Looking for a fun and delicious way to get younger bakers involved in the kitchen? Then try these kid-friendly, dairy-free chocolate chip cookies. The best part about this recipe is that no mixer is required, so even the youngest bakers can get involved.
Dairy-Free and Flavorful
Going dairy-free isn’t just for those with allergies or lactose intolerance—it’s also a great way to explore new ingredients and lighten up your favorite treats. These chocolate chip cookies prove that you don’t need butter or milk to achieve a soft, chewy, and delicious bite. Whether you’re baking for dietary needs or simply trying something new, this recipe delivers on flavor without the dairy.
Ingredient Line-Up
All-Purpose Flour – provides the texture and chewiness to the cookie.
Baking Soda – helps the cookie rise and become fluffy.
Salt – helps control the sweetness and enhances the flavor.
Vegetable or Canola Oil – oil replaces the butter, making the cookies dairy-free while keeping them soft and moist.
Granulated Sugar – adds sweetness and contributes to the cookie’s crispy edges.
Brown Sugar – gives the cookies a deeper flavor and soft texture since brown sugar contains molasses.
Eggs – to bind the ingredients together and add moisture.
Vanilla – enhances the flavor of the cookies.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips – use your favorite brand of dairy-free chocolate chips.
Baking Tools Needed
Cookie Sheets – use two cookie sheets to bake cookies. Line with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking and for easy clean up.
Measuring Cups and Spoons – measure ingredients accurately with measuring cups and measuring spoons. Or use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients.
Mixing Bowls – use ramekins to gather smaller ingredients and larger mixing bowls to combine dry and wet ingredients separately.
Strainer – use a strainer to sift the dry ingredients together.
Whisk – use a whisk to aerate the flour and to mix dry ingredients together after sifting.
Wooden Spoon or Spatula – use either a wooden spoon or silicone spatula for mixing the cookie dough.
Cookie Scoop – use a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies.
Oven Mitt – carefully remove hot pans from the oven with an oven mitt.
Cooking Rack – cool cookies on a cooling rack before storing.
Helpful Tips for Making Cookies
Baking dairy-free cookies is simple, and with a few key techniques, you can achieve perfect results every time. Here are some handy tips to ensure your cookies turn out soft, chewy, and delicious.
- Read ingredient labels. Read all of the ingredients to ensure everything is dairy-free.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Allow the eggs to come to room temperature before mixing to help the dough come together more smoothly.
- Measuring flour accurately. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off to avoid dense cookies. Or, use a kitchen scale to weigh your flour and sugars.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Stir the cookie dough just until combined to keep the cookies soft.
- Watch the baking time. Check cookies at the 8-minute mark and remove them when the edges are just set for softer cookies.
- Cool cookies properly. Since cookies still “bake” on the cookie sheet when they come out of the oven, it’s important to let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about five minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
How to Make Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whether you’re baking for someone with a dairy allergy, following a dairy-free lifestyle, or just looking for a delicious alternative, these cookies deliver on flavor and texture without the need for butter or milk. Check the recipe card for detailed instructions, including exact ingredient measurements used.
- Combine the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl and whisk together.
- In a large bowl, stir the oil and sugars together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
- Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, baking soda & salt all at once. Mix with a wooden spoon until almost combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop cookies and place onto cookie sheets.
- Bake at 350F for about 8-9 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Mix Things Up – Variations and Substitutions
One of the best things about this recipe is its versatility. Whether you need to accommodate dietary preferences or just want to mix things up, here are some great variations and allergen substitutions to try. Note that this recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations, so if you try any of these, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below.
- White Chocolate Chip – try adding in dairy-free white chocolate chips instead of or in addition to the dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip – replace 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of quick oats for a heartier cookie.
- Double Chocolate – add ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients for a rich, chocolatey version.
- Spice It Up – add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the dry ingredients for a spicy, warm flavor.
- Dried Fruits – try adding dried cranberries or raisins for variety, flavor and added texture.
- Gluten-Free Cookies – substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free multi-purpose flour to make a gluten-free version of these cookies.
- Go Egg-Free – use a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg) or ½ cup of applesauce in place of the eggs.
Keeping Cookies Fresh
Proper storage is key to keeping your dairy-free chocolate chip cookies fresh and delicious for as long as possible. Whether you plan to enjoy them within a few days or want to save some for later, these simple storage tips will help maintain their soft texture and rich flavor.
- At room temperature. To keep cookies soft and fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To maintain freshness, consider placing a slice of sandwich bread in the container with the cookies—the bread will help keep them moist without affecting the flavor.
- In the freezer. For even longer storage, place cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, simply thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for a few seconds to get the soft texture back.
Kid-Friendly Recipes
Baking with kids is not only a fun and creative way to spend time together, but it also helps build confidence and practical skills in the kitchen. For more kid-friendly recipes to make with your young bakers, check out these delicious options: Fruit Parfait Kids Will Love, or these no-bake Quick & Easy Lucky Charms Marshmallow Bars or Rainbow Mug Cake. Be sure to leave a review and let us know what you think.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (6g) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (3g) salt
- 3/4 cup (147g) vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (213g) brown sugar, packed
- 2 large (100g) eggs
- 3 tsp (15g) vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 cups (255g) dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat for easy clean up; set aside.
- Sift and combine the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk ingredients together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
- Break eggs into a separate bowl (to avoid any shell fragments from getting into the dough). Add eggs one at a time, mixing completely after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt mixture all at once to the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until almost combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips. Chips may seem to separate from the dough but will bake up just fine.
- Optional: for less cookie spread, chill the dough for about 10-20 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop, drop scooped cookies onto prepared cookie sheets. No scoop, no problem: grab a tablespoon measure to scoop cookies instead.
- Bake at 350℉ for about 8-10 minutes or until edges look set.
- Carefully remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container.
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how can they be dairy free if you’ve got eggs in them!!
Thank you for your comment. Eggs are not a dairy product, but are sometimes mistaken as such. Dairy products (milk, butter, etc.) come from a mammal, while eggs are laid by birds. If you need to eliminate the eggs from this recipe, you should be able to use 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of each egg needed (1/2 cup total for this recipe). Although I did not test the recipe this way, in general this substitution typically works as an egg replacement.
My 4 year old and I have just made these, delicious recipe :d
So glad you enjoyed them!