Butter substitute

Margarine or shortening swaps 1:1 for butter in most baking. In recipes that use melted butter, use about 3/4 cup oil for each 1 cup of butter.

6 options, scored for what you are making · Checked

Out of butter mid-recipe?

Tell Sous Chef what you are missing. It swaps the ingredient and rewrites the steps that use it, and keeps your original recipe.

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What are you making?

  1. Margarine

    Works

    1 cup stick margarine

    For this dish: Cookies spread less and taste less buttery.

    How: Swap cup for cup. Use stick margarine, not soft tub spread.

    What changes: Cookies spread less, and everything tastes less buttery.

    Contains milk, soy.

  2. Vegetable shortening

    Works

    1 cup vegetable shortening

    For this dish: Tall cookies with less spread but little flavor.

    How: Swap cup for cup. For cookies and pie crust, replacing only half the butter gives better flavor.

    What changes: Taller cookies with less spread, and no butter flavor.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  3. Coconut oil (solid)

    Works

    1 cup coconut oil

    For this dish: Works, with a slight coconut taste.

    How: Swap cup for cup. Use refined coconut oil for a more neutral flavor.

    What changes: Large amounts can add a coconut flavor, especially with unrefined oil.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  4. Applesauce + butter (replaces half)

    Works

    ½ cup unsweetened applesauce and ½ cup butter

    For this dish: Cookies come out softer and more cake-like.

    How: Replace half the butter with unsweetened applesauce. Some cooks replace all of it, but baked goods can taste dry without some fat.

    What changes: Moister, denser and lower in fat.

    Contains milk.

  5. Greek yogurt + butter (replaces half)

    Works

    ¼ cup whole milk Greek yogurt and ½ cup butter

    For this dish: Soft, slightly cakey cookies.

    How: One source uses 1/2 cup Greek yogurt in place of 1 cup butter. Replacing half the butter at that rate means 1/4 cup yogurt plus 1/2 cup butter.

    What changes: Softer, tangier baked goods with less fat.

    Contains milk.

  6. Oil (vegetable, canola or mild olive)

    Avoid

    ¾ cup oil

    For this dish: Oil cannot be creamed with sugar to trap air or hold cookie structure.

    How: Use only where the butter is melted or whisked in, not creamed or cut in. Use 3/4 cup oil for each cup of butter.

    What changes: Oil is all fat while butter has water, so less is used to avoid a greasy result. Sources range from 3/4 to 7/8 cup per cup; 3/4 is the most common. Expect a moist, soft crumb that is less buttery.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

Scores are our editorial judgement from the sources below, not lab tests.

What butter does in a recipe

Butter adds fat, flavor, and about 16 to 18 percent water. Creamed with sugar it traps air, and cold it makes flaky layers. A substitute has to match the fat, and whether it is solid or liquid decides which recipes it can work in.

Swap it in your recipe with Sous Chef

A substitution is more than one ingredient line. The steps that use it change too. Sous Chef edits both on a working copy of your recipe, so the original is always one tap away.

You ask Sous Chef

"I don't have butter."

Sous Chef edits the recipe

1 cup butter
1 cup stick margarine
Added to the steps: Swap cup for cup. Use stick margarine, not soft tub spread.
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When not to substitute

Do not use oil in recipes that start by creaming butter with sugar, or in pastry that needs cold solid butter. Oil cannot trap air or form flaky layers.

Common questions

Can I use oil instead of butter in baking?

Yes, in recipes that use melted butter. Use about 3/4 cup oil per cup of butter. Do not use it where butter is creamed with sugar or cut into flour for pastry.

Can I use margarine instead of butter?

Yes, 1:1. Use stick margarine. Cookies spread less and taste less buttery.

Can I use applesauce instead of butter?

Partly. Replace half the butter with unsweetened applesauce to start. It adds moisture but no fat, so results are denser.

How much oil replaces a stick of butter?

A stick is 8 tablespoons of butter, so use about 6 tablespoons of oil.

Related

Sources

Cook with what you have.

Import any recipe into Sous Chef and ask for the swap. It rewrites the ingredient list and the steps, and never loses the original. Free on iPhone.

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