You want cookies, too?

No problem. There are more vegan cookies on the market than ever before, including an impressive variety of flavors and even plenty of options for special diets. There are tons of choices that are wheat free, gluten free, and/or free of refined sugars, in addition to being 100% plant-based.

While vegan cookies will never be a health food, they are often a more wholesome option than their traditional counterparts. Free of animal ingredients like eggs and dairy, vegan cookies are also cholesterol-free, lower in (or free of) saturated fat, and more likely to be made with natural sweeteners and other natural ingredients.

Commercially available vegan cookies have come a long way over the past few years, and many brands now rival (or even surpass!) traditional cookies in taste and texture. So if you think going vegan means going without cookies…think again! We’ve compiled a list of 8 of our favorite vegan cookies – and there’s not a dry, crumbly, brick-like, or funny-tasting one in the batch.

1. Alternative Baking Company cookies look and taste like traditional cookies…without and of the animal ingredients, refined sugars, cholesterol, or hydrogenated oils. They come in 15 flavors including explosive espresso chip, colossal chocolate chip, luscious lemon poppyseed, pumpkin spice, double chocolate decadence, peanut butter chocolate chip and outrageous oatmeal raisin. And 5 of these mouthwatering flavors are gluten free!
2. Enjoy Life offers two lines of allergy-friendly, gluten free, vegan cookies to satisfy both crunchy and chewy cookie cravings. The soft baked cookies come in 7 delicious flavors including chocolate chip, double chocolate brownie, snickerdoodle, and gingerbread spice, among others. The crunchy cookies come in chocolate chip, double chocolate, and sugar crisp flavors. With no artificial ingredients or refined sugars, they are a great choice, allergies or not!
3. Erin Baker’s Breakfast Cookies come in 2 vegan flavors – chocolate chunk and peanut butter chocolate chunk. Whole grain oats are the first ingredient, and these cookies pack a healthy dose of protein and fiber. So eat one for breakfast if you like!
4. Lenny & Larry’s Complete Cookies come in 6 protein-packed, vegan flavors that are also surprisingly high in fiber and iron. From peanut butter to lemon poppy, there’s a taste for every healthy cookie craving!
5. Liz Lovely cookies are some of the best around – vegan or not (and yes, they are all vegan!) They offer a line of regular cookies as well as a gluten free line, in unique flavors like german chocolate cake, triple chocolate mint, snicker doodles, and coconut macaroon cookies. Their Lovely O’s (think chocolate-covered Oreo) also look pretty tasty!
6. Nana’s cookies come in 11 mouthwatering flavors including double chocolate, coconut chip, peanut butter, lemon, ginger, and oatmeal raisin, among others! The company offers 3 lines of cookies – original, wheat free, and gluten free. All 3 lines are vegan and fruit-juice sweetened.
7. If you’re craving a crunchy, Oreo-like cookie, it’s hard to beat Newman O’s! Newman O’s come in 6 delicious flavors – Original, Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Hint O’ Mint, Ginger ‘n’ Cream, and Wheat Free Dairy Free. All flavors are vegan and certified organic.
8. Quite simply, Uncle Eddie’s Vegan Cookies rock. They are available in 7 classic flavors including chocolate chip walnut, oatmeal chocolate chip, trail mix, oatmeal raisin, cocoa spice, peanut butter chocolate chip, and molasses. Bonus: the company uses organic, fair-trade ingredients, and environmentally-friendly packaging!

There are so many delicious vegan cookies out there! If we missed your favorite, feel free to drop us a line or share it in the comments section below.

Image Credit: ĐāżŦ {mostly absent}/Flickr