Substitute for Olive Oil

Olive oil plays two different roles. Cooked, it is a fat for searing, roasting and baking, and almost any other oil does the job. Raw, as extra-virgin oil on bread, salads, soup or burrata, it is a flavoring with a fruity, bitter and peppery taste, and nothing else matches it. Decide which role the recipe needs before picking a swap.

Cooking

For sautéing, roasting vegetables and pan-frying, use a neutral oil or avocado oil in the same amount. Both handle heat at least as well as olive oil. When a recipe specifies extra-virgin for a long braise or a sofrito, use a neutral oil and finish the dish with a spoonful of any flavorful fat you have, since the aroma of olive oil fades with long cooking anyway.

Butter suits roast potatoes, fish and garlic bread, where its flavor is welcome. Keep the heat moderate, or mix it half and half with oil so the milk solids don’t scorch.

Baking

Olive oil cakes, focaccia and some quick breads use olive oil as their liquid fat. Neutral oil keeps the same moist texture. Melted butter works but makes the cake richer and firmer once chilled. In focaccia, the oil in the pan fries the bottom crust, so a neutral oil still gives a crisp base; only the taste changes.

Raw dishes and finishing

Vinaigrettes, pesto, hummus and finishing drizzles are where swaps fall short. Avocado oil gives the right smooth texture. Adding a little walnut oil to a neutral oil brings back flavor in a dressing. A pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon also help a neutral-oil dressing taste less flat.

When not to substitute

In dishes built on the taste of extra-virgin olive oil, such as bread for dipping, pa amb tomàquet, Spanish gazpacho, aglio e olio and Greek salads, a neutral oil leaves them tasting empty. Buy a small bottle of extra-virgin oil instead.

Common mistakes

• Using walnut or sesame oil for cooking in place of olive oil. Toasted and nut oils burn and turn bitter over heat.
• Assuming light olive oil has fewer calories. It has the same fat content; only the flavor is lighter.
• Searing with butter alone. Its milk solids blacken before the pan is hot enough to brown meat.
• Chilling a dressing made with a solid fat. Coconut oil or butter dressings set hard in the fridge.