The thought of cooking without oil can be a little mind-bending if you haven’t done it. The mere suggestion to chuck the oil from the kitchen (and the body) usually elicits the responses, “What do you mean?” and “Why?” Because most of us have never heard that oil was harmful to health and because we have consumed it nearly every day of our lives, it can be hard to fathom living without it.
“But what about olive oil?” Whether it is olive oil, canola, corn, flax or any other kind of oil, as a category, oil has some major negatives going for it. For one, oil is very high in calories, about 120 per tablespoon; compare this to maple syrup (52), balsamic vinegar (14), soy milk (8), vegetable broth (2), and water (0).
For the whole scoop on why oil is not healthy, see E2’s “Big Oil” post. Basically, we want to consume fats that are still in their natural packaging—in the whole food—not fats that have been overly processed into an oil, a substance that our body, given the choice, would say “No thank you” to. Here are a few suggestions that will help you to enjoy your food without the use of oil:
Vegetables: When you are sautéing vegetables on the stovetop, simply replace the oil you normally use with water or vegetable broth. You can use other liquids too, but these are the most common oil replacements for sautéing. Vegetables naturally have a lot of water in them, which releases when they are cooked, so this is why we only need to add a small amount of water or broth. Just keep an eye on your pan so that your vegetables don’t stick; I keep a glass of water nearby so I’m ready.
Your food can quickly stick or burn if all the water cooks off and you are not paying attention. When sautéing vegetables like onions, celery, mushrooms, and bell peppers, heat up your skillet or pot (non-stick or stainless steel) with a couple tablespoons of water in the bottom, and when it starts to crackle, add the vegetables, keeping them moving with a wooden spoons for a few minutes until they soften. Sautéing allows the natural sugars to release and intensify. The nice thing about sautéing in water or broth is that you end up tasting more of the food instead of the oil.
If you are roasting or baking vegetables, you also do not need to use oil. We have been taught that we need to first coat chopped vegetables, French fries, tofu, tempeh, etc. in oil, or in an oil-based marinade, but the oil is simply not necessary. These foods will still cook, and if left in long enough, they will lightly brown. Depending on what you are baking, a little crispiness can be achieved if that is your goal (with something like fries).
Baked Goods: Oil can be replaced in many different ways for baked goods. Oil gives baked goodies a rich taste and also acts as an emulsifier and softener. Instead of oil, use other moist foods, such as bananas, apples/applesauce, soaked dried fruit (like raisins or prunes), dates and tofu. In my cornbread recipe, I use cooked quinoa and banana to provide moistness instead of oil. It takes a bit of practice to determine how much banana, for example, replaces the amount of oil called for in a recipe, but if you keep notes as you go, you can adjust as needed next time. If you don’t want to figure out your own oil conversions in recipes, check out the “Big Oil” post mentioned above to find many plant-based recipe sites that do not use oil.
In preparing your pans for baking cakes, breads, or cookies, you can use parchment paper instead of oil. Parchment is a silicone-coated paper that nothing sticks to and it is disposable. (It’s different than wax paper but is found close to it in your grocery store.) Or you can use silicone bakeware, which is food-grade and safe to use; bread and cupcakes just pop right out of loaf and muffin pans. Silicone baking mats are also available; these are useful for flat baking (cookies and also for roasting vegetables). Both the silicone bakeware and the mats are washable and reusable.
Salad Dressing: For salad dressings, if I am following a recipe, I will simply omit the oil altogether and leave it at that, or then add a little water or juice to make up for the lost volume. Oil and vinegar as a dressing is so traditional, it may be hard to imagine a salad without the oil, but I think you may grow to appreciate the cleaner, fresher taste of the vegetables and greens without the slipperiness.
For quick homemade dressings without oil I like to use prepared mustard, vinegar, water, or juice (lemon, grapefruit, lime, apple, carrot, celery), and if I will be making a blended dressing, I’ll add in some soft fruits or vegetables, such as strawberries, cucumbers, or mango. For creamy dressings, a little tofu, avocado or soaked nuts may be added, however go light on these since these are much higher in calories than vegetables and fruits. A tablespoon or two of minced fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley) are also a tasty addition to homemade salad dressings.
