Vegan Rainbow Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok hear me out.

I don't follow a vegan diet at all (I love ice cream too much!) but every once in a while I'll experiment.

I love creating vegan recipes that taste amazing and leave people in shock when I tell them their food is vegan.

My husband, included.

And let me tell you, he LOVED these vegan rainbow chocolate chip cookies.

In fact, he ate two whole cookies before I told him they were vegan.

After I surprised him, his response was, "I never would've guessed. They're so good!"

My point exactly.

Why you'll love this recipe

• It's thin and crispy: normally I'm a chewy cookie kind of girl, but this recipe makes crispy cookies thanks to the flax egg and it just hits different. They're SO good.
• It's healthy-ish: besides a bit of brown sugar, these cookies are made with better for you ingredients like plant based butter, dye-free chocolate chips, and Stevia.
• It'll stay fresh: these cookies taste just as great the next day, up to 4 days later!
• It's perfect for pride month: whether you are LGBTQ+ or an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, these rainbow cookies are the perfect treat to celebrate pride month!
• It's tried and true: I created this recipe from my original recipe for chocolate chip cookies, so it's based on a 5 star recipe.

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Ingredients you'll need

• Vegan butter: I always use this brand of olive oil butter because it contains heart healthy fats but has the same effect with your baking that regular butter does. I prefer this vegan butter instead of coconut oil because coconut oil is a saturated fat, which has adverse affects on your heart.
• Brown sugar: for flavor, stability, and spread. If you want to minimize refined sugar, you could use coconut sugar, but your cookies will be more granulated in texture, won't spread as much, and the centers will be less chewy.
• Stevia: a zero calorie replacement for white sugar. If you don't have or don't like Stevia, you can use Monkfruit or any other zero calorie sweetener.
• Flax eggs: made with ground flaxseed and water. It's so simple! It's also what makes these crispy cookies.
• All purpose flour: since we're using an egg replacement, I opted for regular flour to keep these vegan cookies as stable as possible. You can easily use a high quality 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour if you need to.
• Supernatural rainbow chips: the best part! These are a bit of a splurge for me, but SO WORTH IT when you make these vegan cookies. They're the first dye-free baking chips made with "delicious real white chocolate chips," creamy coconut milk, coconut milk powder, real cacao butter, and spirulina extract, and they get their natural coloring from vegetable juice. I couldn't find them in my local grocery stores, so you can purchase them here.

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Substitutions and mix ins

If you need another option for rainbow chocolate chips, these are the only other brand I could find. If the rainbow part doesn't matter to you but you want to keep these cookies vegan, I recommend Enjoy Life vegan chocolate chips, either the mini white chips or the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Mix in some vegan rainbow sprinkles for an extra boost of color!

Use this natural food coloring to make the cookies different colors. The food coloring I linked gets its natural flavor and rainbow-bright hues from plants rather than artificial ingredients.

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How to make vegan rainbow chocolate chip cookies

Step 1: set up. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2: prepare the flax eggs. Whisk the flaxseed with water, then set in the fridge for 5 minutes while you prepare the rest of the wet ingredients.

Step 3: cream the wet ingredients. In a large bowl (with an electric mixer) or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. I like to start on low speed for 5-10 seconds, then increase the speed to medium high. Beat in the flax eggs and vanilla extract until smooth, about another minute.

Step 4: sift the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. If you can, use a sieve to incorporate them into the wet ingredients, but this won't make or break the cookies.

Step 5: combine all ingredients. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Use a spatula to gently fold in the rainbow chocolate chips.

Step 6: scoop and bake. Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out 5 cookie dough balls per baking sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes until the edges are crispy, the center is slightly under-baked, and the top is almost golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Expert tips

1. Use room temperature butter: I say this in every recipe because it's that important. Set your butter out at least an hour before baking, but I recommend two hours. And no, sticking the butter in the microwave to soften it is not the same thing as letting it sit out!
2. Set a timer for the wet ingredients: one of the reasons cookies spread too much or don't bake evenly is because the wet ingredients weren't creamed properly. "Light and fluffy" is the goal, but it's easy to think your mixture looks "light and fluffy" too early. When I say "cream for 2-3 minutes," I mean it! It makes all the difference.
3. Spoon and level your flour: another reason cookies don't turn out is because the flour is packed in the measuring cup. We DON'T want this. To measure flour properly without a kitchen scale, fluff the flour with a spoon, then scoop it into the measuring cup and level off the excess.
4. Adjust for your altitude: if you're baking at LOW altitude (ie lower than 3,500 feet), subtract 2 tablespoons of flour to the recipe. In addition, watch your cookies closely to see if they need more or less time than you think. The bake time will vary depending on your altitude, oven temperature, and quality of ingredients.
5. Use a wire rack for cooling: this allows air to circulate all around the cookies to prevent them from over baking.

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Frequently asked questions

Are these vegan rainbow cookies refined sugar free?

Unfortunately not. I couldn't find vegan rainbow chips that also had no refined sugar in them. These chips that I found are the first dye-free baking chips I've seen and that made me happy! They do use organic cane sugar, though.

Can I make these cookies gluten free?

Yes! Just use a high quality 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour. I recommend Bob's Red Mill. They are my go to for all high quality baking ingredients!

Rainbow chocolate chip cookies vs Italian rainbow cookies - what's the difference?

Rainbow chocolate chip cookies are chocolate chip cookies with rainbow chips instead of regular chocolate chips. Italian rainbow cookies, als

Click here for a vegan Italian rainbow cookies recipe.

Can I make the cookie dough edible cookie dough?

Yes! Since there's no egg or egg yolk, all you need to do is heat treat your flour. If you don't want to make a flax egg, just use a tablespoon or two of non-dairy milk.

More cookie recipes you'll love

The BEST Healthy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthy Chewy Monster Cookies

White Chocolate Chip Funfetti Cookies

Birthday Cake Ice Cream Sandwiches

Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups

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After making these vegan chocolate chip cookies, I'm thinking I need some more vegan cookie recipes for the blog! They're thinner and crispier than I normally make my cookies, but they're so yummy, especially with a sprinkle of sea salt on top!

Be sure to leave a star rating and review if you try these cookies so other readers know how you liked them!