The BEST Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! A few tricks make these gluten-free cookies perfect – soft, chewy, golden and irresistible! Easy-to-make and NOBODY will guess they are gluten-free!
Hundreds of reviewers agree these cookies are the most delicious gluten-free chocolate chip cookies around! This tried-and-true recipe was originally published in 2018 and is one of my #1 recipes today!
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’ve been searching for the BEST gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe – look no further! I’ve been eating 100% gluten-free for almost 10 years now and THIS is the chocolate chip cookie recipe of my dreams.
I’ve tweaked this recipe and tested it many times over the years and this recipe is the ultimate best. No more tweaking or re-testing needed.
These cookies are soft, chewy and golden like a good chocolate chip cookie should be. If you’ve tried making gluten-free chocolate chip cookies before you probably know they can turn out dry, grainy and pale.
This recipe has a few tricks so you get golden, non-grainy cookies with a delicious depth of flavor and crisp edges every time.
VIDEO: Watch how to make them!
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Tips for Perfect Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
1. Brown the Butter
The first secret ingredient is brown butter. Sometimes gluten-free cookies can lack a depth of flavor. Brown butter gives these cookies a delectable nutty, toasty almost caramelized flavor that you can’t get from anything else.
If you’ve never browned butter before this is a great tutorial. It’s easier than it sounds!
2. Add a Tablespoon of Milk
The next trick for this gluten-free cookie recipe is to add a tablespoon of milk. This helps to compensate for the liquid that evaporates from the butter during the browning process. It also helps the cookies get a golden color and prevents grittiness.
Gluten-free flour needs a little extra liquid for best results so you don’t have chalky cookies.
3. Use a High-Quality Gluten-Free Flour
I wanted to keep this recipe simple with easy-to-find ingredients. I use gluten-free all purpose flour (lately I’ve been using this Gluten-Free King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Flour) and a little bit of almond flour for the dry ingredients in this recipe.
I’ve also had good results with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. Be sure to select a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum.
4. Add Almond Flour
I like using a little almond flour because it is non-gritty and helps the cookies get that golden color and chewy texture. It’s my secret ingredient in many baked goods!
If you’re allergic to nuts you can leave out the almond flour and substitute more gluten-free all purpose flour.
5. Use Brown Sugar
Using mostly brown sugar instead of mostly white sugar also gives these cookies delicious flavor and chew. A splash of vanilla extract is also key!
This recipe works with any kind of chocolate chip you like. I usually use semi-sweet chocolate chips but milk chocolate chips are also amazing!
6. Give the Dough a Rest
After you mix the dough altogether it’s important to give it a 30-minute rest. This gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate and really makes a difference. It’s key for non-gritty gluten-free cookies!
Luckily just a room temperature 30-minute rest will do and no overnight-in-the-fridge chill is needed. So you can still have chocolate chip cookies shortly after a craving strikes!
Storage/Freezer Instructions
- TO STORE: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- TO FREEZE: I love to make a double batch of this gluten free cookie dough to freeze for later! Just scoop the dough into balls then place the them in a ziplock bag or freezer container to freeze. You can bake the cookie dough balls straight from the freezer – simply add 2-3 minutes onto the bake time. Just pop onto a baking sheet and bake – no thawing needed!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! To make these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies dairy-free you can use melted vegan butter in place of the brown butter. No need to brown the vegan butter (it won’t work!). You can also replace the milk with almond milk.
Yes! To make these cookies nut-free simply substitute the ¼ cup almond flour with an additional ¼ cup gluten-free baking flour.
Yes! This dough really only gets better as it sits. The flour absorbs more and the cookies take on a depth of flavor. If you’re letting this cookie dough sit more than 30 minutes, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Be sure the container is airtight so the cookies don’t dry out!
No. I don’t recommend using all almond flour in this recipe. Almond flour has very different properties than gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. Check out this recipe for a great almond flour chocolate chip cookie!
To recap…
How to Make Delicious Gluten-Free Cookies
Brown butter: Gives these cookies a delectable nutty flavor
A tablespoon of milk: Prevents grittiness and helps the cookies get golden
¼ cup almond flour: For a chewy texture and yummy flavor (can use GF all-purpose flour in place of this if you have a nut allergy)
30 minute rest: Gives the flour time to hydrate and prevents grittiness
A sprinkle of sea salt: Optional, but delicious for gourmet bakery-style cookies!