If you’re interested in seeing how oil is made, check out this three-minute video from Science TV’s, “How It’s Made” (
It will take a little time for your taste buds to adjust to no oil, maybe a couple weeks to a month; but give those buds time, they will come around. As someone who does not cook with oil at all nowadays, when I do have a little, it tastes, and feels, somewhat overwhelming, and I don’t care for it. Cheers to you for bidding goodbye to oil! If you have a tip or suggestion for substituting oil, please share it below.
Prune puree (3 parts water, 1 part prunes blended) works great in baking. One to one conversion. White beans pureed (with or without their juice) work great in dressings, sauces, and no-bake desserts.
Hmm. . . . Never heard of using the white beans as an oil replacement, but I’ll try that. I’ve used them in plenty of other unexpected places (this morning, in pancakes!) but not in sauces.’
Thank you so much for this!
Question for Rebekah- wouldn’t the prune puree color the baking, making everything brown?
I’ve done the prune conversion frequently (and also keep a few jars of baby food/pureed prunes when in a real hurry) but haven’t tried using white beans in no-bake desserts yet. Thanks for the suggestion!
Very interesting, for the most part I agree… what are your thoughts on coconut oil? Not sure I could let go of that!
Christa, I’ve never used it. I’ve been oil-free for too long now, so when I do get a little I don’t like it; too greasy tasting on my food. Also too high-fat for my tastes.
I just discovered this from the Engine 2 guys. When they first said I could put onion and garlic in a pan and sautee it in its own juices, I didn’t believe it. But I tried it and it worked perfectly! I don’t know that I’ll NEVER use oil, but I’m sure I’ll be using much less of it.
I tried several times to sautee with water and the result was no good. First of all the non stick pans cannot tollerate the high heat so it is unhealthy to sautee using non stick pans. if I use water a little at the time the onions become more steamed than sautee and they don’t caramalize. If i dont use enough water they burn, very frustrating . I did the plant only diet for two months , then I modified it because I was tired to toss away so much food!
Hi Miri, true, you don’t get carmalization with water (you get steamed onions). If I want to carmelize first, I put the onions in a pan (non-stick or stainless) without any water at all, and I just keep moving them around with a wooden spoon. After they have started to brown and carmelize then I will add a little water to keep them from sticking. Then I add my veggies and add more water. Using good quality pans help too.
My wife and I used to argue about using oil in cooking, she’s the oil free person. Recently I started a mixed greens, mushroom, etc dish in a big electric fry pan by sauteing the onions mushrooms and garlic in water. The results were so good that I’ve come around!!! No more PAM for me!
Yay Sid! Yes, a little water works great (not too much), and our taste buds will soon love this combo and not the oil so much.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve never really encountered the perspective that oils aren’t healthy (I thought it had to do with the quality and quantity) so I have something new to thank about.
Also, thanks for sharing the video on how canola oil is made. I can’t believe all of the steps, especially the superficial ones, like making the colour lighter… Definitely not appetizing!
To replace the oil and to get the dressing to cling to the leaves and salad, I use a little bit of Xantham gum usually no more than 1/4 to 1/2 tsp for a blender of dressing. If you aren’t careful, it can get gummy.and too thick real easy. I try and use the best quality vinegars I can find and afford along with a couple cloves of garlic, a bit of healthy ketchup (if there is such a thing) some water, and sometimes I add different herbs. But I find most of the kind the herbs aren’t necessary to achieve a great flavor with this dressing. Mary McDougall has published the recipe I use in the Starch Solution (No Oil Balsamic Dressing) and it was also in one of her Newsletter recipes. Hope your readers try it and enjoy it. If you want a good balsamic dressing with no oil, I think this is one of the best. It is an adaptation from the dressing my grandmother gave me only she used oil of course.
I am a 60ish wife learning to cook without oil and refined sugars. I have never used much oil or sugar in my cooking. It will be interesting to see our lab results next time we visit the Dr. I will keep you posted.
Hi Lynne, yes! Let me know how it goes.
I have found that sauteing in mushroom broth gives veggies a nice, rich flavor.
very nice i will try this idea.