Looking for oil-free vegan substitutes for coconut oil in cooking and baking? In this post I share a roundup of how to substitute coconut oil in your favorite recipes. Coconut oil can easily be replaced in recipes using whole, plant-based foods, such as nuts, seeds, and fruits. Let’s go over the most popular replacements and how to substitute coconut oil in cooking and baking recipes.

Do you have specific questions about this topic? Share your questions in the comments below! I read all comments and respond to questions.

Why substitute coconut oil?

On this blog I share only oil-free vegan recipes. Specifically, I follow a whole food, plant-based diet (WFPB). It is now widely known that it is best for our bodies to eliminate coconut oil for several reasons. Here’s a great episode of The Exam Room podcast where they discuss coconut oil and why we shouldn’t eat this oil.

Coconut oil is sold at room temperature. It is often used as a replacement for butter and shortening in recipes. However, coconut oil is now regarded as an unhealthy food and should be replaced in our diets. If you’re still using coconut oil in your recipes, it’s recommended to substitute another ingredient.

I’ve written several articles about this topic, here’s the basics of why we should substitute cooking oil:

Substitutes for coconut oil in cooking

If your recipe is calling for coconut oil for cooking, such as sautéing or roasting, you can easily substitute this ingredient with a fat-free ingredient: Water. Yep, just use a little bit of water in equal measure to the coconut oil called for in a recipe. Here’s several tips for cooking without coconut oil.

Substitutes for coconut oil for toast

If you love spreading vegan butter or coconut oil on your toast and are ready for a replacement, there are several great options. Here’s a few ideas for substituting what you spread on your toast, some are fat-free:

Peanut butter
Almond butter
Mashed Avocado
Walnut butter
Oil-free hummus
Pureed cauliflower
Mashed banana

Substitutes for coconut oil in sautéing

If your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon coconut oil, simply substitute 1 tablespoon water. Heat your pan or pot until hot on medium-high heat. Add your recipe ingredients as directed and dry sauté for 1-3 minutes. If food begins to burn, add water. Sometimes you may not even need to add the water, however if so the water will help stop the burning process.

Browning and burning food is caused by sugars in the food becoming caramelized. When these sugars get to a certain heat they start to “caramelize” and turn dark brown, then eventually black. To stop the caramelization process, simply add some water. The water will immediately lower the temperature in the pan or pot and stop the process from happening in the moment.

By introducing little amounts of water at a time, you can sauté food without oil and without burning the food.

Tips for sautéing with water

Here are several tips for substituting water instead of oil for sautéing your food:

Start with no water

Before I add water to the pan, I first let my food sauté without water. This allows some caramelization to take place, giving my food a nice golden hue. If you add water right away, this process cannot happen.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of water at a time

By adding small amounts of water at a time, you can control the caramelization process without boiling your ingredients. Remember, water boils food and can make it mushy. We don’t want to boil food when we are trying to sauté it. However, we also don’t want to burn food when we are trying to sauté it. The happy medium is adding a little bit of water as needed to allow the food to not stick to the pan, while still allowing the food to lightly caramelize.

Deglaze your pan with water

By adding just 1-2 tablespoons of water at a time you are introducing moisture to the food. This moisture will “deglaze the pan” which means it will help the food not stick to the pan while at the same time scooping up all the flavorful bits that have stuck to the pan. Chefs often times deglaze the pan using wine, however we are using this same process with water in place of oil for better health.

The water will quickly evaporate, so have a little bit more water ready in a cup next to your stove so you can add more as needed.

Substitutes for coconut oil in roasting vegetables

Often times a recipe will call for adding oil to vegetables before roasting. This is unnecessary. Instead, I use two methods for roasting vegetables without oil:

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper

Parchment paper is also known as baking paper. When you line a baking sheet with parchment paper it creates a barrier to the pan which prevents food from sticking to the pan. This is very useful for roasting without oil, as well as makes cleanup very easy. Parchment paper is compostable and also reusable if it’s not too soiled.

Here’s 3 reasons to use parchment paper when baking (and one is about your health)

Add 1-4 tablespoons water during roasting

I suggest checking your vegetables during the roasting process. Toss the vegetables around to help them roast evenly if desired. If the vegetables are starting to look very dry, simply add a little bit of water and toss well. This will help keep the vegetables moist during roasting.

