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When you want to make buckwheat cookies without eggs, these chocolate chip cookies are for you. They’re naturally gluten-free (despite the confusing “buckwheat” name), and can be stirred together in 10 minutes! They have a slightly nutty flavor, with a tender center you’ll love.
If you have more buckwheat flour to use up, check out my buckwheat waffles, buckwheat banana bread, or buckwheat pumpkin bread.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love these Buckwheat Cookies
- They have glowing reviews. I originally shared this recipe years ago, so there are already 90+ reviews for you to check out! If you’re like me and like to read reviews before you try a new recipe, there’s plenty of feedback to review.
- They’re allergy friendly. Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free, and this recipe is egg-free, vegan, and dairy-free, too. If you prefer buckwheat cookies made with butter and egg, check out my cowboy buckwheat cookies.
- They’re fast. You can stir everything together in one bowl in about 10 minutes, which is how long it takes the oven to preheat anyway. By the time the oven is hot, they’re ready to bake!
- They’re well-tested. I’ve been developing gluten-free recipes for over 15 years, and these cookies have been through rounds of testing in my own kitchen. You won’t see any A.I. created recipes on this website, so you won’t waste ingredients in your own home.
Key Ingredients
- Buckwheat Flour. Shop for hulled buckwheat flour, when possible, which is lighter in color. If the flour looks blue-gray in color, it will likely be more bitter because it was made with whole buckwheat (with the hulls). You can make homemade buckwheat flour with a coffee grinder.
- Coconut Oil. I use this to keep the cookies dairy-free and vegan. If you don’t want coconut flavor, be sure to use expeller-pressed or refined coconut oil, which will add no coconut taste.
- Coconut Sugar. This granulated sugar helps the cookies spread as they bake, but it’s not quite as sweet as white sugar. If you want to use less sugar, just keep in mind that the cookies will drier in texture. (I actually tried adding more sugar, just to see what happens, and they become too soft!)
- Ground Flax Seeds. If you’re familiar with a flax egg, this helps bind the cookies while keeping them vegan friendly. (And it adds a little more fiber!)
- Vinegar + Baking Soda. Baking soda requires an acid to react with in baking. In a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe, that acid comes from molasses found in brown sugar. But since we’re not using that here, adding a splash of vinegar does the same thing. (You can’t taste it in the final cookies.)
How to Make Buckwheat Cookies (Step by Step)
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 1/4 cup water and stir well. (This makes a flax egg.)
- Add 1 cup of buckwheat flour, 1/2 cup of coconut sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt to the bowl.
- Add 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil, then stir well until the dough looks uniform. Then add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (or any other vinegar) and stir again.
- You may notice that the dough starts to lighten in color where the vinegar touches, so stir well until it looks uniform again. This reacts with the baking soda to help it rise.
- Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, or any other mix-ins you like.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into tablespoon-size portions. I usually get 16 or so cookies from this batch.
- Drop the cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. The cookies won’t flatten fully as they bake, so use your hands to gently flatten them if desired. (Or don’t touch them for a mound-shaped cookie with a more tender center.)
- Bake at 350ºF for 9-10 minutes. The cookies should puff up as they bake. Let them cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes so they can firm up. Then they are ready to enjoy!
Serving & Storage Tips
These cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days, but I’ve noticed they can tend to dry out by the last few days. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for a crispier consistency. (My husband loves to eat these frozen!)
Gluten-free cookies can get softer if you store them in an airtight container at room temperature. So, only store these sealed at room temperature if you like that consistency.
Buckwheat Cookie Recipe FAQs
In my experience, buckwheat adds a nutty flavor and makes cookies softer, while also keeping the recipe gluten-free. If you’re into these things, you’ll enjoy buckwheat cookies!
Buckwheat flour is gluten-free, which is helpful for those who need an option for gluten-free baking. However, because of the lack of gluten, it won’t hold together as easily without eggs. Be sure to follow a recipe that calls for buckwheat flour, so you won’t have to guess how it will turn out.
Buckwheat flour can be made with or without the hull (the outer shell of the seed). If the buckwheat flour looks blue or gray, it was likely made with the outer shell, which is bitter tasting. For the best flavor, grind your own buckwheat groats, which already have the hull removed.
More Buckwheat Flour Recipes
If you try this buckwheat cookie recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐ star rating below to let me know how you like them. Thanks for visiting!
Vegan Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup light colored buckwheat flour (store-bought or homemade)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a large bowl, add the ground flax seed and water and stir well.
- Next, add the buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, oil, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Stir well, then add in the vinegar, which will react with the baking soda to help the cookies rise a bit.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, then use a tablespoon to scoop the dough into 12 mounds spaced evenly apart on the lined baking sheet. Flatten each cookie with your hands, as these cookies will only spread slightly. (Or don't flatten them for mound-shaped cookies, which my family likes!)
- Bake until the edges are firm, about 10 minutes at 350ºF. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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The cookies tasted amazing, however my cookies fell apart. Any idea why?
Hi Joan! I’ve heard that from a few other readers, so I’m re-testing this old recipe to see if adding ground flaxseed might help as a binder. I’ll update this one soon! But I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor. 🙂
I’m so happy that I found all these recipies today. I have Hosimoto’s and am seeing a functional medicine doctor and was having such a hard time with breakfast because I can’t even have eggs. He just allowed me to have egg white but not every day. Thank you so much. I’m going to try them and I’m sharing them with friends.
I plan on making these and sending them in the mail as part of a care package, any idea how they’ll hold up? I got a pretty cookie jar to put them in and was going to use a “brown sugar saver” terracotta disc in the jar as well to try and keep them moist.
Hi Rebecca! I think the terracotta disc sounds like a brilliant idea to help keep them moist. Please report back if that works! Hope the cookies are a hit.
Delicious and easy!
They seemed very oily when we shaped them on the sheet but then they came out delicious. Crunchy without being too dry. We omitted the chocolate chips and instead decorated them with sugar pearls on top.
This recipe looks great! Is it possible to change the coconut sugar for honey? Or maybe stevia?
I made these today. They are perfect. Thank you!
HI.. Why apple cider vinegar.. Can we skip it or any other alternative?
The vinegar is just there as an acid to react with baking soda. You can swap the baking soda for baking powder (but use a little more) or use any other acid you have on hand as a swap for the vinegar, like lemon juice.