Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe: How to Bake Without Eggs

Make the best eggless chocolate chip cookies recipe with this chewy, soft, and delicious twist on Alton Brown’s classic! Learn the secret to perfect chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies with the best vegan egg substitute for cookies.

If you’ve ever watched Alton Brown’s Good Eats, you might be familiar with his famous chewy chocolate chip cookiesrecipe. His approach to creating the perfect chewy chocolate chip cookie inspired this vegan chocolate chip chewyversion, which swaps eggs and dairy for plant-based ingredients—without sacrificing that signature soft center and crispy edge.

This eggless chocolate chip cookies recipe is perfect for anyone looking for a delicious vegan chocolate chip chewycookie that doesn’t compromise on texture or flavor. And the secret? The right vegan egg substitute for cookies and a few simple tweaks to the classic method!

The Secret to Chewy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

When it comes to finding the perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe, Alton Brown’s original recipe is a standout. This tried and true classic has all the elements you look for in a perfect cookie – chewy centers, crisp edges, and of course, an abundance of gooey chocolate chips. 

But what makes Alton Brown’s chocolate chip cookie recipe truly special is how easily it can be adapted to fit a plant-based diet. With just a few simple swaps, this beloved recipe can be transformed into a vegan-friendly treat that is just as delicious as the original.

By replacing the eggs with aquafaba and xanthan gum, we are able to achieve that perfect chewy texture without sacrificing any flavor. The plant-based butter adds a rich, buttery taste that you won’t even realize is vegan. And of course, swapping out regular chocolate chips for vegan-friendly ones ensures that every bite is dairy-free and just as chocolatey.

The best part? These vegan chewy chocolate chip cookies are so good, you won’t even miss the eggs or dairy. They have all the flavor and texture of the classic recipe, but with a plant-based twist that is perfect for those following a vegan lifestyle. So whether you’re vegan or simply looking to try something new, Alton Brown’s chocolate chip recipe is sure to become a favorite in your household.

This recipe was based off The Chewy Chocolate Chip Recipe by Alton Brown.

Xanthan Gum: The Secret Ingredient for Perfect Vegan Cookies

Ever wonder why store-bought cookies stay soft, chewy, and perfectly shaped for days? The answer often lies in xanthan gum—a powerful binder and stabilizer used in commercial baking to improve texture and shelf life. But guess what? It’s just as useful in the home kitchen, especially for vegan baking.

Why Use Xanthan Gum?

Xanthan gum acts as a structural support in cookies, mimicking the elasticity that eggs provide in traditional baking. Without it, vegan cookies can sometimes spread too much or become crumbly. But with just a tiny amount (we’re talking ½ teaspoon per batch), you get:

✔️ Thicker cookies that don’t flatten too much
✔️ A chewier texture that holds up beautifully
✔️ Improved dough elasticity for a better bite

Xanthan Gum + Aquafaba = Next-Level Vegan Baking

For this recipe, I take it one step further—by whisking xanthan gum into aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas) to create a foamy, egg-like substitute. This helps the cookies rise taller and chunkier, just like their non-vegan counterparts. 

Last update on 2025-04-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

If you don’t have xanthan gum, cornstarch works as a substitute, though it’s not quite as perfect. But trust me, once you try the aquafaba-xanthan gum method, you’ll never look back.

The Secret to Bakery Style Vegan Cookies

So, what makes these vegan white chocolate macadamia nut cookies different from the rest? It’s all in the details. Here are the game changing techniques I use to make bakery-worthy vegan cookies at home:

1. Use Vegan Butter Sticks – I swear by vegan butter sticks over all other options for the perfect fat-to-water ratio that mimics the makeup of dairy butter.
2. Bread Flour for Structure – Higher protein makes cookies chewier and thicker. If you don’t have bread flour, supplement your all-purpose flour with vital wheat gluten or unflavored protein powder.
3. Cream Butter & Sugar Correctly – Creaming vegan butter and sugar together properly aerates the dough, creating that perfect light-but-chewy texture.
4. Refrigerate the Dough – Chilling for at least an hour keeps the fats solid, preventing overspreading and ensuring thick, puffy cookies.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

• Best Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chewy Bakery Style Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie Vegan Copycat
• Vegan Crispy Hash Brown Patties
• Sheet Pan Eggs – Make It Vegan with Just Egg

Ingredients for Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

• plant based butter
• light brown sugar
• organic white sugar
• aquafaba, the liquid in a can of chickpeas
• pea protein powder
• vanilla extract
• xanthan gum, optional for bakery texture
• bread flour
• plant based chocolate chips
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt

Choosing quality ingredients can bring out the best in your baking. It is important to measure accurately and weigh your flour, as well as use high-quality sugar and vegan butter that you can cream properly.

