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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Seriously, I cannot thank you enough for posting this. These cookies change the game!
Well I’m happy you enjoyed them so much! Thanks a ton for your feedback. :)
I made these yesterday, and they are amazing. I used cashew butter in place of the almond butter, and I loved them! I have tried a few of your recipes this week and they are all great. Thank you for sharing… :)
That’s great that they come out well with cashew butter! And I’m happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed the other recipes, too. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Just made these! I have tried several different dessert cookies that use healthier ingredients and this by far is the one of the best. If your just beginning to change to healthier eating this a great recipe to use for a dessert. Thank you for posting.
Aww, yay! I’m thrilled that you think this one is the best. :) Thanks for your nice comment!
Do you have nutrition facts listed anywhere? I have been asked to make healthy desserts for a friend, but she needs carb count,etc. We LOVE these cookies!
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :) I’m so happy you like the cookies!
These are THE BEST!! The taste, texture and overall appearance is over-the-top amazing. I’m so grateful you shared this recipe. This recipe will not disappoint. I say this having baked several batches.
Woohoo! So happy that you liked them and that you’ve already baked them several times. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Just watched the video and it shows adding dry milk but the recipe doesn’t list it as an ingredient.
Which is correct?
At what time point in the video do you see dry milk? There’s no dry milk added in the video or the recipe. :)
Yes the video adds dry milk to it as well! I assume that’s an error? Cause recipe doesn’t call for dry milk.
I’m so confused! What video are you looking at? In the video that you find at the top of this page, there’s no dry milk in there. The recipe that you find at the bottom of this post is correct (and so is the video at the top of the page!). I’m seriously so puzzled. At what time point (like how many seconds in) do you see dry milk? I’d love to figure out what’s going on. Thanks! :)
The video at the top of the page. At 0.32 just after the egg and vanilla it says add dry milk. And something is added that appears like dry milk. I’m going to make it tomorrow and assume no dry milk right?
Aha! There we go. It says, “Add dry MIX.” Like the almond, coconut flours, baking soda, and salt. :) There’s no dry milk in this recipe. Thanks for your reply!
😀😀 thanks for that. Next time I need to wear my reading glasses!!!
Haha. I’m so happy we got it figured out! I really had no idea what you or the other person were referring to. Enjoy the cookies! :D
Well they came out AMAZING! I did a few changes and had a bit of honey and less cocunut sugar. Also had a combination of almond butter, seed butter and peanut butter (just cause I ran out of almond butter😀).
The only ‘bad’ thing is that kids loved it. So less for me😢.
Haha. I’m sorry that the kids liked them! You can always just make them when they’re at school. ;) I’m happy that your subs worked out well and that you liked the cookies! Thanks for your feedback. :)
Such a cute video Erin. You’ve inspired me to try my hand at making videos of my own.
I’m definitely going to make these lovely cookies. I just love baking with almond butter and almond flour. And you are reminding me that I should feel blessed that it is so easy for me to get “the good stuff” .
Thanks so much, Lynn! I’m happy to hear that the video inspired you to try one yourself. :) And I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies! Thanks so much for stopping by to say hi. :)
These were SO amazing! I used coconut oil, an egg, and coconut sugar (and chilled for an hour) and they could not have been better – seriously as good as any “regular” chocolate chip cookie. Now to put the rest in the freezer so I don’t eat them all at once! 😉
Haha. Good luck on not eating them all at once. I know that problem well. ;) I’m thrilled you enjoyed them so much! Thanks a bunch for your feedback.
I just made these tonight. I am a terrible baker, but these came out really good! That must mean they are fool proof!
I’m happy that they came out well! Thanks for your comment. :)
These turned out amazing! Though for everything I was out of it ended up being more of a homage to the original. :’D
-Used straight PB
-Used a gf pancake flour for the remaining 32g
-Somehow ended up with peppermint oil instead of vanilla extract so I used 1tsp of that, 1/2tsp hazelnut and 1/2tsp special dark cocoa powder to offset. Flavor ended up very, very good.
-Accidentally melted the butter.
-Noted it was crumbly when finished and realized I forgot the egg! Never added one last before, it makes everything rather… slimy.
As a side note: 3/4 c of coconut sugar only weighs about 103g, I will probably use a bit less next go-round.
Somehow these still ended up beyond amazing. They ran all over but ended up wonderfully chewy in the center with a bit of crisp on the edges. Thank you for the amazing cookie Journey!
Wow! I’m really surprised and happy that they came out well with all those changes. :) The coconut sugar thing confuses me, too. On the back of the two brands of coconut sugar I have, they both say that a 1 cup is 200 grams (or about 195). So I go with their measurement and just pack the cups. I use the gram measurements when I make these cookies and love the sweetness, so I guess I just have a sweet tooth. Thanks so much for your comment!
would honey work alright?
I don’t recommend it! They come out cakey and I don’t like the texture at all with it.
The video is so cute. Love the cookie trying to escape. HAHAHA!!
Thanks so much! It’s one of my favorite parts, too. :)
Oh my heck, these are amazing! I followed the recipe using butter and coconut sugar. I used a regular-size ice cream scoop for the dough and got 9 beautiful cookies! Erin, thanks for a fantastic cookie that doesn’t use refined sugar or wheat. Soooo good! I think it’s funny you say the cookies can be stored for three days…they won’t last even a fraction of that time!
