{"schema":"askedwell-earned-page-v1","url":"https://askedwell.com/pages/what-substitute-for/butter","question":"What can I substitute for butter in baking?","short_answer":"Best butter substitutes: olive oil (use 3/4 the amount, reduce liquid) · coconut oil (1:1) · Greek yogurt (1:1 for moister result) · vegetable shortening (1:1, flakier in pies) · applesauce (1:1 for healthier cookies). Choice depends on recipe role.","long_answer":"Butter serves multiple roles in baking: fat content (richness + tenderness), flavor (creamy notes), structure (in pie crusts + cookies through creaming), and browning (in cooking applications). Different substitutes excel at different roles.\n\n**Butter substitutes ranked by application:**\n\n**For cookies + tender baked goods:**\n\n**1. Coconut oil (refined or unrefined):**\n- **Ratio**: 1:1 by volume (or 0.85x by weight — coconut oil is denser)\n- Refined = neutral flavor; unrefined = coconut notes\n- Best for: chocolate chip cookies, brownies, vegan baking\n- Result: 95% like butter texture\n\n**2. Vegetable shortening (Crisco):**\n- **Ratio**: 1:1 by weight\n- Flakier in pie crusts; tenderer in cookies\n- Best for: pie dough, biscuits, scones, traditional American baking\n- Texture: lighter, no butter flavor\n- Result: 90% like butter (no creaminess, but works)\n\n**3. Margarine:**\n- **Ratio**: 1:1 by weight\n- Works similar to butter in cookies + cakes\n- Lower fat content can affect tenderness\n- Result: 90% like butter; texture differs slightly\n\n**For oils:**\n\n**4. Olive oil:**\n- **Ratio**: Use 3/4 the amount called for in butter (1 cup butter → 3/4 cup olive oil)\n- Reduce other liquids by 1-2 tablespoons\n- Best for: rustic cakes, savory baking, Mediterranean recipes\n- Flavor: olive oil character; not for delicate cakes\n- Result: 75-85% like butter; different mouthfeel\n\n**5. Vegetable/canola/sunflower oil:**\n- **Ratio**: 3/4 of butter amount\n- Neutral flavor (better for most recipes than olive oil)\n- Best for: moist cakes, quick breads, brownies\n- Result: 80-90% like butter; cakes are moister\n\n**For health-focused substitutes:**\n\n**6. Greek yogurt:**\n- **Ratio**: 1:1 with butter\n- Reduces fat content significantly\n- Best for: muffins, quick breads, cakes\n- Result: moister + tangier; works for many recipes\n\n**7. Applesauce:**\n- **Ratio**: 1:1 with butter (replaces fat with moisture)\n- Significantly reduces calories\n- Best for: cookies, brownies, quick breads\n- Result: 70% like butter; moister, denser, less tender\n\n**8. Mashed banana:**\n- **Ratio**: 1:1 with butter\n- Adds banana flavor + sweetness\n- Best for: banana bread, oatmeal cookies, sweet baking\n- Result: distinct banana notes; works in some recipes only\n\n**9. Avocado mash:**\n- **Ratio**: 1:1 with butter\n- Neutral when ripe, no avocado flavor in finished baking\n- Best for: brownies, dense cakes\n- Result: 80% like butter; rich, dense\n\n**By recipe outcome:**\n\n**Pie crust + tart shell:**\n- Best substitutes: shortening (flakier), coconut oil (use cold)\n- Avoid: oils, yogurt, applesauce (won't form proper layers)\n\n**Layered pastries (croissant, puff pastry):**\n- Best: real butter (substitutes don't laminate properly)\n- Coconut oil works partially but not for highest-quality result\n\n**Cookies (chewy/soft):**\n- Best substitutes: 1:1 coconut oil, shortening, or margarine\n- Texture similar; flavor differs\n\n**Cookies (crispy):**\n- Best substitutes: shortening, vegetable oil\n- Real butter is best; substitutes produce different crisp profile\n\n**Cake:**\n- Best substitutes: vegetable oil (moister), Greek yogurt (lighter + moister), or 1:1 coconut oil\n- Some cakes (chocolate, carrot) take well to oil; butter-creamed cakes need real butter\n\n**Brownies:**\n- Best substitutes: coconut oil 1:1, vegetable oil 3/4\n- Vegan: use coconut oil or replace with melted vegan butter\n\n**Quick breads + muffins:**\n- Best substitutes: oil, Greek yogurt, applesauce\n- Often these are oil-based to begin with\n\n**By specific application:**\n\n**For browned butter (beurre noisette) flavor:**\n- No good substitute — that