These gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are about to become your new go-to cookie recipe. They’re are 100% grain and flour-free and can easily be made dairy-free and vegan.
Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, they are everything you want a chocolate chip cookie to be, and could not be any easier to make. This, my friend, is about as healthy as a chocolate chip cookie gets.
Some of you may remember these cookies. They have been my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe for years. Anytime I make these cookies, at least one person asks me for the recipe.
Which is very understandable because they really are that delicious! So grab a pen and paper (or just hit the print button!) and prepare to make the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ve ever had.
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
The key to making a gluten and grain-free chocolate chip cookie is almond butter. It’s hard to believe that one-cup of all natural almond butter creates the base for this cookie recipe, but it does.
No flour or flour substitutes needed. Just one cup of almond butter.
It’s super important that you do not dump out the oil that pools at the top of a new jar of almond butter when you make these cookies.
You want to stir that oil back into the jar so that your almond butter is smooth, creamy and almost pourable. Be sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the jar.
How To Make Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Other then being one of the most delicious cookies you’ll ever eat, they are also crazy easy to make. This is a one-bowl, dump and stir recipe. My favorite kind!
- Start by giving your almond butter a good stir.
- Combine almond butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Stir everything together until you have nice thick cookie dough batter.
- Add in chocolate chips and gently mix them into the dough.
- Scoop up one tablespoon of cookie dough and shape into a small round disc.
- Place on baking sheet and repeat.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until they are golden brown on top and your kitchen smells amazing.
- Cool and enjoy!
These cookies are super delicate when they are hot, so be sure to let them cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.
This will be the hardest part of the cookie making process!
How To Make Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Vegan
I know that we have a good amount of vegans in the Clean & Delicious community so I wanted to be sure that you could enjoy these cookies too!
It’s very easy to make this recipe vegan.
The first focus is the egg. Simply swap the pastured egg for a chia or flax egg.
How To Make a Chia or Flax Egg
- Grind up a few tablespoons of chia seeds or flax seeds, depending on what you use.
- Scoop one tablespoon of ground up seed into a small bowl.
- Add three tablespoons of water to the seeds and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Once the mixture as thickened and is gel-like it’s ready to go.
When it’s time to add the egg in this recipe, simply add the seed mixture in its place.
Dairy Free + Vegan Chocolate Chips
The other swap we need to make is the chocolate chips. Traditional chocolate chips will contain dairy. But this is a super easy fix.
Simply look for brands that are 100% vegan. If you’re not sure where to start, this brand would be perfect.
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-natural unsalted almond butter
- 3/4 cup turbinado sugar (also called sugar in the raw)
- 1 pastured egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F
- Start with a new jar of room temperature almond butter. Be sure to stir any oil that pools at the top back into the almond butter. You want the almond butter to be smooth, creamy and almost pourable.
- In a large bowl, combine almond butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Stir everything together until you have nice thick cookie dough.
- Add in chocolate chips and gently stir so they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Scoop up one tablespoon of cookie dough and shape into a small round disc using your hands (see video). Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with either a silicone mat or parchment paper. Repeat until you have used all the dough. You will need to work in batches or use two baking sheets.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool completely before removing from the baking sheet. They are very delicate when hot, so this is an important step. Enjoy!
Amy Phillips
Hi- can’t wait to try this recipe.
Can you use the freshly ground almond butter that you buy fresh at the store for this recipe or do you need the oil from the packaged jar type of almond butter.
Thank you. Love you YT channel and all your wonderful recipes.
Dani
Freshly ground should work just fine! Enjoy Amy.
Donna M BARATH
Love to make this but has sugar my Gastrointestinal Doctor pervert me from having any sugar except for honey just a little bit. Is there anything else I could use
Dani
You can try using monk fruit or erythritol 🙂
Betsy
These look great. So is the serving size the whole tray of 20? Just kidding. Probably just one — thx for the recipe.
Dani
LOL! Serving size is just for one cookie Betsy…. but believe me, I wish it was for the whole tray.
Danijela
Hi Dani! I’m giving this recipe a 5 because although mine did not turn out quite as yours, they we’re still so delicious! I made this recipe exactly as you instructed with all of the ingredients. However when I was forming them with the tablespoon and trying to make patties, I notice that they were very oily/wet. They held their form but were soo moist and I did stir the almond butter very well as you instructed so as to incorporate the oil back in that had settled on top. I did not have unsalted almond butter so I used salted and I do not know If this was the problem. When they came out they were very flat and almost looked as if they separated. Any of your feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Love your channel!
