These vegan miso chocolate chip cookies use miso flavor to add a little bit of savory to the classic chocolate chip cookie, perfect for the adult palate. Their balanced flavor, easy prep, and simple ingredients make them the best cookies to throw together for crowd-pleasing results every time. Plus, they're vegan and easily adaptable to be gluten-free!
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You Will Love This Recipe
- It's easy to make. No need to buy vegan butter or whisk up a flax egg; this cookie recipe is quick to make using simple ingredients.
- It's gluten-free friendly. There aren't many vegan gluten-free cookie recipes that are this good.
- It's packed with flavor. Miso paste adds depth to these cookies, providing a savory twist to the classic chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- All-purpose flour (or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour): Serve as the base for the cookies.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Give the cookie lift and a lighter texture.
- Salt: Enhances the sweet, caramel, smoky, and bitter flavors in the cookies.
- Dark chocolate chips: This wouldn't be a chocolate chip cookie recipe otherwise! Be sure you use vegan chocolate chips for vegan cookies.
- Light brown sugar: Adds a delicate caramel flavor. Substitute with white sugar to omit the caramel notes or dark brown sugar for deeper caramel, even slightly smoky, flavor.
- Canola oil: Any neutral oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable oil, will work here to give the cookies their chewy texture.
- Water: Adds hydration to the flour for tender cookies.
- White miso paste: Gives a savory touch that gives these delicious cookies their unique flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Not entirely necessary, but it adds the gentle floral flavor that everyone loves in their baked goods.
- Smoked salt: Extra salt on top helps to balance all the sugar. Smoked salt adds a sophisticated touch, but coarse salt also works great!
What is Miso Paste?
Miso is fermented soybean paste. Miso adds savory, tangy, and salty flavors to dishes. While there are several types of miso paste, typically the lighter in color (white, yellow) miso is milder in flavor and even a little sweet. The darker colors (red, brown, black) are more potent. Using white miso in baking adds a mild savory flavor that balances the sweetness of the treat and creates an overall more complex flavor profile.
While shopping, you can typically find white miso in the refrigerator section of your grocery store. If you can't find miso paste at your usual grocer, check out nearby asian markets. A little miso adds a lot of flavor and can last a long time, so it's worth a special trip.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients except chocolate chips with a whisk or long-stem fork. Add the chocolate chips and mix until they are evenly distributed.
2. In a separate large bowl, using a mixer or whisk, whisk together the wet ingredients thoroughly until the mixture is completely homogenous. This may take 2-3 minutes.
3. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture until a smooth cookie dough forms.
4. Optional: Rest the dough for 30 minutes to 2 hours for softer cookies.
5. On a large lined baking sheet, use a #30 cookie scoop or Tablespoon to scoop about 2 Tablespoons of the cookie dough into mounds about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake at 350° F (180°C) for 12-13 minutes, until the edges appear golden brown. Once baked, optionally sprinkle flaky or coarse salt over them, and allow the cookies to cool before serving.
Variations
- Miso Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars: Press the cookie dough into a prepared baking sheet for easy-to-cut bars. You will likely need to bake them at a lower temperature, around 325°F(165°C), for a longer time. I'd start at about 20-25 minutes and check for doneness in the center.
- Miso Chocolate Chunk Cookies: Chop up your favorite chocolate bar to make chocolate chunks for little chocolate shards throughout your miso cookies. This adds a couple minutes to preparation, but it might be worth it for some seriously good chocolate!
Tips
- Sprinkle these cookies with sesame seeds for even more umami flavor.
- Bake a test cookie and make adjustments to your preference after tasting.
- Gift these cookies in eco-friendly packaging this Holiday season!
Storage
Make-ahead: Mix the dough and refrigerate for up to 24 hours until ready to bake. To freeze, scoop out cookies into mounds, freeze, and transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Store: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.
Reheat: For warm cookies with melty chocolate chips, reheat a cookie in the microwave for about 20 seconds, air fryer at 350°F (180°C) for 2-3 minutes, or in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 3-5 minutes.
FAQ
Miso introduces a unique umami flavor, giving the cookies a savory richness that complements the sweetness of the chocolate.
Definitely! Whether red, white, or yellow miso, each imparts its distinct character. Experiment to find your preferred flavor profile. White miso tends to be the mildest flavor, so consider adding less yellow or red miso paste while experimenting with these miso types.
It's all about finding your personal sweet spot. Adjust the amount of miso and salt for sweet and salty balance. Choose a darker chocolate for a more bitter flavor, or a darker brown sugar for a smokier taste.
Absolutely! Swap out the all-purpose flour with your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I recommend King Arthur measure-for-measure flour) to make these cookies suitable for those with gluten sensitivities. Also, double-check that your miso is gluten-free.
Smoked flaky sea salt adds a gentle savory, smoky flavor. Coarse salt can also add a nice saltiness to balance out the sweetness.
Absolutely! Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them, and then bake as needed for fresh cookies whenever the craving strikes.
Recipe
Vegan Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour (or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour (see note 1))
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
- ½ cup +1 Tablespoon canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon white miso paste
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Garnish
- 2-3 pinches smoked salt (or coarse salt)
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients except chocolate chips with a whisk or long-stem fork. Add the chocolate chips and mix until they are evenly distributed.
- in a separate large bowl, using a mixer or whisk, whisk together the wet ingredients thoroughly until the mixture is completely homogenous. This may take 2-3 minutes.
- Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture until a smooth cookie dough forms.
- Optional: Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes to 2 hours for softer cookies.
- On a large lined baking sheet, use a #30 cookie scoop or 2 Tablespoons to scoop the cookie dough into mounds about 2 ½ inches apart.
- Bake at 350° F for 12-13 minutes, until the edges appear golden brown. Once baked, optionally sprinkle flaky or coarse salt over them, and allow the cookies to cool before serving.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
- If using gluten-free flour, add 50% (2 Tablespoons for recipe) more water. If the dough appears too wet to scoop, let it to rest for up to 2 hours to allow the flour to hydrate. This recipe was tested using King Arthur all-purpose measure-for-measure flour.
Matt
I personally had these cookies from the author herself, and they were DELICIOUS! I'm normally a vegan hater, but these were super good!
Tori Vasko, RD
Thanks Matt! Guess you can’t quite say you’re a vegan hater anymore! 😉
Cassie Vasko
When you say to let the dough rest prior to baking, should I do this at room temperature or chill in the refrigerator?
Tori Vasko, RD
Hi Cassie! The dough should rest at room temperature. If you wish to refrigerate your dough for later, you totally can. Just give the dough some time to come up to room temp before baking so the cookies will spread nicely!