Sometimes in life you just need a plate of warm, delicious cookies. Whether it’s for a Sunday night treat or a special after-school snack there’s nothing better! I hope you love this recipe as much as my family and I do!
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The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter, ½ cup
- 1 tablespoon milk, or almond milk
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ⅓ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I highly recommend this brand for best results – be sure to get one that contains xanthan gum), 7.5 ounces
- ¼ cup almond flour, 1 ounce
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- Sea salt for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted start to whisk constantly. First the butter will begin to foam, then after a couple of minutes it will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Turn off the heat as soon as the solids turn brown and the butter gives off a nutty aroma. Pour into a glass mixing bowl to prevent burning.
- Add the milk, brown sugar and white sugar. Whisk to combine. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Using a rubber spatula, mix in the dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F. Scoop the cookie dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place a few inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden and the center is set.
- Let cool 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy!
Heather says
What is a good substitute if I can’t use almond flour because of allergies? Will it work with just another 1/4 cup GF flour? Thanks
Heather says
Ugh! Nevermind…I read the notes and it answers my question!
Liz says
Holy moly these are good. Probably the best GF cookies I’ve had EVER. Immediately saved to my recipe bookmarks 🙂
Amy Jacob-Merchant says
Can you use ghee instead of butter or vegan butter? Also if you have almond allergy and dairy free can you use oat or coconut milk? Thanks!
Erin Collins says
Yes! Both of those substitutions will work great!
Emily Sheard says
My boyfriend is celiac and I’ve made these cookies for him a couple of times – they really are the BEST. So tasty – even better than non-gluten-free cookies. Sending a batch to my celiac brother in Scotland. Thank you so much for this recipe
Susan says
I bake gluten free goodies for an elderly friend who can’t afford to buy gf baked goods, plus these are soooo good. My cookies always spread too much so I was leary of
another recipe. Well, this time I used flour with xanthum gum and added another 1/4 teaspoon. I also added 2 extra tablespoons flour, just in case!! I don’t know if I needed the extra but they are excellent. I will stop looking; this IS THE recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
Erin Collins says
Hooray! I’m so glad the cookies turned out for you!
Jordan says
If I could give this 10 stars I would. And if you really want to crank it up another notch add peanut butter mnms instead of chocolate chips. These went so fast at a friends party.
Erin Collins says
Yum! Those sound like delicious additions! 🙂
Drew says
Is it possible to get these to come out crispier? Longer bake time? Thanks.
Barbara K says
These are truly just as good as any non-gluten free, and better than most! I tried them out on my neighbors, and they agreed. Thank you.
Sean says
Hi Erin,
These were the best GF cookies I have ever baked. Thank you for sharing the great tips about browning the butter and allowing hydration time for the GF flour. I bet adding the hydration time might fix some other GF recipes I’ve tried that came out grainy.
Before the 30 minute rest my dough looked a bit wet and I was worried I had made a mistake… but after the 30 min rest it was just right. Looking forward to trying your other GF recipes on the site!
Thank you
Fiona says
Hello.
My gluten free flour doesn’t contain xantham gum ( I’m in the U.K ). Can you advice how much I should add to this recipe please ?
Erin Collins says
I would use plain flour and add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. I hope this helps!
Channing says
So excited for this recipe. My cookies seemed to spread out quite a bit and not be as thick. Any tips?
Abigail says
Do I need to grease the baking sheets or does waxing paper work
Erin Collins says
You don’t need to grease the baking sheets! Parchment paper works great. Or you can bake these directly on the baking pan 🙂
abigail says
thanks I meant wax paper not waxing!
Megan says
I’ve made these dozens of times and they come out delicious every time!! My go-to gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Erin Collins says
I’m so happy you like it! Thanks for the comment!
Pat Schatz says
Thank you for responding. That will help.
Pat Schatz says
My granddaughter is not only gluten-free, but also a diabetic. If the yield is 18-24 cookies per batch, how many carbohydrates are in a cookie? It says 25 gms, but is that for an 18 size or 24 size cookie?
Erin Collins says
25 grams is for a cookie with the 18-sized cookie batch! I hope this helps 🙂