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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I made these last night, they are delicious! I used coconut sugar and my coconut oil was a tad on the melty side(I live in SW FL) and was too lazy to refrigerate before mixing. However, I added about 1/3 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes and they came out perfectly! Not greasy at all. These will no doubt become a family fave :)
I am SO sorry for just now seeing your comment! That’s great that they didn’t come out greasy. :) I’m sure the added coconut helped out with that. Thanks a ton for your comment and sorry again!
Can ghee be substituted for the butter/coconut oil?
Hi there! I’ve never used ghee so I’m afraid I can’t really answer that. I looked into it just now and can’t really find anything saying that the two are interchangeable. If you’ve used it interchangeably with butter before (which would work here), I’m pretty sure ghee would work in these cookies. I hope you’ll enjoy them!
Love love love this recipe and so do my co-workers! 😁
I’m so sorry I didn’t see your comment until now! :/ I’m thrilled that you and your co-workers liked the cookies. I bet they loved you for bringing them in. ;) Thanks for your comment and sorry again!
do you think this would work with sunflower seed flour instead of almond flour? I’m trying to find nut free paleo substitutions :)
I’ve heard of people using that as an almond flour sub but I’ve never tried it. If you give it a go, I’d love to hear how it comes out! Good luck. :)
Made these today and they are really wonderful! Easy to do and the whole family loves them.
Thank you!
Awesome! I’m happy to hear that they were enjoyed. :) Thanks for your comment!
I made this today, but read the directions wrong. DUH!!! When I saw almond flour, coconut flour salt and soda mixed together in a bowl… well, I had coconut sugar on my mind too. So dummy added it to the dry ingredients also. Then I was reading about the wet ingredients and saw what I had done. I went ahead and added all the wet then just combined them into the dry. That was not an easy thing to do at all. Crumbs were flying out of the bowl so I just stopped the mixer and started folding it all in with a spatula. I was afraid I was going to have to put it in the trash but I kept on. FINALLY, it all came together. It did feel very greasy to my hands.
I took part of the dough and aded roasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, and coconut into it. Then added chocolate chips to the rest. I used a small cookie scoop and made 21 cookies. They were beautiful and very tasty. Glad I didn’t throw it out. I cooked them 10 mins. also.
Hi Charlotte! Nice to see you over here on this post. :D I’m happy you didn’t give up on the dough! If you add the coconut sugar at the right step next time, the dough will be less greasy and easier to handle. Your additions sounds so yummy! Thanks a bunch for your comment and happy holidays to you if I don’t hear from you before then. :)
These cookies are THE BOMB and totally made me feel like I was cheating. After a week of pretty rigorous paleo, I was able to sit down and enjoy a few minutes in heaven. From the bottom of my heart (and stomach) THANK YOU.
Aww, yay! I love that you found the recipe and that you enjoyed them. Going paleo can be tough but cookies definitely make it easier. ;) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
These are DELICIOUS!!!! My kids have no idea these aren’t the traditional butter & all purpose flour cookies! I’m making these always!!! Thank you!
Woohoo! That’s awesome. I’m thrilled that the kids liked them and that you’ll be making them again! Thanks a lot for your feedback. :)
I made these as directed although I just hand mixed since I don’t have an electric mixer. Amazing! I never wrote a comment on a recipe before but these cookies are so delicious I felt compelled.
Well I’m happy that you liked them enough to feel compelled to leave a comment! Thank you. But I feel terrible that I somehow missed your comment until now! I’m so sorry about that. I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Hallelujah! This is the BEST paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve ever made. A real hit with the whole family. I did use 2 Tbsp. palm shortening and 4 Tbsp. coconut oil and it all came together very nicely after some time in the fridge. Thank you for this new favorite :)
Yay! I’m so happy that the whole family liked them. And good to know that a little shortening works well! Thanks for your comment. :)
I have been trying to find an easy, paleo, but also delicious chocolate chip recipe for ever. I’ve made so many different batches using various recipes and these are the BEST! The texture is exactly what I want in a cookie. Plus the texture is still wonderful when slightly crunchy… due to being left in oven just a little longer than needed.. lol I even wrote them on a recipe card so I didn’t have to go to Pinterest every time. Thank you thank you thank you! My husband even loved them and that’s saying something. He is a die hard for classic non paleo chocolate chip cookies.
