. These cookies do not spread as much as classic cookies made with brown sugar, so I recommend gently flattening the tops with your fingers before baking if you prefer a wider cookie.

Step 6. Bake Until Just Set

Bake the cookies at 175°C / 350°F for 9–12 minutes. They are ready when the edges look lightly set and golden, while the centers are still soft. Do not wait until the middle looks completely baked: the cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.

Step 7. Let Them Cool on the Tray

Leave the cookies on the baking tray for about 5–10 minutes before moving them. They will be very soft straight from the oven, especially because they are gluten-free, but they become firmer as they cool while keeping a soft center.

Why Didn’t My Cookies Spread?

Yes, it happens to me too, you can actually see it in the recipe video included in the recipe card below. It tends to happen especially when using gluten-free flour and an unrefined sugar. Coconut sugar usually creates a thicker cookie, while gluten-free flour can absorb more moisture.

To adjust the texture, you can experiment a little. For example, you can slightly increase the amount of coconut sugar, always keeping your preferred level of sweetness in mind, or shape the dough into flatter balls by pressing them down gently before baking.

For wider cookies, I recommend baking the dough without chilling it and pressing each cookie ball down slightly before placing the tray in the oven.

No Matter The Shape, They Will Be Still Delicious

In any case, whatever shape they take, these cookies are delicious both small and thick or wider and thinner. It is mostly an aesthetic choice, and it can also depend on what you want to do with them afterwards.

For example, if you are planning to fill them, it makes sense to make them a little thinner, so you can sandwich a cream or some ice cream between two cookies.

If, on the other hand, you prefer them slightly drier and more crisp, flattening them before baking will help them bake a little more evenly and lose some of that soft, thick-cookie texture.

Turn Them Into a Proper Dessert

If you are looking for an idea on how to serve them — although these cookies are delicious just as they are — I usually serve them with a small bowl of vegan crème anglaise on the side and dip the cookies into it. It is a very simple way to turn them from an everyday snack into a proper after-dinner dessert, especially when you want to serve something a little more special to guests.

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