These vegThese vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are everything you want from a cookie: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and loaded with chocolate-y goodness. Best of all, they’re made in one bowl with pantry staples and no specialty vegan ingredients.
Jump to:
- The best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- What kind of oats are best in oatmeal cookies?
- Ingredients you’ll need
- How to make vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- Substitutions and variations
- FAQs
- Storage and freezing
- Wanna see how easy it is to make these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies? Watch the video:
- Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
The best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
You’ve made it! You’ve found my super popular vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe!
This 5-star recipe has been a hit with readers since I first published it in 2019.
What everyone loves about this recipe is how simple the ingredients list is.
You won’t need flaxseed, applesauce, vegan butter, gluten-free flours, aquafaba, or coconut oil.
In fact, you may already have everything you need in your pantry right now!
Not only is this recipe easy, but diary-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are healthy!
Oats are very healthy and nutrient dense. In particular, they contain beta-glucan, a fibre which reduces cholesterol and regulates blood sugar.
Furthermore, since this is a vegan recipe, it contains no dietary cholesterol or hormones found in butter.
(I find it curious and a little sus how the blogger who wrote top non-vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe omitted the cholesterol from his nutritional information even though the recipe calls for ½ cup butter!).
What kind of oats are best in oatmeal cookies?
Whereas most vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipes call for rolled oats, this recipe calls for quick oats.
Quick oats is what makes this recipe work without the need for flax egg, applesauce, banana or any other vegan egg replacement.
Because quick oats are rolled thinner, they are softer and stickier when mixed with a liquid, and that’s what makes the batter for these cookies hold together.
Quick oats also provide the perfect texture you’d expect from any good oatmeal cookie. They’re crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside!
Ingredients you’ll need
The ingredients for these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are all staple ingredients that are easy to find and economically priced.
Quick oats: This recipe specifically calls for quick oat rather than rolled oats because they are softer and stickier. That way you don’t need any vegan egg replacement.
All-purpose flour: These cookies are mostly made of oats with just a little AP flour added for its binding properties.
Sugar: Regular white sugar. Some people are concerned about bone char. Choose an organic brand, which can never be processed with bone char, or check online for a list of brands either made from beet sugar or confirmed to not use bone char.
Baking powder: Because this recipe does not contain acidic ingredients like brown sugar or cocoa powder, baking powder is used instead of baking soda. Do not substitute baking soda.
Salt: Every sweet recipe needs a little salt to bring out the flavors.
Chocolate chips: It’s usually not difficult to find vegan dark chocolate chips. As long as they’re not milk chocolate chips, a quick glance at the ingredients should confirm if they contain milk or whey.
Walnuts: I like to add nuts to my oatmeal cookies for a bit of extra crunch.
Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil such as vegetable, canola or sunflower.
Plant-based milk: Your favourite unsweetened plant-based milk. I usually use either oat or soy milk. Cashew of almond milk will work too.
How to make vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
These vegan cookies are quick to whip up and require just one bowl!
Preparation: The dough is super quick to make so start by preheating your oven to 375 F (190 C).
The cookie dough is a bit sticky so it’s a good idea to line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix: In a large mixing bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.
This recipe uses baking powder and baking powder activates and starts making bubbles in the batter when combined with liquid.
For that reason, we hold off on adding the oil and milk until the oven is heated in order to get the fluffiest cookies.
Once your oven is preheated, fold in the wet ingredients and mix the dough well to combine.
Form the cookies: Now it’s time to make the cookies.
The batter is a bit wet so you can use an ice cream or cookie scoop if you want to keep your hands clean.
Personally, I find it easier to just get in the with my hands and scoop the dough because I can squeeze the dough into more compact balls.
Either way, form the dough into balls and place them on your lined cookie sheet.
The use the palm of your hand to gently flatten the balls into a cookie shape.
Bake: Bake the cookies for 20 minutes.
They don’t brown too much on top but you’ll notice they have fluffed up nicely no longer look wet on top.
You can use a spatula to lift one up and check the bottom. They should be a nice golden brown colour on the bottom.
Cool: Straight out of the oven, these cookies are very delicate.
They firm up as they cool so I recommend leaving them on the pan to cool completely before eating or storing them.
Substitutions and variations
This recipe is easy to adapt.
In my cookbook 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes, I made a similar oatmeal cookie but with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds instead of chocolate chips and walnuts.
You can sub the chocolate chips for raisins or other dried fruit, and the walnuts for any other chopped nut like pecans or hazelnuts.
In case you don’t have chocolate chips you can chop up a vegan chocolate bar instead.
