Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies – Chewy & Easy!

Crispy on the outside and irresistibly chewy on the inside, these vegan banana chocolate chip cookies are an absolute must-try! These easy-to-make cookies are scrumptiously decadent and completely vegan without compromising on taste. Brimming with sweet bananas and melty chocolate, these cookies are delicious comfort food that is perfect for any occasion.

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Hello, my lovelies! I’m super excited to introduce this recipe to you today. Get ready, because this recipe is sure to make your taste buds dance with joy: Chewy vegan banana chocolate chip cookies! Banana and chocolate flavours are just one of the golden combos in the baking world, don’t you think? I did test after test to get the perfect chewy texture with a slightly crisp edge (If you don’t know I’m a huge chewy cookie girl!) and I’m pleased to say I nailed it in the end after 10+ times of recipe tests!

These cookies are not only vegan and delicious but also very easy with simple ingredients that you can probably already find in your kitchen. The tropical vibe of banana flavour elevates simple chocolate chip cookies onto another level of deliciousness. If you love banana bread, you definitely should try these! I’m sure these cookies will be everyone’s next favourite thing.

Main ingredients and substitutions

*Use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise instructed.

Plain Flour: I find plain flour creates the best texture for chewy cookies but you can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend too such as King Arthur’s if you are gluten-free or have dietary restrictions. The texture of the cookies may change slightly but I’m sure they’ll be still delicious!

Brown Sugar: I used regular brown sugar but dark sugar like coconut sugar or raw cane sugar can be used as a substitute. These types of sugar have a similar moisture content and give cookies that moist and chewy texture.

Granulated Sugar: You can replace it with any other form of sugar if you want like caster sugar or all brown sugar. I like the crispness granulated sugar gives to cookies though! If you are using all brown sugar, the cookies will be moister. If using just granulated sugar, the cookies may be crispier.

Banana: Use a ripe banana to achieve the best texture and banana flavour!

Cornflour: If you don’t have cornflour, you can use arrowroot powder or tapioca flour too. I sometimes use potato flour too and it works great!

Vegan Chocolate Chips or Chunks: Use dairy-free chocolate chips or bars to make the cookies vegan! If you’re not a fan of chocolate chunks or want to switch things up, you can simply omit the chocolate to make simple banana cookies or try vegan white chocolate chips. They work amazingly in this recipe too!

Vegan Butter: As usual, I used Naturli vegan butter! If you don’t have vegan butter on hand, you can use a vegan margarine spread too. However, the texture of the cookies may be softer depending on the water/oil balance of the margarine. Oils such as coconut oil won’t work in this recipe as it will make the cookies too oily.

Other ingredients: vanilla extract.

Note: Substitution may change the final taste and texture of this recipe.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

A small whisk: I used my small whisk to mix the wet ingredients and sugar! No need to use a stand mixer or hand mixer for this recipe. The butter, banana, and sugar are easy to mix and runnier than cold butter and sugar mixture!

Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon: A silicone spatula or wooden spoon is an essential item for folding your dry ingredients into your wet mixture! The cookie dough is quite soft for this recipe so you can use whichever you want.

Baking Tray and Parchment Paper: Parchment paper will prevent your cookies from sticking to the baking tray.

Cookie Scoop or Ice Cream Scoop: Cookie scoop is super helpful to portion out your cookie dough evenly! If you don’t have one, a regular spoon will still do a great job.

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make these vegan banana chocolate chip cookies

Step 1: Make the wet mixture

This recipe is so simple it’ll surprise you how easy it is to make these delicious cookies! First, let’s cream together the vegan butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and mashed banana until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix it until they are very well combined. It almost looks like rich and creamy mousse!

Step 2: Make the cookie dough

Add the plain flour and cornflour to the wet mixture and fold gently with a big wooden spoon or a silicone spatula until you have uniform and sticky dough. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks and fold gently a few times. We have our cookie dough now!

Here comes the hardest part of the cookie-making process, chilling the dough in the fridge! Not only this step will make it so much easier for you to scoop, but it will let the ingredients meld together and relax the gluten in the dough which improves the texture and flavour of the cookies. Cover your dough and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 mins. I child mine for 1 hour. 

Step 5: Bake!

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) right before you take your cookie dough from the fridge. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, place your dough balls onto the baking tray. Make sure to give them ample space to spread! Top the cookie balls with extra chocolate chunks. Bake them for 12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Let your cookies sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. If the middle of the cookies looks underdone, don’t worry! They will continue to cook a little on the tray and firm up a little more. You can tap the baking tray onto the kitchen counter a few times to help spread the cookies if there aren’t flat. Try the cookie cutter trick in the tips and tricks section below for the perfectly round shape too! Transfer the cookies to the cooling rack and cool further. Enjoy while warm!

