These vegan red velvet cookies are loaded with dairy-free white chocolate chips and are soft and gooey on the inside with slightly crisp edges. They are easy to make using simple ingredients and are super pretty too – perfect for the holidays!

Close up of baked vegan red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips on parchment lined baking tray.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

With its cheerful and festive red and white color, these pretty cookies are the perfect addition to your Christmas cookie collection. They make awesome gifts for Valentine’s or Mother’s Day too!
Made with natural unsweetened cocoa powder and a handful of chocolate chips, these cookies are oozing with chocolate goodness but are not overly sweet.
These cookies are dairy-free and eggless but soft and tender – like biting into a decadent cake.
They are delicious as they are, but you can take them to another level by topping them with a luscious vegan cream cheese icing to give them a tangy and creamy boost. It is like having a classic red velvet cake but in cookie form!

Key Ingredient Notes

All-purpose flour – use unbleached to achieve the perfect chewy and tender texture. It is also important that you spoon the flour into the measuring cups and level it with a knife. Properly measured ingredients will give you the best cookie texture.
Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – this is non-processed cocoa, which is naturally more acidic compared to Dutch-processed cocoa powder. This means it has a stronger flavor and gives desserts a natural reddish-brown color when combined with baking powder in a recipe. It is traditionally used for making red velvet desserts.
Vegan butter or margarine – this will make the cookies super moist and give them a richer flavor. Be sure to use the stick or block form and not the spreadable types for the best texture.
Ground flaxseed – mixed with warm water to make a sticky egg-like mixture that will bind the ingredients together. You can also use ground chia seeds 1:1 or aquafaba (chickpea brine) as alternatives.
Sugars – this recipe calls for both granulated cane sugar and light brown sugar for a balance of sweetness, moistness and caramelly flavor.
Vinegar – you can use white or apple cider for this recipe. When combined with baking soda, it will create bubbles that will give the cookies a rise and make them tender.
Red gel food coloring – this is optional, so you can skip it if you prefer. However, it will give the cookies a vibrant red color that will make them look more festive. A little goes a long way.
Vegan white chocolate chips – there are a lot of dairy-free options, but I like Pascha’s. You can also use a dairy-free white chocolate bar chopped into chunks.

How To Make Vegan Red Velvet Cookies

Make the flax mixture. In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and water. Stir, then set aside for 10 minutes or until thickened.
Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together, and then set aside. Use a fine sieve to remove lumps for a smoother batter.

Creamed dairy-free butter and sugar in a bowl with vanilla and red food coloring added.

Cream the butter. In a large bowl, mix the vegan butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as you mix to incorporate everything back into the mixture.

Creamed dairy-free butter and sugar mixed with red food coloring in a bowl.

Pour the wet ingredients. Add the flaxseed mixture and mix until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract, food coloring, and vinegar.
Add the dry ingredients. Gradually fold or mix in the dry ingredients on the lowest speed until combined. Do not over mix the dough; a few small dry patches are fine.

Red velvet cookie dough with white chocolate chips in a bowl.

Add the chocolate chips. Fold in ¾ cup of vegan white chocolate chips. Make sure they are well distributed.
Chill the dough. Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight until firm. The longer the dough is kept in the fridge, the more flavorful it becomes and it will be easier to shape.
Prepare to bake. Position the racks in the middle and upper third levels of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scooped portions of red velvet cookie dough with white chocolate chips arranged on parchment lined baking tray.

Make the dough balls. Using a #24 cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), drop equal portions of dough onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Top with the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips.

Baked red velvet cookies on a parchment lined baking tray.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until puffy but slightly underdone in the middle. Switch and rotate the pans on the oven racks halfway through the baking time. Remember that the baking time depends on the size of your dough balls and the type of oven you are using, so adjust if needed.
Let the cookies cool. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transferring them to a wire rack. Use a spatula to carefully move the cookies because they will still be soft and prone to breaking.

Storage Tips

Keep the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If freezing, pack them individually or place wax paper in between each cookie to prevent them from sticking together. The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Make the cookie dough in advance and keep it in the fridge or freezer to have a fresh batch for later.

Jhanelle Golding