This recipe doesn’t call for any spices but you can add a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg if you like.
FAQs
Personally, I’ve tried this recipe with rolled oats and it didn’t work because rolled oats don’t absorb as much liquid and the batter isn’t as sticky as with quick oats. So the cookies melted into a pool in the oven. However, I’ve had readers successfully make this recipe with rolled oats, but I don’t know how they did it because it’s never worked for me!
Yes, you can substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour that is meant for a 1:1 substitution. I don’t recommend trying to substitute with a different type of flour such as almond flour or coconut flour because the dough might not stick together.
Storage and freezing
Vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. Be sure that the cookies have cooled to room temperature before storing.
To freeze, once cookies are cool, first freeze them on the baking tray then transfer them to a freezer bag or a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid.
To thaw, remove them from the container and thaw at room temperature, or reheat them in the oven at 275 F (135 C) for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
Wanna see how easy it is to make these vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies? Watch the video:
Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (120 grams) quick oats* - $0.25
- ½ cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour - $0.04
- ½ cup (100 grams) white sugar** - $0.43
- 1 tsp baking powder - $0.01
- ¼ tsp salt - $0.01
- ⅔ cup (130 grams) vegan chocolate chips - $2.00
- ⅓ cup (40 grams) chopped walnuts (optional) - $0.92
- ¼ cup (60 ml) neutral-flavored oil - $0.20
- 6 tablespoons plant-based milk - $0.03
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips and walnuts.
- When the oven is heated, add the oil and plant-based milk to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Form the dough into balls. You can use a cookie or ice cream scoop, I just get in there with my hands and press the dough together into balls. You can make them as big or small as you like. I generally get about 10 cookies from this recipe.
- Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten them with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until they no longer appear wet on top and the bottoms are beginning to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan.
Notes
Donna Cuic says
OMGOSH These look so good. Would be great with coffee on the weekend 🤗. Thanks!
Laura says
I definitely want to make these. What kind of oil did you use? I'm thinking coconut oil but would love a suggestion. Thank you.
Melissa says
I used sunflower but any kind of oil should work as long as it's not strongly flavoured.
Tim says
After I finished mixing this recipe I discovered that my oven was broken. After putting them into the fridge for a few hours, I accidentally discovered that this also makes a pretty good no-bake recipe, too!
Melissa says
Cool! A happy accident!
Meesh says
Dont eat raw flour! It can give you worms!
David Watson says
No, Meesh, it won't. First I've ever heard of it, in fact. My step-brother and I used to eat raw cookie dough all the time. In fact, we'd often make it JUST to eat it and not make a y cookies. And thousands of cookie-dough ice cream enthusiasts will most definitely agree that wherever you found that information has fed you a massive lie. The sad part is that you believed it.
Ss says
What an amazing quarantine recipe! We were craving cookies, but didn’t have eggs or butter. This is an amazing recipe that hit the spot and were perfect dipped in cold milk. Thank you!
Bethany says
Great recipe! These cookies exceeded my expectations! I used coconut oil and pulsed some old fashioned oats in the food processor since I didn't have quick cooking. I made 12 cookies. Thanks for the recipe!
Bree says
I used vegan butter in lieu of oil and found that the batter became too crumbly. I added a touch more almond milk and it did the trick! Big fan of the recipe.
Raquel Thomas says
Is there an effective way to reduce the fat content?
Joey B. says
Impressed with the results! Note that you will need quite a bit more non-dairy milk if you are using coconut oil, otherwise the batter was too dry. I also had great luck using raw almonds as the nut alternative, fantastic results all around!
Helen Cockfield says
Love these cookies!! They have enough crunch, goo and flavour to satisfy any sweet tooth. (I used soy milk and vegetable oil )
Carolina says
Used olive oil as I didn't have any other oils. I was scared it would taste like olive oil but it didn't! They turned out amazing
Amy Dow-Robinson says
This recipe is a keeper, super yummy! Definitely adding this recipe to my cookie making rotation. I substituted peanut butter instead of oil, and it worked great. I had to heat the peanut butter in the microwave for 30-45 sec to make it easier for blending. Thank you for sharing!!
Lukie Marriott says
Very good! I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and also used half brown sugar, half white. The recipe made 19 cookies and I baked them for 15 minutes.
THERESA BECKMANN says
I had trouble getting the cookies to stay together when making the cookies, they would turn into loose globs of oatmeal and loose choc. chips. I stuck to the recipe as written. Used oatmilk and olive oil.
