These perfect paleo chocolate chip cookies are thick, chewy and have the perfect texture. Many of the reviewers have called these the best cookies ever and said that nobody had a clue that they were paleo (or even gluten-free)!
This recipe also has vegan and keto options. Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for making today’s post possible!
I first posted this recipe four years ago and am reposting it today with new photos and more tips. Since I posted it, it’s been my most popular recipe and the photos just didn’t do it justice.
All almond flours are not created equal
When I first made these paleo chocolate chip cookies, it’d been quite a while since I last posted some grain-free recipes. I had run out of my favorite Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour months before and was so frustrated with the brands of almond flour available here in Germany since they’re so inconsistent.
Because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of ordering flour from the US, I thought I’d wait it out until Christmas when I’d be back in the US and could buy all the Bob’s Red Mill I want.
But then I got a hankering for chocolate chip cookies. And I really wanted to make paleo cookies.
So I went to work and while every batch tasted amazing, the appearance and thickness was different every single time. The only variable?
The almond flour. The almond flour I’d been buying varies from brand to brand and even within the same brand.
Variation in baking = bad
They come in tiny 1-cup bags here so I go through a load of them when recipe testing. I’d open up one bag and find some finely ground almond flour, then I’d open up another bag from the same company, and it was overall coarser with bits of sliced almonds.
Sliced almonds! In my almond flour. That was the final straw.
So to save my sanity, I ordered myself some Bob’s Red Mill almond flour. By the way, if you have Bob’s Red Mill in a retail store in your area, you can use one of these $1 coupons.
Consistency matters a lot
The cookies made with Bob’s Red Mill came out thick, chewy and just as delicious and magical as all-purpose flour chocolate chip cookies. I doubt that anyone would be able to tell that these are paleo cookies! And the 750+ reviewers agree with me.
And every batch comes out the same. I can say this very confidently as I’ve made these cookies over 100x in the last 4 years (yes, that’s about 2x a month!). Hooray for consistency!
Some of the reviewers have mentioned the same issues with random brands of almond flour vs. Bob’s Red Mill. And homemade almond flour? The cookies definitely won’t come out the same! This has been confirmed by several commenters.
So the almond flour obviously plays a huge role in the final outcome of these paleo chocolate chip cookies. Another thing that will affect the cookies is the temperature of the coconut oil.
Pay attention to the coconut oil
If you make these in the summer when room temperature coconut oil means melted coconut oil, you’ll need to refrigerate the coconut oil until it’s firmer, like softened butter.
If you make these dairy-free cookies with melted coconut oil, the dough will be very greasy and the chocolate chips will be hard to incorporate into the dough.
It doesn’t work to use melted coconut oil and then just chill the dough. I don’t understand why but it doesn’t work!
Coconut sugar (for paleo) vs brown sugar
You’ll also need to chill the dough if you use coconut sugar rather than brown sugar. I made one version with brown sugar and one with coconut sugar at the same time and the brown sugar cookies were nice and thick while the coconut sugar version spread flat and was super thin.
I refrigerated the remaining coconut sugar dough until firm and that resulted in nice and thick cookies, just like the brown sugar version! Just a little darker colored.
Size also matters
If you can’t tell by the pictures, these paleo chocolate chip cookies are huge. Instead of making 8 cookies, you can make 16 to get regular-sized cookies.
I just prefer how they bake up with gooier and chewier centers when they’re larger! Several of the commenters have said that they make them half that size and enjoy them and other commenters have said that they agree that the key to making these cookies so perfect is to make them huge.
Variations of this recipe
If you’ve had enough chocolate chip cookies lately but like this sound of this recipe, I’ve got you covered! I’ve made several variations of these cookies over the years:
- Coconut flour cookies – they don’t use any almond flour, in case you need a nut-free version! And they’re somehow every bit as delicious as the version below.
- Paleo “Peanut Butter” Cookies – these use sunflower seed butter in place of peanut butter for a version that tastes super similar to real peanut butter cookies.
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies – they also only use coconut flour. I spent 4 years trying to make the below paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe with peanut butter. I didn’t like the results. But I finally nailed it and they are the best peanut butter cookies I’ve ever had!
- Paleo Double Chocolate Cookies – So. Much. Chocolate!
