Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the chocolate chip cookies that my mom made for me growing up – and it’s also one of the first recipes that I ever veganized, waaaaay back in high school. At the time, I susbstituted vegan margarine for the butter, and because the recipe didn’t call for any milk or eggs, it was otherwise already vegan.

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hadn’t had these in years, so my mom decided to make them for me when I was home last month. She thought she’d try using coconut oil instead of margarine and guess what? They were even better that way! The cookies were light and delicious, and so much healthier than the original version.

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, they have a cup of sugar in them (1/4 cup white, 3/4 cup brown). But they also have 2 cups of oats, 3/4 cup of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, an half a cup of heart-healthy walnuts. And hey, you gotta live a little sometimes, right?

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Updates

Feb 18, 2013 – I made these again today and wanted to mention something about the coconut oil. I was trying to use coconut oil from a jar that I store in my fridge, but it way too firm to even measure out of the jar. So if it’s winter when you’re making these, or you live in a colder climate, then you should be able to use the coconut oil at room temperature. However, if it’s summer where you are and/or you live in a warm climate, then your coconut oil will likely be liquid at room temperature. If that’s the case, then you’ll need to let it firm-up in the fridge for about an hour. Keep checking on it – it should be have a thick but not solid consistency, like butter/margarine or shortening. I’ve updated this info in the recipe’s notes, below.

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Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Author: Angela @ Vegangela.com
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 12 mins
  • Total Time: 27 mins

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup semi-solid coconut oil (see note)
  • ¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/3 cup boiling water
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup chopped nuts (we use walnuts)
  • ¾ cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Beat coconut oil until soft. Add sugars and beat until fluffy. Add Vanilla. Add flour and salt and mix well.
  2. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Blend into mixture. Stir in the rolled oats, nuts and chocolate chips.
  3. Roll in balls and flatten with fork dipped in cold water. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Notes

Yield: 4 to 5 dozen.

Adapted from the “Chocolate Chip Cookies” recipe in the “Best of Bridge” cookbook.

Note about the Coconut Oil – If it’s summer where you are and/or you live in a warm climate, then your coconut oil will likely be liquid at room temperature. If that’s the case, then you’ll need to let it firm-up in the fridge for about an hour. Keep checking on it – it should be have a thick but not solid consistency, like butter/margarine or shortening.

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Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

78 thoughts on “Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies”

  1. Thankyou for this recipe. Mine didn’t come out exactly like yours but still yummy. I want to make these again but wondering what I did that made them flat and flaky on edges. I didnt even push them down on the second batch so Im not sure what went wrong. I refrigerated the dough but didnt help enough and followed the instructions right.

    Reply
  2. Thanks for this wonderful recipe for using coconut oil. I was sold on the health benefits but needed a good recipe for it and found just the thing with your Oatmeal CC cookies.

    For my next batch, I wanted to try Cacao Nibs. I was just introduced to them and I was wondering if they could be substituted for the chocolate chips? If so, what would the modified recipe look like?

    6-months vegan and very appreciative of your site 🙂

    Reply
    • Hi Rick, thanks for the kind words! I haven’t used cacao nibs in this recipe but I think you could use them in a 1:1 ratio. The resulting cookies will be less sweet but they should look rather similar. If you try it, let me know how they turn out!

      Reply
  3. Googled to find a vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookie for my granddaughter at Christmas and not only did she adore them, but my carnivore friend has polished off 3 batches since! They are the perfect texture, crispy and lacy at the edges, chewy in the center. They need to sit out of the over a few minutes before transferring to the rack as the coconut oil is so liquidy when hot – or they risk falling apart. They need a full 12 hours to cool before storing even at this cool time of year. Sooner and they are somewhat greasy in your hand. I will look for more deliciousness on your blog, the peanut soup is next! Thank you for the super recipes!

    Reply
  4. Has anyone tried this recipe without using wheat flower and if so what kind. Trying to find a gluten free version.
    Looks really good can’t wait to try them.

