These Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, rich and decadent! They’re quickly made with simple ingredients, and are a perfect pairing of peanut butter and chocolate that you’re sure to love!
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Do you love peanut butter and chocolate? If so, you have to make these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies! (So are they chocolate chip cookies with peanut butter, or peanut butter cookies with chocolate?)
They’re so full of that classic peanut butter flavor, with delicious accents of chocolate chips. Perfect for every peanut butter chocolate lover!
These cookies are dairy free, egg free, made with just 9 ingredients, and only take 20 minutes to make. You probably already have these simple ingredients in your pantry, so why not run and bake some right now?
These cookies make a great addition to a lunch box, and are often a great afternoon snack along with a cold glass of non-dairy milk!
Ingredients for vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
- Peanut butter – I use a natural peanut butter made of only peanuts and salt. If you use a salt free peanut butter, do not add the salt listed in the recipe. I chose to use a creamy peanut butter in this recipe. Crunchy peanut butter is fine, if you like chopped peanuts in your cookies.
- Organic sugar and brown sugar – I use a combination of the two for more depth of flavor.
- Non-dairy milk – I used unsweetened soy milk. Almond milk, oat milk, or cashew milk would also work.
- Vanilla extract – for flavor.
- Whole wheat pastry flour – you can substitute this with all purpose flour or a gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour mix.
- Baking soda – for leavening.
- Salt – only add if you are using unsalted peanut butter.
- Vegan chocolate chips – you can substitute with vegan chocolate chunks, or even vegan white chocolate!
How to make these cookies
One of the great things about this recipe is that you don’t even need a mixer! You can stir it all together by hand. It’s a great recipe to make with your kids! It’s never too soon to get them helping in the kitchen.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375° F, and line your baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
Step 2: In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, sugars, dairy free milk, and vanilla extract. Stirring by hand is fine, you don’t need an electric mixer.
Step 3: Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. If your peanut butter contains salt, leave out the salt listed in the recipe card or your cookies will be too salty.
Step 4: Stir the flour into the wet ingredients. Make sure all the flour is incorporated into the cookie dough.
Step 5: Stir the chocolate chips into the cookie dough.
Step 6: Scoop the dough with a spoon or cookie scoop, and roll into a ball about the size of a walnut. Then press the cookie dough balls with your fingers to flatten them somewhat, to help the cookies spread when baking.
Step 7: Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes. They should be set but still soft. Leave them on the baking sheet for 3 to 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This allows them to firm up a bit more, making it easier to move them.
Recipe tips:
- Dough consistency: some peanut butters are runnier than others. You want to be able to form nice balls of dough that are not too crumbly, and not too sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. If it is too crumbly, add additional non-dairy milk a tablespoon at a time.
- Extra chocolaty goodness: press some extra chocolate chips onto the top of the cookies before baking for extra gooey chocolate!
- Don’t overbake the cookies: they cookies will firm up as they cool. Remove them from the oven when they are just set, but still soft.
- Cookie thickness: these cookies don’t spread much while baking. I suggest pressing the dough before baking. If the cookies come out thicker than you like, gently press them with the back of a spatula after removing them from the oven.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can! Just substitute the whole wheat pastry flour with a gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour blend like the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
Although it is not necessary to chill the dough for these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it for up to 24 hours before baking.
These cookies keep well in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. They can also be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To freeze cookie dough balls, scoop the dough into balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze the dough balls, and then transfer them to a freezer bag for storing in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Here are some other delicious vegan cookies and bars:
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oil Free Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Blueberry Oat Bars
- Vegan Granola Bars
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Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- ⅓ cup organic sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt unless using salted peanut butter
Mix In
- ½ cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter, sugars, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract until completely blended.
- In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt (if using).
- Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir together until all of the flour is incorporated into the dough.
- Stir the chocolate chips into the dough.
- Scoop balls of dough approximately the size of a walnut. I use a cookie scoop for this. Roll the dough into a ball, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press the dough balls with your fingers to flatten them a bit before baking.
- Bake for about 8 minutes, until the cookies are set, but still soft.
- Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
I used homemade walnut milk for the milk, salted natural peanut butter, so I omitted the salt. I mixed wet ingredients in food processor then added baking soda, mixed, then added flour and mixed. Hmm, came out not so cookie like. Totally crumbly, would not hold together at all. added milk a little at a time until dough held together. Probably just measured my 1/4 c of milk incorrectly when I poured it, or my peanut butter was still too cold. I think I will cut chocolate chips to 1/3 c next time, although my husband says “How can there be too many chocolate chips?”. Baked 375 on convection oven setting for 10 min. 16 cookies all on one sheet. they did not spread much. Beautiful looking cookies. I rolled into balls in my hand and flattened before putting them on the cookie sheet. Let set 3 min before removing from cookie sheet to wire rack as recipe said, they needed to set a bit to firm up. Excellent cookies.
Can you make these with light spelt flour instead?
Yes, you can!
I’ve been looking and looking for a good vegan cookie. Found it here. Made these last night, they were delicious. Easy to make and directions were perfect. Thank you.
I’m so happy you liked them!