Vegan Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies are so easy to make, all you need is one bowl and about 20 minutes. These soft, chewy double chocolate oatmeal cookies are sure to satisfy your chocolate cravings and are perfect for baking any time of the year, especially around the holidays.
If you love chocolate and want more gluten free, vegan chocolate baking ideas, check out these oat flour brownies or these vegan double chocolate chip cookies.
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Why you will love this recipe
- Simple ingredients – These vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies are made with pantry staples and with ingredients that you can find in your local grocery store. Be sure to check out the substitution ideas listed below if you are missing an ingredient or unsure about a swap.
- So easy to make – all you need is a bowl and a spoon to make these cookies, no mixers needed! This recipe would be great for beginner bakers or making cookies with your kids around the holidays.
- Great for parties or potlucks – these double chocolate oatmeal cookies are great to serve at parties or potlucks because they are gluten free, dairy free, vegan, egg free and nut free. They are full of chocolate flavor and are sure to be a hit!
- Versatile – change up the flavor a bit by adding some peppermint extract, peanut butter chips or some dried cherries for a totally different cookie experience!
Ingredients
- Ground flax – ground flax + dairy free milk combined help to replace the eggs in this recipe. The ground flax acts as a binder in the recipe and helps keep the cookies together while baking. You could also use chia seeds (whole or ground).
- Dairy free milk – dairy free milk helps to give the cookies the soft, chewy texture and also helps to create the flax eggs in the recipe. You could also use water, but I find that the dairy free milk is a little creamier and creates the perfect texture. If you are not dairy free or vegan, you can use regular milk as well.
- Coconut sugar – coconut sugar is made from the nectar of a coconut palm and is my go-to natural sweetener. It’s a little better on the glycemic index and has some trace vitamins and minerals. It’s also vegan friendly (many white or brown sugars are not vegan friendly as they pass through bone char). You could also use an organic brown sugar or organic white sugar in place of the coconut sugar in this recipe.
- Oat flour – oat flour is made by pulsing oats into a flour. To ensure your recipe is gluten free, be sure to buy gluten free oat flour or make your own oat flour from gluten free oats. You could also use your favorite gluten free flour in this recipe (just add an extra tablespoon of flour).
- Cacao powder – cacao powder is what gives these cookies the chocolate flavor. Cacao powder is less bitter than cocoa powder, so I prefer it when baking. However, you can use cocoa powder in this recipe if that is all you have on hand.
- Baking powder – baking powder helps give the cookies the soft texture when baking. The cookies don’t rise much or spread but the baking powder does seem to help give them a little rise.
- Avocado oil – avocado oil is a neutral oil that is perfect for baking. It provides the fat needed to make these cookies soft, chewy and decadent. If you don’t have avocado oil, you could use melted coconut oil, melted ghee or butter or olive oil.
- Vanilla extract (optional) – vanilla extract can help to elevate the flavor of the chocolate in this recipe. It’s optional but if you have it on hand, I highly recommend adding it.
- Oats – this recipe was written to use rolled oats (sometimes called old fashion oats). The oats are visible when baking and really make this an “oatmeal” cookie. You could also use quick oats if that is all you have on hand or if you prefer that the oats not be as noticeable. Note that if you need this recipe to be gluten free, buy gluten free oats.
- Chocolate chips – use your favorite chocolate chips here. If you need the recipe to be dairy free and/or vegan friendly, be sure to use a dairy free chocolate chip. There are some great brands on the market now. The most common is Enjoy Life Brand but Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods both have a more budget friendly option.
How to make vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies
Start by preheating the oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, combine the ground flax and dairy free milk. Stir well to combine them (the flax can clump up if not stirred in the milk immediately).
Add the coconut sugar to the dairy free milk mixture. Stir well.
To the bowl, add the oat flour, cacao powder, baking powder and vanilla extract. Stir well until fully combined.
Add the avocado oil to the bowl and stir well. At first it will not stir in well but just keep stirring.