Aww, yay! I’m so happy that you and your husband both like them! And good to know that they can withstand a few extra minutes in the oven. ;) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Can I freeze the baked cookies to save for Christmas or later? Is there a particular way to unthaw them? Also, if I freeze the dough before baking, are there any specific instructions for thawing before baking?
I haven’t done that but some of the commenters have without issue. :) If you freeze the dough, thaw it in the refrigerator before baking (although some commenters have baked it straight from the freezer). I hope you’ll enjoy them!
I shaped some dough into a log form and froze it. While oven was warming I took it from freezer and sliced into rounds, placed the rounds on the baking sheet, and by the time the oven was at temp the rounds were pretty much thawed. I flattened them out a bit cuz we like ’em that way – thin – and baked as usual. They’re perfect!
Can you freeze the batter?
You can. :)
These were amazing !! Best paleo friendly cookie recipe I have found and I’ve been searching a long time. Thank you so much 😋
Woohoo! I’m so glad to hear that. I’m happy you found one you like. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Erin, this is the first time I’ve made these and they are awesome!! So bulky, chewy, tender, sweet without being too sweet. I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and they’re just so good. I actually baked them right up after I finished mixing them and they’re delicious. The remaining dough is in the fridge so I’ll see what those are like later. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Hi Kim! That’s great that you enjoyed them so much. :) I wish I could bake mine up after mixing the dough! I guess it’s a difference in flour brands or coconut oil temperature. I hope you’ll like the refrigerated dough just as much. Thanks for your comment!
Hello! I have a question about the coconut sugar measurement. It says “3/4 cup (150 grams) coconut sugar or brown sugar.” I measured the coconut sugar and got to 150 grams but it was way more than 3/4 c. Is the 150 grams for the brown sugar? I wasn’t sure if I should go by the weight or the measurement, but I ended up going by the measurement. They are good, but I think they could have been a little sweeter. Next time after I hear back from you I’ll make them again and I’m sure they’ll be awesome! :)
That measurement’s for both! You have to pack coconut sugar quite a bit to get 150 grams. I used to spoon coconut sugar into the cup and then weigh and I got WAY less than what the different brands of coconut sugar say on the back of the package (they usually say 192 grams or something like that for 1 cup of coconut sugar – I just rounded up 6 grams to get 150 grams for 3/4 cup). I figured that I had to be measuring incorrectly since I had 4 different brands telling me 1 cup’s about 200 grams. I’m sorry you didn’t find them sweet enough! I hope next time will go better. :)
These are AMAZING!!! I like them better by far over “regular ” chocolate chip cookies, So does my husband!!!
Aww, yay! That’s awesome. :D And I’m especially happy that you like them even more than regular cookies. Thanks for your comment!
These are sooooo good! The best cookies I ever baked. Can’t believe theyre heathy!
I substituted the coconut flour with grinded oats as I don’t like the coconut flavor. They were superb! Thank You!!!
Wow! What a compliment. Thanks so much! And thanks for the tip on oat flour. A lot of people ask about subs for that!
Been eating these for the past week. Baking off 2 or 3 each night and enjoying while still warm. I did use regular semi sweet chocolate but was only change. They held in the fridge just fine for 5 days…thank you for sharing.
I like your strategy of only baking a few a night and eating them warm. That’s definitely the best way. :) Thanks for your feedback!
I love these cookies! I make them all the time, however my boyfriend has recently started counting carbs to help regulate and control his type 1 diabetes. Any idea how many carbohydrates are in each cookie?
I’m so happy you like them! :) I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like.