Vegan Almond Flour Cookies are the perfect gluten-free treat, made with protein-rich almond flour. They’re crispy on the outside, and buttery-tender on the inside, almost like a shortbread cookie!
Why You’ll Love Them
- No raw eggs in the dough. That means you can taste-test as much raw cookie dough as you’d like to!
- Simple ingredients. The only specialty ingredient here is almond flour, which is simply made from ground almonds. There’s no need to use multiple flours or starches, the way some other gluten-free cookie recipes require.
- Gluten-free & dairy-free. These cookies are made without butter and are perfect for those on a gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, or vegan diet.
- Naturally Sweetened. All you need is 100% pure maple syrup to sweeten the cookie dough. If you’d like to avoid the refined sugar from chocolate chips, you could use crunchy cacao nibs, or find a brand that uses natural sweeteners, like Hu brand.
- Higher in protein. Each small cookie has 3 grams of plant-based protein, to help keep you feeling satisfied.
Every time I make these cookies, my family declares them their favorite! And trust me, they’ve tasted a lot of cookie recipes over the years.
Tips for Working with Almond Flour
- Use blanched almond flour. Blanched almond flour is made from blanched almonds (almonds with their skins removed) while almond meal is made from whole almonds, which includes their skins. Using almond meal will result in a soft and cake-like cookie, while blanched almond flour will result in a crispier and more buttery cookie, similar to shortbread.
- Don’t make substitutions. Do not be tempted to use coconut flour, oat flour, or any other type of flour in its place. I’ve got you covered with coconut flour cookies, oat flour cookies, and buckwheat cookies if you need other gluten-free options.
- Flatten the cookies. Since these cookies are egg-free, they won’t spread like traditional cookie dough. Be sure to use your hands to flatten the dough before baking! (If you get your hands slightly damp, the dough won’t stick to them as much.)
- Use recipes that call for almond flour. As a general rule of thumb, don’t expect to be able to use almond flour in recipes that call for all-purpose flour. Almond flour is less dense and has more fat compared to grain flours so it’s best to work with recipes that specifically call for it, like my Almond Flour Banana Bread or Almond Flour Biscotti.
Be sure to check out all of my almond flour recipes for more ideas!
Concerned about Acrylamide?
If you have a copy of my first cookbook, you may already know that heating certain nuts, including almonds, at a lower temperature may help to prevent acrylamide formation. (A potential cancer-causing substance, according to the FDA.)
I’m often too impatient these days to bake cookies for a longer time, and I don’t consider home-cooked food to be a huge acrylamide risk in the grand scheme of things. (Smoking is substantially worse than any food source, FYI.) A review of 15 epidemiologic studies couldn’t find any consistent evidence suggesting that dietary exposure increases the cancer risk in humans.
With that being said, if you’d like to lower your risk of acrylamide exposure, just to be on the safe side, you can bake these cookies at 250ºF for 30 minutes. Keep in mind, the cookies will not be lightly golden when you bake them at this temperature– they will remain very pale in color, which is the point, since browning is a sign of acrylamide formation.
For an extra-crispy cookie, you can even extend the baking time to 45 minutes at 250ºF.
Where else can you find acrylamide? It’s also found in coffee and some coffee substitutes, and other certain foods, like potatoes and grains. It’s not typically found in raw foods or foods that have been cooked by steaming or boiling. (Hence, why I also love pressure cooking so much.)
Vegan Almond Flour Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup (at room temperature*)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and vinegar, and mix again, until the dough looks uniform, with no clumps.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, then use a tablespoon or 1-ounce cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared pan. You will get roughly 18 small cookies from this batch, so you may need to use 2 pans, or cook 2 separate batches.
- Use your hands to flatten the cookies then bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes, or until the edges look lightly golden.