Dani
Hi there! My first thought was the oil… but as you mentioned, it sounds like you stirred it in really well. My next thought is the brand. Did your almond butter have any ingredients in it other than the almonds + salt? Would love to help you figure this out.
Jeska
Hi Dani,
Great recipe! Where can I purchase turbinado sugar?
Dani
Most grocery stores carry it OR you can always buy on Amazon.
Denise
What is the serving size? 1 cookie?
Dani
Yes, one cookie:)
Marge Teilhaber
I might try this with tahini first since I don’t have almond butter in the house right now. Any predictions yay or nay?? Dani, you and your videos and ideas are AMAZING!!!
Dani
Hi Marge! Tahini MAY work, I’m just a little concerned that it could be bitter. But, if you decide to try, I would love to hear how it goes.
Kerissa
Can i use Peanut Butter instead of Almond Butter?
Dani
You definitely can 🙂
Marine Cerantola
it looks so yuuuummy! do you think it could work if peanut butter is used instead of almond butter?
Danni
Hi Marine, in the comment above yours Dani said it would work. I’m going to try that too!
Nicole
I just made these, but I used the crunchy Trader Joe’s almond butter since that’s what I had. Oh my goodness. So so good!!! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Dani
Anytime!! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Danni
Hi Dani, I made the cookies and I used Xylitol as the sweetener. Is that why my cookies came out completely flat? I double checked and that was the only ingredient I changed. I’m diabetic so I can’t use sugar as the sweetener. They still tasted good but I would love to get a thicker cookie. Love your site BTW!
Dani
That’s a great question. I haven’t made them with xylitol myself yet (but I will soon!!) so my guess is that would have to be the reason since it is the only thing you changed. I plan to experiment with this. Would you mind sharing which brand of xylitol you used?
Hannah
Already when mixing the ingredients I knew the cookies were going to be amazing, it smelled so good! Baked cookies turned out to be the best cookies ever, great flavour and texture. Thank you Dani! I highly recommend making these cookies!
Dani
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them as much as we do. Thanks for taking the time to report back. Super appreciated!
Cori E.
Just made these cookies and they were a huge hit in our household! Thanks!
Dani
Yay!! SO glad you all enjoyed them. Thanks for letting me know.
Noma
I used peanut butter and added cocoa powder instead on chocolate chips and it tasted just yummy. Loved the fact that the recipe is so easy and quick. I love following your channel on YouTube.
Dani
That sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed them.
maya
hi! i’ve tried making these a couple of times and wanted to leave a suggestion and ask a question^^
the first time i made them, i followed the recipe exactly and the flavor was great, but the cookies kept falling apart in my hands even a few days after being baked.
i just tried again, and this time i used a little less almond butter and added in half a cup of ground bob’s red mill gluten free oats, and they hold firm and delicious after about fifteen minutes cooling!
with this alteration, this is the first gluten free vegan recipe that’s turned out with a nice texture similar to a normal cookie for me^^ if anyone else has trouble with them falling apart and isn’t sensitive to gluten free oats, this may work for you too!
but i was wondering – has anyone else tried anything different that also prevents these cookies from falling apart? thanks for the recipe!
Jo Ann
These are delicious and my whole family loves them! I get 12 from a recipe. Am I making them too big?
Dani
Hmmm, it sounds like you may be making them too big!
Debra Termine
Hi Dani,
Can I freeze the dough if I decide I don’t want to make 20 cookies ‘cause I will eat 20 cookies?
Dani
Yes, definitely!
Sharona Khorramian
Amazing!! Just had two of them.
Dani
So glad you liked them Sharona! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Emily
Just made these! Very easy to make. Wondering if they would freeze well?
Dani
Yes! they are great for the freezer.
Jerrica
I have Celiac and am intolerant to egg yoke, vanilla, cane sugar & cocoa. I made these cookies and substituted in egg whites, almond extract, beet sugar, and left out the chocolate chips. They turned out amazing in my opinion. I was so impressed to see how the dough turned out without using flour. I will definitely be saving my tweaked version this recipe and I’ll be making them again soon. Thank you!