Why You Can Make Waffles Without Butter in the First Place
You can make waffles without butter. Full stop. Eleven ways, at least — swap in a liquid oil, a plant-based butter, or a fruit puree, and honestly? Your waffle iron won't know the difference.
Here's how this breaks down. Every method below gets the same treatment: what it is, what it'll run you, why it actually works, and who should bother with it.
Butter does three jobs in a waffle recipe: it crisps the outside, tenderizes the inside, and helps everything brown. That's it. Nothing magical.
Here's the thing — almost any fat or fruit puree can do at least one of those jobs, sometimes all three. Oils crisp beautifully. Purees tenderize and add moisture but skip the crisping part. Plant-based butters try to do everything butter does, because that's literally what they're designed for.
So which one should you grab? Depends on what you're going for. Want crunch? Go oil. Want something lighter and almost cake-like? Puree. Want zero learning curve? Grab a vegan butter stick and pretend nothing changed.
1. Make Waffles Without Butter Using Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is a neutral-tasting liquid fat. Pour it in, mix, done — no melting, no cooling, none of the extra steps butter demands. And it still crisps the outside of your waffle just fine.
Product pick: Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil, 16.9 Fl Oz
People keep buying this one for a reason. It's made from 100% pure avocados — UC Davis independently verified the purity, which isn't nothing. Neutral flavor, 500°F smoke point, works for baking, sautéing, frying, whatever you throw at it. Non-GMO. Gluten-free. Keto-friendly too, if that's on your radar.
- Price: Around $10.28 for the 16.9 fl oz bottle (sometimes less with a Subscribe & Save discount)
- Also comes in: 25.4 fl oz, 1.75 L, and gallon sizes for anyone baking waffles on a weekly basis
Pros
- Genuinely neutral. Won't fight with your maple syrup or fruit toppings.
- Handles high heat without smoking or burning.
- Liquid at room temp — mixes into batter instantly, no waiting around.
Cons
- Costs more per ounce than plain vegetable oil.
- Zero buttery richness. You're trading flavor for a clean fat.
- Not always on grocery shelves consistently — ordering online sidesteps that problem entirely.
Best for: Keto and paleo bakers, or anyone who wants a clean-label fat and doesn't care about replicating a buttery taste.
2. Make Waffles Using Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is solid at room temp and melts around 76°F. Which means once it hits the pan, it behaves almost exactly like melted butter would. Texture-wise, it's the closest match on this whole list.
Product pick: Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 14 oz
Organic, virgin, extracted without heat — so the natural flavor and nutrients stick around instead of getting cooked out. The brand pitches it for baking, sautéing vegetables, roasting, the works. USDA Organic. Vegan-certified. It checks the boxes you'd want checked.
- Price: $13.27 for the 14 oz jar (about $0.95 per fluid ounce), with a typical list price of $14.89
- Bigger option: A 29 fl oz jar runs around $23.45 if you're going through it fast
Pros
- Closest texture match to melted butter you'll find on this list. Period.
- Adds a light, natural sweetness that pairs nicely with syrup.
- Shelf-stable for months, sometimes over a year, unopened.
Cons
- Has to be melted first, and blended in while the rest of your ingredients are room temp — otherwise it clumps back up.
- Virgin coconut oil tastes like coconut. If you want zero coconut flavor, buy refined instead.
- Higher in saturated fat than olive or avocado oil.
Best for: Vegan bakers, and honestly anyone who wants their butter-free waffles to still taste a little buttery.
3. Make Waffles Using Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil brings a savory, fruity fat into the mix — but pick your variety carefully. Grab a "smooth" bottle, not a peppery robust one, unless you want your waffles tasting suspiciously like focaccia.
Product pick: Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 68 Fl Oz (2 L)
First cold-pressed. Smooth, delicate flavor. Built for sautéing, stir-frying, baking — all of it. And get this: the brand actually markets this exact bottle as a butter and vegetable oil substitute. Right there on the label. Not a stretch, not marketing spin, just what it says.
Pros
- Loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
- "Smooth" blends are mild enough to disappear into a sweet batter.
- Buying the big bottle makes this one of the more cost-effective picks over time.
Cons
- Extra virgin or robust versions can taste grassy or peppery — wrong move for waffles.
