Substitute for Butter

Butter is at least 80% milk fat by US law, and the rest is mostly water plus a little protein and milk sugar. Each part matters. The fat tenderizes and carries flavor; when butter is creamed with sugar, its solid fat traps the air that lightens cakes and cookies. In pastry, the water turns to steam and pushes layers apart. The milk solids brown and give butter its taste. Whether the recipe uses butter solid, softened or melted decides the substitute.

Why most swaps use less

Pure fats such as oil, shortening, lard, coconut oil and ghee contain no water, so a cup of them holds more fat than a cup of butter. King Arthur Baking lists a cup of butter at 227 g and a cup of vegetable oil at 198 g. At 80% fat, that cup of butter carries about 182 g of fat, close to what ⅞ cup of oil holds. Mississippi State University Extension gives the same ⅞-cup figure for lard, and ⅞ to 1 cup for shortening, each with ½ teaspoon of salt.

Creamed cakes and cookies

When a recipe beats softened butter with sugar, use a fat that is solid at room temperature: plant butter sticks first, then shortening or coconut oil. Shortening cookies stay thicker and paler; coconut oil cookies spread fast if the dough is warm, so chill it for 30 minutes. In both cases a tablespoon or two of milk added to the dough replaces butter’s missing water if it seems stiff.

Pastry and biscuits

Pie crust and biscuits need cold, solid fat in pieces. Lard and shortening both give flakier, more tender results than butter but weaker flavor. A half-and-half mix of shortening and plant butter balances flakiness and taste. Keep the fat cold, since it softens faster than butter.

Melted butter and cooking

Muffins, brownies and quick breads that call for melted butter take oil easily. For sautéing and roasting, oil and ghee both handle more heat than butter, because butter’s milk solids scorch first.

When not to substitute

Butter is the main flavor in shortbread, croissants, puff pastry, beurre blanc and buttercream. Swaps in shortbread give a crumbly, bland biscuit, and laminated dough made with anything other than plant butter sticks rarely holds distinct layers. For a dairy allergy, check that plant butters are certified dairy-free; some contain buttermilk or whey.

Common mistakes

• Using tub spread for baking. Its extra water makes cookies flat and greasy and pie crust soggy.
• Creaming melted coconut oil. It cannot hold air once liquid, so cakes come out dense.
• Forgetting the salt. Unsalted fats replacing salted butter leave bread, cookies and crusts tasting flat.
• Swapping oil into creamed recipes. Liquid fat cannot trap air, so the cake rises poorly and the cookies spread into puddles.