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Get the best dairy free chocolate chip cookies recipe! These dairy free cookies are based on the original Toll House cookies recipe, and are delicious and chewy with crisp edges. Learn how to make butter free chocolate chip cookies, get info on finding a chocolate chip that’s dairy free, and more! You’ll love these non-dairy chocolate chip cookies that taste just like the ones that contain dairy!
Do chocolate chip cookies contain dairy? Though there are many recipes out there for cookies without milk, most chocolate chip cookies use butter and chocolate chips with dairy. Luckily, it’s very easy to make your favorite chocolate chip cookies recipe dairy free.
Please keep in mind that though that this dairy free chocolate chip cookie is not a recipe for allergen free chocolate chip cookies. These cookies still contain the major allergens wheat and eggs. (If you need a vegan or gluten free dairy free chocolate chip cookie, don’t miss my tips in the FAQs below.)
All we’re doing here is taking the Original Nestle Toll House Cookie Recipe and substituting the butter and chocolate chips. These swaps don’t make the cookie any more healthy (unless of course not eating dairy is healthier for you).
If anything, making your cookies dairy free might make them a little less nutritious. You may not get the vitamin A you would in the butter, the small amount of calcium in the chocolate chips, and so on. (Note: some dairy-free products are fortified so the missing vitamins and minerals are added.)
If you wanted a healthy dairy free chocolate chip cookie (“healthier”), try swapping half the all purpose flour in this recipe for whole wheat flour. You can also substitute the white sugar and brown sugar for 1:1 Swerve sugar substitutes.
⭐ What cookies do not contain milk?
Maybe you just want a dairy free cookie from the store and don’t want to bake. Hey, I’m not the food police, you do you. Here are some dairy free cookies you can buy:
Are Betty Crocker cookie mixes dairy free?
At the time of writing, Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix does contain milk. Many of their other cookie mixes are listed on various sites as vegan, but this is largely incorrect. Additionally, baking mixes with a dairy free ingredients list may have had cross-contact with dairy-containing ingredients during processing.
Is Pillsbury cookies dairy free?
Some of the Pillsbury refrigerated cookie doughs have a dairy free ingredients list. This includes Pillsbury sugar cookie dough and Pillsbury peanut butter cookie dough. Please keep in mind that the recipes of these products are subject to change, so always check the nutrition label before you buy.
Are Oreo cookies dairy-free?
The ingredients list of Oreo cookies is dairy free. However, this product may have had cross-contact with dairy-containing ingredients during processing. If you have a severe dairy allergy, this may not be a safe product for you.
Do Chips Ahoy have dairy?
Chips Ahoy cookies contain chocolate chips that have milk in them. In short, no, Chips Ahoy are not dairy-free.
🥘 Dairy Free Cookies (Chocolate Chip) Ingredients
What do you need to make chocolate chip cookies no dairy? Here’s your shopping list:
- All Purpose Flour (white flour)
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Vegan Stick Butter
- White Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Large Egg
- Dairy Free Chocolate Chips
As always, exact quantities of ingredients are located in the recipe card at the end of the article!
These are basic ingredients that most U.S. kitchens will have, except for the vegan butter and DF chocolate chips. For the non-dairy “butter,” be sure to use a stick butter, not a whipped butter in a tub. The vegan butter spreads tend to have added water and/or air, and don’t bake like regular butter.
These days, it’s easy to find vegan butter alternatives in regular U.S. grocery stores such as Super Walmart. I’m using Country Crock Plant Butter. Here are some other non dairy butter substitutes for cookies:
Some of the dairy free chocolate chips are far more expensive than regular Nestle’s morsels. If you’re on a budget, look for the Great Value chocolate chips that are free from the 8 major food allergens. You can find them at Walmart.