    Reply
  5. I’m not vegan, but I am entertaining a vegan family tomorrow, including two 4 year olds. I just finished making your recipe for Vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and they are delicious. I’m sure the kids will love them. The coconut oil made the dough taste so good that I wanted to eat it without cooking! The texture is good – chewy and gooey. i miss the lift that eggs add, but more and more people eating a vegan diet, I am really happy to have tried this dessert. It’s something I can bring to parties and know that everyone will enjoy them.

    Reply
  6. I made these substituting the chocolate chips with walnuts and plump cranberries. Since I left out the chocolate chips, I also added 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp, nutmeg. They tasted absolutely amazing. For appearances sake next time around I may remove them from the oven a little earlier than 10 mins. or as suggested I may refrigerate the dough before I bake. My batch were somewhat flat in appearance. I usually check on cookies earlier than the suggested baking times but I was multi-tasking & had set my timer for the minimum baking time, 10 mins., so that’s when they came out of the oven. This was my first time using coconut oil instead of butter in my favorite cookie recipe, oatmeal cookies & I will never go back to butter. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!

    Reply
  7. I forgot to rate this recipe until after I hit ‘submit.’

    I can’t wait to try your cheese recipe, but I think I’ll wait til I have truffle oil to make it super special.

    Reply
  8. Fortunately, I only had enough oil to make just under half the recipe. Out of that, I baked five cookies, and ate them all! Yum. I will try for restraint and leave the rest of the dough in the fridge a while, maybe make the rest before work to share, so I don’t pig out on all the rest myself. Also, yummy raw.

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  9. These cookies came out perfect! Taste is amazing, as well as texture. Decided to try this recipe because the ingredients were simple and it worked out great.

    Reply
  10. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU 100x!!! These cookies are amazing!! I made them yesterday. I doubled the batch as we like to eat lots of cookies. I have never heard of using coconut oil in a mushy state like butter. I have always melted the coconut oil for recipes. The cookies were chewy and so very delicious. I was doubling the recipe in faith as this was my 1st time trying to make delicious treats and I am so very pleased with the results. They sure didn’t last long… we have only a few left as we shared with our friends and they couldn’t get over the creamy texture and ate them all up! Thanks with prayer from our home and tummies! 🙂

    Reply
  11. These are great. I followed the recipe exactly, and they came out perfect. Made the raw refrigerated version yesterday. These are wonderful too. Love all your recipes!

    Reply
  12. These are AMAZING. My 10 year old made them, by himself. I love that the recipe was simple enough for him to follow easily, and the result is delicious. Everyone loves them. The only change I would make is to double, or even triple, it.

    Reply
  13. Hi, I just wanted to say I’ve made this cookie recipe many times and love it, my kids love them. I found your website when I was looking for vegan dishes..I am not vegan but do cook vegetarian meals for our family often. My kids don’t really like the texture of meal, so I’ve been experimenting with different dishes. So thanks for your website and recipe ideas. I just read your story about moving back to Sydney, Australia; good for you, go with your heart decision. I spent alot of time in Australia in my twenties and still call it my second home…I haven’t been back there for 10 years but have great friends I communicate with. It is a wonderful country also. I live in Alberta, Canada and this is home to me, but when that cold comes in the winter, Aussie Land sure looks more inviting. haha Enjoy!

    Reply
    • Hi Tracy! I always love hearing from fellow Canadians. And even cooler when they’ve visited or lived in Australia and know what that’s all about. I hope you get the chance to come back for a visit some day – it really is such a magical place!

      I’m glad that your family is enjoying this recipe, as it’s one of my favorites too. I’ve got a gluten-free almond-meal based chocolate chip cookie recipe coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that one! Thanks agin for all the kind words and for your support!

      Reply
  14. Would these work with margarine rather than coconut oil? and I fancy cashews (I am allergic to other nuts). What do you think?

    Reply
    • Yes, that’s how I always made them in the past. The coconut oil is healthier, but feel free to use margarine if you want. And of course, feel free to use cashews – that would be divine 🙂

      Reply
  15. I just made these and they are so good! However, after the cookies cookies cooled completely, I placed them in an airtight container and just after a couple of hours the cookies were very soft and not firm and chewy like when I baked. Do you know why this happen? And does it happen to you?

