If you're craving cookies but don't want a few dozen sitting around tempting you tomorrow, single-serving vegan air fryer cookies are for you!
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This 20-minute recipe makes a small batch - the smallest batch possible, really. This vegan recipe yields a single, GIANT cookie. You can eat it all at once or share with a friend.
Have you ever made air fryer cookies before? This GIANT chocolate chip cookie is a delight! It's crispy on the outside, soft and cakey on the inside, and, frankly, PACKED with chocolate chips.
Making this cookie egg-free
This big cookie is super simple to make, and it uses my very favorite vegan egg replacer: aquafaba.
Don't worry if you've never used aquafaba before, it's just the liquid from canned beans. I recommend white bean or chickpea aquafaba for this recipe.
The great thing about aquafaba is that it's basically free.
The next time you make something with canned beans in it, save the liquid, and freeze it in an ice cube tray. When you need an "egg" just pop out and defrost enough cubes to make 3 tablespoons of liquid aquafaba.
I like to reheat the cube or cubes I need in a mug in the microwave, then measure the liquid. One standard ice cube holds 2 tablespoons of liquid.
For this recipe, you don't even need a whole egg's worth of bean liquid. It only takes two tablespoons of aquafaba, so one ice cube does the trick.
If you are thawing aquafaba ice cubes in the microwave, just make sure the liquid is cool before you add it to your cookie dough. If you add hot aquafaba, it will melt the vegan butter and the chocolate chips, and your cookies won't turn out properly.
Trust me - I have accidentally done this more than once.
Substitutions and variations
If you truly just do not want to use aquafaba (or are fresh out), a reader told me that she replaced it with an equal part applesauce, and that it turned out great!
Feel free to mix up the mix-ins. If chocolate chips aren't your fave, replace them with and equal amount of other cookie mix-ins. Try:
- two tablespoons each of vegan white chocolate chips with macadamia nuts
- two tablespoons each of sliced almonds and dried cranberries
- two tablespoons each of diced, dried apricots and pistachios
- two tablespoons each of walnuts and raisins
You can also add extra flavoring to the dough itself. A good pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin spice gives these cookies a festive flavor, for example.
Important recipe notes
This air fryer cookie could not be easier to make. Just mix the dough, press into shape, and bake in your air fryer.
There are a couple of things to note about this cookie recipe:
- You must use parchment paper. Don't skip the parchment paper, unless you like to chisel cookie off of the bottom of your air fryer basket. Just cut your parchment paper (NOT wax paper or tin foil) into quarters.
- You must let it cool before serving. Waiting is not easy, I know! But please let this cool on the parchment paper for the full 10 minutes. The cookie is very soft until it cools.
You can actually make the air fryer cookie dough a day ahead and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, if you like. Just pull it out an hour or so ahead of time, so it can come to room temperature before you bake.
One less thing to think about when a cookie craving strikes!
Vegan Air Fryer Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- scant ⅛ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon organic sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter - softened (NOT melted)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons aquafaba
Mix-ins
- ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips - See note for alternative mix-ins.
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In another small bowl cream together the vegan butter, both sugars, and the vanilla extract, then add the aquafaba and beat it. It's OK if you're not able to completely cream the aquafaba into the sugar-butter mixture. Just get an even mixture going.
- Add the wet ingredients and chocolate chips to the dry ingredients, and mix until you have a cohesive ball of sticky dough. You may need to get in there with clean hands to mix everything. If the dough is too crumbly, add water by the teaspoon until it holds together. If it's way too sticky, add a few pinches of flour.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper, so that it covers most of your air fryer basket, but leave about an inch of space on all sides, so you'll still get decent air flow. ¼ sheet should be perfect. Place the dough ball onto this parchment paper on your kitchen counter.
- Place a second piece of parchment paper over the ball of dough, and use it to press the cookie dough into a really big, ¼" thick, round cookie. You want this cookie as even as possible, so it bakes evenly. Discard the top piece of parchment paper, and use your hands to smooth out the edges of the cookie.