- Lower smoke point than avocado oil or refined coconut oil, though a waffle iron rarely pushes it that far.
Best for: Anyone already keeping a giant bottle of olive oil around and looking for a one-ingredient, no-shopping-required swap.
4. Make Waffles Using Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oil is the default. Cheap, neutral, reliable — basically every boxed waffle mix on the shelf leans on it as the butter substitute, and for good reason. It just works.
Product pick: Wesson 100% Pure Vegetable Oil, 128 Fl Oz
Zero grams of trans fat per serving. No cholesterol. The brand markets it for stir-frying, vinaigrettes, marinades, baking, deep frying — basically anything. It's not fancy. It was never trying to be.
Pros
- Cheapest option on this whole list, by a mile.
- Completely neutral flavor and a long shelf life.
- Drop-in replacement for any recipe that calls for melted butter — no math needed.
Cons
- Zero flavor contribution, so waffles can taste a bit flat without butter's richness backing them up.
- Gallon jugs eat up pantry space if you're not baking often.
Best for: Big families, meal-preppers, or anyone making a mountain of freezer waffles without butter for the week ahead.
5. Make Waffles Using Vegan Buttery Sticks
Want the easiest swap on this entire list? Vegan buttery sticks. They're built to look, melt, and measure exactly like real butter — so your recipe barely notices the change.
Product pick: Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, 16 oz (4 Sticks)
Non-dairy, non-GMO, made from a blend of palm, canola, soybean, flaxseed, and olive oils, sold as four sticks in a 1-pound box, and it provides 400mg of ALA omega-3 per serving. Designed to substitute directly for butter, no adjustments needed.
- Price: Sold in the standard 16 oz, 4-stick box on Amazon; comparable Earth Balance tub spreads run around $3.98 for a 15 oz tub
Pros
- Stick format lines up with butter's tablespoon markings — no guessing.
- Melts and browns almost exactly like dairy butter.
- Clearly labeled non-dairy and vegan, easy to shop for.
Cons
- Contains soy and palm oil, which some people actively avoid.
- Still needs refrigeration and softening, unlike a pour-and-go oil.
Best for: Vegans, dairy-allergic bakers, and anyone who wants zero technique changes when they make waffles without butter.
6. Make Waffles Using Plant-Based Butter Sticks
There's a newer category of dairy-free stick butter out there, built on avocado or olive oil instead of palm oil alone. That's the difference here — richer oils, same stick format, same job as butter.
Product pick: Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks with Avocado Oil, 16 oz (4 Sticks)
Built to substitute for dairy butter one-for-one, cooking and baking the same way butter does — dairy-free and gluten-free. Made with a blend of plant-based oils that includes avocado oil, packed in a 16 oz box with 32 servings.
- Price: Roughly $4.70 to $4.99 for a comparable Country Crock plant butter package
Pros
- Genuinely tastes closer to real butter than a lot of the competition. Company says so, and it's not wrong.
- Stick format again, so measuring is effortless.
- Lower saturated fat than dairy butter.
Cons
- Still contains palm and palm kernel oil in the blend.
- A little pricier per ounce than plain vegetable oil.
Best for: Bakers who genuinely miss butter's flavor and want the closest match without going dairy.
7. Make Waffles Using Unsweetened Applesauce
Skip the fat entirely and reach for applesauce instead. It handles the moisture butter would've provided (and a good chunk of the fat), just don't expect the same crispy edges — these waffles come out lighter, softer, almost cake-like.
Product pick: Musselman's Unsweetened Apple Sauce, 23 oz Jar
100% natural, no added sugar, no preservatives, no artificial flavors or colors — made from fresh, hand-picked apples, kosher certified, gluten-free, non-GMO. About as clean-label as applesauce gets.
- Price point: Sold in a resealable 23 oz jar; also comes in 4 oz single-serve cup multipacks if portion control matters to you
Pros
- Cuts fat and calories dramatically versus any oil-based option.
- Adds natural sweetness, so you can dial back the sugar elsewhere in the batter.
- Shelf-stable until opened — no fridge space needed.
Cons
- Waffles come out softer, not crisp. That's just how it goes.
- Adds a mild apple flavor that doesn't belong in every recipe.