    Reply
  16. Can these cookies be made with something other than coconut oil? I teach children’s cooking and my upcoming class has a nut, dairy, egg and coconut allergies. Thanks!

    Reply
  17. I made these today for a vegan potluck wedding, and they are wonderful (no nuts or chocolate, just 1c of dried cranberries, soaked in hot water and drained, and I used quick oats). I refrigerated the cup of coconut oil and found it difficult to cream as well, but I think that the bowl was too big — I seemed to be chasing the chunks of oil with the beaters.
    As I do with all cookie recipes, I refrigerated the dough. Flour needs time to absorb the liquids, and the gluten needs time to relax. In a perfect world, dough should be refrigerated between 12-36 hours. They bake and brown much more evenly and the flavor is more developed. Today I only had about 4 hours to spare, so that’s all it got.
    What is the reason for dissolving the baking soda? Is that the binding “egg substitute”?

    Reply
    • Hi Maria – Thanks so much for letting me know! My mom and I were wondering whether it would work with spelt flour and we were going to try it next week. Now we know… thanks again!

      Reply
  18. My husband asked if I would make him oatmeal cookies and instead of modified my default chocolate chip, I decided to try something different. Thanks, these are yummy! And a nice reminder to use that delicious coconut oil…

    You must be making very small cookies, though, because my recipe turned out just under three dozen. Can’t imagine hitting sixty. Maybe I’m just making them too big? They don’t seem big, anyway. *nomnomnom*

    Reply
  19. I’m not vegan but my son is allergic to dairy, eggs, soy and wheat. I made this recipe subbing arrowhead mills gluten free baking mix for the flour. They are amazing! Thanks for the fantastic recipe, I know I’ll be making these often.

    Reply
  20. I made these today and they are fantastic! Thanks for the recipe. The only modifications I made was to use only 3/4 cup of organic cane sugar instead of the white and brown sugar, and used 1 cup spelt and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour.
    I also used room temperature coconut oil, formed the cookies and put them on the cookie sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes prior to baking (they were really oily beforehand). This worked and they didn’t spread too much and came out perfectly after about 13 minutes. My two-year old loved them too!!

    Reply
    • Hi Danielle – Great mods and I like the idea of chilling the cookies first – especially great if you use liquid coconut oil. Thanks for sharing your feedback!

      Reply
  21. Made these today for my hubby’s birthday! They turned out great. Also, if anyone was wondering… I just scooped them out with a cookie scoop and didn’t bother flattening and they still turned out fabulous! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  22. Hi Angela! I just tried your cookies and they are yummy… Thanks for sharing the recipe
    For some reason though I needed 14-15 minutes in my oven to cook them.
    Anyways, greetings from Greece and if you permit me I’d like to publish your recipe in my blog.

    Reply
  23. I just made these and they are really flat and oily (but still taste good!). I’m not sure what went wrong. I didn’t refridgerate the coconut oil because I thought it would get too hard. Maybe that was it? I’m still eating them though-yum!

    Reply
    • Hi Andrea – I’m so sorry that these didn’t work out for you. You definitely need to refrigerate the coconut oil. You’re trying to mimic margarine/butter, so it needs to be hard and then whipped. Give it a go and let me know if that helps!

      Reply
  24. Just made your recipe and it came out a little dry. I am wondering if I didn’t cream the coconut oil as good as I should have. I used a kitchen aid mixer and there wasn’t a lot of coconut oil so maybe the mixer couldn’t really reach it all, you know? I will let you know…

    Reply
  25. I made these yesterday and they are delicious. Dangerous to have in the house because I can’t stop eating them! The coconut oil gives them such a good flavor. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
  26. It’s so awesome to veganize childhood recipes especially sweets and make them healthier and better, doesn’t mean you hate your mom’s sweets, but you chose to eat them because you love your mom 🙂 I also have veganized plenty of Taiwanese foods that my mom usually make me as a child, and it was like a renewed eating lifestyle!

    xxx

    Reply

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