Here are some other options for dairy free chocolate chips:
- Enjoy Life Chocolate Morsels
- Lieber’s Vegan Chocolate Chips
- Nestle Toll House Allergen Free Chocolate Chips
🍽 Equipment
Here is the kitchen equipment you need for chocolate chip cookies without dairy:
- Food Scale
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Cookie Scoop
- Dark Cookie Sheet
- Baker’s Rack
You also need to have an oven, obviously.
You need a food scale when measuring the dry ingredients for baked goods. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve seen comments on other sites that cookie recipes “don’t work” when directions are given using measuring cups only. Often the cookie dough will end up too dry or too wet depending on how the dry ingredients measured.
A cookie scoop will give you uniform cookies and simply makes cookie making easier. It’s optional (but recommended if you make a lot of cookies).
We’re using a baker’s rack as a cooling rack here. The rack helps prevent too much moisture from being trapped under the cookies as they cool.
I recommend using a dark baking sheet for this recipe. Light cookie sheets may lead to longer cooking times.
🔪 How to Make Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let’s make dairy free cookies! If you’ve made Tollhouse cookies before, this is basically the exact same thing.
Mix the white flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set it aside for now.
Put the vegan butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a medium-size mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat it until creamy. You don’t want to overmix it- 1-2 minutes is plenty.
Next, add in your egg and flour mixture and mix again with the electric mixer. After the flour is fully incorporated, stir in the dairy-free chocolate chips by hand.
Now put the bowl with the dairy free cookie dough in the fridge and chill for one hour. This helps make the cookies soft and thick, without too much spreading.
What does melted butter do to chocolate chip cookies?
When you put warmed cookie dough straight in the oven, the butter melts too quickly and the cookies spread a lot. Your cookies will be very thin and crispy with chewy middles. If you want a dense chocolate chip cookie, don’t skip chilling the dough.
At the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Use a cookie scoop to put rounded tablespoons of chilled dough on a dark cookie sheet.
Make sure to leave enough space between the cookies. I usually only put 9 scoops of dough on the baking sheet at a time, and bake the cookies in multiple batches.
️⏲ Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Cooking Time and Temperature
Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies bake for 8-10 minutes in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190C). The cookie sheet should be on an oven rack about one-third of the way from the top of the oven. The cookies should look a little underdone coming out of the oven.
The cookies on the left in this photo were baked 10 minutes, while the ones on the right baked 8 minutes:
They continue to firm up as they cool, so you don’t want them to get too dark in the oven.
Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 1-2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling. If using a dark baking sheet, you’ll want to get them off the sheet as soon as you can.
Dairy free chocolate chip cookies are delish warm or cold. They’re great with a cold glass of your favorite dairy free milk alternative. Enjoy!
🌡️ Leftovers
Dairy free chocolate chip cookies last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and keep them in a covered container.
These cookies also freeze beautifully. Stack them in a freezer-safe container with parchment or freezer paper between the cookies to prevent sticking. Put them back in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours when you’re ready for a snack.
📋 Dairy Free Cookies Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
How many calories in dairy free chocolate chip cookies? One dairy free chocolate chip cookie has 147 calories, 18.4 grams net carbs, and 1.8 grams protein. This is about the same as a regular cookie with dairy.
FAQs
What’s the best substitute for butter in chocolate chip cookies?
IMVHO, the best substitute for butter in cookies is either lard or vegan butter sticks (such as the ones by Earth Balance). Vegetable shortening (i.e., Crisco) may have a similar profile of added fats as vegan butter. However, the vegan butter is flavored to be more similar to butter and may be fortified with more of the nutrients butter has.
Are Nestle chocolate chips dairy free?
Regular Nestle Toll House chocolate chips do contain milkfat and (in some cases) milk as well. Even the Nestle dark chocolate morsels are not dairy free. However, Nestle also offers allergen free morsels that are dairy free. They have dairy free white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, and semi-sweet chocolate.
How to make gluten free dairy free cookies?
To make dairy free cookies gluten free, you will need a GF substitute for white flour. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is a popular gluten free flour option. I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but it would be a worthy experiment!
Are eggs dairy?
