Vegan Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies
on Jul 12, 2019, Updated Mar 20, 2025
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This delicious chocolate chip quinoa cookies recipe is easy to make in one bowl with 7 ingredients and the perfect way to use up extra quinoa.
These healthier cookies are an excellent choice for those with allergies as they’re gluten-free, oil-free, egg-free and dairy-free.
They’re easy to make and while the cooking time is a little longer than most cookies, they take just minutes to prepare in one bowl with a few wholesome ingredients. You’ll love their soft texture and delicious, nutty flavour.
These can be enjoyed as healthy breakfast cookies but will definitely still satisfy your sweet tooth!
For more quinoa recipes, you can use cooked quinoa in this Vegan Breakfast Quinoa Bowls Recipe or these Quinoa Breakfast Bars. For quinoa flour recipes, you can try these Vegan Quinoa Flour Pancakes.
Recipe Highlights
- Vegan (no eggs, dairy-free).
- Gluten-free.
- Oil-free.
- Whole grains.
- No flax egg needed.
- Made with oat flour.
- Easy one-bowl recipe.
- 7 simple ingredients.
- 4 grams of protein per cookie.
Ingredient Notes
- Oat flour. If you have oats on hand, you’re all set for oat flour. Just blend them up into a fine flour and you’ve got the oat flour needed for the recipe. You can use quick oats, rolled oats or old fashioned oats to make oat flour.
- Applesauce. You’ll need unsweetened applesauce to help bind, sweeten and replace oil. Any brand works or you can use homemade applesauce.
- Sugar. You’ll need a granulated sugar of choice. I used organic cane sugar but coconut sugar, demera, sucanut or brown sugar. For a sugar-free cookie, you can use Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener. I have not tried this recipe with a liquid sweetener like maple syrup.
- Nut or seed butter. For nut-free cookies, use sunflower seed butter, otherwise almond butter, cashew butter, or peanut butter all work great.
- Cooked quinoa. This recipe is for cooked quinoa, not quinoa flakes or quinoa flour. You’ll need about 1.5 cups cooked and cooled quinoa. White quinoa, red quinoa, etc. are all suitable.
- Chocolate chips. I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips but for a lower-sugar cookie you could always leave them out or substitute them with chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans. Chopped dark chocolate or cacao paste would also work.
Variations
- Nut-Free Option: Use tahini or sunflower seed butter for the nut butter.
- Cranberry Walnut: Omit chocolate chips and use 1/4 cup dried cranberries and chopped walnuts (can add 1/4 cup chocolate chips as well).
- Nuts & Seeds: Add up to 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pecans, etc. or swap the chocolate chips for any nut or seed.
- Coconut: Add up to 1/2 cup coconut flakes.
How to Make Quinoa Cookies
Step 1: Mix the applesauce, sugar and nut or seed butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth and fully combined.
Step 2: Add the baking powder, oat flour, salt and quinoa and stir to combine into a uniform cookie dough. Mix in the chocolate chips.
Step 3: Drop spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet to make 12 cookies and shape each scoop into a rough cookie form. They won’t change shape during baking, so shape how you’d like them before baking.
Bake cookies for 26 minutes then remove and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe FAQs
The cookies will keep 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container or up to 1 week in the fridge. Cool completely before storing.
Yes. Cool completely then freeze in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
No. This recipe has not been tested with almond flour or coconut flour and would need further adjustment.
For almond flour cookies, you can try these Gluten-Free Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies, Gluten-Free u0026 Vegan Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies or Easy Vegan Tahini Sesame Cookies.
More Recipes to Try!
Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, 125 g
- 1/3 cup cane sugar, coconut sugar or brown sugar, 68 g
- 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter, almond butter, peanut butter, etc., 60 g
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup rolled oats blended into fine oat flour, 100 g
- 1.5 cups cooked quinoa, 190 g
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, 85 g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the applesauce, sugar and nut or seed butter to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth and combined.
- Make some oat flour if you don't have any prepared, then add the oat flour, baking powder, salt and quinoa and mix into a uniform cookie dough. Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop to create 12 cookies, placing them on the prepared cookie sheet to make 12 cookies. You can use your fingers to shape them a bit but no need to be perfect.
- Bake for 26 minutes then remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes before gently transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before storing.
I doubled the recipe using a #40 cookie scoop and got 3.5 dozen. These are “breakfast cookies” for me… cakey and not too sweet. I stirred in a scant 1/4 C craisins & 1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes. Also some cinnamon. Then added 2-3 chocolate chips to the tops b4 baking. 21 minutes was the sweet spot. I would add a squirt of liquid stevia next time.
My children, who do not like quinoa when served with meals, devour these cookies! They have been a family favorite, so thank you for sharing this recipe!
Aw thank you so much! I’m so glad they’re a hit for the whole family.
Hello! Could I substitute the applesauce for something else?
Possibly mashed banana but I haven’t tested it myself!
I already have oat flour. How much flour is it, measured, please? And thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Hello, it should still be 100, or about 3/4 cup oat flour.
I made the cookies as the recipe stated. I thought 26 mins was a bit too long and set the timer for 23 minutes. They were burned on the bottom. I put the second batch in for 20 minutes and that worked.
I loved them and it was nice to have something so different. Even hubby liked them!
EVERYBODY loves these cookies! I made 3 batches in the last 2 weeks because I can’t get enough. I used dark chocolate tahini as my nut butter ingredient, added a dash of vanilla, a sprinkle of cinnamon, & dried cranberries, then topped each cookie with coconut flakes before baking. It’s basically a soft everything cookie & is my new go-to for both breakfast & snacks. thank you for this delicious recipe!