• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Life As A Strawberry
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Bread Class!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Spring
  • Recipes
  • Bread Baking
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Spring
    • Recipes
    • Bread Baking
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Butterless Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil

    Published: Apr 29, 2016 · Modified: Feb 11, 2023 by Jessie · This post may contain affiliate links; if you buy something we'll earn a commission at no cost to you.

    Jump to Recipe

     This quick and easy butterless chocolate chip cookie recipe uses coconut oil instead of butter for a soft, chewy cookie. 

    Two chocolate chip cookies on a white plate. this recipe

    Full disclosure: I am WEIRD about chocolate chip cookies. I don't know what it is, really. I'm just PICKY. And I'm picky, but, like, in the WRONG ways?

    Example: I DO NOT like chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. Sometimes you get burned by a still-really-hot chocolate chip, which UGH. Give me room temperature cookies all day every day.

    I also refuse to dip cookies in milk - milk makes cookies soggy and I just don't get the appeal, I guess.

    SO. Just give me a soft, fluffy, room temperature chocolate chip cookie with no milk, please. This is the way to my strange, anti-all-the-regular-chocolate-chip-cookie-things heart.

    Chocolate chip cookie dough balls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

    These butterless chocolate chip cookies are actually kind of wonderful, though. Made from scratch? Check. Without butter? Check. Soft and chewy? Check annnnnnd check.

    (And you are totally allowed to eat them hot from the oven and dip them in milk if those things make your heart happy. We accept all kinds of cookie monsters here at Life As A Strawberry HQ!)

    Chocolate chip cookies on a sheet pan, before and after baking.

    Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter!

    These cookies have NO butter! There's just a bit of smooth, melted coconut oil for body and flavor.

    (Note: Coconut oil at room temperature is usually solid, but just spoon it into a glass measuring cup and zap it in the microwave to melt it down for this recipe):

    A glass measuring cup filled with coconut oil.

    I've been having a lot of fun baking with coconut oil lately, and it's a great alternative if you prefer to avoid butter/dairy in recipes (or have a craving for chocolate chip cookies but no butter in the house!)

    Four small plates of chocolate chip cookies on a white background, with a glass of milk in the corner.

    You can taste a bit of coconut flavor in these chocolate chip cookies, but it's definitely not overpowering. The coconut oil also lends a very slight crispness to the outside of these butterless cookies - but the insides are soft and chewy just like a perfect chocolate chip cookie should be!

    PS - You can also use coconut oil instead of butter for our small batch chocolate chip cookies!

    Hands breaking a fresh chocolate chip cookie in half.

    How do you like YOUR chocolate chip cookies? Let me know in the comments!

    Fresh chocolate chip cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

    Video: How to make butterless chocolate chip cookies

      Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Chocolate chip cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

    Butterless Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil

    ★★★★★ 4.8 from 151 reviews
    • Author: Jessie
    • Prep Time: 15 mins
    • Cook Time: 25 mins
    • Total Time: 40 minutes
    • Yield: Makes 25-30 cookies 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Easy, chewy chocolate chip cookies with no butter.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ¾ cup liquid form coconut oil (see recipe notes)
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 eggs
    • ¾ cup white sugar
    • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
    • 2 ½ cups flour (measured correctly by scooping and leveling)
    • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 heaping cup chocolate chips

    Instructions

    1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, combine liquid coconut oil, vanilla, eggs, sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine.
    3. Add flour, kosher salt, and baking soda to bowl and stir until ingredients are incorporated and you have a smooth dough.
    4. Fold chocolate chips into dough until they are evenly distributed.
    5. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper.
    6. Use a large cookie scoop (I like this 3-Tablespoon one) to scoop dough, and place dough scoops 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.
    7. Bake cookies at 375 degrees F for 9-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to let cool.
    8. Serve cookies immediately or let them cool completely and then store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.

    Notes

    How to melt coconut oil into its liquid form: Coconut oil is generally solid at room temperature, but we want to melt it into a liquid form for this recipe in order to incorporate it more easily into our chocolate cupcake batter. (We’ve used virgin unrefined coconut oils from 365/Whole Foods, Nutiva, and Carrington Farms and like them all). To melt coconut oil, scoop about 1 cup of coconut oil (in its solid, room-temperature form) into a microwave-safe glass measuring cup, and then microwave for 30-40 seconds until it’s melted down. Give the coconut oil a stir and then check the measurement – you may need to add another spoonful of room temperature coconut oil to bring the liquid up to the correct amount. Melt too much oil? Pour any excess right back into the container.

    Work quickly when you bake these cookies – as the coconut oil starts to come back to room temperature, the dough will stiffen and be a little more crumbly and harder to work with, so plan to bake these in just one or two batches as opposed to storing the dough in the fridge for later!

