Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Our Taste Test Result
Finding the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies can be tough. Some are too dry, others fall apart, and a few leave you wondering if you accidentally bit into cardboard. If you’re gluten-free and living with gluten lovers (like I am), you’re probably always searching for desserts everyone can enjoy.
This post isn’t a lab experiment—it’s a real-world cookie showdown. I picked three popular gluten-free chocolate chip cookie brands and hosted a blind taste test with my family (three gluten-loving eaters and one gluten-free eater). Here’s what we discovered.
Gluten-Free Cookies We Tested
We picked three of the most widely available, highly rated brands:
- Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Partake Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Simple Mills Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
All cookies are gluten-free and shelf-stable, and two are allergy-friendly. While I prefer soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies (a rarity in shelf-stable cookies), these are all in the crispy or crunchy category.
Left to right: Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Partake Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Simple Mills Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Our Gluten-Free Cookie Taste Test Method
Just like in my gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookie taste test, we kept things fun and fair. To ensure a blind taste test, we followed these guidelines:
- Four taste testers: Three of my family members who eat gluten and one who doesn’t (me!).
- Fresh cookies only: Purchased within a week of testing.
- Blind ratings: The testers rated the cookies based on taste, texture, and overall appeal without seeing the packaging.
- Standardized rating sheets: Everyone had the same instructions and rating categories (flavor, texture, and appearance).
- Kid-Friendly: The rating sheets were designed so my second grader could participate.
- Rating System: A simple 0-2 scale for taste, texture, and appearance with six possible points total.
- Randomized tasting order: No cookie got an unfair advantage; each rater tasted cookies in a different order.
Which Gluten-Free Cookie Tastes the Best?
Winner: Tate’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Runner-Up: Partake Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lowest Score: Simple Mills Almond Flour Cookies
Cookie-by-Cookie Review
Tate’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Overall Score: 4.2 / 5
Best for: Classic crispy cookie lovers who like a crisp bite and rich flavor.
The Good:
- Tastes like a traditional chocolate chip cookie made with wheat flour
- Great chip-to-cookie ratio
- Appealing, bakery-style look
- Satisfying size
- Two separately packaged plastic containers in each bag; helps prevent the “I ate the whole bag phenomenon” and keeps cookies fresher longer
The Not-So-Good:
- Slightly dry for some
- Sticky bits in teeth after chewing
- Some tasters prefer milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet
Texture + Appearance: Tate’s crunchy texture was divisive (I really prefer soft and chewy cookies), but the visual appeal was universally liked.
Tate’s Tate’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies consistently wins over gluten-free and gluten-loving eaters alike. If you want a gluten-free cookie that tastes like the real deal, this is our family favorite.
Ingredients (from packaging): Semi-sweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lecithin [an emulsifier], vanilla, natural flavor), Rice flour, Butter, Cane sugar, Brown cane sugar, Eggs, Natural vanilla flavor, Baking Soda, Salt, and Xanthan gum.
Dietary info (from packaging): Contains Milk, Eggs, and Soy. May contain tree nuts. Certified Gluten Free, certified Kosher with dairy
Partake Chocolate Chip Cookies
Overall Score: 3 / 5
Best for: Allergen-friendly households and lunchbox-safe snacks.
Good:
- Good crunch
- Mild flavor
- Free from top allergens (nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)
- Fits in our kid’s lunch bento box
Not-so-good:
- Slight aftertaste
- Not very sweet
- Some dryness
- One large bag inside the box; need to eat quickly to prevent going stale
Texture + Appearance: Crunchy with slightly uneven chip distribution.
Partake Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies is a reliable choice if you need an inclusive cookie for a school lunch or allergy-sensitive crowd. It’s not a sugar bomb—and for some, that’s a win.
Ingredients (from packaging): Gluten Free Flour Blend ( Oat Flour, White Rice Flour, Cassava Flour, Sorghum Flour), Organic Cane Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ( Cane Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter ), Water, Tapioca Starch, Tapioca Fiber Syrup, Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Caramelized Cane Sugar, Oat Fiber, Rosemary Extract
Dietary info (from packaging): Free of the Top 9 Allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, milk, soy, fish, shellfish, sesame); Free of lupin, crustaceans, sulfites, mustard, and casein, Certified Gluten-Free, Certified Vegan, Non-GMO Project Verified, OU Kosher, No Rice, Gums, or Emulsifiers.
Simple Mills Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Overall Score: 1.9 / 5
Best for: Clean ingredient fans with lower expectations for sweetness.
Good:
- Clean ingredients
- Small size is great for kids’ snacks
- Fit in our kid’s lunch bento box
- Shelf-stable and portable
Not-So-Good:
- Chalky texture
- Weak chocolate flavor
- Tastes more like oatmeal than a cookie
Texture + Appearance: Looked cute, tasted… confusing to raters. It’s not very sweet and tastes too earthy to be a cookie. Most of our family did not like the taste thinking it tasted blandly or overly “healthy”.
Simple Mills Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies focuses on whole-food ingredients, but our testers felt it fell short on taste and texture. I really wanted to like this one more as I prefer shorter ingredient lists, but it’s just not for me.
Ingredients (from packaging):
Nut & Seed Flour Blend (almonds, organic coconut, flaxseeds), Tapioca Starch, Chocolate Chips (cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter), Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Arrowroot, Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Cream of Tartar, Rosemary Extract
Dietary info (from packaging):
CONTAINS: Almonds, Coconuts
Non GMO verified, Certified gluten free, vegan, corn free, grain free, gum free, certified Kosher with dairy
Final Verdict: What’s the Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie?
Tate’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip cookies will be our go-to for crispy store bought gluten free chocolate chip cookies. However, each gluten-free cookie brand meets a different need—whether you’re looking for classic flavor, allergen safety, or a short ingredient list.
Let’s Keep the Cookie Chat Going
Have you tried any of these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies? Got a favorite I should try next? Share your thoughts in the comments.
This is a friendly cookie zone—we’re here for honest opinions and shared snacks; constructive and on-topic comments are welcomed.
Additional information
References: None
Disclaimers: At the time of writing this post, no financial compensation was derived from any of the sources, products, or people mentioned in this post. For more information about the financials of this blog, please go here.
Update history: None.
