By With no protein powder in sight, these gluten-free protein chocolate chip cookies are what dreams are made of. They are easy to whip up in one bowl and get their protein from whole sources like hemp seeds and almond flour. We keep a few in the freezer at all times because they are that good!
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These protein chocolate chip cookies get their 11g of protein from all whole, real ingredients (hi, Greek yogurt!). But, they aren't cakey or dry like most protein cookies; this one is chewy with crisp edges - honestly, they belong in a bakery case. 😎 No powders and no chalky aftertaste!
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these protein cookies belong in the freezer
I have made dozens of protein cookie recipes over the years. Both testing my own and other top ones. I've never liked the other recipes, and it took me 4 years of testing to nail my own because when baking with Greek yogurt, the batter is wet! And that means we need to balance the flour without it being cakey.
The workaround turned out to be storing the cookies in the freezer. This keeps them soft (yes, even in the freezer), but so that they hold together. If kept on the counter, they are very yummy but will almost melt in your hands because they are so tender.
grab these ingredients
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for quantities.
- Unsalted butter: Softened to room temperature for the best texture. Do this quickly by cutting it into thick slices and microwaving them for 5 seconds, flipping them over, and microwaving them another 5 seconds. Or, use the butter butt method (you can look it up ha!).
- Pure maple syrup: Natural sweetness with a hint of caramel.
- Cashew butter: Gives these cookies a soft, chewy texture (can swap for almond butter!). The key is to use runny cashew butter. The best brands I've found are Target Good and Gather and Whole Foods 365.
- Egg: Binds everything together.
- Vanilla extract: Because cookies need vanilla, always.
- Almond flour: We use this as the base of these cookies instead of all purpose flour to make them gluten-free. No subs here!
- Hemp hearts or hemp flour: Adds protein and a slightly nutty taste. You can either blend them in a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder or use hemp flour if you can find it. These add depth of flavor and keep that chewy cookie texture, unlike protein powder, which results in cakey, dry, and overly sweet cookies.
- Low-fat plain Greek yogurt: Keeps the cookies moist while adding even more protein. You can use vanilla, but I would just reduce the maple syrup by ½.
- Baking soda: Gives the cookies just the right lift.
- Salt: You'll need both table salt and flaky sea salt. The flaky sea salt is optional, but a chef's kiss finish!
- Semi-sweet chocolate chunks: The best part! Feel free to use any kind you love. I love Trader Joe's dark chocolate and Hu bars or chocolate chunks.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
high protein ingredient spotlight: hemp seeds
Hemp seeds (also known as shelled hemp hearts) are packed with 10 grams of protein per 3 tablespoons, making them one of the most protein-dense plant-based ingredients. Whether you're sprinkling them on your morning egg white oatmeal, mixing them into protein overnight oats, or adding them into Samoa cookies, hemp hearts are an easy way to boost both the nutrition and protein content of your favorite recipes without anyone even noticing they're there!
here's how to make protein cookies (with photos & video)
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full chocolate chip cookie recipe!
- Mix wet ingredients: Beat the butter until fluffy then mix in the other wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the other ingredients and let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This is important when working with almond flour!
- Bake: Preheat the oven, scoop out 12 even balls, and bake for 8 minutes. Then remove the cookies from the oven and drop the pan on the counter to flatten them. Return them to the oven for 5 more minutes, then drop them once more on the counter.
- Cool: Let them cool for at least 15 minutes (they are very tender at first) before digging it! Finish with flaky sea salt for a real wow moment!
quick recipe video
expert tips
- No softened butter? No problem! Partially melt it, mix the dough, and chill it in the freezer for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.
- Customization: Use any chocolate chips you love! Want a different nut butter? Almond butter works great in place of cashew butter.
- Flour swaps? Nope! Almond flour is unique and can't be swapped for other flours in this recipe. That's why these are gluten-free! Try our other protein chocolate chip cookie recipe if you want one without almond flour.
why do I need to let the dough and cookies rest?
The dough has to chill because as we mix, the butter melts, and then when it goes into the oven, it's already soft and can't hold its shape long enough to be baked. By chilling the dough, we are bringing the butter back to a solid state. Now, letting the cookies rest is a must because they will continue to bake after they are removed. We actually want to remove the cookies when they are slightly underbaked so they are perfect after cooling.
common questions
The edges should be just set and the center soft. As they cool, the center will finish baking, leading to the perfect cookie.
Sure! You can freeze it for 3 months. Just let it warm up a bit at room temperature (maybe for 30 minutes or so) so you can scoop it.
troubleshooting & testing notes
My cookies spread too much
This happens when the butter is too soft to begin with. Let the dough chill longer.
