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No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are moist, soft, and chewy! Made with oil instead of butter, they’re the perfect treat when you’ve run out of butter or need an easy dairy-free chocolate chip cookie recipe. One bowl, warm cookies in under 25 minutes.
If you love cookies, try my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
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“I have family members who are dairy free and these are the best! I was skeptical at first (because I love my butter in baking) but everyone—even those who love butter—loves these. I’ve been asked for the recipe many times!”
— Angie
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate chip Cookies without Butter
Years ago, I was desperate for chocolate chip cookies, opened my fridge, and realized… no butter. I improvised with oil, and to my surprise, the cookies were soft, chewy, and absolutely irresistible. They’ve been a Sugar and Charm favorite ever since!
- Soft & chewy perfection: The oil gives them that magical chewy center with crisp edges. No cakey cookies here!
- Naturally dairy-free: Perfect for anyone avoiding butter or baking without dairy, but so good everyone will love them.
- Tried-and-true: I’ve been baking these butterless chocolate chip cookies for over 20 years, and they’re still one of my most requested recipes, with hundreds of reviews! It even made it into my book Entertaining with Charm!
No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
- Flour: I use King Arthur all-purpose, but whole wheat flour works too for a nuttier flavor. Use gluten-free flour for a gluten-free option.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: A mix of both gives these cookies the perfect rise.
- Oil: Since there’s no butter, I use neutral oils like canola, sunflower, or even coconut oil. It keeps these cookies completely dairy-free while still giving that chewy texture.
- Sugar: I love the combo of light brown sugar for richness and white sugar for crisp edges. I like dark brown sugar and I use the brand C&H.
- Large Eggs: Organic eggs if I have them – fresh makes a difference.
- Almond & Vanilla Extract: Pure extracts only. The almond adds that subtle something special.
- Chocolate Chips: I usually go with Ghirardelli semisweet chips, but chocolate chunks or milk chocolate chips 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 or a silicone mat.
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 cookie 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.
Eden’s Recipe 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
Reheat: A quick 10–15 seconds in the microwave and you’ve got that warm, gooey, fresh-from-the-oven magic all over again.
Store: Keep them in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days (though honestly, they rarely last that long in my house!).
Freeze: Yes, these freeze beautifully—just like my chocolate cherry chunk cookies (I eat those straight from the freezer!) or my brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
Butterless Chocolate Chip Cookie FAQ’s
Yes, and that’s exactly how these are made! Oil gives cookies their signature chewiness and keeps the recipe extra quick (no softening butter, no chill time). I’ve been making these for 20 years and they never fail me. If you’re more into oat-y, cozy vibes, try my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, also amazing with oil.
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.
Oil is hands-down the easiest swap! I usually reach for canola or vegetable oil, but refined coconut oil also works if you want a little tropical hint. I love this trick because you don’t have to soften anything—just pour and mix. If you want to try a recipe with butter, check out my brown butter chocolate chip cookies where the butter is browned for an even richer flavor.
Using oil instead of butter is the easiest swap when you’re out of butter or baking dairy-free. Oil keeps the dough extra moist, which gives you that chewy center with crisp edges, no cakey cookies here! Plus, it’s quicker because there’s no waiting for butter to soften. These cookies are loaded with chocolate chips, come together in one bowl, and taste so good you won’t even miss the butter.
Yes! Since they’re made with oil instead of butter, these chocolate chip cookies are naturally dairy-free. Just be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips if you want the whole recipe to be completely dairy-free.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
And that’s it — my go-to no butter chocolate chip cookies! They’re quick, chewy, and naturally dairy-free when you use dairy-free chocolate chips. I’ve been baking these for two decades, and they’ve saved me more times than I can count when the cookie craving hits and there’s no butter in sight!
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No Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil work too.
- 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, you can use light too
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract, 1/2 tsp for less of an almond flavor.
- 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 the cookie 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.
Lovely recipe. My family loves it.
I can’t believe these don’t have butter in them. They turned out amazing!
These are sooo delicious!! We’re obsessed! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is an amazing recipe! It was very easy to make and a good thing that I had all the ingredients needed for me to make these cookies. This is definitely one of our favorites at home. Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful, tasty, and easy cookies! We are currently quarantined aboard our sailboat in Spain due to Covid9. We can only go out for groceries when absolutely necessary, about once every 10 days to 2 weeks–and we are low on butter. When my husband asked me to bake chocolate chip cookies I thought he was out of luck! But then I found your recipe and gave it a try even though I was skeptical. Man was I wrong! They are delicious and have a perfect consistency. My husband could not tell the difference between them and my usual butter recipe. This is a keeper….and I will make them again! Thank you for the recipe.
Oh my goodness, Vicki! Stay safe on the water and I am SO happy these cookies could be a little treat for you and your husband during this time! Sending you all the love and cookies!!!
These have me craving a chocolate chip cookie!! Love this butter-less option! They are chewy & chocolate-y & really are perfect!
Such a great cookie recipe!
These turned out great! Would definitely recommend making them!
Just made these cookies and they are AMAZING!!! My two sons and husband (and I) love them. I was low on butter which inspired me to find a “butteries” recipe – and these are actually better than cookies I’ve made with butter. Thanks for making this recipe available.
Also, one batch I timed correctly and the second batch I forgot about – even slightly over-baked, they’re still great!! No fail recipe – that’s my kind of baking. 🙂
Yay! We are so happy you loved them!! They really are SO good! The oil makes them so chewy and delicious!!
Really nice! Took quite a bit longer to cook than the recipe said – think I made them a bit big, but came out really well.