The Best Vegan Cookie Brands
Do you love cookies? Sorry, that's kind of a silly question. Let's try that again: do you love vegan cookies?
Just because you've chosen a vegan lifestyle doesn't mean you have to leave your sweet tooth behind; as a matter of fact, desserts are often some of the easiest dishes to replicate or even improve upon.
We'll be honest, vegan cookies haven't always been great; luckily, they are now. From decadent and rich treats all the way to health-conscious cookies, the aisles of health (and even traditional) grocery stores are packed with vegan options.
That, however leads to an interesting predicament: how are you supposed to know which of these vegan cookies actually any good (without buying them all, of course)?
Well, it was a difficult task, but we tried out nearly forty vegan cookies to bring you this list of the seven best (it's thankless work, but someone had to do it). Although nothing quite beats a homemade cookie fresh from your own oven, these seven vegan cookie brands are pretty darn close.
So What are the Best Vegan Cookies Brands?
You'd be surprised how many vegan cookie options are available now (including a few brands that have been producing vegan-friendly products for years, unbeknownst to us).
How We Chose
We wanted to try out some of the smaller and newer brands, and happily, many of them turned out to be great. However, we still had to show some love to a few of the bigger companies that have been turning out quality vegan cookies for years. We also tried to pick brands that are readily available nationwide, but if you live in a vegan "food desert", they're all available online as well.
A quick note: these brands are presented in no particular order.
While these brands are all great purveyors of vegan cookies, not all of their varieties were created equal; we've listed a few of our favorite offerings from each brand.
Our Criteria: All of the vegan cookies brands we've chosen are 100% vegan; no eggs, no dairy. We've chosen a few gluten-free options as well, but sadly not all of the vegan cookie brands we selected offer a flour-less cookie yet.
Our Favorite Vegan Cookie Brands
Enjoy Life
From meager beginnings, Enjoy Life has now become the largest producer of allergy-free vegan cookies. You'll love their cookies, which have been certified as both Kosher and Halal (in addition to being GMO-free). They offer crunchy and soft-baked cookies (soft being our favorite, and somewhat of a rarity in store-bought vegan cookies).
A few of Enjoy Life's best offerings include:
Soft-Baked
Crispy
Wholesome Chow
This brand has only been around for six years or so, but they're already near the top of our list. Upon tasting one of the four Wholesome Chow cookies, a friend of ours said that it was "the first lemon cookie I've ever liked in my entire life." Strong praise, indeed--but well-earned.
These organic, GMO-free cookies contain no trans-fat, preservatives, or additives. They currently make four kinds of vegan cookies:
- Chocolate Chip
- Double Chocolate Chip (our personal favorite from Wholesome Chow)
- Lemon (Pretty dang good as well!)
- Snickerdoodle
They also sell this vegan chocolate cake mix which is to die for!
Lenny & Larry's: The Complete Cookie
Since Lenny & Larry fired up their ovens for the first time, they had a strong commitment to providing vegan, GMO-free, and Kosher-certified treats. While a cookie can really only be so healthy, the complete cookie does offer a whopping 8 grams of protein apiece, so you can feel a little better about indulging yourself.
There are 14 varieties of The Complete Cookie, but our favorites are:
Nabisco
Ok, hear us out: we're not saying they're the healthiest or that they contain the best ingredients, but some days it's too much work to care too much about the nutritional value of a cookie. (Besides, you can work out and detox with a kale smoothie later...)
Did you know that Nabisco has been offering a few vegan-friendly options for years? We didn't either, but we'll admit we're pretty happy to have Nutter Butter back as an option; even if only as a guilty pleasure.
Vegan options from Nabisco include:
- Nutter Butter
- Certain Varieties of Oreo (always check the label)
Nana's Cookie Company
It's no coincidence this vegan brand has the name "Nana's"; these taste just like the cookies grandma used to bake (minus the eggs and milk, of course). They currently offer four great flavors (the ginger and the chocolate crunch are our favorites, if you're making us choose):
Newman's Own
Newman's Own has been a health food staple since its inception; many people even give the late, great Paul Newman credit with bringing organic and GMO-free to the nation's attention. Although he certainly didn't do it single-handedly, Newman's Own has many quality vegan products, including Newman O's Creme-Filled Chocolate Biscuit (the wheat & dairy-free variety). It's a great Oreo alternative, if you ask us.
Mary's Gone Crackers
Mary Waldner, the company's founder, didn't discover she had celiac disease until later in her life. Once she learned this, she became committed to developing a brand that offered great-tasting gluten-free products. (Oh, and by the way, they're also organic, vegan, kosher, and produced with whole grains!)
Currently, the company only has two varieties, but that's good enough for us:
The Best Vegan Cookie Brands: Do You Agree?
We think that any of the cookies listed here is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of almond milk (or soy, or rice--you get the picture). It's kind of exciting to live in a time that has so many cruelty-free healthy options, don't you think?
The wide variety of cookies here means that, more than ever, there's a great dessert out there for everyone, regardless of allergies, dietary restrictions, and lifestyle choices.
What did you think of our list? Did we miss any of your favorites? Sorry about that--it was probably bound to happen; after all, any list of the best dairy free cookie brands are a matter of taste. Let us know, or if you think we got it exactly right, share this list with another sweet-toothed vegan friend.
If you enjoyed this article please check out our favorite vegan mayo brands!