Coconut oil replacements for baking

There are several great coconut oil replacements in baking, here’s my suggestions:

Peanut butter

If your recipe calls for coconut oil, peanut butter is a great substitute. Simply swap out coconut oil for peanut butter using a 1:1 ratio (the same measurement). Peanut butter has a very specific flavor that goes really well in some recipes, but not so well in others. If you are feeding someone with a peanut allergy, do not use this as a substitute. If your recipe already calls for peanut butter, simply add more to replace the oil. Here’s a few recipes that this works as a great replacement:

Brownies
Chocolate Cake
Blondies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Bars
Cinnamon Rolls
Frosting

Here’s 4 vegan oil-free butter substitutes for baking

Almond butter

Almond butter is another great substitute for oil in baking. This has more of a nutty flavor as well as introduces a delicious almond flavor. It is not as strong of a flavor as peanut butter.

Almond butter can be used in the same manner as peanut butter described above. If you are feeding someone with a nut allergy, do not use this as a substitute. If your recipe already calls for almond butter, simply add more to replace the oil. Here’s a few recipes that this works as a great replacement:

Cookies
Cakes
Cinnamon Rolls
Banana Bread
Pie Crust
Frosting

Walnut butter

Walnut butter is one of my absolute favorite replacements for oil in baking recipes for two reasons. One is that walnuts are very high in lots of great vitamins and minerals, as well as healthy fats. The other is that walnuts have a very neutral flavor and can be used in a variety of recipes without imparting a specific flavor.

Walnut butter is sort of sweet and slightly nutty. If you are feeding someone with a nut allergy, do not use this as a substitute. Here’s a few recipes where this works as a great replacement:

Cookies
Cakes
Coffee Cake
Crumble Topping
Pie Crust
Cinnamon Rolls
Frosting

Sunflower seed butter

This replacement is great if you’re baking for someone who has allergies to peanuts and nuts. Sunflower seed butter has a specific flavor so it’s best if used in very flavorful recipes such as:

Brownies
Chocolate Cake
Apple Pie

Applesauce

Applesauce is a fat free oil substitute for baking. Applesauce can be substituted 1:1 for oil in baking recipes (meaning equal measure). Applesauce provides substance and moisture to a baking recipe and can be used as a replacement for oil in a variety of types of baked goods. This substitute has a strong apple flavor so it’s best to use this in recipes where you don’t mind that flavor. Here’s a few types of recipes where applesauce makes a great substitute for oil:

Pancakes
Muffins
Waffles
Banana Bread
Zucchini Bread

How to make a vegan chocolate cake mix

Banana

Banana is a great substitute for oil in some very specific recipes. Banana provides moisture and substance. Measure the banana by mashing it and measuring with a cup measure. Use equal parts mashed banana for the oil called for in your recipe. Here’s a few types of baking recipes where banana makes a great substitute for oil:

Pancakes
Muffins
Waffles
Banana Bread

Pumpkin puree

Pumpkin puree is a popular substitute for oil during the holidays. When were making lots of pumpkin flavored dishes, or do not mind the flavor of pumpkin being added to baked goods, this is a great replacement for oil. Pumpkin has a very specific flavor so it goes best in recipes that call for brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Here’s a few types of baking recipes where pumpkin puree makes a great substitute for oil:

Pancakes
Muffins
Waffles
Pumpkin Bread
Holiday Cookies
Pumpkin Pie

Vegan Yogurt

Another substitute for coconut oil in baking is plant-based yogurt. This ingredient contains fat and water and provides substance. Replace vegan yogurt for oil using 1:1 ration (equal measure). Because it is high in water content (unlike coconut oil), you’ll want to reduce the liquid in your recipe by 1-4 tablespoons. I suggest adding the yogurt to your recipe, then adding water as needed to avoid adding too much.

Yogurt also has a very distinct flavor as well as imparts a tangy flavor. Yogurt is a great replacement for coconut oil in these types of recipes:

Muffins
Coffee Cake
Waffles
Banana Bread
Zucchini Bread

Oil-free vegan baking recipes

Here’s a list of oil-free vegan baking recipes I’ve published on this site:

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Substitutes for coconut oil: Here’s 10 oil-free vegan coconut oil replacements

Why substitute coconut oil?

Substitutes for coconut oil in cooking

Substitutes for coconut oil for toast