Haha. Well I’m happy you’ll eat them up quickly and won’t let them spoil. ;) And what a great idea to use an ice cream scoop. I have no idea why I’ve never tried that! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Can I use xylitol sugar?
I’ve experimented with low-carb sweeteners in this recipe but I’ve had a terrible time with them. One guy tried and posted his results here. Hope that helps!
Do you know the calories, carbs and etc.?
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
Can the dough be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated? What about freezing?
Yes and yes! Enjoy. :)
Thanks so much! I just made the dough – it was so easy and came together effortlessly! I rolled it into a log shape and wrapped in saran wrap and have it in the refrigerator. I plan to take out of fridge and bake tomorrow. Do you suggest bringing dough to room temp prior to forming the cookies and baking?
Thank you!
Sorry, I should have added that I used natural almond butter and coconut oil! In case that makes a difference in your reply!
Hi, Anna! I’m so sorry that I didn’t see your comment until now. I think either way works. If you don’t bring it to room temperature, you’ll likely need a few seconds more. I hope they came out well! And sorry again for my slow reply.
These are the best cookies I have ever made! I followed the recipe as written (used almond flour, coconut oil and brown sugar) and made 11 cookies on 1 baking sheet. Baked for 15 minutes and they were perfect. My husband inhaled them!
Have made them twice this week- the first time I made the dough a day before, kept in fridge overnight and then brought to room temp and baked the following evening. The second time I made the dough and baked immediately. Both times were super delicious!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! And it’s great to know that both methods work just as well. :) Thanks a bunch for coming back to let me know how they turned out!
Okay I made these last week and doubled the batch. I used 6 TBSP PB and 6 TBSP Almond Butter and I used a little more coconut flour than the recipe called for and a little less almond flour. They were AMAZING! So I went to make them again today. This time I decided to try the chia eggs. I doubled the recipe again but used the correct amounts of each flour. Unfortunately I discovered I only had 1 TBSP almond butter left so I used PB for the other 11 TBSPS. The same PB I used last weekend. I also found that I only had 1C coconut sugar so I had to use 1/2C brown sugar also this time. The cookies are WAY to oily this time around so I only baked 3 just to test and put the rest of the dough back in the fridge. HELP!!! How do I save the recipe?? The dough is super crumbly and super OILY. I don’t want to waste all that almond flour! Please any suggestions on how to salvage would be wonderful!! Should I add a regular egg? More flour to soak up the oil? PLEASE HELP! They were perfect the first time and even if they aren’t as great this time I still want them to work. I will never use mostly PB again and wouldn’t have this time had I had enough almond butter…
Oh, no. I’m sorry you’re having difficulties! I also had a hard time with peanut butter, which is why I don’t recommend using it. I wouldn’t suggest adding an egg but more coconut flour should help. Maybe 1/2 tablespoon at a time until it’s less oily. And you were right to chill it. That should help some! But if the dough is crumbly, I don’t know how much chilling will help. :/
Thank you for your speedy response! On a side note, I tried the 3 that I went ahead and baked (at 350 for 14 min) and they were still delicious. Surprisingly they weren’t as crumbly when I ate them and I was able to pick them up like a regular cookie after they cooled on the pan. I’m debating whether I should even try adding flour or if I should just bake them as is since they taste good and even though I had a hard time getting them to stay together when rolling them, they stayed together during and after baking! :) I’ve never used chia eggs before so maybe this texture is normal prior to baking.? Either way next time I will be pulling out ALL the ingredients before I start baking them in order to make sure I have everything ;) These cookies are amazing, especially the way I made them the first time around. Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay! That’s awesome. I’m so happy they came out well after all. I haven’t made these cookies with chia eggs for a while but I don’t remember them being crumbly and oily at all! I really think the peanut butter is to blame (though I know some commenters have said that they use it without issue). Good idea to drag out all the ingredients first. ;) Thanks for your comment and letting me know that it wasn’t a disaster!
These look so good and I love the ingredients! I’m going to try to whip up a batch this week!
Thanks! I hope you’ll enjoy them. :)
Has anyone ever worked out the nutritional values per cookie? I’m one of those workout bros who needs to account for every gram of protein, fat, carb & calories.
I love these!
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. :)
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THESE! By far, the best tasting. But they did not come out thick. Just spread and flattened right out. I used Trivia Brown sugar blend and coconut oil. Where did I go wrong?🙁
I’m so happy you like them! :) I’ve had the worst time when it comes to low-carb sugar subs for these cookies. Everything I’ve tried has come out terrible. Could you try coconut or brown sugar next time instead of Truvia? Thanks for your comment!
same for me! And I used coconut sugar and butter. I think the directions should say to refrigerate, make the balls and then refrigerate again before you bake them!
You’re the first person who mentioned them not coming out thick (other than the person you replied to who used a different sweetener, which can cause that issue) so I’m guessing there might be an explanation. Is your oven running a little low? I’d check it with an oven thermometer. And did you make any changes or subs at all to the recipe? A lot of people have mentioned that they just don’t refrigerate at all so maybe it’s an issue of almond flour brands! They vary a lot.
I followed the recipe to a T with no substitutions. Did make my own almond flour so perhaps that is the issue.Thanks for the suggestion. BTW, the cookies are really good!
Aaah. The almond flour is almost definitely the issue! I’ve made my own almond flour and it’s not nearly as finely ground as Bob’s Red Mill, which explains why yours weren’t thick. One other commenter made these cookies with homemade almond flour and didn’t have any luck. I’m happy you still liked them!