- Let them cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes before serving; they will firm up as they cool. Serve warm, or at room temperature. Almond flour cookies get softer if you store them at room temperature overnight, so I recommend serving these the day you make them, or keep them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for the firmest texture. They are extra-crispy if you serve them straight from the freezer.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try these Vegan Almond Flour Cookies, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it! If you make a substitution, I’d also love to hear how it works for you. We can all benefit from your experience!
I’m seriously thinking of doing this recipe without baking them at all. I would omit the baking soda. Do you think I should omit the vinegar too?
Yes, the baking soda and vinegar aren’t necessary if you skip baking them.
Did you do this, and if so, how did it come out?
What substiture would you suggest for maple syrup to make it keto-friendly?
I don’t recommend using zero-calorie sweeteners, so I would try something like applesauce or mashed banana… but you’d have to experiment to see what works best. Let us know if you have any success!
You could try organic stevia drops – maybe 8 drops. I’ve done that before to make sugar-free cookies with another similar recipe and it did the job xxxx ps: Megan such an ace looking recipe, keen to try xxxxx
I love stevia too! Xylitol a close second!! Neither great if you have fertility issues though.
Made these twice. They don’t come out to 18, but 12. I love them for breakfast! Also good with raisins and raw sunflower seeds.
OMG! These cookies are perfect! Just what my paleo sweet tooth needed! Thank you so much for this recipe! I used blue agave sweetner instead of maple syrup.
Can you please tell me how much agave syrup you used? Same amount as recipe calls for maple syrup? Thank you!
Megan! I have made your original version of these cookies so many times. They are a staple in our home. I can’t wait to try the new and improved version. Thank you! Love your recipes!
Hi Megan et al, I use a recipe similar to this with a few differences. I substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of the 1/4 cup of oil to help reduce my intake of saturated fat. I also add egg replacer and bake them at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. In the future I will try them with the apple cider vinegar too. These cookies taste great. Thanks for always sharing great recipes from your heart.! Are your books in Barnes and Noble? If not, I’ll go online and buy them.
Thanks for sharing, Tracey! Yes, my books are available at Barnes & Noble and local bookstores. (Sometimes I’ll call ahead just to make sure they have them in stock.)
Hi Megan! Can I substitute olive or avocado oil instead of coconut oil?
Sure, I think that will be fine if you enjoy the flavor of one of those oils. The taste will definitely come through a bit.
Hi Megan! I have a very similar cookie recipe that I make and it’s amazing! I can’t wait to try your version, I’m sure it’s just as good!!! I love almond flour cookies 🙂
-Cassidy
What else can you use instead of syrup
I only had one cup of almond flour so I substituted the other cup with cashew flour – turned out amazing! Great recipe, Megan! Delicious and my two-year-old loves it too!
These are so super delicious! perfect balance of crispy and soft …. Love them!
Your original recipe has been my favorite cookie recipe of all time. I love that it is vegan and delicious! I find almond flour fills me up so that is a bonus! I usually bake them in a bar form. This recipe is so easy and so good!
I made a half batch of these last night and my husband and I both enjoyed them! I added some chopped pecans and he asked me to put more of them and less of the chocolate next time! I used chopped 85% dark chocolate. I tried another half batch this morning and left out the chocolate altogether. I only added chopped walnuts and a pinch of cinnamon. Delicious! Thanks so much!
Why Apple cider vinegar?
The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise. You don’t need it if a recipe calls for eggs instead.
Turned out great, so delicious!
Hello,
I dont have the below at home? What would be the best replacement.
1) Coconut oil –> replaced with butter?
2) Maple Syrup –> replaced with pure manuka honey?
3) Apple cider vinegar –> I noticed this is new. It is not in your original recipe.
Vinegar just helps them rise a bit, but you can leave it out if you like. The butter substitution is fine if you’re not vegan, and I find that honey is sweeter than maple syrup, so I would just use a little less to your taste.
These turned out great. Would you recommend adding a little flour to make them more dense or just baking them longer? I noticed someone posed using applesauce to replace coconut oil..just curious–.how did that work out with almond flour? Would love to reduce intake of oil in general, and in particular coconut oil.
thank you.
