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!
Hi Megan!
I stumbled upon your website trying to find a recipe for cookies using almond meal.
This recipe turned out amazing! I had only half the amount of coconut oil needed in the recipe, so mashed up half a banana just to add some moistness, and it worked a treat! These cookies were crispy on the outside, and so delectably chewy on the inside! Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes!
Stacy xx
I loved it:)) my first recipe using almond flour …… I used honey instead of maple syrup, absolutely delicious…..I also subscribed to your you tube channel ..Thank you look forward to more recipe making …Giaanna
I have tried many gluten and dairy free baked good recipes. Most have ended up in the trash after one bite and I’m not even a picky eater. This recipe is a family fav! Thank you!
Thank you 😀 Excellent recipe! Made several times using only almond flour, only almond meal and using a combination – all came out perfect. Make sure to melt the oil, and warm the maple syrup.
These are the best! I’ve tried many almond flour chocolate chip cookies and now there’s no need to try any other. They’re crave-able and so easy to make. And the wholesome ingredients make you feel good!
THANK YOU for all of your healthy and delicious recipes!! We LOVE this recipe!!
This recipe is awesome! Thank you. I added a touch of lemon extract because I love to do that!! Yumm!
I’m sitting at my table right now writing this with a batch in the oven (and eating some of the dough, of course!) and all I have to say is YUM! I have a gluten and dairy allergy and I haven’t had cookies in so long, let alone good cookies. This recipe rocks!
These look and taste AMAZING! My friend made them! I’d like to replicate them but was wondering how they would hold up as a double chocolate cookie with some added cacao? Would it be possible to sub coconut sugar for the maple syrup?
This is an excellent recipe. I just made them for the first time to take to a friend’s vegan dinner party. I followed the recipe to the letter. I made sure my maple syrup was room temperature. I googled how to melt coconut oil since I’d never done it. I opted to use a microwave method by nuking it at 50% power for about 30 seconds in a bowl, then remeasuring it into a 1//4 c. measuring cup and mixed everything per the directions. The batter was perfect, and came together nicely. And it smelled great! Using a level teaspoon to measure was the perfect amount of dough per cookie yielded 19 cookies for me. Dampening my hands just a little helped in forming the cookies to place on the parchment perpared sheet pans. I used two large pans to give the cookies space. Halfway thru the 12 min. baking time, I rotated the pans between the oven racks. Not sure if it was really necessary, but I did it thinking it would help make the cookies bake the most evenly. Then turned out beautifully, having spread out some and got a golden edge. They were delicious! I can’t wait to see how they are later today six or so hours after the bake, and how the party guests enjoy them. I may store them in the fridge until we go. Will update later! I’m confident they will be a hit!
Second time making these and they’re delicious! My only issue is after baking, there’s white specks still. Doesn’t change texture but doesn’t look right. Any ideas on why that is? Thought maybe I should sift the flour before or maybe oil/syrup isn’t right temp still?
Thanks in advance!
Today, I made these cookies with olive oil. They look poofy in the oven while baking..in a very good way! The unbaked dough is super tasty! Waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven. (Also, I almost always add a bit of lemon extract for that extra fresh x-factor! Yumm! I also added a dash of homemade vanilla extract made with Jack Daniels, along with the vanilla extract. Ok!! I just tried one!! Heaven Sent! So, feel free to use olive oil and other little flavor add-ins of your choice! THANK YOU, MEGAN!! <3
I made the recipe almost exactly as written except that I used olive oil instead of coconut oil (45 g instead of 54 g), and I used rice vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. The recipe made 14 cookies, which fit onto a single large cookie sheet. The cookies were very tasty and had a nice texture, and my gluten-free and non-gluten-free friends all enjoyed them. Great recipe!
Wow these are the best cookies I have ever baked!! This year will be my first Thanksgiving as a vegan and I’m definitely going to make batch of these for Thanksgiving dinner! My family is going to be shocked when they taste how good they are and vegan 🙂 Thank you for this super simple and easy recipe!!
This has become one of my go-to cookie recipes. They’re so good! One question: how do they have trans fat if they don’t have any partially hydrogenated oils added?
This has been the BEST vegan cookie recipe to date! I added crushed walnuts to the chocolate chips. Delicious! Thank you so much for your work to perfect the recipe for us!
ding dang delicious cookies. I tried a short order of these and replaced the coconutoil with avocado oil. they were tender on the inside crispy on the outside and the perfect sweetness level. Shortbread style cookie with non of the guilt. chunky wife and bearded hubby approved!
So delicious! I feel like they tasted like a shortbread, which I❤️. Also, I have my hand in a cast and couldn’t get the new jar of coconut oil opened, so used butter.
Can I use vegetable oil instead of coconut oil? I don’t have coconut oil available
These were amazing. I am on a low-acid diet so I omitted the apple vinegar and repaced chocolate chips with carob chips. I also put in a half teaspoon of sea salt by mistake and liked the extra salt. Best sweet I’ve eaten in a long time!! Thanks!!!
Very good recipe. I have made this many times now, some with minor changes like almond extract, a blob of cherry jam, fresh blueberry pushed into the centre. Also made subbing 1/2 cup of banana flour. All very good results. Thank you!