My cookies are dry or cake like
This is likely because you didn't "slam" the tray on the counter enough or the cashew butter was too thick. When slamming the tray on the counter, literally take the entire tray of cookies (holding with oven mitts) and drop it flat on the counter from 3 inches or so above the counter. Repeat a few times until the cookies flatten.
how to store them
You can keep the cookies in the fridge for up to a week but they do get softer from the moisture in the fridge. Or, they can be at room temperature in an airtight container (after completing cooling) for up to 3 days. But my favorite way to store them is in the freezer. Just flash freeze them on a baking tray for 24 hours, them transfer to a ziplock bag and store for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (room temp, or butter substitute)
- ½ c pure maple syrup
- ½ c cashew butter (runny (I like Target and Whole Food's brands), any nut butter will work)
- 1 egg (or flax egg)
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ c almond flour
- ⅔ c hemp hearts or hemp flour
- ¼ c low fat plain greek yogurt (full fat or similar will work too!)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the ½ cup unsalted butter until fluffy (about 1 minute). Then mix in the ½ c pure maple syrup, ½ c cashew butter, 1 egg, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and ¼ c low fat plain greek yogurt until well combined.To make hemp flour: Blend the hemp hearts in a food processor, blender, or coffee grinder until a flour forms. It should only take a couple pulses.If using a flax egg: Mix together 3 tablespoon water with 1 tablespoon flaxseeds and let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it thickens. Then mix in.
- Mix in the 1 ⅔ c almond flour, ⅔ c hemp hearts or hemp flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks.
- Let the dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (overnight is fine too) to stiffen up and rehydrate. This is uber important to the cookies staying together and not running all over the pan!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out 12 even balls. This ends up being about 1.5 scoops from a standard cookie scoop. Gently roll into balls (the less we handle the dough, the better).
- Bake for 8 minutes; remove the cookies and slam/drop the pan on the counter twice to flatten them a bit. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the edges are just set and golden. Remove from the oven and slam on the counter once more. Then let them cool for 15 minutes on the counter(super important when working with gluten free baked goods) to continue baking and firm up. Then move them to the freezer to fully cool and set up, otherwise they will crumble on you.If you're not sure what this means, check out the video to see what it means to slam it on the counter.
- Top with flaky sea salt and use a spatula to carefully remove the cookies from the tray. They are very tender, so the spatula is super helpful. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Feel free to use any chocolate chips you like.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
Perfect! Love that they have no processed sugar and have natural protein!
so yummy!!!
This recipe looks really yummy and good. My only concern is that I’m trying to lower my cholesterol and wanted to know if there is a substitute for the unsalted butter.
Sure! You can use any butter substitute like smart balance or similar that fits your needs. For cookies it's best to use one that comes in a block vs a tub, but otherwise any butter substitute will work!
hi! curious if I need to use low fat Greek yogurt of if I can go full fat? will that message anything up? excited to make these! I've loved everything I've made from your recipes!
Awesome! full fat (any kind really) greek yogurt will work just fine!
Can you do Peanut Butter instead of Cashew Butter?? 🙂
Sure! We love a good peanut butter chocolate chip cookie!
Could you use full fat yogurt?
Sure! Just make sure it's greek yogurt or that thick style (Icelandic or similar will work too)
Do you think coconut yogurt would work for a dairy free alternative?
Unfortunately no because it has a much higher moisture content than Greek yogurt. Siggis plant based greek style yogurt will work as a dairy free alternative but any standard style yogurt that's runny will not produce the same cookie texture.
Really wanted to love these cookies... would have been nice for my daughter in college... however, these are the first ''health cookies'' I have completely missed and not been able to cook at all. They are coming apart and not holding together. I have tried to cook them a bit longer, and have let them cool completely, and still, I need to eat them with a spoon 🙁
Sorry to hear that! Did you make any edits to the recipe? If they are still falling apart and you want to salvage them, pop them in the freezer and they'll be delicious and hold together there! They don't get hard in the freezer.
can salted butter be used?
Totally! Just reduce the added salt by half.
Hi can I sub pepita flour for the hemp flour, or just use all almond? Trying to make with what I have on-hand. Thx!
I haven't tried that but I'm pretty sure it would work!
These are amazing! Really easy to throw together quick too!!
This is my tenth time making theses cookies. In love with them
That's amazing!! So happy to hear that!
I love these recipes!
Thank you!!
Obsessed! These are the best cookies I’ve ever made and my 3 y.o. Can’t stop asking for them. I don’t feel guilty letting him have one each day because there is protein and not tons of sugar 🙂
That's so great to hear!
I'm a diabetic and can't use the maple syrup. Would using the same ration of a granulated sugar sub work, like allulose?
Any liquid sugar will work. The recipe isn't designed to use granulated sugar so it would just need to be a liquid sugar substitute.
Phenomenal!! Following directions and it’ll work perfectly, thank you!
Amazing to hear!
In the instructions, it says to put cookies into the freezer after baking and cooling to set more. Does this mean to freeze them or only be in the freezer like 5-10 minutes? Do I take them out one at a time to thaw and eat? Can you please elaborate on that step.
Sure! I let them sit in the freezer until mostly cool and I can handle them without them breaking. This is generally 15-20 minutes for me. Then once they're cool, I remove them with a sturdy spatula and store in an airtight container separate by parchment paper on the counter or in the freezer. If storing them in the freezer, I usually let them sit at room temp for 5-10 minutes before enjoying. But you can eat them straight from frozen (they don't fully freeze and are still soft.
These are amazing!
These didn’t really set up for me, even after an overnight in the fridge. I’m wondering if part of it could be that I didn’t blend my hemp hearts, so the batter wasn’t as thick? In spite of that, they are delicious and I’ll be making them again!
Can I substitute coconut oil for the butter?
Sure can!
As my husband says, "Very Good!"
What can I used in place of hemp hearts?
I would just use a little more almond flour.