Baking them longer will make them harder, if that’s the texture you’re going for. When you use applesauce to replace oil, the result is more cake-like, so it’s a fine substitute if you don’t mind more of a fluffy, muffin-top like texture.
Megan, I just made these again substituting apple sauce for the oil, and they turned out pretty good. I may have added a bit too much apple sauce. However, I like this concept. Thank you so much for your response.
Ok, what did I do wrong? I followed this recipe exactly and got a powdery mess. I couldn’t get the cookies to bind into balls at all! Was so frustrated & bummed I just trashed the whole patch.
I found a need to add extra oil to get the mix necessary for working the dough into a cookie shape.
Did you add 1/4 coconut oil. It doesn’t show in the ingredients list but it says on directions add oil. I scrolled notes to see if anyone mentioned it. This is how l figured it’s 1/4 and it makes sense from other similar recipes l had made before
Hi Maya! This recipe calls for a 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil in the ingredient list. Definitely include it!
Ahhh they look so so good!! I need to try them out:)
Love, Alina
These are absolutely delicious. Thank you for creating and sharing!
Joyce
I am going to the kitchen to make this recipe right this minute, sounds wonderful and just what I’m looking for! ?
I was pleasantly surprised how yummy these cookies are. It was definitely a healthier way to satisfy my sweet tooth. I will definitely make them again!
Oh, good! I’m glad you enjoyed them, Amanda. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I made these with Almond meal and I recommend putting the dough in the freezer or fridge for a few minutes in order to be able to form cookies, otherwise it was way too crumbly. The time was perfect – 30 min at 250 degrees although some of the cookies did not hold together that well. Taste is great! Maybe next time will try half oat flour half almond meal.
Could I use coconut sugar instead of maple syrup?
Omg just made these cookies and they are sooo good! I used Miyoko’s European style vegan butter in combination with the coconut oil. This particular butter is made with coconut oil so it was a perfect compliment & buttery taste. Yum!
I just tried making these but the dough did not combine well at all, as a matter of fact it was very dry and crumbly, not sticky as described. I was unable to shape it into cookies. I followed recipe and used almond meal. Not sure what went wrong?
Was your maple syrup cold from being in the fridge? That could cause the melted coconut oil to solidify and become crumbly. If that’s the case, you could warm the dough in warm oven for a few minutes to help it soften before shaping the cookies.
I added dried blueberries and walnuts, and OH MY MY! This is definitely my new go to cookie base! Thank you!
These were delicious. Thank you!
Made this lovely recipe last week for my boyfriend and I. He hasn’t stopped raving about them. I ran out of flour so he insisted we make a trip to the supermarket first thing tomorrow morning! He’s just starting to appreciate clean ingredients So I am very thankful to YOUR recipe for ENCOURAGEMENT ❤️❤️. Thank you!! Can’t wait to check off another recipe from the list.
Hi, my husband was told his TRYGLICERUDES are through the roof and he is borderline diabetic. We have completely changed eating habits. He loves chocolate chip cookies. I have raw blue agave can I use it instead of maple syrup it is lower glycemic?
I want to use all I d flour because I can not eat oat. Thank yiu
This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe…..according to my husband, and I love them too:) love all your recipes, thanks for sharing them.
I added an egg to this recipe. That will obviously affect the cooking time right? Thank you.
This is an absolute keeper !! I did the recipe without vanilla just because I did not have it, but I added Coco nebs and put them in my coffee grinder to grind it into a powder and follow the rest of the recipe. These are absolutely amazing cookies and this is my second time making them !
Hello! I’m allergic to vinegar… can I leave it out or will that mess up everything?
The acid from the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cookies rise a bit. Could you use lemon juice instead? Or, you can use double the baking powder to replace baking soda.
i made these with homemade almond meal.
the flavor is great, but they hardly hold together-
what can i use as a binding agent?
thanks!
Is there an alternative to using maple sugar or maple syrup? I have a mild allergy to honey, cane sugar and maple sugar. I love some of these recipes but prefer to stay away from maple for now.
