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No butter chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and made with oil instead of butter for a quick and delicious treat. Perfect when you’re out of butter, avoiding dairy, or just want a cookie that comes together fast. One bowl, zero chill time, and ready in under 25 minutes.
If you love cookies, try my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookies with walnuts, and the best chocolate chip cookie pie.
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These chewy, butter-free chocolate chip cookies are perfect if you’re out of butter or looking for a delicious dairy-free option. Made with oil instead, they bake up soft in the center, crispy on the edges, and never cakey.
Born from a craving: I first made these when I ran out of butter but had to have chocolate chip cookies and to my surprise, they were incredible.
Soft, chewy perfection: Oil gives them the ideal texture with no chill time needed.
Quick & easy: No butter to soften means you can mix and bake in under 25 minutes.
Tried-and-true: One of the first cookie recipes on Sugar and Charm and still one of the most popular. It even made it into my book Entertaining with Charm!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what I use to make these chewy, no-butter cookies:
- Flour: I use King Arthur all-purpose, but whole wheat flour works too for a nuttier flavor.
- Leavening: A mix of baking soda and baking powder gives these cookies the perfect rise.
- Oil: Since there’s no butter, I use neutral oils like canola or sunflower. Skip strong ones like olive or peanut oil.
- Sugar: I love the combo of brown sugar for richness and white sugar for crisp edges.
- Eggs: Organic eggs if I have them – fresh makes a difference.
- Vanilla + Almond Extract: Pure extracts only. The almond adds that subtle something special.
- Chocolate Chips: I usually go with Ghirardelli semisweet, but chunks or dark chocolate are great too!
How to Make No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream Sugars and Oil: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined.
Add Eggs and Flavoring: Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then, mix in the vanilla and almond extract until smooth.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually blend in the dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Portion the Dough: Using a cookie scoop, portion dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake and Cool: Bake for 8 to 9 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
Use neutral oil: Go with canola or light olive oil. Skip strong-flavored oils (like EVOO) and make sure it’s fresh—not funky.
Try coconut oil: Want a hint of coconut or firmer dough? Use refined coconut oil for a neutral taste, or unrefined if you’re into the coconut vibe.
Chill if warm: If your kitchen’s hot, chill the dough for 20 minutes so the cookies don’t spread too much.
Don’t overcrowd: Bake just 6–8 cookies per sheet for even baking and perfect edges.
Storing and Freezing
Store: In an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Freeze in a sealed bag or container for up to 3 months—but honestly, nothing beats a warm one fresh from the oven!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Oil is the best substitute for butter in cookies. It gives them a chewy texture and rich flavor—no softening needed.
Use a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or avocado oil. For a hint of flavor, you can try refined coconut oil. Avoid strong oils like extra virgin olive oil unless you want that flavor to come through.
Not exactly—but they’re still incredibly good! Butter adds richness, but oil makes them ultra chewy with a crisp edge. These cookies are a fan favorite for a reason.
More Cookie Recipes
Here are a few more of my favorite cookie recipes. These are ALL fantastic recipes and are perfect for all occasions.
- Butterless Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
- My Favorite Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Favorite Thumbprint Cookies
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No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp almond
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together oil, brown sugar, and white sugar using the paddle attachment.
- Beat eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and almond extract.
- Blend in dry ingredients and fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, 2" apart.
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, then let them cool on the pan before moving them to a wire rack.
Video
Notes
- Chill the dough: Just 30 minutes helps the cookies hold their shape and bake up beautifully.
- Don’t overbake: They’ll keep baking on the sheet—pull them when the edges are just golden.
- Switch it up: Try peanut butter, white chocolate, or butterscotch chips for a fun twist.
- Optional but amazing: A pinch of flaky sea salt on top makes them extra delicious.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
these were GREAT !! I was skeptical at first, as the oil and sugars looked like a body scub I have.. but all in all they came out great
I stumbled upon this blog/recipe today after I discovered I didn’t have any butter but a strong desire for chocolate chip cookies. They turned out AMAZING! This is my new chocolate chip cookie recipe! Thank you so much!
weeeee!!!!! im technically baking it nw!!!! cant wait to taste it….yummyyyyy!!!! =)
Wow!!!!!!!!! Love this recipe, I didn’t feel like going to buy butter, this was perfect and all the kids in the neighborhood loved the cookies!!!!! Again “WOW” Great Recipe!!!
These turned out wonderful! I made them into a giant sheet cookie to save time (cooking for a big group) and they were perfect. Thanks for the great recipe!
I form my cookie dough into balls and freeze them. Then I put them straight from the freezer into the oven, and they don’t get so flat. Plus, I can pull a frozen ball of dough from the freezer and have a fresh-baked cookie whenever I want.
But your butter-less cookies DO look amazing… 🙂
Oh my goodness… those look AMAZING!
I am going to give these a shot!! Looks Yummy!
Followed each ingredient amount suggested and they came out too oily. Definitely cut the amount of oil in half.
I only had enough oil for half a batch but it turned out cool. They were an odd size though. I was expecting mini side cookies when I used 2 teaspoons of the mix for each cookie, but they turned out enormous. The only grievance I could say was they were surprisingly very oily even though I didn’t really have even half a cup, and that the center was still a little wet even though the edges almost burnt, but i had flattened them out so the middle was the same size. Idk. Very good recipe overall. Tread lightly with the oil!
These are great, they taste good too! I used sea salt and dark chocolate chips instead. Cooking them was so easy, I also used a hand mixer super easy.
Yay! Thank you for sharing Brenna!
yum these look delicious!! And how interesting that you didn’t use butter. I’ll have to try! (LOVE the milk bottle hehe)
I hate butter. Found your recipe. Made these today. OMG!! So so good!! Thank you.
Yay!! So happy to hear you loved them!! Thank you for leaving a comment and review too 🙂
marshmallow fluff… genius!!!