These are amazing! I’ve been looking for a vegan, processed sugar free choc chip cookie for 4 years since my husband and I became sugar free vegans. The recipes I have used were so disappointing. The texture lackluster, the taste somewhat ok. I can’t believe these cookies. Perfection…the texture and taste so, so satisfying. The first time I followed the recipe exactly. Cook time too. The only things that I have changed since is I add 1 tsp molasses to add a little brown sugar taste…added 15 drops of stevia and used sunflower oil instead of coconut. The base recipe is so good I’ve started experimenting with it. Thumb print with jelly, and one with a walnut on top. Can’t wait to get more creative. And the recipe is so easy. Thank you so much! Will try more of your recipes.
The only change I made was I added walnuts. Maybe thats why i had to bake them for a couple minutes longer, but otherwise the recipe is straight forward. This recipe is so simple and so good!
I have made this recipe many times, and I LOVE it! I’m not sure how they taste so buttery when they have no butter! It’s magic!
I’ve tried so many vegan GF cookie recipes with issues every time. This one is perfect. Taste and texture is fantastic. I followed the recipe exactly. I cooked them for slightly less time because I like softer cookies.
Really loved this recipe, and so did my family! My brother didn’t know they were vegan, and was really surprised when I told him they’re both vegan and gf.
Question: I’d like to make them again but I’ve run out of maple syrup. If I used a solid sugar, would that throw everything off?
I love this recipe! My younger sister can’t have wheat, dairy, gluten, and egg. So it was a lifesaver to find this recipe.My mom and sister rave about these cookies, and it’s always a rush to get to the cookie pan.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE this recipe so much!!!! OMG, this is so yummy. Ms. Megan, you are a genius for making this recipe. For what goes in it, and what does’t, it is so delicious! My family loves it, and even my dad looks forward to when I make a batch. I am always a little surprised to see something like apple cider vinegar in a cookie recipe, but it tastes like a five star cookie. Claire, an 11 year old
I just made these. They are amazing, and my kids love them! I definitely recommend!
Thanks for the recipe! Really yummy cookies. I only got about 9 cookies out of the “18 cookie serving”. I don’t have a 1” scooper, so it may have just been a user error. Wondering if anyone else experienced this.
I adapted this recipe ever so slightly by adding arrowroot, to allow for the more user-friendly option of almond meal in lieu of blanched almond flour (difficult to find locally). It’s a winner! I’ve made several batches of these cookies since discovering the recipe. Thank you!
I did not have enough almond flour so I added about one cup of oat flour to the one cup of almond flour I had. I did not have enough coconut oil left either so I added some oil from organic almond butter that I have which has only the one ingredient. Of course, as I poured the almond butter oil, some of the almond butter came out. It will be so good! In the oven now.
I just made your cookies.. they are easy, healthy and tasty ♥️🎊 thank you 👍🏼
My husband is vegan and I prefer to avoid gluten. These cookies taste luxurious with a lovely marzipanishness. Internet recipes often don’t pan out for me, so we’re glad these did. We used a maple-agave syrup. Thank you.
I made these with brown sugar simple syrup in place of maple syrup and palm oil shortening instead of coconut oil. It turns out I was out of chocolate chips so I let these cool and drizzled them with a bit of powdered sugar and almond milk icing and they were delicious! I ate the leftover dough with a spoon. The cookies were definitely missing the chocolate chips but they were delicious anyway. They could have cooked a bit longer but still really good!
I’m confused. These “low carb” cookies have 9 g of carbs per cookie, exactly the same amount of carbs as in a normal Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie that’s full of high-carb wheat flour and sugar. That can’t be right, can it?
Hi! These aren’t labeled as “low-carb” cookies, they are just gluten-free and more nutrient-dense because they are made with almond flour. If you’d like less sugar in each one, you are welcome to experiment with using sugar-free swaps (like sugar-free chocolate chips & sugar-free syrup), or you can swap the chocolate chips for cacao nibs, which don’t have added sugar.
Sorry–my mistake! The recipe came up when I searched on “vegan” and “low-carb” cookies, so I stupidly believed my search engine. But thank you for the response and clarification.
I use this as a short bread cookie base, chocolate chips one time, cranberries, walnuts and orange peel the next, sometimes use just cinnamon for a snicker doodle type…being 20 year lifestyle vegan am enjoying this recipe!! Thank you
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it makes a fabulous cookie. It’s also one of the easiest cookies I’ve ever made. I didn’t flatten the cookies and loved them like that- it gives more of a macaroon appearance. The second time I made them I used olive oil instead of coconut oil (FODMAP sensitivity) and it was delicious. Highly recommend this recipe!
Great recipe, which I tweaked a bit for my needs by substituting carob chips for the chocolate chips. Also added chopped pecans and a dash of cinnamon! Delicious!
Excellent cookies! Rich, crisp, and chocolaty. I was surprised but will make these again.
Hi and thank you for this recipe that I am looking forward to trying! What do the brackets in the list of ingredients stand for? For example, you write “224 g blanched almond flour (240 grams)”. Should I use 224 or 240 grams? I’m European and use the metric system, perhaps my lack of understanding comes from that.
Thank you!
Hi! Sorry for the confusion. I weigh my own ingredients in grams and used to put the weight in parentheses next to my US measurements, but that was before my website got the “metric” option where you can just switch over by pushing a button. I just updated this recipe so it should look less confusing when you’re in metric now.
Hi! Recipe sounds delish! Can I substitute maple syrup with agave? How much to use in this recipe?
OMG!! This recipe was SO good! A must have and a fail free recipe, the whole family will be asking for more!
We baked these last week & my daughter asked to bake them again! I didn’t have coconut oil, so I used EVOO and they tasted great! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Delicious! Baking them 2 weeks in a row!