No, eggs are not dairy because they come from chickens, not the mammary glands of a mammal. Eggs are not vegan though.
How to make dairy free chocolate chip cookies vegan?
To make vegan chocolate chip cookies, use the dairy substitutes mentioned in this article for the butter and chocolate chips. You will also need to use your favorite egg replacer in place of the egg. Additionally, make sure the sugars you use are vegan and haven’t been processed with a bone char filter.
What egg substitute should I use for chocolate chip cookies?
Flax eggs and this egg replacer are two popular egg substitutes for cookie recipes. Ideally, the replacer will have binding and leavening properties.
🍪 Other Dairy Free Cookie Recipes
After making my dairy free choc chip cookie recipe, here are some other recipes for dairy free cookies to try:
Watch How to Make It!
Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour (150 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons vegan butter
- 6 tablespoons sugar (72 grams)
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar (72 grams)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (240 grams)
Instructions
- Measure the flour, sugars, and chocolate chips using a food scale.
- Mix the white flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set it aside for now.
- Put the vegan butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a medium-size mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat it until creamy. Don't overmix it- 1-2 minutes is plenty.
- Next, add in your egg and flour mixture and mix again with the electric mixer. After the flour is fully incorporated, stir in the dairy-free chocolate chips by hand.
- Put the bowl with the dairy free cookie dough in the fridge and chill for one hour. Don't skip this step! It helps stop the cookies from over spreading.
- At the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Use a cookie scoop to put rounded tablespoons of chilled dough on a dark cookie sheet. I usually only put 9 scoops of dough on the baking sheet at a time, and bake the cookies in multiple batches. (Hot tip! A rounded tablespoon means 2 tablespoons.)
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes on an oven rack about one-third of the way from the top of the oven. The cookies should look a little underdone coming out of the oven.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 1-2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling. If using a dark baking sheet, you’ll want to get them off the sheet as soon as you can.
- Dairy free chocolate chip cookies are delicious warm or cold. They’re great with a cold glass of your favorite dairy free milk alternative.
Notes
💭 Expert Tips from Dietitian Summer Yule
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). These dairy free chocolate chip cookies are just as indulgent as a regular chocolate chip cookie. They’re not lower calorie or higher fiber, though they may be slightly lower in saturated fat (depending on the vegan butter you use). Both butter and vegan butter are around 100 calories per tablespoon. Dairy free and regular chocolate chips are 70-80 calories per tablespoon. If you dislike vegan butter because it is a highly processed food, you can substitute half the butter for coconut oil. This swap will actually make the cookies even higher calorie, as coconut oil is 120 calories per tablespoon. If you’re looking for dairy free cookies because you are lactose intolerant, keep in mind regular butter is very low in lactose. Chocolate chips with milkfat (no milk) may be nearly lactose free as well. So, you may not need a cookie with special ingredients at all. You could make the biggest nutritional impact by swapping the sugars for Swerve and using sugar free chocolate chips. This would save you a lot of calories and make these cookies lower carb. To make keto dairy free chocolate chip cookies, you would need substitutes for the sugar and the flour. Some have success making chocolate chip cookies with almond flour or coconut flour. I don’t tend to like the texture as much as regular cookies, but your taste may vary. Cookies, both with and without dairy, are a high calorie, low volume treat. With its high fat, high carb, low protein content, I’d list cookies among the least filling foods. It’s really easy to overeat cookies, making them a poor choice as a diet mainstay if weight loss is your goal. Nutrition information is for one cookie. (Not that most of us will stop at one… it’s good to share, and remember that they freeze well!)
nutrition info disclaimer
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
“To taste” means to your preferences, which may have to be visual to follow food safety rules. Please don’t eat undercooked food x
Nutrition
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Hello! I’m Summer, a registered dietitian and home chef who loves to cook, eat, and create recipes for you! Every recipe on this site has been tested by me to help ensure your success in the kitchen. All eaters are welcome here 🙂