Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies: How To Bake Without Eggs

These Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are soft, thick, and chewy! Bake without eggs using the secret to perfect vegan cookies. White chocolate and macadamia nuts are a match made in dessert heaven, with the buttery crunch of macadamia nuts perfectly complementing the smooth, sweet creaminess of dairy-free white chocolate.

Some flavors just belong together—like white chocolate and macadamia nuts. These two ingredients create the perfect balance of sweet, buttery, and nutty flavors, making this classic cookie an all-time favorite. But making a vegan version that’s just as thick, chewy, and bakery-worthy? That takes a little magic. In today’s recipe, I’ll show you how xanthan gum and aquafaba come together to create the ultimate Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, with a soft center, golden edges, and the perfect lift.

Since my heart attack, I’ve been rethinking the way I take care of my health—prioritizing both nutrition and joy in the foods I eat. While I’m still waiting on insurance approval for GLP-1 medication, which has been shown to aid in both weight loss and cardiovascular health, I’m staying focused on the things that bring me happiness. And baking? That’s definitely one of them.

Today’s recipe is a vegan twist on a classic favorite: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. Using xanthan gum and aquafaba, we’ll achieve that thick, bakery-style texture without eggs or dairy.

Macadamia Nuts: The Buttery, Nutrient-Rich Secret to the Perfect Cookie

Macadamia nuts aren’t just a delicious add-in for cookies—they’re a luxurious, buttery nut that adds richness, crunch, and depth to every bite. When paired with smooth, creamy white chocolate, the result is an indulgent combination of textures and flavors: the subtle sweetness of white chocolate balancing the savory, nutty richness of macadamias.

What Makes Macadamia Nuts Special?

Unlike almonds or walnuts, macadamia nuts have a distinctively creamy texture that almost melts in your mouth. Their naturally buttery flavor comes from a high concentration of healthy monounsaturated fats, giving them a rich mouthfeel that makes these cookies extra luxurious.

Nutritional Benefits of Macadamia Nuts

Beyond their decadent taste, macadamia nuts are also packed with nutrients that support heart health and overall wellness:

✔️ Heart-Healthy Fats – Over 75% of the fat in macadamia nuts is monounsaturated, which helps lower bad cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health.
✔️ Rich in Antioxidants – They contain flavonoids and tocotrienols, powerful antioxidants that fight oxidative stress and inflammation.
✔️ Supports Brain Health – High in omega-9 fatty acids, which may support cognitive function and memory.
✔️ Naturally Low in Carbs – A great option for those following low-carb or plant-based diets, providing satiety without unnecessary sugars or starches.
✔️ Good Source of Fiber & Minerals – Contains magnesium, manganese, and fiber, all of which contribute to balanced digestion and steady energy levels.

Why Macadamia Nuts & White Chocolate Are a Match Made in Heaven

The rich, buttery texture of macadamia nuts perfectly complements the subtle sweetness of white chocolate, making them a classic flavor pairing in cookies. The crunch of the nuts contrasts beautifully with the smooth, creamy chocolate, creating an irresistible balance of sweet and nutty flavors in every bite.

Last update on 2025-04-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

If you’ve never tried vegan white chocolate with macadamia nut cookies, you’re in for a treat. The combination is simple yet sophisticated, bringing out the best of both ingredients while making every bite feel like a little indulgence.

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 2025-04-14 / 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:

• Cheesy Vegan Alfredo Sauce Recipe – No Nuts or Cashews
• Vegan Holiday Cookies Everyone Will Love: Spiced Kruidnoten
• Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• The Vegan Chewy Chocolate Chip Recipe
• Low Sodium Stir Fry Sauce for A Heart Healthy Meal Everyone Will Love!

Ingredients for Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Initially, I developed this recipe to go for a book about making perfect vegan cookies. I wound up having a heart attack, and decided to use some of the recipes and photos I had already done to create a few blog posts to help me get started working again.

I mentioned in another recipe that I didn’t like the vegan white chocolate chips that I got. You can see in the picture that they’re a bit tiny and they wind up getting lost in the cookie. These ones browned a bit instead of melting when overcooked too. Not my favorite, but this recipe might be great for another vegan white chocolate so I’m posting it anyways.

• vegan butter baking sticks
• light brown sugar
• organic white sugar
• aqufaba
• xanthan gum or corn starch
• vanilla extract
• bread flour
• unflavored protein powder or vital wheat gluten
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• macadamia nuts
• vegan white chocolate chips

Instructions for Making Vegan White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

1. Make one and a half cups of halved or lightly chopped macadamia nuts and set aside
2. Sift the flour, protein powder or cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together

Making Egg Replacement For The Vegan Cookie Recipe

3. Whisk the vanilla extract and xanthan gum into the aquafaba to make the egg replacement

Creaming Plant Based Butter and Sugar

4. 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

5. Being careful to not overwork the dough, lightly fold egg replacement and dry ingredients into the creamed butter
6. Reserve enough chocolate chips for two or three to go on the top of each cookie (optional)
7. Fold the macadamia nuts and the remaining chocolate chips into the dough by hand

8. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least one hour

Baking The Cookies

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

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

Substitutions

The egg replacement combination of aquafaba and xanthan gum is the key that makes this recipe stand out from other vegan cookie recipes. Adding a special ingredient to make the best vegan bakery-style cookies might not be what you had in mind today. You can still come close to the magic of this recipe by using a tablespoon of corn starch instead. Many bakery-style cookie recipes use corn starch to keep the cookies tall and firm without becoming crumbly or spreading.

This 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. If you don’t have any, you can add some unflavored protein powder or vital wheat gluten to increase the protein content to get the same bakery style texture.

Variations Of This Vegan Cookie Recipe

If you don’t have macadamia nuts try adding cashew pieces, the rich buttery taste and texture are most similar of all the nuts and work well with the white chocolate.

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

These are unapologetically decadent—crisp edges, gooey centers, creamy chunks of white chocolate, and rich macadamias. Once you’ve devoured these, go for the basics with Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe: How to Bake Without Eggs. Then expand your collection with Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, get adventurous with Cornflake Cookies Milk Bar Copycat: How to Bake Without Eggs, or add crunch with The Best Vegan Biscotti Recipe with Almonds: Eggless Biscotti Recipe.

Storage and Serving Suggestions

To store your vegan white chocolate macadamia nut 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.

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