Can You Substitute Butter for Oil? How & When To Do | Blue Apron (2024)

Can You Substitute Butter for Oil? How & When To Do | Blue Apron (1)

Let’s chat about fat. Whether you’re making a stir-fry or a birthday cake, fat plays an essential role in the flavor and texture of your dish. You can’t skip the fat, but in most cases, you can substitute. If you’re halfway through cooking before you realize that your olive oil container is empty, don’t panic. Here’s everything you need to know to substitute butter for oil in baking or cooking.

In all cases, butter and oil should be substituted with a 1:1 ratio. Melting the butter before measuring can help you get an accurate measurement. There are a few factors you need to consider when substituting butter for oil.

Can You Substitute Butter for Oil? How & When To Do | Blue Apron (2)

Substitute butter for oil in cooking

Before substituting butter for oil, consider your cooking method. Butter has a lower heat tolerance than most oils. Butter contains milk solids in addition to fat, and those solids can burn at a high temperature. If you’re planning to pan-sear or use another high-heat technique, try clarifying your butter before cooking. This process removes milk solids to create clarified butter, also known as ghee, which won’t burn as easily.

In addition to fat, butter has some water content. In sautéing, this will generate steam. The presence of water leads to a softer texture, which may be desirable in some instances, but less so in others. No one likes a soggy stir fry.

Luckily, there’s an easy solution. To sauté vegetables in butter, just let the water cook away before adding the vegetables. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, and allow it to bubble and steam for about a minute before adding your vegetables. Watch carefully to make sure the butter isn’t browning.

Butter substitute for baking

When it comes to baking, substituting butter for oil is simple. Most cake mixes call for oil, but butter will bring in amazing flavor. To substitute butter for oil in baking just melt the butter, measure it, let it cool, and add it as you would the oil. Compared to oil, butter will create a cake with a firmer, cakeier texture.

Can You Use Butter Instead of Vegetable Oil?

This is the fun part. You’re allowed to choose the fat in your recipe based solely on flavor. The milk solids in butter create a flavor that’s hard to beat. It brings a little extra deliciousness to almost any recipe. If you don’t eat dairy, or you’re just looking for a different flavor, you can also substitute oil for butter in most recipes, but it’s important to keep flavor in mind.

Olive oil and canola oil are the most popular oils in American kitchens, but there’s a wide variety to consider for cooking and baking. Think beyond canola oil, which can have a slightly bitter flavor. Avocado, sesame, and grapeseed oil are all good options for baking. Olive oil can make rich delicious cakes, but it has a strong flavor. That can be a good thing, but if you’re choosing olive oil be sure that you want to feature that flavor in your cake.

Check out our guide to cooking oils for more ideas for butter substitutions.

Can You Substitute Butter for Oil? How & When To Do | Blue Apron (2024)

FAQs

When baking can you substitute butter for oil? ›

It couldn't be easier to substitute butter for oil using a 1:1 ratio. This should work with olive, canola, vegetable, and coconut oils. Simply melt and cool the butter to room temperature, then continue with your recipe. (If the recipe calls for ½ cup oil, use ½ cup melted and cooled butter.)

When should you use butter or oil? ›

Chefs love to make savory dishes with butter, but at home, you may want to stick to oil when preparing your pan for sautéeing and cooking. Butter can easily brown and even burn if you're cooking at high heat, which may be the case when searing a piece of meat, sautéeing vegetables, or cooking down leafy greens.

When making a box cake can you substitute the oil for butter? ›

Most cake mixes call for oil, but butter will bring in amazing flavor. To substitute butter for oil in baking just melt the butter, measure it, let it cool, and add it as you would the oil. Compared to oil, butter will create a cake with a firmer, cakeier texture.

How do you measure oil instead of butter? ›

Example: If a recipe calls for 2/3 cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of oil instead. However, this is only if you're using vegetable, canola or olive oil. If you're replacing butter with coconut oil, you can use a 1:1 ratio.

Is it better to bake with oil or butter? ›

The spongy texture and moist flavor that oil creates can be a boon to certain recipes. Not to mention oil is cheaper and easier to work with. Butter will always provide superior flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. In many recipes, combining the two gives the best of both worlds.

How many sticks of butter is 1 cup? ›

2 sticks

Is it better to fry eggs in oil or butter? ›

Butter will heat more quickly and can have a tendency to burn, but it will enhance the flavor of the eggs. Oil has a higher smoke point and can cook your eggs at low temperatures giving them that perfect white color.

Why do people use butter instead of oil? ›

Butter is considered a solid fat because it is solid at room temperature and oil is considered a liquid fat because it's liquid at room temperature. Because of this, you can't rely on oil to provide any leavening help in baked goods, which can result in a denser texture.

Can I use butter instead of oil in Duncan Hines cake mix? ›

Just replace the oil with an equal amount of melted butter, and you'll get a drastically better cake with a more complex flavor.

Are muffins better with oil or butter? ›

It is possible to replace oil with butter in a muffin recipe as generally most muffin recipes are quite forgiving and you may find that butter gives a better flavour.

Can I use applesauce instead of oil? ›

Applesauce is a 1:1 replacement for oil, so if your recipe calls for half a cup of oil, use half a cup of applesauce instead. If you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and out of oil, use applesauce instead! This trick works in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and any kind of sweet baked good.

What is the equivalent of 1 stick of butter to oil? ›

For example, if a recipe calls for one stick of butter (8 tablespoons), use 6 tablespoons of oil.

Can I use both butter and oil in cake? ›

A blend of these two ingredients gives the cake the best possible flavor and texture. Butter provides flavor while oil adds moisture and keeps it from being too dry. A cake made with all oil would be moist but lacking in flavor, and an all-butter cake may have a more buttery taste, but would be more dry.

Is one stick of butter equal to 1 2 cup of oil? ›

How much vegetable oil equals one 1 stick of butter? One stick of butter equals about 93.75 ml or 6 tablespoons of liquid vegetable oil. For one part of butter, we need 3/4 of an equal part oil.

Is it better to use vegetable oil or butter in cookies? ›

Due to its liquid nature, using oil in cookies typically results in a denser texture. Also, because oil is 100% fat, it doesn't react with flour the way butter does (butter contains water). Because of that, your cookies won't be as fluffy. If you're a fan of flat cookies, then using oil is an excellent option.

Can you substitute butter for oil in boxed brownie mix? ›

You can absolutely substitute butter for the vegetable oil. Use the same quantity specified in the directions (for example, if it calls for 1/3 cup of oil, use 5 1/3 tablespoons of butter). Melt it down, then let it cool a bit. You might not ever go back to oil!

What can you replace oil with in baking? ›

  • Melted Butter.
  • Avocado.
  • Unsweetened Applesauce.
  • Greek Yogurt.
  • Shortening.
  • Coconut Oil.
  • Bacon Grease.
  • Nut Butters.
Nov 3, 2023

Is cooking with butter healthier than oil? ›

Oil has less saturated fat than butter does which makes it a healthier choice if you are looking for something lower in calories and fat content. Additionally, oils such as olive oil contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that help reduce inflammation in your body.

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