- Usually works better at 3/4 cup per 1 cup of butter, not a straight swap.
Best for: Low-fat eaters, parents cooking for picky kids, or anyone who's simply out of every oil in the house and needs a fix, fast.
8. Make Waffles Using Canned Coconut Milk
One can, two problems solved. Coconut milk carries both the liquid and the fat your batter needs, which means it's replacing butter and part of your milk at the same time.
Product pick: Thai Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk, 13.66 Fl Oz
Made from pressed, ripe coconut meat — dairy-free, gluten-free, and preservative-free, with a rich texture that works well in smoothies, sauces, and baked goods. Non-GMO and vegan, if you're checking boxes.
- Price point: Sold individually or in 6, 12, and 24-can multipacks — worth grabbing the multipack if you bake often
Pros
- Does double duty as your dairy-milk substitute too. One can, two problems solved.
- Adds richness plus a light coconut aroma, no separate oil needed.
- Shelf-stable in the can until you crack it open.
Cons
- Fat separates in the can — shake it well or you'll get a lumpy pour.
- Replaces both butter and some of your milk, so ratios need adjusting, not a straight fat swap.
- Coconut flavor is noticeable. Not subtle.
Best for: Fully dairy-free households looking to knock out both butter and cow's milk in a single ingredient.
9. Make Waffles Using Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin puree does what applesauce does, just with a fall twist — moisture, tenderness, plus fiber, color, and a subtle earthy sweetness that butter never gave you anyway.
Product pick: Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15 oz Can
Low in calories and fat, naturally gluten-free, non-GMO, high in vitamin A and fiber — and the brand flat out tells you to use it as a butter, oil, or egg replacement. Straight from the label, not a stretch.
- Price point: Available as a single 15 oz can or in 2, 3, 5, 12, and 24-count multipacks
Pros
- The manufacturer literally recommends this swap. Not guesswork.
- Fiber, vitamin A, and moisture, almost no added fat.
- Pairs beautifully with cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup.
Cons
- Turns your batter orange and adds real pumpkin flavor — great for fall, weird in July.
- Like applesauce, works better slightly under the full 1:1 amount.
Best for: Seasonal bakers making pumpkin-spice waffles who want less fat and more nutrition, same time.
10. Make Waffles Using Mashed Ripe Banana
One banana. That's it. Mash it up, and it hands your batter the moisture and sweetness butter used to bring — no shopping trip required.
Brand doesn't matter here at all. What matters is ripeness. You want it heavily speckled with brown, verging on "should I toss this?" territory. That's exactly the point where it works best — the browner, the better, honestly.
Pros
- Costs next to nothing. You probably already have one going brown on the counter.
- Adds natural sweetness — cut back the sugar elsewhere.
- A genuinely good use for bananas you were about to toss anyway.
Cons
- Tastes like banana. Obviously. Won't work for every flavor profile.
- Denser, more cake-like waffles — don't expect crisp edges here.
- Not something you can stock up on and forget about, unlike a can or bottle.
Best for: Kid-friendly breakfasts, naturally sweetened batters, or using up fruit that's already on its way out.
11. Make Waffles Using Plain Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt brings moisture, a little tang, and a real protein bump — and it strips out most of the fat a butter-based batter would normally carry.
Product pick: FAGE Total 2% Reduced Fat Plain Greek Yogurt, 16 oz
Two ingredients, basically: milk and live active cultures. Rich, creamy, only 2% fat. Non-GMO Project Verified. Nothing hiding in the ingredient list — what you see is what you get.
- Price: Comparable 32 oz FAGE Total containers run around $6.96; the 16 oz size costs proportionally less and is sold on Amazon as a single tub
Pros
- High in protein — your waffles end up more filling than a typical butter-based batch.
- Adds moisture and a light tang that plays well against sweet toppings.
- Comes in 0%, 2%, and 5% fat versions, so you control the richness.
Cons
- Needs refrigeration, unlike most of the shelf-stable options above.
- Can thicken batter more than expected — sometimes you'll need a splash of milk to loosen it back up.
- That tangy flavor isn't right for every recipe, especially delicate or savory ones.
Best for: High-protein, fitness-minded eaters who want a filling breakfast without butter's fat content dragging it down.