You could use agave or golden syrup maybe! I would use slightly less though because they tend to be sweeter.
So I also made these with almond meal. They were very crumbly but I found that baking them longer helped a lot. I think I left them in for maybe 20 minutes total but they could have stayed in longer. They were still soft on the inside and not burning or even Browning yet.
TL;DR if you’re using almond meal leave them in for at least 20 minutes!
These were so delicious! I brought them to a friends house who is dairy free and not only did she love it, but our husbands too! All 10 were gone in a flash!!
Tried them today. Turned out awesome! But I used 100% baking chocolate …so I sprinkled coconut palm sugar on top to make up for the lack of sweetness. Super delish 😊
Having recently gone vegan I am always on the hunt for dessert recipes. These cookies are DELICIOUS! Thank u!
Really appreciate the insight on almond-product at 250 degrees, for I have been baking hotter for Faster cookies, of course, but can take a heads up from science!! So, didn’t quite use your recipe, put it together w/ another that used a “chia egg” plus my almond product comes from squeezing ground almonds for milk. Substituted honey too and added a little garbonzo bean flour/ and water and flax. Thanks! Like your ideas!
Thank you so much. I shared your link on a vegan website.
Sorry,I tried to make thesr but they lioked nothing like picture. While warm they were quite tasty though but when tgey cooled down they were rock-hard. Not sure what went wrong.
Very good! My husband loves walnuts, so I added them, but otherwise stayed with the exact recipe and they are easy to make and delicious😊
This is THE ultimate vegan chocolate chip cookie! I’ve been looking for this exact cookie texture everywhere (soft, chewy and slightly crispy around the edges). I can’t thank you enough! The cookies are truly amazing.
These cookies are deeeeelish. One of those recipes you should just follow exactly and not waiver. I’ve never baked cookies at a lower temperature for longer, but it makes so much sense for vegan baking. Saving this one!
Absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe as written and baked at 250 for 30 minutes, they’re pure perfection. I did use the 1/2c. of chocolate chips as called for (all the while thinking, this is no where near enough chocolate chips) and it was just the right amount. The cookies are not too sweet but sweet enough for this girls sweet tooth.
Aahhhhhhhhh! I forgot to convert to Celsius….. they’re ash… ;(
These cookies are AWESOME!!Perfect as is recipe! i love them cooked and also the dough rolled into little bite size balls and frozen for cookie dough candy treat!I cant believe how many of these recipes have been family hits! thank you
I made these tonight, using honey instead of maple syrup. The flavor is really good but the cookies are quite dry. When I was mixing I thought that 2 cups was a lot of almond meal for the amounts of the rest of the ingredients. (I used Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal)
These are absolutely delicious and super easy to make. I love the texture of them from the fridge!
I made even though we are not vegan but I had no eggs and my son is gluten free. These cookies are delicious!! Love them and so easy. I thought at first vegan meant yuck but I was wrong 🙂
I just made these and they are yummy.
I added in some rice puffs to extend the mix. I didn’t have maple syrup so used honey. I don’t like overly sweet things so I cut back on the honey to about half. I also used by accident 1 tsp of baking powder and still used the vinegar. I added a little water as the mix was crumbly and this helped bind them. I chose to bake for 45 minutes as I prefer my cookies a little harder.
The cookie baked well and turned out not too hard and not too soft – just the way I like them. The only thing I didn’t like was the peculiar taste that coconut sometimes has – I think that comes if the coconut product is not fresh. My oil was a little old so that could have been it. Anyhow, it doesn’t taste like eating a fresh coconut. But it still tastes nice.
Will definitely bake them again as I love healthy food. Thank you Megan for sharing.
Oh – one suggestion after reading some of the problems some people have had. Maybe as well as using measurements in cups etc, weight would probably be more accurate and control some of those problems. Just a thought.
I use organic munk fruit as a sugar substitute and they turn out great!