- Paleo “Oatmeal” Cookies – these cookies taste really close to traditional oatmeal cookies!
- Paleo Peppermint Cookies – so perfect for Christmas!
Have you made one of them? Or the original? Which one is your favorite?
Substitution questions for these paleo chocolate chip cookies:
- Can I use something instead of almond flour?
Almond flour is only really interchangeable with other nut flours so cashew or hazelnut meal would likely work. I’ve heard of some people using sunflower seed meal as a sub for almond flour but I haven’t tried it myself.
- Can I use something instead of coconut flour?
Nope! There isn’t a really good sub for coconut flour. A few people have mentioned using oat flour (for a non-paleo version) with success but I haven’t tried it.
- Can I use something instead of almond butter?
I’ve tried using peanut butter but didn’t like the results. So I really don’t recommend using peanut butter.
Using it in the all coconut flour version? Amazing! It’s linked to above. If using sunflower seed butter, you need to make a few changes (see the Paleo “Peanut Butter” Cookies linked to above).
Hazelnut butter would probably be awesome in this original recipe! Reviewers have used cashew butter but the cashew butter I get and make is SO much firmer than almond butter, I can’t imagine the cookies coming out the same as with almond butter. - Can I use something instead of coconut / brown sugar?
Subbing in a liquid sweetener won’t work. There’s no liquid to reduce to make up for the added liquid, so it’d make the cookies cakey. Any other granulated sweetener would probably work.
- What can I use instead of the egg or chia egg?
I’ve tried flax eggs but I don’t like the taste (people say that flax eggs don’t taste like anything but I think they do). Others have used it with success in this recipe. I haven’t tried it, but Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free Vegan Egg Replacer would probably work.
- Can I make these cookies smaller?
Yes, but I think they have a better texture when they’re baked as huge cookies.
- Can I bake these cookies as bars?
You can make them in an 8″x8″ pan. I’m super forgetful and never remember to write down the baking time but I recommend to start checking around 15 minutes.
- Do you have nutritional info?
There are loads of free online nutritional calculators online. I’m not a dietitian and not legally allowed to post this info. Sorry about that!
If you try these paleo chocolate chip cookies, I’d love to hear how they come out!
Thanks again to Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post! Be sure to check out some of their other gluten-free flours if you’re into gluten-free and paleo baking. :)
And here are some resources if you’re new to the vegan or gluten-free diet:
- Are Chocolate Chips Vegan?
- Are Chocolate Chips Gluten-free?
- Is Baking Soda Vegan?
- Is Baking Soda Gluten-free?
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, see my disclosure.
Perfect Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan, keto options)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 8 huge bakery-style cookies or 16 regular-sized cookies
Please read the notes at the bottom before beginning!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100 grams) blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup (32 grams) coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (84 grams) coconut oil1 or unsalted butter, room temperature but NOT melted (if your coconut oil is a little melty, put it in the fridge for about 10-20 minutes or until firmer, like softened butter. If you use slightly melted coconut oil, the dough will be greasy and the chocolate chips will be hard to incorporate.)2
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) coconut sugar, very tightly packed for a paleo version (it's best to weigh this!) OR brown sugar OR for keto, use 2 ounces (57 grams) xylitol + 1.5 ounces (43 grams) erythritol + 1/4 teaspoon powdered stevia3
- 6 tablespoons (98 grams) natural almond butter (the kind with just almonds in it and no added fat / sugar), room temperature (here's how to make almond butter)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature (or 1 chia egg4 for vegan)
- 1 1/4 cups (213 grams) paleo chocolate chips or chopped paleo chocolate chunks, divided
Directions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or using a stand mixer, beat together the fat, sugar, almond butter and vanilla extract at medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. If you use coconut oil, it may not come together easily. If that's the case, use your hands to combine it and then beat another 20 seconds.
- Beat in the egg on low and mix until well incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined. Then stir in 1 cup (170 grams) chocolate chips. If you used brown sugar, skip to the next step. If you used coconut sugar, place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until the dough is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into 8 (75-gram) balls and place the remaining 1/4 cup (43 grams) of chocolate chips on the top and on the sides of the dough balls. You can also roll them into 16 smaller balls but then you need to adjust the baking time (a few minutes less than recommended below). Place 4" apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press the cookies down lightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 11-14 minutes (if using coconut sugar or the keto version) or 14-17 minutes (if using brown sugar) or until the surface of the center of the cookies no longer appears wet. They'll be very soft but will continue to cook as they sit on the cookie sheet.
- Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- If you use unrefined coconut oil, the cookies will likely have a slight coconut taste. I prefer refined coconut oil for absolutely zero coconut taste (but most reviewers have used unrefined and are happy with them!)
- I haven't tried these with ghee or shortening or anything other than coconut oil and butter.
- The sweeteners I used were 100% xylitol, 100% erythritol and 100% stevia. If you don't have a scale, then this is about 1/4 cup + 3/4 teaspoon xylitol, 3 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon erythritol + 1/4 teaspoon stevia.
- To make a chia egg, mix together 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds and 2.5 tablespoons water. Let sit 5-15 minutes or until goopy like an egg.
- For paleo: use coconut sugar, coconut oil, and paleo chocolate (some consider Enjoy Life to be paleo, some don't. If you really don't want to use cane sugar, try Pascha's 100% cacao chocolate chips.
- For dairy-free / vegan: use coconut oil and dairy-free chocolate.
- For keto / low-carb: use the keto option. Some consider it paleo, some don't. I had previously listed Lakanto but this other mixture works much better! Also use sugar-free chocolate chips, such as Pascha 100% cacao chocolate chips (paleo) or Lily's Chocolate Chips (not paleo, due to soy).
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1632 comments on “Perfect Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan / keto options)” — Add one!
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Would these work with whole wheat flour instead of almond/coconut?
Unfortunately not as those types of flours aren’t interchangeable. I have a great whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe, though. :)
Hi I was wondering if I can eliminate or less in the brown sugar? I would like to not have any sugar in it, but I realize maybe it might need it. I’m sure a liquid sweetener would change the texture a lot, like maple syrup or honey, right? I also have dates on hand that I could blend up to make more of a paste. I’m thinking about just doing less ? Thanks!
You’re right that you can’t just eliminate the sugar. The cookies wouldn’t hold together and wouldn’t taste like anything. I don’t recommend liquid sweeteners in these (I’ve tried) and using date paste would most likely require reworking the recipe. I think reducing the sugar to even 1/2 cup would change the texture a lot (they’d be more cakey). One guy did some experimenting with low-carb sweeteners and posted his results here. Hope that helps!
* I meant substitute pure maple syrup for coconut sugar*
Can you substitute pure maple syrup for coconut flour and if so what is the adjusted measurement?
I tried it and they came out very cakey and not nearly as delicious. So I wouldn’t recommend it!
The best ever! My husband and I went Paleo three months ago and that meant good-bye to his favorite chocolate chip cookies! Well… until now!!💖 I am making a double batch 0f this marvelous recipe! Perfect for a rainy day in Northern California!! These are fabulous! I have been baking since I was 5 years old (Easy-Bake Oven days! Before your time). This is very tasty and wonderful! Thnak you for sharing! Do you have a baking recipe book that I may purchase! I Would love to continue to follow and support you! 😘
We had Easy-Bake Ovens in the 80s! ;) I only knew one person with one but I just couldn’t understand the insanely small yields. Haha. I’m happy to be able to use a bigger oven now! I’m glad that you and your husband like the cookies. 3 months without good chocolate chip cookies is a long time! And that is so nice of you to want to support me! I unfortunately don’t have a paleo baking book but I’d love for you to follow along here or on social media. :) Thanks so much for your kind comment!
I just finished my second straight-from-the-oven cookie. OMG I can’t believe how amazing these are! I LOVE chocolate chip cookies…and since making broader steps at going paleo, I decided I *must* have a chocolate chip cookie in my arsenal. I was a little bit worried about the amount of coconut in these…and even the batter smelled a little too much like coconut, but the final product is absolutely incredible. Flaky rim, gooey center. I want another. I actually was able to make 25 normal sized cookies with this batter, baking for 10 min at 350. Perfecto. I’m going to freeze left overs…if there are any! Thanks so much! I don’t need to look anywhere else to top this. :)
AND…my son (5 year old) LOVES them. win!
