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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This is by far my favorite gluten-free cookie. My ultimate comfort food is a chocolate chip cookie dipped in a glass of almond milk. Every other gluten-free cookie I’ve tried either falls apart immediately in milk or doesn’t soak up liquid at all. This one is perfect. Holds together, tastes wonderful, perfect for milk dipping :). I used salted butter, just because I love the salty-sweet taste, and I really love the use of almond butter and brown sugar in this recipe. Thank you so much for the great cookie recipe!
That’s awesome! I’m so happy that it’s your favorite. :) I also love the almond butter in these cookies. It adds so much flavor (and I’m not even usually a fan of it!). Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Can honey be used as a substitute for sugar??
I haven’t had good luck with subbing honey or maple syrup in these cookies. It totally changes the texture in a bad way and they come out cakey. Sorry about that!
I actually tried it and used 1/2 cup of honey as a substitute. Turned out great! They’re a little crumbly, but I like cookies that way :) might add more coconut flour next time.
Well as long as you like crumbly. ;) Thanks for letting me know how they came out!
Hi! So I made these and fell in love. I did however, only uses rounded tablespoons so I made about double the amount of cookies. I used brown sugar and I substituted the almond flour for coconut flour and loved it! I also used the 6 tbsp of coconut oil. I was wondering if you’d be able to give me the caloric intake of one cookie…maybe the nutrition facts as well..I absolutely LOVED them!! Thank you for the recipe
I’m so happy you liked them! How much coconut flour did you use in place of the almond flour? I’m assuming you didn’t use a full cup. ;) I don’t have nutritional info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :) Thanks for your comment!
Uh-oh! I actually did use a whole cup :0 I am new to healthy baking but I wasn’t able to find almond flour so I decided to go with coconut flour. Was there a certain amount I should have used instead? Either way, they were amazing! And I will definitely be checking your site out for more recipes <3 Thank you again, Erin!
Haha. Wow. I’m shocked that they weren’t super dry and crumbly! Did they look like the pictures? Coconut flour isn’t interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. In the future, if you don’t have almond flour on hand, the only reliable sub is another nut flour / meal. You really lucked out with that sub this time! ;) And I’m so happy you’re going to check out more recipes! Thanks again for your comment.
Oh my God. I made these tonight using the chia egg version, brown sugar and coconut oil. By hand, not with a mixer. Amazing. I can’t even explain how good these were!!!!!!!!!
Woohoo! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks a ton for your feedback. :)
These are amazing! I didn’t have almond flour so I used brown rice flour instead and they still turned out DELICIOUS! Thanks so much!
Really?! That’s interesting! Did you use the same amount? Thanks for the tip!
These are AMAZING! I’ve had success with some paleo-type recipes I’ve found and some epic failures as well. This is a BIG success. :)
Haha. I’ve tried some of those epic failures, too. ;) I’m happy that you considered these a big success! Thanks a ton for your comment. :)
I’ve made this recipe 4 times (as written using the options of coconut sugar and coconut oil) and I LOVE it! Great recipe. Thanks so much for crafting it and sharing. I’m not exaggerating when I say I prefer these to old fashioned, regular chocolate chip cookies.
Aww, yay! I’m always happy to hear that. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback and your nice comment!
Hi! I’m looking forward to these! Do you have the nutritional info?
Hi there! I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
These are fantastic! Taste just like the gluten and dairy ones that could eat years ago. No one would be able to tell that these are not “regular” chocolate chip cookies!
Yay! That’s great that you like them just as much as regular cookies. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I made these today and they are FANTASTIC!!!! I haven’t had a chocolate chip cookie in over 2.5 years! These are so good. I wasn’t really sure when I put them in the oven, even when I took them out I wasn’t too sure they would hold together. But I let them cool on the cookie sheet and they were PERFECT!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Aww! That’s way too long to go without chocolate chip cookies! I’m happy that that’s come to an end. ;) And I can understand being unsure about these when they come out of the oven. They’re SO soft then. Thanks a ton for your comment!
My brother and dad are celiac so I made these for them and they’re by far the best gf cookies ever! I’d even choose them over regular cookies! I actually used pb instead of almond butter because I ran out and it worked just fine! I actually think it added a nice touch because it made them taste like peanut butter cookies. Also used the chia egg instead of an egg which worked great!!
That’s great! I’m thrilled that you prefer them over regular cookies and I hope that your brother and dad will enjoy them, too! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
hey i love to make + eat these cookies the paleo way using coconut sugar and oil but i was wondering if you had the nutrition facts for them and the calorie count per cookie
So happy you like the paleo version! I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
These were great! The recipe will not paleo anymore but I’d like to add oatmeal. Any suggestions?
Another commenter used ground oats (or oat flour) in place of the coconut flour but I’m not sure how much oatmeal you could add. I’ve never actually added oatmeal to a cookie recipe that didn’t call for it! I’m guessing you should start off with 1/2 cup and see how they are. :) I’d love to hear how they come out!
Our boys absolutely love these! I made them with sunbutter the last go round to allow for peanut free at school. They are a bit every single time
Note: I have had no issues with natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt)
That’s great! I love them with SunButter, too. :) I’ve tried them with peanut butter sooo many times and while they work, they just don’t taste very peanut buttery. I’m going to keep working on that, though. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
These were great!
Yay! So happy you liked them. Thanks for your comment!
Can I sub cashew butter for almond butter?
I haven’t tried it but I’m pretty sure it’d work. I’d love to hear how they come out!
I used cashew butter and they were awesome!!
Awesome! So happy it worked well. Thanks for your comment!
Wow, just wow. I’ve craved a decent CRUNCHY chocolate chip cookie for so so so long. These fit the bill. YAY!!! Cooked 10 minutes.
Woohoo! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hi Erin, I can’t have almondor cashew, can I use all coconut flour? Thanks Colette
Hi there! Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. You could use hazelnut meal, though. :)
Can these be made with stevia instead of the brown sugar/coconut sugar?
One guy did some experimenting with low-carb sweeteners and posted his results here. Hope that helps!
We just made these for Santa! He’s going to be soooo happy! 🌲💚🌲
Aww, yay! I hope he will be. ;) Thanks for your comment and merry Christmas!