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Vegan chocolate buckwheat cookies that are so good, but also so good for you! Quick and easy to make, they are also gluten-free, oil-free, made in one bowl (no fuss!), and perfect for desserts, snacking and breakfast, too. Only 5 ingredients, plus water & salt.
Table of Contents
Everyday Chocolate Buckwheat Cookies
Fair warning: these vegan chocolate cookies are so yummy, you’ll want to eat them all day. And that’s ok, because they are nourishing, too!
But back to the delicious factor. The earthy flavor of buckwheat deepens the flavor of the chocolate (both cocoa powder and a light smattering of miniature chocolate chips). The result is a soft, homestyle cookie with a rich, but not too sweet, taste.
They are perfect everyday, any-time-of-day, cookies.
On top of that, making a batch is a breeze.
Recipe Benefits
These humble cookies are:
- Gluten-free
- Vegan (egg-free & dairy-free}
- Oil-free
- Made with only one gluten-free flour (buckwheat)
- Low in fat
- Rich in antioxidants
- Minimal ingredients
- Quick & easy (both to make and bake)
- Made in 1 bowl (minimal dishes, hooray!)
Ingredients for the Cookies
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
Here is what you will need:
- Buckwheat flour
- Coconut sugar (options available in recipe card)
- Tahini (or other runny nut or seed butter)
- Baking powder
- Salt (always optional/adjustable)
- Water
- Vanilla extract
- Miniature semisweet or dark chocolate chips
What is Buckwheat Flour?
The small seeds of the buckwheat plant (groats) are ground to make a strongly nutty-flavored flour that is unmistakably delicious and distinctive in all kinds of baking and cooking.
Despite having “wheat” in the name, buckwheat has no relation to wheat whatsoever. It is a naturally gluten-free grain, and the flour is likewise 100% gluten-free. Buckwheat flour is naturally low on the glycemic index and is packed protein, fiber and antioxidants.
Tip: Grind Your Own Buckwheat Flour
If you have a high-speed blender, you can grind your own buckwheat flour from whole buckwheat groats. Buckwheat groats are particularly easy to grind into a fine flour (since they are not true grains).
Place the groats (up to 2 cups at a time, depending on the size of your blender) in the blender and then blend away. Sift the flour through a fine-mesh sieve afterwards to remove any stray bits that are left unblended.
Store any extra flour in an airtight bag or container and freeze (for up to 1 year) until next time.
Chocolate Options
I like to add a small amount of chocolate chips to these cookies to enhance their chocolate goodness. I opt for miniature chocolate chips because a small amount can be dispersed through the batter, ensuring a taste of melty chocolate in every bite.
If you do not have miniature chocolate chips, an equal amount of regular-size chocolate chips–or any semisweet or dark chocolate–can be used instead. Give the chips or pieces of chocolate a fine chop before adding to the cookie dough.
If you do not want the added sugar of chocolate chips, leave them out, or sub an equal amount of cacao nibs.
Step by Step Instructions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
Time to make some chocolate cookies!
Step One: Preheat the Oven & Prep the Baking Sheet
Before mixing the cookie dough, preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step Two: Whisk the Dry Ingredients
Whisk the buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl until blended.
Step Three: Add the Wet Ingredients (& Chocolate)
Add the water, tahini, and miniature chocolate chips to the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until completed combined (no visible dry bits) into a thick chocolate dough. That’s it, the dough is done!
Step Four: Portion the Dough
Using a medium cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon, portion the dough into 12 equal mounds. Roll each portion into a ball and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Step Five: Bake the Cookies
Bake the cookies in the preheated 350F (180C) oven for 9 to 11 minutes until puffed, the tops have some cracks, and the surface of the cookies appears dry.
Check the cookies at the minimum time. It is better to take the cookies out a smidge early than to leave them in too long (too long and the cookies will be hard and dry— no bueno!).
Cool the Cookies
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Umm. Yes. Please. ❤️
What is the Texture & Taste?
Texture: These are seriously homey cookies with a touch of crispness at the edges yielding to an overall soft and tender texture.
Taste: The earthy flavor of buckwheat makes chocolate taste even more chocolate-y. They are semisweet bliss (for the record, they go great with coffee).
Happy baking!
FAQ
Can I use different flours (in place of the buckwheat flour)?
I specifically developed the recipe for buckwheat flour, hence I am unsure of how other flours might work as a substitute. However, if you are up for a bit of experimentation, almond flour, oat flour, or chickpea flour are what I would suggest.
Does it matter if I use light or dark buckwheat flour?
Any variety of buckwheat flour will work in the recipe.
Not all bags of buckwheat flour indicate whether the contents are light or dark, but it does not matter either way. Darker buckwheat flour can have a more robust taste than light varieties, but it works well to enhance the flavors of the chocolate.
Can I make the cookies without tahini?
Yes. If you cannot or do not wish to add tahini, or any other nut or seed butter, substitute one of the following options for the 2 tablespoons tahini called for in the recipe:
- 2 tablespoons mashed very ripe banana
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree + 1 tablespoon nondairy milk or water
- 2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk
Similar Vegan Gluten-Free Recipes to Try:
Vegan Chocolate Buckwheat Cookies {oil-free, gluten-free}
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup 90 g buckwheat flour
- 1/4 cup 48 g coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons 15 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup 60 mL water
- 2 tablespoons 30 mL runny tahini (see notes for options)
- 3 tablespoons 45 g miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- in a medium mixing bowl, whisk the buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt until blended.
