Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Posted Apr 11, 2025
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Dairy free chocolate chip cookies are made with coconut oil instead of butter. They have crispy edges and gooey centers and chocolate chips in every bite.
Over the years many people have asked me to create a dairy-free version of my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe, so here it is! The most delicious dairy free chocolate chip cookies ever!
It’s easy to make a few simple adjustments and bake amazing dairy-free cookies. In this recipe, coconut oil is used in place of butter.
Then, choose your favorite dairy-free chocolate chips – you’ll be surprised at how many semisweet baking chips are naturally made without milk! And that’s it!
Are eggs dairy?
I want to start by answering a common question, “Are eggs a dairy?” the answer is no!
It is a common misconception that eggs are considered part of the “dairy” food group. They are laid by birds, and are not made of milk products or from the mammary glands of animals and do not contain lactose.
So, these dairy-free chocolate chip cookies do contain eggs. If you’re looking for cookies without eggs, try these vegan chocolate chip cookies or eggless chocolate chip cookies.
Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Coconut oil. vegan butter sticks (like Earth’s Balance) is a good substitute.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or regular white sugar.
- Light brown sugar. for a stronger molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version use 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Egg. You can substitute 3 Tablespoons coconut milk for the egg.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips
There are so many great dairy-free chocolate chips on the market. Most semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate is naturally dairy-free because it’s made with cocoa butter and not milk. Here are some of my favorite options:
- So many companies make dairy-free baking chips, including Whole Foods 365 organic semisweet chocolate chips, Simple Truth Organic semisweet chocolate chips, Trader Joe’s semisweet chocolate chips, Kirkland chips, etc.
- Enjoy Life Foods
- Equal Exchange chocolate chips
- Hu Kitchen chocolate chips
- Lily’s chocolate chips, and more.
How to Make Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
As always, we’ll walk through how to make this recipe step-by-step, and be sure to watch the video for additional guidance.
Begin by beating the coconut oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth. You can either use a standing mixer with the paddle attachement, a large bowl and a handled mixer, or beat by hand.
Then, add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Next, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and beat until combined.
Then, stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
At this point you can chill the dough for 15 minutes and up to overnight if you prefer. However, this is not required and the cookies bake well without chilling.
Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough, roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Then, bake the dairy free chocolate chip cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely set and beginning to turn light golden brown around the edges.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to cool completely on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Serve
Serve these coconut oil chocolate chip cookies plain, or put some dairy-free vanilla ice cream in between two cookies to make dairy-free cookie sandwiches!
These make a great addition to a cookie tray or dessert table.
Store
Once cooled, store dairy-free chocolate chip cookies cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Freeze
I suggest freezing the dough by rolling it into balls and freezing in an airtight container. Thaw to room temperature before baking.
You can also freeze baked cookies in an airtight contianer for up to 1 month.
Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe FAQS
I tested many, and coconut oil was the best by far. Vegan butter is also a good choice.
No, eggs are not dairy. Eggs are laid by birds, and are not made of milk products or from the mammary glands of animals and do not contain lactose.
Yes, you can double the ingredients and make 32 cookies.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil (softened, or vegan butter)
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, set aside.
- Beat the the coconut oil, white sugar and brown sugar together until smooth. You can do this in a standing mixer, with a handheld mixer, or by hand.
- Then, add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and stir or beat until combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- (Optional but not required) Chill the dough for 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out dough, roll it into balls and place it evenly spaced on 2 the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies just barely look set and lightly browned around the edges.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- Coconut oil. vegan butter sticks (like Earth’s Balance) is a good substitute.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or regular white sugar.
- Light brown sugar. for a stronger molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version use 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Egg. You can substitute 3 Tablespoons coconut milk for the egg.
- Enjoy Life Foods
- Equal Exchange chocolate chips
- Hu Kitchen chocolate chips
- Lily’s chocolate chips, and more.
- So many companies make dairy-free or plant-based baking chips these days, including Whole Foods 365 organic semisweet chocolate chips, Simple Truth Organic semisweet chocolate chips, Trader Joe’s semisweet chocolate chips, etc.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