The right technique will give you a light, fluffy texture and the best flavor possible. Make sure you have measured and weighed all of your ingredients correctly before incorporating them into the batter. Mix any dry ingredients together before adding them to allow them to blend better with the wet ingredients. I found that plant based butters melt easier than animal product butters too.

Room temp butter is easier to cream, but room temp vegan butter easily gets too soft. Avoid leaving it out too long and definitely don’t microwave your butter here. Getting the butter and sugar creamed to the optimal consistency is the key technique that affects the outcome. Baker’s sugar is easier to cream, but it likely isn’t vegan. You can make sugar easier to cream by running it through a bullet or high speed blender to process it finer.

I’ve tried all of the vegan butter substitutes in cookies and found that Miyoko’s sticks and Melt sticks work well. The Country Crock plant-based avocado oil sticks slightly better than the others.

Instructions for Making Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

1. Sift the baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bread flour and set aside

Making Egg Replacement For The Vegan Cookie Recipe

2. Whisk the vanilla extract and xanthan gum into the aquafaba and set aside

Creaming Plant Based Butter and Sugar

3. The ultimate key to making great vegan and plant based cookies is to cream the butter and sugar together well. Usually, butter is left to come to room temperature for creaming in a cookie recipe. The fat and moisture in plant based butters don’t handle the same. I found that the plant based butter creams best cold, and if you take the extra step of blending the sugar fine beforehand it creams even quicker and easier. 

Assembling The Cookie Dough

4. Being careful to not overwork the dough, add the dry ingredients and egg replacement to the mixing bowl and bring together just enough to barely combine
5. Reserve 2 or 3 chocolate chips for the tops of the cookies
6. Fold in the plant based chocolate chips by hand so they don’t get mangled by the mixer

7. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour

Baking The Cookies

8. Preheat oven to 350F
9. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and space out 2oz scoops at least a couple of inches apart
10. Without flattening the scoops of dough, apply two or three of the reserved chocolate chips to the top of the cookie

11. Bake in the upper rack of the oven for 15-18 minutes
12. Allow to cool an additional 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack

Substitutions

This was adapted from Alton Brown’s The Chewy Chocolate Chip Recipe. The recipe uses bread flour similar to other celebrity chefs with expert cookie tips such as Christina Tosi, now owner of Milk Bar that I’ve also done a copycat cookie from. Switching up to bread flour from all purpose flour is transformational, avoid substituting the AP flour you have on hand.

The Ghirardelli Non-Dairy chocolate chips have a melt and texture much closer to good milk chocolate chips. Other brands use sugar alcohols or erythritol and they don’t melt the same. Substituting for your preferred or available brand won’t harm the recipe.

You can also adjust the ratio of white and brown sugar to achieve your desired texture if you keep the total amount the same. Make sure that your sugar is organically sourced to make sure that it hasn’t been purified with a bone char method.

Variations Of This Vegan Cookie Recipe

I started using this cookie base without the chocolate chips as a foundation to adapt other cookie recipes from. I’ve tried adding chopped hazelnuts to the chocolate chips, and using vegan marshmallows and cornflake crunch for the Milk Bar copycat.

For soft chewier cookies, add two tablespoons of corn syrup to the wet ingredients that you mix in with the creamed butter.

Storage and Serving Suggestions

To store your vegan chocolate chip cookies, allow them to cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. This will help maintain their chewy texture and prevent them from becoming stale. If you want to keep them extra fresh, you can also wrap each cookie individually in plastic wrap before placing them in the container.

If you want to enjoy your cookies warm and gooey, simply pop them in the microwave for a few seconds before serving. This will help soften the chocolate chips and create a melty, heavenly experience.

For a special treat, try serving your vegan chocolate chip cookies with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream on top. The combination of warm, chewy cookies and cold, creamy ice cream is absolutely divine.

If you’re hosting a party or gathering, consider creating a vegan cookie platter with a variety of flavors. Include these vegan chocolate chip cookies along with other favorites like peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and snickerdoodles. This will ensure there’s something for everyone and showcase the deliciousness of vegan baking.

So, whether you enjoy them straight from the oven, at room temperature, or with a scoop of ice cream, these vegan chocolate chip cookies are sure to be a hit. Indulge in their sweet, chocolatey goodness and share them with your friends and family. They’ll be impressed by how delicious and satisfying vegan cookies can be.

Final Thoughts

Inspired by Alton Brown’s chewy chocolate chip cookies, this eggless chocolate chip cookies recipe proves you don’t need eggs or dairy to make an indulgent treat. By using the perfect vegan egg substitute for cookies and a few baking tricks, these chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies come out soft, gooey, and absolutely delicious.

Bake a batch today—you won’t believe they’re vegan!