    If you use a larger or smaller scoop to form the cookie dough, you may need to adjust your bake time – just keep an eye on the cookies as they bake and pull them out when they’re very lightly browned!

    Adjustments and Substitutions. Feel free to use more chocolate chips than called for, or to add nuts or white chocolate chips. Add a sprinkle of flakey sea salt on top if you like! You can also swap the chocolate chips for chopped baking chocolate (we like dark or semi-sweet) for chocolate chunks.

    These chocolate chip cookies are relatively soft and slightly dense. If you like a thinner, crispier cookie, you can reduce the amount of flour in this recipe by ¼ cup. For an ultra-thick, especially dense cookie, you can increase the flour by up to ¼ cup.

    Homemade cookies can dry out after a few days - to keep them soft, store them in an airtight container on the counter along with a small slice of bread (they’ll absorb moisture from the bread and stay softer!) or pop a cookie in the microwave for a few seconds to warm. These cookies also freeze well once cooked!

    For more butter-free recipes, check out our Coconut Oil Chocolate Cupcakes or Salted Olive Oil Dark Chocolate Cookies!

    Adapted from Nestlé Toll House.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 2 cookies
    • Calories: 201
    • Sugar: 17 g
    • Sodium: 95.2 mg
    • Fat: 9.5 g
    • Carbohydrates: 27.3 g
    • Protein: 2.4 g
    • Cholesterol: 14.9 mg

    Keywords: no butter, christmas, homemade

    Tag @lifeasastrawberry on Instagram to show us what you're cooking! Nutrition information is calculated per serving; it is approximate and will vary based on many factors.

    \"\"
    \"\"

    More Our Best Cookie Recipes

    • Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cookies
    • Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Salted Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies
    • Our Favorite Gingersnaps

    I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. Tag your recipes #LifeAsAStrawberry on social media to share your creations! Learn about our team!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Reader Interactions

    Discussion

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Misha

      March 10, 2023 at 10:30 pm

      I know that this review won’t necessarily help people who want results of the unaltered recipe, but I just wanted to throw out that this recipe CAN be adjusted and it works beautifully.

      I am totally out of butter and wanted to make a cookie my mom(GF) and I could eat. I had Bob Mills All Purpose(garbanzo bean flour mix) and Xantham Gum. Using Bob’s recommended Xantham-Flour ratio, I was able to turn this into a delicious, fluffy gluten free cookie!!

      Reducing the sugar also didnt hurt the recipe, in my experience! Nor did the kind of sugar I used. (although brown sugar is necessary for that classic caramel flavor for regular chocolate chip cookies) — I reduced it by a 1/4th cup and now I have cookies at 9PM. MAGIC.

      The oven you have drastically changes the appearance of the cookie! I had a classic, big-chunk look in my convection toaster oven, but a less risen ‘cracked’ cookie from my regular oven- which doesn’t circulate heat as well. Good to keep in mind for people who struggle making recipes “turn out” at home.

      This is going in my go-to recipe book next to sugarspunrun’s pizza dough. I finally have a good cookie again! Thank you!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Rhonda @ Life As A Strawberry

        March 16, 2023 at 12:13 pm

        We are so glad you were able to make this your own. Glad you love it!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Jessie standing in a kitchen lifting a fork full of pasta.

    I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. On this website, you'll find well-tested recipes and tutorials to help you make weeknight comfort food you're proud of.

    Learn More →

    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Most Popular Recipes

    • Easy Crusty French Bread (VIDEO)
    • How to Make a Cheese Plate (with step-by-step photos!)
    • 30 Minute Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
    • Butterless Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil
    • Easy Creamy Mushroom Sauce
    • Cupcakes 104: How to Store and Freeze Cupcakes (With Video!)

    Ready for Spring Recipes?

    • 20 Minute Creamy Pesto Gnocchi
    • Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi (With How-To Video!)
    • Lemon Garlic Butter Steelhead
    • Easy Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad (Video)
    • 5 Minute Pea Pesto
    • Strawberry Whiskey Lemonade


    Featured In

    A collection of logos from press outlets that have featured Life As A Strawberry.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    ABOUT US

    • Meet Our Team
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Work With Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility

    RESOURCES

    • Subscriber Resource Library
    • Meal Planning Resources
    • Sustainability Resources
    • Social Responsibility
    • At The Table Podcast
    • Everyday Artisan Bread Course

    RECIPES

    • Recipe Index
    • Homemade Bread
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Meal Ideas

    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

    Life As A Strawberry logo
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    1% for the Planet logo

    About - Recipes - Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2012-2023 LIFE AS A STRAWBERRY