- Add the water, tahini and miniature chocolate chips to the bowl. Stir until completely blended into a thick dough.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (#40) or a tablespoon measure, divide the dough into 12 equal mounds. Roll each portion into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 11 minutes until puffed, the tops have some cracks, and the surface of the cookies appears dry (be careful not to overbake; check for doneness at the earliest time).
- Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
made these today, subbing coffee for water, and chopped darkest chocolate for minichips. so delish & quick. will definitely make again. thanks!
oh good heavens, that sounds so good, Dana! I love the coffee tweak, and extra dark chocolate (chef’s kiss!)
I made this for my brother who is pre-diabetic. I was surprised I was out of the stevia chocolate chips so I added 3 TB of xylitol. He had some Russel Stover sugar free chocolate covered coconut candy. So I cut them up and added to the top of the cookies after they came out of the oven and were still hot. He said they were good and took the whole plate of them. ????
I don’t Know how healthy the candy is…..
Thank you,
Trina
Way to make it work, Trina! That sounds very yummy! 😉
Wow, I was craving something sweet and remembered saving this recipe a few months ago. I just made them, but with apple sauce instead of the oil, and date sugar instead of coconut sugar (I had the date sugar on hand). They didn’t come together for me so I just added a bit more water and then the dough came together perfectly, though it was sticky. I didn’t worry about perfect balls, I just pushed them together in craggy ball shapes – just mentioning because they still turned out delicious, if not as pretty as yours! I’ll take more care if I make them for guests next time.
They were so easy, and are so delicious, and not too sweet. I had mini-chips but still liked your idea of little bits of chocolate so I chopped them up fine; they basically melted right into the dough.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
As a breastfeeding mama who has had to eliminate so many things from my diet due to son’s food sensitivities, these cookies have been SUCH a treat! I make them almost nightly at this point and look forward to eating them in the evenings. Thank you for making such an easy, tasty recipe!
Kenzie!!! That warms my heart so much! Hurray for chocolate cookies for breastfeeding mamas 🙂 Sending all the hugs and best wishes to you and your little boy–keep enjoying the cookies!
One word: YUM!! Thanks for another great and super simple recipe!!
Yay! You are so welcome, Divya!
can one make this recipe minus the baking powder? Would this affect the final results in a negative way?
Hi Gabriel,
The cookies will not puff up without leavening (baking powder, or baking soda). But they would still be cookies, and likely still yummy. Many flat cookies do not have leavening agents (e.g., shortbread).
If making your own buckwheat flour, should it be toasted or untoasted?
Hi Brit,
You can use either with equal success! I used untested myself, but toasted gives an extra nutty dimension.
HI! This was awesome! Thank you! I just got buckwheat flour so had been looking for some good gluten free, eggless recipes. I added cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne to this as I like spicy chocolate! I’ll be browsing through your other recipes. Thanks again! 🙂
Subbed maple syrup for the coconut sugar since I didn’t have the sugar on hand, and reduced the water. Turned out great.
First bite definitely felt a little bit like the buckwheat was a bit overpowering (as it is in most recipes, I find), but by the third and fourth bite, I felt that the flavors balanced really nicely.
Sooo yummy thank you! Not too much sugar, perfect 🙂
Hello Camilla, thank you for your delicious recipes, love them!
These are wonderful, with superb taste. I needed to tweak them a bit because I think I’d put in too much water, and then added some more oil and everything became too sticky. But they did bake well – although their shape ended up being quite unruly…but that’s all the fun about baking, making it work anyway – and this is now one of my favourite cookie recipes. I’ll make them again. Buckwheat flour is a fantastic flour to work with, a true revelation.
I am so glad that you tried and like them, Keren (and that you tweaked and made them your own :)).
Hello Camilla,
Thank you for sharing another great recipe & for your fabulous website. It’s especially
critical for people who need/want to eat well.
These cookies are super easy to make, delicious & healthy.
I look forward to your new posts.
Best regards,
Nadia
(Australia)
Thank you so so much, Nadia! xo
These are so very tasty, thank you for sharing this recipe.
The only thing I may add is to keep your hands a little wet when forming the dough into balls as it’s quite sticky.
Rich, wonderful taste!
Yay, I am so happy to hear it Krsten! Thank you for sharing your tip, too 🙂
Dough didn’t come together.Added extra water n pumpkin puree but it barely came together.Shaped into balls n have to eat it asa whole ball or it would fall apart.Used scale in weighing ingredients.Dont know what was wrong.
The taste was very nice though.
Hi Elham,
Oh no, I am so sorry that you had trouble with the cookies. Reading your comment it sounds like you opted for the oil free version, is that correct? Super haps you served the 2 tablespoons of oil for 1 tablespoon of pumpkin purée +1 tablespoon of water, is that correct? Given your comment the deal didn’t come together, I just want to make sure that you still added the quarter cup of water in the recipe. In other words, with the pumpkin substitution, you are adding a total of 1 tablespoon pumpkin plus FIVE tablespoons of water (1 as part of the oil substitute, plus the original 1/4 cup water). It should be very moist.