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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1630 comments on “Perfect Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan / keto options)” — Add one!
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I used ghee and coconut sugar when making these cookies and they turned out great!! I also did a tester cookie right away and chilled the leftover dough and all of them turned out the same. Not sure if refrigeration was necessary, but they all turned out great! I am so pleased with this cookie recipe! My parents (who aren’t paleo) loved them and told me they wouldn’t mind me making them again! I also shared them with some neighbors whose son is gluten intolerant and they really enjoyed them too! I would recommend this recipe to everyone that is paleo, trying to be healthy, or just want an overall great treat!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe Erin!!
I’m so happy that you and your neighbors enjoyed the cookies! I think chilling is necessary depending on how soft the coconut oil is and the room temp. In the summer (in my apartment without AC), I always have to chill the dough but in the winter I don’t! I say to chill it just to be safe. :) Thanks a bunch for your kind comment!
My 18 year old son who eats the SAD diet says hands down these are the best chocolate chip cookies he has ever had. Thank you for a great, easy recipe the whole family can enjoy.
Wow! That’s great that he likes them so much. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Made these today after recently going Paleo and my family loves them. I’m thrilled I don’t have to give up deserts! The taste is amazing, the texture is perfect, they are so much like the white flour, butter, sugar filled ones, except they are better for you. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
So happy you liked them! And I’m thrilled for you that you don’t have to give up desserts! Thanks for your feedback. :)
Thank you! I just went grain-free and diary free and I really missed dessert. Now I can stay symptom free and still have amazing cookies. These are SO good. The best part is that I feel satisfied with just one. A hundred times thank you!
I’m so happy you found this recipe! I wouldn’t want anyone to go dessert-free when they don’t have to. :) Thanks so much for your kind comment!
Just turned paleo. Never write reviews of anything. Baked your cookies today and just had to write to thank you. They were fantastic. I added a handful of chopped hazlenuts and was generous with the vanilla. Your comments were really helpful and this is going to be my go-to cookie recipe from now on. My son just wolfed down two – I made the huge versions!
I’m thrilled that you and your son both enjoyed the cookies! Hazelnuts are a nice touch. :) Thanks a bunch for taking the time to leave a review! I really appreciate it. :)
I subbed avocado for coconut oil and they turned out so good! This is a go-to recipe in my house!
Oooh! Interesting sub. Did you actually sub avocado or avocado oil? I’m happy you enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for your comment. :)
OMG These are so great! I make them again and again. I sift the almond and coconut flours and use brown sugar and real unsalted butter. I also throw all the chocolate chips in at one time–perfect cookies. Thank you so much Texanerin!
P.S. I add walnuts also.
Hi Donna! Sorry I just now saw your comment. The added walnuts sound great! And throwing in all the chocolate chips at once certainly makes it less fussy. :) Thanks for your comment!
These are the best Paleo cookies I have made since going Paleo a few months ago! Even, my husband, who hasn’t liked any treat I have made, said these are delicious! The recipe is well written and the notes are very helpful! I just joined the email list and I printed several more recipes to try! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the cookies! I’m happy to hear that you found the notes useful. :) I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much! Thanks for signing up, pinning and for your comment. :)
I plugged in the data. I used 1/2 cup coconut sugar and 1 cup chocolate chips:
1/4 cup (32 grams) coconut flour
1/4 cup Coconut Flour Organic Bob’s Red Mill 15 Calories per serving
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp Leavening Agents, Baking Soda 0 Calories per serving
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp Salt, Table 0 Calories per serving
6 tablespoons coconut oil
6 tbsp Vegetable Oil, Coconut 703 Calories per serving
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar Organic Pure Palm 384 Calories per serving
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract 18 Calories per serving
1 large egg
1 large Egg, Whole Raw, Fresh 72 Calories per serving
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate Toll House 1,120 Calories per serving
1 Almond flour bo red mills
1 cup Almond Flour Gluten Free Now 7 Calories per serving
1 Sunbutter
6 tbsp Sunflower Seed Spread Creamy SunButter 60 Calories per serving
+ Add Ingredient
Number of Servings:
CLEAR RECIPE
Recipe Analyzer Results
A single serving of this recipe has 183 calories.
Read through the nutrition label for a snapshot of this recipe’s nutritional profile. If the label lists less than 5 percent daily value for a nutrient it is considered low, while 20 percent or more is high. In general, you want to limit saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and get enough fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Per Serving % Daily Value*
Calories 183
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 6.4g 32%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 134mg 6%
Potassium 65mg 1%
Total Carb 14.5g 5%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Sugars 11.4g
Protein 2.7g
Vitamin A 0% · Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 1% · Iron 4%
*Based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Thanks for sharing! :)
These are seriously delicious!! I have been passing this recipe along to EVERYONE!!! thank you for this!! I make mine with Lilys chips & my husband says they are a great replacement for regular chocolate chip cookies & he isn’t even on a special diet.
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe with everyone! And awesome that the sugar-free chips work well. :) Thank you for your comment!
For people wondering if this recipe works with erythritol or xylitol, I used Truvia (erythritol mixed with stevia) and it worked great!
That’s great to know! Thanks a bunch for your tip. :) I’m happy that they came out well!
My kids are allergic to nuts, so I regularly sub sunflower or pumpkin seed meal for almond flour and it works great, although the inside of the cookies turn green as they cool–but that’s ok, my kids still devour them! I also made a (very small) test batch of these with peanut butter for myself and my husband and they were delicious. I am about make a full batch with pumpkin seed meal (for the almond flour) and sunflower seed butter (for the almond butter) for my son’s soccer game. I expect they will disappear quickly. Thanks for such an awesome, chewy recipe!