That’s awesome! I’m thrilled that you and your son liked them so much. And everyone needs a chocolate chip cookie in their arsenal so I’m happy you came across these. :) Just a general tip about coconut oil – if you don’t like the coconut taste, try refined rather than unrefined coconut oil! It doesn’t have any coconut taste. :) Thanks so much for your nice comment!
Can they be made without the coconut flour? I want to try this recipe I just don’t have any on hand right now.
I’ve tried that and they just don’t work without coconut flour (even when adding extra almond flour). Sorry about that!
Actually i made these with coconut flour first and then casava flour 2nd and turned out better. My favorite cookies ever. Casava flour is known for being the best match for grain free in baking. It mimics white flour the best. Coconut is a little grainy in these cookies compared to casava.
I’m happy you enjoyed them! Nobody’s mentioned these cookies being at all grainy so I wonder if something went wrong. Or did you make homemade coconut flour or something? Or make some changes to the recipe? Cassava flour is supposed to be a close 1-to-1 sub for all-purpose flour (and not coconut flour) so did you use a different amount? Or 1/4 cup, just like the coconut flour? I’d be interested to see how they come out different because coconut flour absorbs so much more liquid than cassava flour! Thanks for the tip. :)
These are good! I make my own almond flour. After making almond milk (recipe by Danielle Walker, Against All Grain), use the almond meal that’s leftover. Put it in the dehydrated till completely dry. Then put in food processor till fine. Lovely almon flour! Also made my own almond butter from a recipe on Pinterest. Easy!
Wow! I’m surprised that almond pulp works in these. That’s awesome! Thanks for the tip and your feedback. :)
I’ve made these so many times and I absolutely LOVE them. Wondering since it’s Halloween and I’ve got some pumpkin puree laying around if you have any recommendations for adding some pumpkin in without throwing the recipe off. Thanks so much for the incredible recipe!
I’ve tried these so many times with pumpkin and no matter what I did, they came out terribly! I’m sorry. I so wanted to post a pumpkin version this year! And I’m happy to hear that you like them. :)
happy to settle for the original :) thanks for the quick reply!
No problem! :)
Wow! I was totally skeptical about these, but the drool-worthy pictures drew me in. I used coconut oil and brown sugar & they turned out great! I didn’t have any chocolate chips, so I threw in a cup of M&Ms (not paleo, but it’s what I had). They’re so, so good! My kids are so mad they have to settle for store-bought cookies & aren’t allowed to eat Mommy’s “special” cookies. Perhaps next time I’ll make a double batch to share.
Hahaha. I love this comment. And I love that you’re not sharing. Mom needs her special treats every now and then. ;) Thanks for your comment and for giving them a try despite your skepticism!
Wow! Best grain-free c.c. cookies ever! Thanks for a great recipe. Hubby & kids approved. I used unrefined coconut oil and only 1/2 cup of white sugar (I usually only stock honey & maple syrup for natural cooking, but keep white sugar around for making kombucha.) I used small ice cream scoop for cookies, and it made 18 2&1/2″ cookies. I’m anxious to see how their crispy/chewy texture holds up overnight in closed container. That’s been a beef of mine with other g.f. recipes. Also going to try making these into dough balls and freeze, for my dad so he can pop only a couple into the oven at a time.
Aww, yay! I’m thrilled that you like them so much. As long as the container is airtight, the cookies should stay crisp overnight (and for several more days). I hope your dad will enjoy the cookies just as much! That’s nice of you to make him some dough balls. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Yep…still perfect! I snuck one this morning before the kids woke up. Ahahaha!
Hahaha. Nothing wrong with that. ;) And it’s great that they passed your crisp-the-next-day-test! Yay. :D
Still loving these! I changed the recipe slightly as I just started the keto diet. So I changed out the brown sugar for Swerve and the chocolate chips for Lily stevia chocolate chips, & they still taste great!This is the one recipe that is getting me through this keto diet haha! You’re a life saver! Thanks again for putting in the time to make such a great recipe!
That’s interesting! Did you use the same amount of Swerve? I’ve tried it with Swerve (using the same amount) and they came out awful. They fell apart and tasted terrible. :( I had to throw them away. But I’m happy it worked for you! Did they hold together well? Thanks for your comment!
