Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Cookies (No Butter Recipe)

​Do you love a soft and chewy cookie that actually stays soft and chewy for days? Me too. This easy oatmeal cookie recipe without butter delivers that soft, chewy texture we love about oatmeal cookies.

And the best part? They won’t get crispy or stale tasting the next day.

Let’s bake!

​

If we’re not using butter, what are we using? 

To make these dairy free oatmeal cookies, we’re using vegetable shortening instead of butter. While other recipes may call for vegetable oil, coconut oil or even olive oil, I have found that shortening is the better option.

Why? Shortening mimics the flavor and texture of butter more closely than oil does, resulting in a less greasy cookie that holds its shape.

Using shortening or oil instead of butter doesn’t necessarily make these healthy oatmeal cookies. Shortening and oil are still fats.

But if you’re watching your cholesterol or just looking to go dairy free, using shortening is a great alternative to butter for baking.

Ingredients for this Oatmeal Cookie Recipe without Butter

Here’s what you’ll need to make these soft and chewy cookies:

• All-purpose flour
• Rolled oats. It’s important to use old-fashioned oats (not quick oats or instant oats) for this recipe.
• Sugar
• Vegetable shortening. You can buy this in a tub or in conveniently sized sticks for baking.
• Egg
• Blackstrap molasses
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Baking powder

How to Make Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Cookies without butter

This is super easy. First, beat your wet ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. That means your shortening, sugar, molasses, egg and vanilla.

Beat everything on high speed so that it breaks up the shortening. Don’t worry if you still see a few specks of shortening. 

Then, combine your dry ingredients in a separate bowl. 

Now, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

It’s a good idea to refrigerate the cookie dough for at least one hour before baking. 

If you have a cookie scoop, use it to make uniform-sized dough balls on your baking sheet. If not, no big deal. Just use a regular spoon or your hands and eyeball it.

Depending on the size, you’ll get about 12-18 cookies from this recipe. 

​These cookies will bake for 15 minutes, and then they’ll be ready to enjoy! 

Substitutions for this Oatmeal Cookie Recipe without Butter

Make this easy recipe your very own with these options: 

1. Sugar Swap: Try some alternatives to white sugar like honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar. 

2. Flours: Substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a wholesome cookie, or make gluten free oatmeal cookies using a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend. 

3. Spices: Cinnamon is a given, but adding spices like nutmeg, cardamom or ginger offer a unique twist on the classic flavor. 

Variations on this Oatmeal Cookie Recipe without Butter

Try these delicious add-ins and adjustments with these easy oatmeal cookies:

1. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. A classic for a reason! These are my favorite cookies of all time (yes, even more than chocolate chip). Plump raisins add the perfect amount of sweetness to these delicious butterless oatmeal cookies. 

2. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Is there ever a scenario in which chocolate doesn’t make something better? No, there is not. 

3. Vegan Oatmeal Cookies. For a vegan version, replace the eggs with flaxseed or chia seed eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water for each egg). 

4. Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies. Delicious around the holidays, mix in some sweet-tart cranberries for a festive and tasty twist. 

5. Nutty Oatmeal Cookies. Stir chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds in the cookie dough for an awesome textural variation. 

How to Store these Oatmeal Cookies without butter

I promised that these classic cookies would stay soft and chewy for days, and I keep my promises! All you’ve got to do is store them in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature. A Ziploc freezer bag is a great option, even if you don’t freeze them. 

If you do want to keep these cookies for longer, freeze them! Let them come to room temperature again before enjoying them, or give them a quick zap in the microwave to soften them up again. 

When you make this oatmeal cookie recipe without butter, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy! 

For more dairy free baking recipes, try these:

• Holiday Spice Cake
• Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

For more cookie recipes, try these:

• Lemon Shortbread Cut Out Sugar Cookies
• Apple Butter Cookies with Cinnamon Frosting
• Lemon Ricotta Cookies