That’s great that sunflower and pumpkin seed meal work! I’ve never tried baking with either of those. Thanks a bunch for the tip. :) I hope that they were enjoyed at the soccer game!
Can I refrigerate the baked cookies for a week?
You can!
I have to admit, I was dubious of this recipe but I needed something sweet today and I had all the ingredients so.. seriously, paleo what? These cookies are JUST PERFECT. PERIOD. I totally cheated too and didnt follow all directions but still PERFECT.
I used a mix of light, dark, and muscavado sugar (i had them and i felt like it), suuuper soft coconut oil–almost melty–but still worked out. I totally mixed by hand with a silicone whisk. Didnt wait for the sugar and oil to get fluffy, just mixed enough to incorporate (BUT right before adding the flour i whisked vigorously for a few minutes).
Threw in about 1 Tbsp cocoa powder after the almond butter and used a mix of semi-sweet choco chips and half a bar of Lindt 85% dark chocolate chopped up. I baked 10 cookies and put the rest of the dough in the freezer. 350°F for 14 min. PERFECT. Delicately crisp edges, soft but chewy center.
THANK YOU for this AWESOME recipe!!! (Subscribed :))
I’m happy that they came out so well with your changes! I like the idea of adding a little cocoa powder. :) I have a double chocolate version of these cookies but it uses a lot more cocoa powder. I’m curious what just a little would taste like! Thanks so much for your feedback and for subscribing. I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much. :)
These cookies are unreal good! Thank you so much for the recipe! Yummy!!!!
Woohoo! Happy that you think so. :) Thanks for your comment!
These are so so so so good. Thanks for this amazing recipe!!
You’re welcome! So happy you liked them. :)
These are SO SO good! I used all measurements by weight. I changed the sweeter though, 100g of white sugar + 2 tbs of maple syrup – it was what I had! I also used tahini instead of nut butter. Everything else was the same. They were dairy and gluten free and absolutely incredible! Thanks!!!!
Interesting! I’ve never tried tahini. I’ll have to try that! And good to know that a little maple works. :) I’m so happy that you liked them. Thanks for your comment!
I made a keto version last night and it turned out awesome!!
I used 1/2 Sukrin gold and 1/2 BochaSweet (which is 100% kabocha extract – Japanese squash). I also used Nuttzo Seven Seed butter that I got from Costco, and I used ChocZero chocolate and broke them into chunks instead of using sugar-free chocolate chips that I normally use…the ingredients are a bit complicated to find, but I had them readily available so I used them.
It turned out a bit too sweet tasting for my taste (maybe it’s the BochaSweet?) so I’ll try it with less next time but OH MY GOODNESS, it was so damn good! I ate a cookie with some Royal Hawaiian vanilla macadamia milk and seriously, it felt like I was cheating on my keto diet lol!
FANTASTIC recipe! Will adjust the sweeteners and experiment some more to make it keto friendly, but I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all your hard work for this fabulous recipe. Thank you!
Hi there… k would you send me what you replaced with the squash?? because Kobacha squash is literally my favourite food. if I’m addicted any foods its that squash hahah…. I have turned orange from eating it too much.
Id love to know what you did!
Thank you!!
They didn’t use squash in the recipe but BochaSweet, which is a sugar replacement extracted from kabocha. :) I’m pretty sure there’s no way to use squash in this recipe.
Yes, I used BochaSweet which is a sugar alternative derived from kabocha extract :) I just started using it and I’m loving it so far (tastes just like cane sugar to me). I can’t help but wonder if BochaSweet is the reason my cookies did not fall apart?
BTW, I still have cookies in the fridge! I stored mine in a ziploc and munch on them whenever I want something “sweet”. I think this may have also worked because of the chia seeds in the Nuttzo 7 nut butter…chia seeds may have acted as an extra binder? I also baked mine about 3 minutes longer and they puffed up nicely and the texture turned out well.
Erin, you’ll most likely be a better judge than me…I thought the cookies turned out really well (albeit too “sweet” since I went a little crazy with the Sukrin and Bochasweet) but you might think otherwise :) I’d like to send you a picture of how the cookies turned out. Where should I send them to? I’m on a mission to help spread this recipe out to the keto community (and credit you, of course :))
Hi again, Liz! Sorry for my slow reply. I don’t know where this week has gone! I’ll have to try BochaSweet. Sounds very interesting. :) I’d love to see a picture (and for others to be able to see it, too!). Are you on Facebook? It’d be great if you could go to my Facebook page and under the four pictures at the top, there’s a white box that says, “Write something on this page.” You can upload your picture there! Thanks a bunch again for your feedback.
Wow! That’s awesome that you were able to make this low-carb. I tried and failed miserably. ;) I’d love to hear how your experimenting goes! People have asked me about a low-carb version and I’m never any help. Thanks a ton for sharing your version and your kind comment. :)
These are by FAR the best paleo chocolate chip cookies ever. I’ve been making these for two years. EVERYONE who eats them can’t get enough and absolutely cannot tell they’re gluten free. Thanks for this excellent recipe!!!!
Woohoo! So happy to read that. :) Always a good thing when people don’t know that they’re GF! Thanks a bunch for your feedback.
Could you substitute Stevia or erythitol for the sugar to make keto friendly?
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!