I’m watching carbs too! I made my cookies with Splenda Brown Sugar Mix (using only half the amount called for in the recipe) and added 1 1/2 Tablespoons psyllium husk powder to add a little fiber. Using Lily’s Chocolate Chips, they came out great!
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your low-carb version with us. :) I’m happy they came out well with your changes!
I have made this recipe a few times. I use grass fed butter and coconut sugar. The “thank you” is long overdue; my fiancé is a gluten lover, and even when he has his “own” box of cookies, he always–ALWAYS–steals these. This is the best paleo cookie recipe I have made, and the only thing that comes close to the delicious comfort of my mom’s cc cookies. This is bookmarked forever!
Haha. Aww. I love that he steals your gluten-free cookies! I can eat gluten, too, but I’d much rather have these over boxed cookies so I can’t blame the guy. ;) And that’s so nice that they come close to the comfort of your mom’s cookies. :) Thanks a ton for your comment!
I ran into your blog while I was “googling” a recipe for Paleo chocolate chip cookies. I made these last night and WOW!! My boyfriend and I LOVED them. We ate all 8 of them last night!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It is AMAZING. When my boyfriend took the first bite, he said “are you sure these are Paleo?” He made me show him the ingredients list because he could not believe how yummy these Paleo cookies were. They do not taste “healthy” and taste even better than any other chocolate chip cookie that we have ever had. He has already asked me to make some more for tonight, haha. We are so grateful to have found this wonderful recipe!! Thank you again!!
Hahaha. I love that you ate all 8 of them in one night. I know that that’s a ton of calories and unhealthy but I can’t help but laugh. I can’t say I haven’t done the same. ;) That’s awesome that you like them so much and I was super excited to read that you think they’re better than any chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever had. Yay! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
How many carb and fats are in these cookies for the recipe?
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
MADE THEM AND LOVE THEM!!! I made these with homemade almond flour, real egg, and brown sugar and they were WONDERFUL! It’s refreshing to have a healthy snack that doesn’t taste healthy! Oh, and I only had about 3 TBSP of ‘sugar and fat added’ almond butter… put it in anyways and they turned out fine. THANKS for the recipe!
That’s great that they still turned out well! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them. :) It’s good to know that homemade almond flour works well. Thanks a bunch for your comment!
I used 3 tbls.of natural peanut butter instead of almond butter,worked out very well,delicious.
Awesome! I’m happy to hear that. Thanks for your comment. :)
I made these and we loved them! My husband was very impressed and….my daughter made them and her husband who is not a big fan of coconut flour or healthy recipes liked them too! I’ve use brown and coconut sugar, added chia and coconut flakes, once I used butter and they have turned out great each time. I LOVE this recipe, I am living in Japan right now so I kinda have to improvise sometimes😃
Aww, yay! I’m so happy that everyone enjoyed the cookies. :) By the way, I currently live in Germany so I get the need to improvise. ;) Thanks for your comment!
Made these last week and they were a huge success! I used mini chocolate chips and they were superb! Tonight I’m making them again and even the non paleo member of my household was excited about the 2nd batch :) Thanks for the best paleo cookies!
Aww, yay! That’s awesome that even the non-paleo family members are excited for them, too! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
Erin! Thank you so much for creating this recipe! These cookies are AMAZING! They don’t taste like they don’t have regular sugar or flour. I made them this weekend and they are exactly what I was hoping for! I’ve been looking for a ‘cleaner’ version of a cookie to snack on that’s homemade. I made them exactly the way you describe in the recipe, I let the dough chill in the fridge for an hour because I used coconut oil. I never comment on people’s pages but you deserved to know that these are fantastic and a new staple in my house!!
Hi Gina! I’m thrilled you liked them enough to leave a comment! I’m honored. :) And a non-healthy tasting cookie was what I was going for so I’m really happy you said that they don’t taste like they’re lacking sugar + flour. :) Thanks a bunch for your nice comment!
I can’t find coconut flour near my area. What can I use to replace it? Thanks!
There’s no sub for it as it absorbs so much more liquid than other flours. I’ve tried this recipe and it doesn’t work without the coconut flour. But if you look at the comment below yours, someone said they used oat flour in place of the coconut flour (if you can eat grains). I haven’t tried it myself, though!