Melissa says
That happened to me when I used rolled oats instead of quick oats. Use the smallest flake of oat you can find or as a fix if it's still not sticking together you can blend up some additional oats into oat flour and add it little by little until the batter sticks together.
Kathleen says
I’ve been baking vegan chocolate chip cookies pretty much every day of this coronavurus quarantine, and it’s brightened the mood around the house— this is the best recipe so far!
I’ve been adding about a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon cinnamon for a little extra flavor. YUM!
If the batter is too dry, I add a splash more plant milk (oat milk is what I use— perfect flavor). I love that these cookies are lower oil and lower sugar than most vegan cookie recipes.
Divya says
Can you use rolled oats?
Melissa says
I tried it with rolled oats and the batter wasn't sticky enough to hold the cookies together.
Stacey Rae says
Followed as directed and added in some vanilla and cinnamon and they are delicious! We're at altitude so we did have to cook a bit longer, but this is a no fail recipe. Thank you for sharing....
Carla says
Really good cookies!
Maa2 says
Can a different flour be used like almond or coconut or gluten free, which I have to eat.
Melissa says
I've never tried it with different flour but some people have told me that it worked for them.
Kelly says
I used a 1 for 1 gluten free flour and they turned out great.
HP says
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made this using Coconut oil and added 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract and they came out super yummy. I had to bake them for 25 mins. My whole family loved them.
Leo says
Addicting and delicious! I used melted vegan butter in place of the oil, and almond milk for the plant milk. At first I was skeptical that the cookies would hold together, but after baking they held together fine. These were so dangerously good that I ate half the pan in a day. Definitely would make again!
Christine says
These turned out so yummy! I got 15 good size cookies out of this recipe. They taste like old school, comforting cookies!
DEBORRAH PALMER says
Just made the oatmeal choc chip cookies
Delicious and so eady to make. Love that that there's no butter or margarine.
Julieann Ragojo says
I love this simple vegan cookie recipe! I do not normally bake because I find it a lot of things to do, but this is super simple and deliciously. Although I would cut another half for the sugar because it was sweet for me 🤣 Overall the recipe is great.
Bonnie Bashaw says
Very tasty. I can't figure out what holds them together LOL! I made 12 cookies. The only tricky part was forming them... I see a larger cookie scoop coming my way! (I put a tsp of vanilla... I always add vanilla.)
Bonnie Bashaw says
OOPS...please add the 5 star rating to my comment... I forgot! Thanks
Tharra Sethurathnam says
Hi! I made these today for my sister who was feeling down, and let me tell you that these cookies were a blessing from heaven! They were easy to make, soft, chewy, fragrant, and tasted marvellous! Needless to say my sister was jumping around after eating these! I didn't have walnuts at home so I just skipped them (eventhough I love them in cookies) and just used chopped dark chocolate. I used sunflower oil, almond milk, and I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter. and let me tell you, these are hands-down the EASIEST and QUICKEST cookies I've ever made! The fact that they were vegan and pretty less calorie dense when compared to othe recipes made it even better! I baked my cookies (each made of 2 tbsp of dough) for 17-18 minutes and they were perfect! I'd definitely recommend cooling them down a bit before enjoying them because the taste and texture develop and become more pronounced. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe! This one's definitely a keeper!
Simon says
I made these - and they are delicious
Despite following the recipe to the letter, and spacing the cookies out on the baking tray, i did find the batter very wet. My cookies all sort of merged into one large traybake in the oven.
Anyway - i just chopped them up into cookie sort-of shapes and they were very tasty. Will make again.
mary says
i love these cookies!! i just blitz up some rolled oats a bit first to get them more to quick oat size and then do everything else like the recipe says. i normally do cranberries instead of walnuts (just because that’s what i have on hand) and they are sooo good. have made them with both canola and olive oil and both times turned out great! have also added cocoa powder (used a little less flour) and they are delish. highly recommend!
Nancy Nowak says
I have made these cookies twice now and have problems getting them to hold together. I am not sure if I should add more liquid or more flour. Any suggestions. They do taste great!
Melissa says
Make sure to use quick oats as they absorb the liquid better than rolled oats. If you use rolled oats they will fall apart. Try adding a bit more oats or flour and see if they hold together better.
Nancy Nowak says
I am still making these cookies. They taste. great but I still find them hard to form although once they bake they are fine. I have been using brown sugar instead of white. Could that be the problem? One recipe I found put the dough in the frig for 30 minutes. Could that help? I also make them smaller and come up with about 25 cookies. Any help would be appreciated!
Melissa says
Sure, you could try putting the dough in the fridge. I haven't tried it but maybe it will help?