- Cook at 350° F for 10 minutes, then let your giant cookie cool in the air fryer basket (but remove the basket from the fryer) for 10 minutes before gently transferring to a plate.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- 2 tablespoons each of vegan white chocolate chips with macadamia nuts
- 2 tablespoons each of sliced almonds and dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons each of diced, dried apricots and pistachios
- 2 tablespoons each of walnuts and raisins
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Like most foods, this cookie takes about half the time to bake in the air fryer that it would in the regular oven. And because it takes half the time to cook, it's not a big deal to fire up the air fryer to make a single-serving GIANT COOKIE.
The other benefit to making cookies in the air fryer vs. the oven is that the air fryer doesn't heat up the house as much as the oven does. Perfect for warm-weather cookie baking!
I do not recommend using foil with this recipe. If your air fryer has a nonstick coating, foil can scratch it.
Additionally, foil can mess with the cooking time and temperature. Please use parchment paper (not wax paper -- wax melts!) when you make this cookie recipe.
Yes. This cookie will stick if you don't line the basket.
For this air fryer cookie recipe, 350° F is the ideal temperature.
This cookie bakes up in 10 minutes in the air fryer. Then, it needs to cool for 10 more minutes in the basket.
You can! Bake for 18-22 minutes at 350° F, until it's golden brown on the outside. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before serving.
Aremmy
I loved the recipe, I only changed 1 sugar tablespoon for Monk Fruit. I will be making it again but into small mini cookies because it was too big for me.
Thank you!
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it! Be sure to back off on the cooking time, if you make smaller cookies. :)
medina
hey! i was wondering, why not tin foil? ive seen it used on other videos
Becky Striepe
Most air fryer baskets have a nonstick coating, and foil can scratch the coating. I definitely recommend avoiding it, if you can!
Lisa L.
Thannks for a great recipe, I used flax egg and pecans. Wow!
Karen Churma
Can these be done not vegan? Will the consistency be the same if you use regular butter and eggs? If so, what would be the replacement quantities?
Becky Striepe
I'm not sure if that would work, and since I can't eat those ingredients, there's no way for me to test them.
Jamie Roberts
Just made two of these (mixed up the second while the first was air frying) for my wonderful neighbor, who is always doing kind things for me. They came out perfectly. A wonderful coincidence that I've just started saving aquafaba from my chickpeas. Thanks for the ice cube tip!
Jamie Roberts
Also, thanks for the actual recipe. I'd buy a cookbook from you in a second!
Becky Striepe
What a good neighbor you are! I'm so glad that my cookie was a hit. And thank you for taking time to rate and comment - that means a lot to me!
Jo Ann
Can this recipe be baked in a ramekin in the air Fryer?
Becky Striepe
A ramekin would be too small.
Kristine
I loved this recipe! There is something really fun about a giant cookie and it also has the perfect proportion of chocolate chips.
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Kristine! I'm so glad that you dug it.
Marcy R Schell
I used foil for my cookies and i always have to turn them over to. Cook both sides.
Becky Striepe
I definitely don't recommend putting foil into your air fryer. The metal can scratch the nonstick coating.
Susan
Mine turned out very well! Used oat flour and I enjoyed it! Will definitely make this again!
Becky Striepe
Ooh good to know that it works well with oat flour, too!
Robin Schultz
I bought this air fryer because you highly recommended it. . . I LOVE IT!!!!! Thank you so much! I also love the tip you gave about saving the aquafaba in an ice cube tray. I could kick myself for all that I have tossed down the drain because I didn't have an immediate use for it. sigh.
Becky Striepe
I'm so glad to hear that - I love mine, too! :) Happy to hear that the ice cube trick is handy, too. You can start with your next can of beans, and you'll have a stash before you know it!
Dianne
I haven't made cookies in my air fryer, but I clearly need to change that, STAT! I happen to have all of the ingredients on hand, and I plan on opening a can of chickpeas for tonight's dinner, so I'll be making this later today.
Cadry
That's such a good tip about making sure the aquafaba is at room temperature and not too hot to melt the butter & chocolate chips. Also, how cute are you in that cat shirt? Finally, I am psyched to make this cookie! It looks incredible.
Cadry
Update: I made the cookie tonight, and it was SO GOOD. I was having a chocolate emergency. Luckily, we had everything on hand to make one giant cookie. I wasn't able to wait ten minutes to eat that warm, delicious, gooey cookie... I lasted about 4. But it was no worse for wear! Haha!
Becky Striepe
Oh yay! If anyone deserves a gigantic chocolate cookie, it's you, Cadry!