Next add the oats to the bowl and coat them in the chocolate mixture. Let the dough rest a few minutes to allow the oats to start to absorb some of the liquid from the batter.
Once the dough has rested a few minutes, add the chocolate chips, and stir well to incorporate them.
Use a tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Flatten the cookies (they don’t spread or rise much during cooking) then bake at 350F for 13 minutes.
After taking the vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies out of the oven, allow them to cool 10 minute before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Top tips
- Let the cookie dough rest at least 5 minutes before scooping out the batter to make cookies. This ensures that the oats absorb the extra liquid, so they stay together when baking.
- Be sure to press down the cookies before baking, as they don’t spread during baking.
- Use a cookie scoop! I didn’t know how much I would love a cookie scoop until I started using it. It helps your cookies turn out the same size every time. This also helps them bake evenly too! I recommend a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to start with.
- To make these vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies gluten free, be sure you use gluten free certified oats and oat flour.
- Double the recipe to make a larger batch. Be sure to let the cookies rest 10 minutes before transferring them between batches or use two separate baking sheets.
- Make larger cookies! You can double the size of the cookies and bake the cookies 1 additional minute (be sure to press down the cookies before baking as they don’t spread on their own).
Mix-in ingredients
- Chopped nuts: Walnuts, pecans, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds
- Peppermint extract, almond extract (up to 1 teaspoon extract)
- Freeze dried raspberries, strawberries, bananas
- Dried cherries
- Peanut butter chips
- White chocolate chips
- Sprinkles
- Flaky salt (sprinkle on top)
Common questions
How to make oat flour at home
Make your own oat flour at home by blending rolled oats or quick oats in the food processor or high-speed blender until it resembles flour. You may need to pause and restart this 2-3 times to get them all broken down.
After blending the oats into oat flour, I recommend passing the oat flour through a mesh wire strainer to get any large pieces of oat that may not have blended.
Store leftover oat flour in an airtight container in a dark, cool space for up to 6 months.
What are the best vegan chocolate chips
- Enjoy Life – these can be found in most grocery stores and online. They can be more expensive though so if you see them on sale, buy 2-3.
- Pascha – Pascha is high quality chocolate that you can find on Amazon
- Trader Joe’s 72% Dark Chocolate chips – these are the most budget friendly. I buy these regularly.
- Whole Foods Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – these are also a budget friendly item. Be sure to buy the organic to ensure they are vegan, dairy free and soy free.
- Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips – these dairy free, vegan chocolate chips are sugar free (sweetened with stevia and erythritol).
Can you freeze the cookie dough for later
Yes, you can freeze the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough raw and bake it later.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto a wax paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet and press them down. Then transfer the sheet pan to the freezer until the chocolate oatmeal cookie dough is frozen. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
- When you are ready to bake, pop the frozen cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 350F for 15 minutes (add 2 minutes to the baking time).
Storing double chocolate oatmeal cookies
- Countertop – you can leave these vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies out on the counter for about 24 hours. For the best texture, move the cookies to the fridge if they are going to be around more than 1 day.
- Fridge – once the cookies have cooled completely on the countertop, you can transfer them to a airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The cookies are really delicious from the fridge or can be left out a few minutes to bring them up to room temperature.
- Freezer – freeze cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer safe bag or container. Be sure to let the cookies cool completely (on the counter then in the fridge). Freeze the cookies on a parchment paper or wax paper lined cookie sheet to ensure they don’t stick together once frozen. Once frozen, you can put them in a freezer safe bag or container. Be sure to label the container with the name, date and enjoy by date.
Substitutions
- Ground flax – you can use chia seeds in place of ground flax. If you don’t love the texture of chia seeds, grind them in a food processor or blender first. If you can tolerate eggs, you could also use 2 eggs in place of the ground flax, reduce the dairy free milk to ¼ cup.