Serving tips and ideas

• Give your ice cream sandwich an upgrade by placing a scoop of your favourite vegan ice cream between two banana chocolate chip cookies and gently pressing them together. Perfect summer dessert!
• I somethings do this the next day I bake my cookies. Crush the cookies into small pieces and sprinkle them on your morning porridge, vegan yoghurt, granola, etc. as a sweet, crunchy topping!
• Dunk a cookie into a tall glass of plant milk or even a hot drink like vegan hot chocolate or coffee!

Expert tips and tricks

Don’t overbake

The cookies may look a little bit underdone right when you take them out of the oven, but remember what I said earlier, they will continue to cook on the baking sheet and firm up a little more which gives the perfect chewy texture. Overbaking can lead to a crispier, less chewy cookie but if that’s what you are going for, feel free to bake an extra 1-3 mins!

Be patient, rest the cookie dough

Unless you absolutely don’t have the time, rest the dough for at least 30 mins or preferably 1+ hour. This allows the sugar and flavours to meld together as well as relax the gluten in the cookie dough which results in a much better flavour and texture!

Use a Cookie Scoop

Use a cookie scoop for perfectly uniformly sized cookies! This makes it so much easier to portion out the cookies evenly and I also find it fun to scoop and place cookie dough using cookie scoop.

Use a big cookie cutter to get the perfect round shape

I can’t take credit for this trick but this is an amazing one. Use one size bigger round cookie cutter to shape the cookies in a perfect round share! When I saw this trick on Instagram I was like why didn’t I think of this!

Right when you take the cookie out of the oven, the cookies are still in the cooking process and soft. This is the perfect time to place the cookie cutter around a cookie and gently make a circular motion around it to create a perfectly round shape. Be very careful not to burn your finger on the tray!

Use a digital scale to weigh ingredients

Always use a digital scale rather than measuring cups when you are baking. It’s so much more accurate and measuring correctly is very important to achieve the best result.

Recipe variations

• Add in some coconut flakes or replace half of the chocolate chips with macadamia nuts for a summery tropical twist! You can also add any other nuts like almonds, cashew, peanut, etc. Feel free to experiment!
• Add a pinch of cinnamon and clove to the cookie dough for a nice and cosy autumn/winter flavour!

How to store

• Room temperature: At room temperature, you should store these cookies in an airtight container or airtight cookie jar. Cookie jar is my favourite way of storing! You can put a sheet of parchment paper between each cookie to prevent sticking. They will stay fresh for about 2-3 days. If you’re in a particularly warm climate, I recommend you store in the fridge.

• Refrigerating: You can store them in the refrigerator as well. Place the cookies in an airtight container with a sheet of parchment paper between them to prevent them from sticking together. You can store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.

• Freezing: For long-term storage, the freezer is your best option. Wrap each cookie individually in clingfilm, then place them in a freezer-friendly airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. To enjoy, thaw them at room temperature or warm them in the microwave on a low setting until they are a little warm again.

You can also store the cookie dough in the freezer too if you want to have it handy for baking! Scoop the dough and place them on a lined baking sheet. Freeze them uncovered until they are solid then place them in a freezer-friendly airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can bake them straight from the freezer! Bake them a little longer, about 15 mins then check if they are baked.

*Although you can store this recipe in the fridge or freezer, it’s always best to consume it fresh and as soon as possible.

Q and A

My cookies didn’t flatten while baking?

If your cookies didn’t spread out in the oven, it might be that the dough was too cold and solid by chilling before baking. Try letting the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes before baking. Another reason could be you weighed your ingredients wrong. I recommend you use a digital scale to weigh rather than a cup measuring for accurate measuring. You can also try tapping the baking tray a few times right after taking the cookies out of the oven!

How can I tell when the cookies are done baking?

The cookies are ready when the edges are crisp and golden brown. The centres may look a bit underdone, but they will continue cooking and firm up as the cookies sit on the tray after baking. Read the instruction above for more details!

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE these banana chocolate chip cookies they are:

• deliciously chewy
• super easy to make
• so flavourful
• melty with chocolate chunks

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious cookie and banana recipes you might enjoy!

• 5 Ingredient Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes
• Biscoff Butter Cookies
• Strawberry Cookies

Visit the cookies page and recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe with 5 stars in the comment section below if you like the recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

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