Vegan Breakfast Cookies with Flaxseed and Dark Chocolate Chips
Some mornings you just want a cookie for breakfast, and honestly, there is nothing wrong with that when the cookie is built like this one. These vegan breakfast cookies with flaxseed and dark chocolate chips are genuinely designed to fuel your morning. We are talking rolled oats for slow-release energy, ground flaxseed for omega-3s and soluble fibre, almond flour for plant protein, and just enough dark chocolate chips to make the whole thing feel like a proper treat. No eggs, no dairy, no refined white sugar. Just real, wholesome ingredients that happen to taste brilliant together.
Flaxseed is the quiet hero of this recipe. Ground flaxseed acts as a natural binder here, replacing the egg entirely when mixed with water to form a gel. It brings a mild, slightly nutty depth to the flavour profile while loading each cookie with fibre and those important plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. Combine that with the protein from almond flour and the staying power of oats, and you have a breakfast cookie that actually keeps you full until lunchtime. The dark chocolate chips add a rich bittersweet hit, and because we use chips with at least 70 percent cacao, you also get a small boost of antioxidants and minerals like magnesium and iron.
The sweetness in this recipe comes from a small amount of pure maple syrup and a ripe mashed banana. The banana does double duty, adding natural sweetness and helping to bind the dough without needing extra fat or sugar. We keep the coconut oil minimal, just enough to give the cookies a slightly crisp edge while the inside stays soft and chewy. The total sugar per cookie is significantly lower than traditional chocolate chip cookie recipes, and the calorie count stays reasonable for a satisfying breakfast portion. These are not diet food dressed up as cookies. They are genuinely nourishing food that happens to take the shape of a cookie.
They come together in about ten minutes of hands-on time and bake in under twenty minutes, which makes them a brilliant option for weekend batch cooking. Make a dozen on Sunday, store them in an airtight container, and you have breakfast sorted for the whole week. They travel well in a lunchbox, hold up at room temperature for several days, and freeze beautifully for longer storage. Kids love them too, which is always a win. Once you try these, a plain bowl of cereal is going to feel like a serious downgrade.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (also called flaxseed meal)
- 5 tbsp water (for the flax egg)
- 1 medium ripe banana (mashed well, about 90g)
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup (or use agave nectar)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted and cooled slightly)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats if needed)
- 0.8 cup almond flour (blanched, not almond meal)
- 2 tbsp whole flaxseeds (for extra texture and omega-3s)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.3 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.5 cup vegan dark chocolate chips (70 percent cacao or higher)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- 2
In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed with the water. Stir well and leave to sit for at least 7 minutes. It will thicken into a gel-like consistency. This is your flax egg.
Do not rush this step. A fully gelled flax egg is what holds the cookies together.
- 3
In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana until smooth with very few lumps. Add the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Stir everything together until well combined.
- 4
Add the prepared flax egg to the wet ingredients and stir again until evenly mixed.
- 5
Add the rolled oats, almond flour, whole flaxseeds, cinnamon, baking powder, and sea salt to the bowl. Stir until a thick, slightly sticky dough forms. Fold in the dark chocolate chips, keeping a small handful to press onto the tops.
The dough will be thicker than a regular cookie dough. That is completely normal.
- 6
Scoop the dough using a heaped tablespoon or a medium cookie scoop and place portions onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 5cm apart. Gently press each portion into a round disc shape about 1.5cm thick, as these cookies do not spread much during baking. Press the reserved chocolate chips onto the tops.
Slightly wetting your hands makes it easier to shape the cookies without the dough sticking.
- 7
Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until the edges are lightly golden and the tops look set. The cookies will still feel a little soft in the centre when you remove them from the oven.
Do not overbake. They firm up significantly as they cool.
- 8
Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They will be very fragile if you try to move them too early, so patience is important here.
Nutrition per serving
148kcal
Calories
4g
Protein
17g
Carbs
8g
Fat
3g
Fibre
6g
Sugar
58mg
Sodium
Pro Tips
- ✓
Use a very ripe banana with plenty of brown spots for the best natural sweetness and binding power.
- ✓
Certified gluten-free rolled oats make this recipe suitable for those avoiding gluten.
- ✓
For crispier edges, bake for an extra 2 minutes. For a softer, chewier cookie, pull them at 16 minutes.
- ✓
Pressing extra chocolate chips onto the tops before baking makes the cookies look more visually appealing and gives a bigger chocolate hit in every bite.
- ✓
Let the coconut oil cool after melting before adding it to the banana mixture, so it does not start cooking the other ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Variations
- •
Peanut Butter Flaxseed Breakfast Cookies
Add 2 tablespoons of natural smooth peanut butter to the wet ingredients for a nutty, higher-protein version. Reduce the coconut oil to 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added fat.
- •
Cranberry and Orange Flaxseed Cookies
Swap the dark chocolate chips for dried cranberries and add the zest of one orange to the wet ingredients. The citrus brightness works beautifully with the earthy flaxseed flavour.
- •
Hemp Seed Protein Boost Cookies
Add 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds along with the other dry ingredients for a complete amino acid boost and extra plant protein per cookie.
- •
Cacao Nibs and Coconut Cookies
Replace half the dark chocolate chips with raw cacao nibs and fold in 3 tablespoons of unsweetened desiccated coconut for extra texture and a less sweet, more intense chocolate flavour.
Substitutions
- •Almond flour → Oat flour (Use the same quantity. Oat flour gives a slightly denser, chewier texture and reduces the fat content a little.)
- •Coconut oil → Tahini or sunflower seed butter (Use the same quantity for a nut-free option with a slightly more savoury undertone that pairs well with dark chocolate.)
- •Maple syrup → Agave nectar or brown rice syrup (Both work as a 1:1 swap. Brown rice syrup is lower on the glycaemic index, while agave is slightly sweeter so you could use a touch less.)
- •Banana → Unsweetened applesauce (Use 90g or about 6 tablespoons. The cookies will be slightly less sweet so add an extra teaspoon of maple syrup if you prefer.)
- •Dark chocolate chips → Carob chips (Carob chips are caffeine-free and naturally sweeter, making them a good option for those sensitive to caffeine or chocolate.)
🧊 Storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 7 days. To freeze, layer cookies between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes or warm in a low oven for 5 minutes.
📅 Make Ahead
These cookies are ideal for batch cooking. Make a full batch on the weekend and store at room temperature for weekday breakfasts. You can also prepare the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately the evening before, then combine and bake fresh in the morning. The shaped unbaked cookie portions can also be frozen on a tray, then transferred to a bag and baked straight from frozen at 175 degrees Celsius for 20 to 22 minutes.