- Dairy free milk – use whatever your favorite dairy free alternative to milk is. Almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk (in the carton, not the can), flax milk, cashew milk, hemp milk. If you don’t have dairy free milk on hand, make your own by combining 1 tablespoon of almond butter/sunbutter/peanut butter with 1 cup of water in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Coconut sugar – coconut sugar can be substituted with maple sugar, brown sugar or white sugar. If you use white sugar or brown sugar, be sure to use organic if you need this recipe to be vegan friendly.
- Oat flour – you can make your own oat flour from oats (see the how-to above) or you can use your favorite gluten free flour instead. You will need 1 more tablespoon of gluten free flour. I do not recommend almond flour or coconut flour as a replacement.
- Cacao powder – the cacao powder gives the cookies the deep chocolate flavor. You can also use cocoa powder (it’s just a bit more bitter but will work just fine).
- Avocado oil – avocado oil is a neutral oil (which is why I love it in this recipe). You could also use melted coconut oil, olive oil, melted butter or ghee (not vegan or dairy free).
- Baking powder – if you don’t have baking powder on hand, you can just omit it from this recipe.
- Oats – I prefer rolled oats for this recipe so that you can see the oats in the cookies, but you could also use quick oats. If you want an oat-free chocolate cookie, check out this vegan double chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- Chocolate chips – check out the other mix-in ingredients you could use if you don’t have chocolate chips on hand.
If you love this vegan cookie recipe, you should try
Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats (No Bake)
Air Fryer Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond Butter Peanut Butter Cookies
Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Vegan Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies are so easy to make and are ready in about 20 minutes. These chocolate oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy and perfect for weekend baking or holiday baking. These cookies are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, vegan and nut free.
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Servings: 18
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 1/2 cup dairy free milk
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1.5 cup oats
- 1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground flax and dairy free milk. Stir well.
- Add the coconut sugar to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the oat flour, cacao powder, baking powder and stir well until fully combined.
- Add avocado oil to the bowl. Stir well until avocado oil is well incorporated.
- Add oats to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir well. Let sit 5 minutes to allow the oats to absorb the ingredients.
- Add chocolate chips to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir well.
- Scoop the cookie dough out using a 1 tablespoon scoop onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Flatten the cookies (using your hand or a spatula).
- Bake at 350F for 13 minutes. After baking, allow the cookies to cool at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
Top tips
- Let the cookie dough rest at least 5 minutes before scooping out the batter to make cookies. This ensures that the oats absorb the extra liquid, so they stay together when baking.
- Be sure to press down the cookies before baking, as they don’t spread during baking.
- Use a cookie scoop! I didn’t know how much I would love a cookie scoop until I started using it. It helps your cookies turn out the same size every time. This also helps them bake evenly too! I recommend a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to start with.
- To make these vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies gluten free, be sure you use gluten free certified oats and oat flour.
- Double the recipe to make a larger batch. Be sure to let the cookies rest 10 minutes before transferring them between batches or use two separate baking sheets.
- Make larger cookies! You can double the size of the cookies and bake the cookies 1 additional minute (be sure to press down the cookies before baking as they don’t spread on their own).
- Countertop – you can leave these vegan chocolate oatmeal cookies out on the counter for about 24 hours. However, I think they are best stored in the fridge (they seem to get even fudgier in the fridge).
- Fridge – once the cookies have cooled completely on the countertop, you can transfer them to a airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The cookies are really delicious from the fridge or can be left out a few minutes to bring them up to room temperature.
- Freezer – freeze cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer safe bag or container. Be sure to let the cookies cool completely (on the counter then in the fridge). Freeze the cookies on a parchment paper or wax paper lined cookie sheet to ensure they don’t stick together once frozen. Once frozen, you can put them in a freezer safe bag or container. Be sure to label the container with the name, date and enjoy by date.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
116
Fat
6
g
Carbohydrates
14
g
Fiber
2
g
Sugar
6
g
Protein
2
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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