Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are sincerely the BEST eggless chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten. So irresistibly soft, chewy, and comforting, it’s hard to believe they’re actually eggless cookies. All the crave-able deliciousness you love in a classic cookie recipe—made with flour, butter, sugars, and chocolate chips—except no eggs! Learn how to make chocolate chip cookies without eggs in less than 30 minutes.

Most cookie recipes rely on eggs as a binding agent, helping to hold the ingredients together while also keeping the texture soft, moist, and perfectly chewy. Without eggs, a cookie can have a dry, dense, crumbly texture. So, truthfully, I expected this eggless chocolate chip cookie recipe to taste fine but not great. Or at least, not as great as a classic cookie. Instead, I was totally surprised…

These egg free chocolate chip cookies turned out so unbelievably soft and satisfying, with a light and buttery bite. Interestingly, I thought they tasted a bit like Chewy Chips Ahoy! (Which, it turns out, are also egg free.) Whether you have an egg allergy or you’re just searching for easy cookies without eggs, these no egg chocolate chip cookies are an absolute treat to eat!

What cookies have no eggs?

Perhaps the most popular eggless cookies are shortbread cookies—a classic recipe made from flour, butter, sugar, but no eggs. This creates the dense, dry, crumbly texture that shortbread-type cookies are known and loved for! But, for soft, moist, chewy cookies, most recipes use eggs, or a substitute for eggs. (Like in my Sweet Potato Cookies.) In this eggless chocolate chip cookie recipe, a few minor tweaks to the classic recipe creates an equally crave-able cookie!

What happens if you don’t add eggs to cookies?

In a typical cookie recipe, eggs bind the ingredients together and add moisture. Although they don’t affect the flavor much, eggs help to maintain the cookie’s shape and create a soft, chewy texture. Egg free cookies can become dry, dense, crumbly, and won’t spread much while baking (like shortbread). To make chocolate chip cookies without eggs, we need alternative ways to bind the ingredients together and add moisture.

How do you bind cookies without eggs?

There are all sorts of ingredients you can use to make cookies without eggs. Yogurt, mashed banana, applesauce, oil + water, flax eggs (ground flax + water)—the list goes on. Ultimately, you need something with a thick, viscous texture like an egg, that retains moisture when heated. So, adding plain water isn’t ideal. But, combining water and oil is a viable option that adds moisture and a more viscous consistency, thanks to the fat in the oil.

What can I use instead of eggs in chocolate chip cookies?

The best eggless chocolate chip cookies stay true to the classic recipe. First, creaming together softened butter and sugars creates a viscous, fat-rich mixture to bind the cookies. Really, the main thing missing in these egg free chocolate chip cookies is moisture—so I also beat in a bit of milk. Of course, there are plenty of other substitutes you can explore. But, with just this simple change, my eggless cookies turned out lusciously soft, chewy, cakey, and so comforting!

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

• Butter. Softened butter acts as a binder in these egg free chocolate chip cookies and helps them maintain their shape. Be sure to let your butter soften overnight, or at least for a few hours! For vegan eggless cookies, you can use a plant-based butter instead.
• White & Brown Sugar. The classic recipe uses both white and brown sugars, and this eggless chocolate chip cookie recipe is true to form! But, if needed, you can substitute for the brown sugar with additional white sugar.
• Milk of Choice. Typically, I use dairy milk (2% or whole) when I make cookies without eggs, but any nondairy milk will work as well. Almond, cashew, coconut, soy milk—whatever dairy free or vegan option suits you.
• Vanilla. Another classic chocolate chip cookie ingredient! Though it may seem secondary, vanilla is actually an essential addition that enhances all of the other flavors in the recipe.
• All-Purpose Flour. Anytime we remove or replace ingredients in baked goods, there’s a risk that a recipe might not work out. All-purpose flour provides a sturdy, reliable base for this eggless cookie recipe, so they hold their shape but still have a soft bite. No doubt, the gluten helps with this—so I’m not sure how these would turn out using a gluten free flour. Although I haven’t tested this substitute personally, you’re welcome to experiment!
• Baking Soda. All cookies can benefit from a leavening agent for a fluffier bite. This is particularly true in these no egg chocolate chip cookies, where baking soda helps fill in for the eggs.
• Salt. Like vanilla, all good cookie recipes need a dash of salt to enhance the sweet flavors.
• Chocolate Chips. Of course, this recipe calls for plenty of chocolate chips! Regular or mini size, milk chocolate, dark, semi-sweet, or white chocolate—use your favorite, or a combination of these.

How do vegans replace eggs in baking?

All sorts of vegan egg substitutes exist for baked goods: applesauce, flax eggs, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, aquafaba, etc. These can be great options for all sorts of recipes, but they’re not necessary here. To make these eggless chocolate chip cookies vegan, you can simply replace the butter with vegan butter and use nondairy milk! Be sure to still let your plant-based butter soften before creaming it together with the sugars.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies without Eggs

• In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugars with a hand mixer, until smooth and fluffy. Then, beat in milk and vanilla until integrated.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring with a spatula until incorporated. Then, fold in chocolate chips.
• Scoop dough and transfer directly to lined baking sheets. (I used a 4-tsp cookie scoop to yield 24 eggless cookies.)
• Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 12 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Can you eat raw cookie dough without eggs?

Yes, a few bites of raw cookie dough without eggs is considered safe by many. However, other ingredients, like uncooked flour, can also contain contaminants that may cause health issues when consumed raw. So, when making these no egg chocolate chip cookies, it’s best to limit how much dough you eat. Instead, try my eggless edible cookie dough recipe for a flour-free option that’s designed to be devoured raw!

What else can I bake If I don’t have eggs?

For more eggless cookie recipes and egg free baked goods, try some of these treats:

• Eggless Sugar Cookies
• Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies
• Easy Eggless Brownies
• Edible Cookie Dough
• Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars
• Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
• Healthy Churro Bars