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These are the original chocolate chip cookies without butter, made with oil for the softest, chewiest texture ever. There’s no dough chilling; it all comes together in one bowl, and they’re in the oven in about 10 minutes. The base is naturally dairy-free, and a tiny splash of almond extract is my secret for that bakery-style flavor. I’ve been sharing this recipe for over 16 years, and it even earned a spot in my book, Entertaining with Charm.
These no-butter cookies are perfect for when you’re out of butter or need a dairy-free treat. This recipe remains one of the most-loved on Sugar and Charm alongside my chocolate cherry chunk cookies and super moist chocolate cake!
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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
- Can You Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter?
- Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
- How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
- Eden’s Recipe Tips
- Variations for No Butter Cookies
- Storing and Freezing
- FAQ’s
- More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter Recipe
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
No Chilling, No Waiting: The dough goes straight from the bowl to the oven. Warm cookies in about 20 minutes, start to finish.
Naturally Dairy-Free: A great option for anyone avoiding dairy without sacrificing flavor or texture.
Soft & Chewy Texture: Using oil instead of butter creates a tender, chewy center with slightly crisp edges. No cakey cookies here.
Consistent Results: Oil blends easily into the dough, making this a simple one-bowl recipe that turns out perfectly every time.
No Butter Needed: Perfect for when you’re out of butter but still want classic chocolate chip cookies. If you’re looking for a good butter cookie, try my brown butter chocolate chip cookies!
A Proven Classic: I’ve been sharing these for over 16 years, and they even earned a spot in my book, Entertaining with Charm.
Can You Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter?
Yes! Chocolate chip cookies can absolutely be made without butter and still turn out soft, chewy, and delicious. Oil steps in as the fat, and honestly, it makes a softer cookie.
Cookies made with oil are:
Softer and more moist than butter-based cookies
Chewy in the center with lightly crisp edges
Fresh-tasting for days (they stay soft longer than traditional cookies)
They may differ slightly from the classic version, but so many readers tell me they prefer these. And no one ever guesses the butter is missing.
The Science Behind Using Oil Instead of Butter
Here’s why oil makes such a soft cookie. Oil is 100% fat, while butter contains about 18% water.
More fat means less gluten formation. Less gluten means a softer texture. And because oil stays liquid at room temperature, these cookies stay soft for days.
That’s the whole secret behind the tender center and crisp edges, without ever turning cakey. It’s the same reason my moist chocolate cake uses oil too!
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
Flour: I recommend King Arthur all-purpose. You can also use whole wheat for a nuttier flavor or a 1:1 gluten-free blend.
Baking Soda & Baking Powder: This combination ensures the perfect rise.
Oil: Use a neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or sunflower. Refined coconut oil also works beautifully.
Sugar: A mix of C&H light brown sugar for richness and granulated white sugar for those crisp edges.
Large Eggs: Fresh, organic eggs make a noticeable difference in texture.
Extracts: Pure vanilla and a touch of almond extract. That hint of almond is my “secret” for a bakery-style finish. I use the same trick in my chocolate cherry chunk cookies!
Chocolate Chips: I usually go with Ghirardelli semisweet chips, but chunks or milk chocolate chips are great too. Semisweet is my go-to, just like in my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cream Sugars and Oil: In a stand mixer, beat the oil and both sugars until well combined. No stand mixer? A bowl and a whisk work just fine here since there’s no butter to cream.
- Emulsify: Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Combine: Gradually blend in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in your chocolate chips.
- Portion: Use a cookie scoop to space dough balls about 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden, but the centers should still look soft. They will firm up as they cool!
Eden’s Recipe Tips
Measure Your Flour Right: Too much flour makes dry cookies. Spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off, or use a kitchen scale if you have one.
Choose the Right Oil: Stick to neutral options like canola or light olive oil. Avoid strong flavors like extra virgin olive oil unless you want that savory note. Save the fancy oils for my lemon loaf cake!
Temperature Matters: If your kitchen is particularly warm, chill the dough for 20 minutes before baking to prevent excess spreading.
Don’t Overcrowd: Bake 6 to 8 cookies per sheet to ensure even heat circulation.
Variations for No Butter Cookies
Coconut Oil Version: Adds a slight coconut flavor and a wonderfully rich texture.
Gluten-Free Option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
Dairy-Free Version: Use dairy-free chocolate chips and the entire cookie is dairy-free.
