These chewy chocolate chunk vegan protein cookies are the perfect low carb recipe when you’re craving something sweet! They’re grain free, paleo friendly and sweetened with just pure maple syrup.
Why you’ll love this recipe
You probably know this already, but I’m a wee bit chocolate chip cookie obsessed. I love a classic, with crispy edges, a rich buttery flavor and soft and gooey center.
But sometimes you need to satisfy your sweet tooth without the added fat and sugar. Which is why I love these vegan protein cookies and my protein mug cake so much.
They have 7 grams of protein per cookie, are sweetened with just pure maple syrup and naturally grain free, gluten free, vegan and paleo friendly.
Perfect for a healthy dessert, afternoon snack or packed into school lunches!
Key ingredients
Almond Flour. Almond flour will keep these cookies grain free and help absorb the wet ingredients.
Protein Powder. I like using a vanilla pea protein powder with a bit of stevia in there to help sweeten the cookies further.
Vanilla or chocolate protein powder will work best, I don’t recommend plain since we aren’t adding a lot of sugar.
Flax Egg. Since these cookies are vegan, we’ll be using one flax egg to bind all of the ingredients together.
Almond Butter. You can use any runny nut butter of choice, but I love the flavor of almond butter!
Maple syrup. Just 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup to sweeten these vegan protein cookies up!
Coconut Oil. Coconut oil will work with the almond butter to keep the cookies nice and moist.
You can sub for vegan butter or regular butter as well. If you’re using coconut oil, make sure it is refined so there is no coconut flavor.
How to make protein cookies
Make flax eggs. Mix together the ground flax seeds with water and set aside.
Whisk wet and dry. Whisk together all wet ingredients and the flax mixture once it has thickened. Fold in the dry ingredients aside from the chocolate
Chill. Fold in the chocolate chunks or chips. If the dough seems too wet, stick it in the fridge for about 20 minutes until it is easier to handle.
It will depend on the type of protein powder you used and how it absorbs ingredients.
Scoop. Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and scoop and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press on a few extra chocolate chunks/chips on top.
Bake. Bake for 9-13 minutes. They will continue to harden as they cool.
Cool & serve. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before handling. Sprinkle with salt flakes and enjoy.
How to store and freeze
Once prepared, these vegan protein cookies will keep for 3 days at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge. I like to warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds before eating!
They will firm up a bit in the fridge, but they will have the same delicious flavor.
You can freeze these cookies once they have baked. Just reheat at 325 Fahrenheit for a few minutes until warm through the center.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make these nut free?
Yes, you can sub the almond butter for sunflower seed butter or tahini and sub the almond flour for oat flour. I have not tested this myself, but these are generally pretty safe subs!
Can you use vegan protein powder in baking?
Yes, and this is the perfect recipe for it! A lot of vegan protein powders are pea based, some are a blend with hemp protein as well. I recommend a vanilla flavor for best results.
Heating protein powder will not destroy or denature the proteins.
Is protein powder the same as flour?
Protein powder does not have the same attributes and absorbability as flour, so cannot be totally substituted for flour in baking. You’ll want to find a recipe that already calls for protein powder, like these cookies.
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Vegan Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 3 tbsp water
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup runny almond or peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- ⅓ cup protein powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk together the ground flax seeds with water and set aside.
- Whisk together all wet ingredients. Whisk in the flax mixture once it has thickened.
- Fold in the dry ingredients aside from the chocolate
- Fold in the chocolate chunks or chips. If the dough seems too wet, stick it in the fridge for about 20 minutes until it is easier to handle. It will depend on the type of protein powder you used and how it absorbs ingredients.
- Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and scoop and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press on a few extra chocolate chunks/chips on top.
- Bake for 9-13 minutes. They will continue to harden as they cool.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before handling. Sprinkle with salt flakes and enjoy.
Haeda says
Finally, a gf df chocolate chip protein cookie with just the textures I’ve been missing- a little chewy; crispy on the outside. Only modifications I made was to have the glycemic index modified, so halved the chips, and took the 1/3 cup of maple syrup and did 1/6 cup coconut sugar and 1/6 cup maple syrup instead. I used vanilla hemp protein powder for this (which had a tad bit of coconut sugar in it too). Fantastic recipe, thank you very much for sharing❤️❣️✨
Claire Cary says
Thanks so much Haeda! So happy you enjoyed these cookies.
Margarita says
Great recipe! Easy to make and very delicious!
clarisse carcao says
Delicious! GREAT flavour, not dry, powdery or odd-tasting from the protein powder. I used mocha flavoured protein from VEGA and it was very good.
Claire Cary says
Yum! Love the idea of the mocha protein, I’ll have to try that!