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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They are absolutely delish! I did make them with peanut butter and later saw in the notes at the end that it doesn’t work with it but mine came out perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
The peanut butter version just doesn’t seem to work with my homemade peanut butter! And it’s really frustrating because I desperately want a peanut butter version of these cookies. ;) What brand did you use? Thanks for your feedback!
Simply amazing!
Thanks! :)
My family usually ends up disappointed when I try to make a healthier version of sweets, but these were a hit. I made the Paleo version. My daughter and I don’t care for Paleo chocolate, so I added dried fruit and they turned out amazing. Thank you!
I know the feeling of disappointment when you try a healthier dessert recipe all too well! It’s pretty much why I started this blog. ;) I’m so happy that you and your family enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for your comment.
I made these cookies today and they are INCREDIBLE! I bake pretty regularly with not so healthy ingredients but this recipe has all of the decadence of a rich, chewy chocolate chip cookie. Well done! I’m looking forward to trying many more of your recipes! Thank you!
Thanks so much for your nice comment! I bake with all kinds of unhealthy ingredients in real life so when I do post something paleo, it has to be really good or I wouldn’t post it (since I could just as well bake something with wheat! ;)) I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much! Thanks again.
I finally made these today. We now have a GF,DF person I cook some for. These were perfect!! I almost halved the dough and added coconut and pecans to part and dark choice. to the rest. My husband can’t decide which is the best. HA!! I made small cookies too. I only cooked 9 minutes. I loved them both but since I don’t know the points for WW I just tasted. Ha!!
Haha. I love that you made these! And that’s nice of you to bake for someone who is GF / DF. I hope that they liked the cookies, too! Your coconut pecan idea sounds delicious. Thanks so much for your comment. :)
HI,
theses cookies look delicious.. can i use almond meal?
You can! Enjoy. :)
I just made these for the first time AND it is my first time baking with almond or coconut flours. The taste is exquisite! The texture will take a little getting used to, not sure if I baked the too long or too little. They seem dry.
They shouldn’t be dry at all! They should be nice and chewy, just like a regular chocolate chip cookie. :) I hope you’ll give them another try! It sounds like they were overbaked. When you take them out of the oven, they’ll be super soft but will firm up as they cool.
Thanks. I definitely will try again and but my baking time. The first batch seemed much lighter than your cookie so I baked the others a minute or two longer, but even the fist batch was a little dry. Do they darken in color as they cool?
They don’t darken in color as they cool. Maybe next time you could weigh the flour (in case you didn’t the first time). Too much flour is probably the only thing other than overbaking that could have caused that unless you made some changes to the recipe. I hope it’ll work better then! :)
I never comment online, but these chocolate chip cookies blew my husband and I away. They are so incredibly flavorful and have a great texture. What an excellent recipe, thank you for sharing! I look forward to trying out more of your recipes.
I’m thrilled that you liked them enough to feel the need to comment. :D I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much! Thanks so much for commenting. I really appreciate it. :)
I’ve made these a few times and I cannot get over how delicious they are! Even my non-clean eating friends/family were gushing over them. Thank you for sharing!
Aww, yay! That makes me happy to hear. :) Thanks for your comment!
Hi Erin,
This recipe sounds amazing!!! I love chocolate chip cookies, but do not want all of the terrible ingredients in store bought ones. I have all of these ingredients in my house, except almond butter. I am allergic to the skin on almonds, so I can use almond flour since they use blanched almonds, but cannot use almond butter. Is there anything that can be used in place of the almond butter? I see you made a note that peanut butter will not work…
Hi Chelsea! I haven’t had any luck with peanut butter (I used homemade) but it seems like all the commenters who have tried it (despite my note ;)) liked them. I know someone said they used Smucker’s Natural and someone else mentioned another brand in the comments. You could also use hazelnut butter! And I know people who have used SunButter with success. Thanks for your comment and I hope you’ll enjoy the cookies. :)
I just made these, and OMG!!! They are fantastic. This will definitely be my new chocolate chip cookie recipe. They taste no different than regular ones. It’s been so hard to find a good paleo cookie recipe. Thank you so much!! I have a huge sweet tooth and this hit the spot. :)
Aww, yay! That’s music to my ears. Thanks a ton for your comment! :)
Thank you so freakin much for this recipe. It’s saved my butt. I thought I’d mention that I use coconut oil, coconut sugar and almond meal from Trader Joes as my almond flour. I cook them in a silicone muffin tin so they don’t spread and they come out PERFECT. I make them all the time!