nutty flavor is unique to butter\n- Vegan brown-butter substitute: vegan butter heated until brown bits form (similar but not identical)\n\n**For finishing dishes (toasted butter on top):**\n- Best: clarified butter (ghee) — same flavor without water content\n- Olive oil for non-butter-flavor finishing\n- No substitute fully replicates butter's drizzle character\n\n**For frying eggs / pan butter:**\n- Olive oil + slight butter flavor (ghee mixed with olive oil)\n- Vegan butter alternatives work\n\n**Don't:**\n- Substitute oil 1:1 for butter (oil is 100% fat; butter is ~80% fat + 18% water + 1% protein/solids)\n- Use mayo as butter substitute (different chemistry, weird flavor in baking)\n- Use straight olive oil in delicate desserts (overwhelms flavor)\n- Substitute in croissant or laminated dough recipes (lamination requires butter's specific plasticity)\n\n**Cross-reference:** see /pages/what-substitute-for/eggs-baking for related vegan baking + /pages/how-long-does/croissant-lamination for why butter can't be substituted in laminated dough.\n\nMost published references (King Arthur Baking, America's Test Kitchen, J. Kenji López-Alt, Joy of Cooking) converge on coconut oil + vegetable shortening as the most versatile butter substitutes for home baking.","duration_iso":"PT0M","ranges":[{"condition":"Coconut oil (cookies, baking)","duration":"1:1 by volume (0.85x by weight)"},{"condition":"Olive/vegetable oil (cakes, muffins)","duration":"3/4 the butter amount (reduce liquid)"},{"condition":"Greek yogurt (moister cakes)","duration":"1:1 by weight"},{"condition":"Vegetable shortening (pie crusts)","duration":"1:1 by weight, flakier"},{"condition":"Applesauce (lower-calorie cookies)","duration":"1:1 by weight (moister, less tender)"}],"variables":[{"name":"Recipe type","effect":"Pie crust needs solid fat (shortening, coconut oil); cakes flexible to oils; cookies adapt to most"},{"name":"Flavor sensitivity","effect":"Vanilla-forward recipes: use neutral substitutes; rustic/savory: olive oil works"},{"name":"Moisture content","effect":"Oils 100% fat; butter 80% fat + 18% water — adjust liquid when substituting"},{"name":"Application","effect":"Laminated doughs (croissant, puff): butter only. Cookies, cakes: many substitutes work"}],"sources":[{"label":"King Arthur Baking butter substitutes guide","url":"https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2018/04/13/butter-substitute-baking","note":"Authoritative home-baker reference for substitutions"},{"label":"America's Test Kitchen, \"The Science of Good Cooking\"","note":"Tested butter substitutes across cookies, cakes, pies"},{"label":"J. Kenji López-Alt, Serious Eats","url":"https://www.seriouseats.com/butter-substitutes-baking","note":"Modern home reference with extensive testing"},{"label":"The Joy of Cooking","note":"Standard home reference with butter substitute formulas + variations"}],"faq":[{"question":"Can I use olive oil instead of butter in any recipe?","answer":"Not in all recipes. Olive oil works well in rustic cakes, muffins, quick breads. Doesn't work in: cookies that need creaming (butter + sugar), pie crusts (need solid fat), laminated doughs. For neutral flavor: use vegetable/canola oil instead."},{"question":"How much butter substitute do I use compared to real butter?","answer":"1:1 for solid substitutes (coconut oil, shortening, margarine). For liquid oils: use 3/4 the amount and reduce other liquids by 1-2 tablespoons (oil is denser + 100% fat vs butter's 80% fat)."},{"question":"What's the best butter substitute for vegan baking?","answer":"Vegan butter sticks (Earth Balance, Country Crock plant) are designed for baking and work 1:1. For DIY: refined coconut oil + 1/4 tsp vegan vanilla extract approximates butter flavor. For lower-calorie vegan: mashed banana or applesauce in cookies/quick breads."}],"keywords":["butter substitute baking","no butter baking","vegan butter","coconut oil butter","butter alternative","oil for butter"],"category":"baking","date_published":"2026-05-20","date_modified":"2026-05-20","license":"CC-BY-4.0","attribution":"https://askedwell.com"}