Add Nuts: Love a little crunch? My chocolate chip walnut cookies are the answer.
Storing and Freezing
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!) and my brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
Reheat: A quick 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave and you’ve got that warm, gooey, fresh-from-the-oven magic all over again.
FAQ’s
Yes! Oil works beautifully as a butter substitute and creates a softer, chewier texture. Use a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or sunflower for the best flavor.
Yes! Because this recipe uses neutral oil instead of butter, the base is naturally dairy-free. To make the entire cookie dairy-free, simply use your favorite dairy-free chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli non-dairy or Enjoy Life).
Since oil is liquid at room temperature, the dough can spread more than butter-based dough. If your kitchen is warm and your cookies are spreading too much, chill the dough for 20 minutes before baking. You can also add 1 extra tablespoon of flour to help the cookies hold their shape while keeping that soft, chewy texture.
Absolutely! In fact, when I featured these cookies in my book, Entertaining with Charm, I used refined coconut oil. It creates a slightly firmer dough and a wonderfully rich texture. For a neutral flavor, use refined coconut oil. If you want a subtle hint of coconut, unrefined works beautifully too!
They’re slightly softer and less crisp, but still rich and delicious. The almond extract adds that bakery-style flavor, so no one misses the butter. If you want a deep, buttery cookie, my brown butter chocolate chip cookies are where the butter really shines.
Nope! That’s one of the best parts of this recipe. The dough goes straight into the oven. Only chill it (about 20 minutes) if your kitchen is very warm.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
Cookies & Brownies
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookies & Brownies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you love cookies, try my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
I’d love to hear from you! If you bake a batch, please leave a 5-star rating and a comment below. Your reviews mean the world to me and help other bakers find this recipe!
My new Entertaining book is here! Order Now!
Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
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
- Prep the Oven and Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Set this aside.
- Cream Oil and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat together 3/4 cup oil, 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar on medium speed until well combined and smooth.
- Add Eggs and Aromatics: Add 2 large eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp almond extract (use 1/2 tsp if you prefer a subtler almond flavor) until the mixture is creamy.
- Combine: Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture, blending just until no streaks of flour remain. Use a spatula to gently fold in 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips.
- Scoop the Dough: Using a standard cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), portion the dough into balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake and Cool: Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the edges are just set and very lightly golden. The centers will still look soft—don't overbake! Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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.
What a great way to cure my sweet tooth! Definitely baking these this afternoon; looks too good to pass up!
I never knew this would work! I’m always having a craving for cookies but never have enough butter. This is perfect!
Delish
These actually turned out really well! I had to make a few changes though because I didn’t have any granulated sugar or almond extract. So I simply omitted the almond extract and used one cup of powdered sugar in place the the granulated sugar. I will agree with a lot of the posts on here though, that the cookies did have a very pungent oil taste and smell. Missing was that buttery aftertaste you love with chocolate chip cookies. However, I placed them in a tin and tasted them again the next day, and for some reason the pungent oil taste faded and you were left with a fairly good cookie. I probably won’t make these again, because I do miss that buttery aftertaste in a good chocolate chip cookie, but they are decent if you are in a pinch.
The best! Thin and crispy on the outside chewy in the middle just the way we like them!
These cookies came out so well! I love the texture and I really didn’t miss the butter one bit!
These cookies are so delicious and we’re obsessed! Thanks so much for sharing!
I made these a couple of weeks ago and remarked how different mine looked from yours. I decided to make them again paying attention to packing the brown sugar and levelling off the flour and I have to say it’s an entirely different cookie!! Today’s look more like yours, thin crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. This time I put an extra tsp of vanilla extract instead of the almond extract so it tastes like a classic chocolate chip cookie!! Please let me know if your cookie dough was a little sticky? I did keep the dough refrigerated between baking. I’m determined to get the perfect consistency.
Absolutely DELISH! And…I didn’t burn them! This is my new go-to recipe…thank you!!
Thank you Kara! We’re so glad you liked them!!
Had some left over large choc chips from a “cowboy cookie” disaster (subbing oil for butter). Decided to find butterless choc chip recipe and chose yours. The other cookies I bake all call for oil, but i was getting tired of oatmeal and molasses !!! These turned out so amazingly large, light and chewy, even using my 26 year old convection oven and a mix of 3 oils (not intentional just using up) Even had a satiny gloss to them. Puffed up and flattened out perfectly. My new fave !!! Thank you !!!