It’s great to know that almond meal works well in these! Thanks for the tip. I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cookies and I love your muffin tin idea! How many does that yield? I can’t wait to try! Thanks for your feedback. :)
I forgot to add to the people freaking about about the calories remember when you are eating clean/paleo/grain free etc. you really don’t need to count calories and your body needs good heathy fats which this recipe has!
Haha. Thank you! Although it’s probably not a good idea to go crazy on these, which I think a lot of us want to do. ;)
This is the best recipe ever!!! I’ve made them just like the original recipe, & different combinations with peanut butter, with maple syrup, half butter half coconut oil, half syrup half coconut sugar, regular chocolate chip, carob chips, walnuts, coconut, with flax meal replacement- you name it and they are all sooooo good. The only thing I really do different is my oven broke so I’ve been using my toaster oven that I don’t have a cookie sheet to fit it so I put them in an 8×8 pan and make bars! Perfect for everyone in my family and they have no idea how healthy they really are.
Wow! I’m so happy that all the different combinations are coming out well for you! My oven also broke and I’m going crazy. I hope we both have functioning ovens soon! I like that you’re using your toaster oven to make bars. Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
Are there any other paleo-sugar substitutes either than coconut sugar? Please let me know, thanks!
The only paleo sweeteners I use are coconut sugar, honey and maple syrup. One commenter used maple syrup with success but I didn’t have a very good experience with it (the cookies became cakey, which makes sense due to all the added liquid). I think honey would give you the same cakey result. Do you use any granulated sweeteners other than coconut sugar?
I follow the Trim Healthy Mama plan and have been searching for a real cookie. Well, I think I found it with just a few minor changes! I used 1/4 cup THM gentle sweet, 1/4 cup Just Like Sugar, 1/4 cup Just Like Brown sugar, 1/4 TSP molasses, 6 TBS Smucker’s Natural peanut butter along with 1 TBS golden flax seed meal to help with the runny peanut butter. Everything else remained the same. They look similar to yours and taste wonderful! Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so happy that they came out well with your changes! That’s a great idea with the flaxseed. I guess I’ll try that next time I try a peanut butter version because the peanut butter version just isn’t working for me! Thanks a bunch for your tips. :)
Hi Again! I forgot to state that I only used 3/4 cup 63% dark chips. I portioned the dough out on the cookie sheet first and then put it in the freezer for about 15 min, then baked. Thanks again!
Oh, cool! Someone else asked about rolling the dough into balls and baking from the freezer so now I’ll be able to give them an answer about that. Thanks again! :)
Oh my goodness! These are the best grain free chocolate chip cookies I have ever made from internet recipes. I weighed the ingredients as suggested, but made these modifications: Didn’t want to waste my costly coconut sugar in case these didn’t turn out (sorry!), so I used organic brown sugar. From lack of baking, my sugar was rock hard, so to compensate for it’s hardness, I added 1 TBL organic molasses and 1/4 tsp coffee extract. I also upped the vanilla to 3/4 TBL. I made them into 44 gram cookies and baked at 375 for about 9-10 min. Let them sit a few minutes (so hard to wait) and tasted. Delicious!!!
Haha. Don’t be sorry. ;) I’m hesitant of paleo recipes, too! I’m thrilled that your changes worked out well and that you enjoyed them so much. Thanks a ton for your feedback! :)
These are now my favorite chocolate chip cookies! I made my first batch with brown sugar, but am going to give your maple syrup approach a try. Thank you!
I tried using maple syrup like one commenter suggested but the cookies came out really cakey! I didn’t like them nearly as much. I did use a different type of nut butter, though, so that could be to blame. Let me know how they come out if they try them! Thanks so much for your feedback and I’m so happy it’s your new favorite. :)
This recipe is delicious. I made half the recipe according to the instructions. the other half I added coconut and pecans. Delicious!!!
Yum! I love the idea of your second version. I’ll have to try that! Thanks for your feedback. :)
How do you measure the almond flour? I usually scoop it directly into measuring cup and lightly pack it. I would be interested in your method.
I always just weigh it to make sure things are consistent but if you don’t have a scale, then I recommend dipping the cup into the container and then using a knife to level it off. I just tested that with Bob’s Red Mill almond flour and it gave me 100 grams. :)