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Best Substitutes for Butter

A stick of butter on a wooden board surrounded by small bowls of margarine, coconut oil, olive oil, and applesauce, each labeled as a substitute option.
Photo by Monserrat Soldú on Pexels

  1. #1

    Margarine — 1:1

    Best for: Both baking and cooking

    Closest match in texture and fat content to butter, since it's designed to mimic it. Use stick margarine, not the tub spread kind, which has more water and can make baked goods spread too thin.

  2. #2

    Shortening — 1:1

    Best for: Pie crusts, cookies, and flaky biscuits

    Produces a more tender, less spreading result because it's 100% fat with no water. Baked goods will taste less rich since shortening has no dairy flavor, so add a pinch of salt if the recipe doesn't already call for one.

  3. #3

    Refined coconut oil — 1:1

    Best for: Dairy-free baking, especially cookies and quick breads

    Solid at room temperature like butter, so it creams and holds structure similarly. Use refined (not virgin) coconut oil unless a mild coconut flavor is welcome in the finished dish.

  4. #4

    Vegetable or canola oil — 3/4 cup oil per 1 cup butter

    Best for: Muffins, quick breads, and sautéing

    Oil has no water content, so use slightly less than the butter amount to avoid greasy results. Baked goods come out moist and dense but won't have the flaky layers butter creates in pastry.

  5. #5

    Ghee — 1:1

    Best for: Sautéing, roasting, and rich baked goods

    Ghee is butter with the milk solids and water cooked out, so it has a more concentrated, nutty flavor and a higher smoke point, making it especially good for pan-searing.

  6. #6

    Unsweetened applesauce — Replace half the butter with an equal amount of applesauce

    Best for: Lower-fat muffins and cakes

    Cuts fat and adds moisture, but baked goods will be denser and less rich. Replacing all the butter with applesauce usually makes the crumb gummy, so keep at least half the original butter.

For sautéing, roasting, or finishing a sauce, oil, ghee, or margarine swap in easily because the fat's only job is to carry heat and flavor. In baking, butter also controls structure and moisture, so oil-based substitutes tend to make cakes and cookies denser and less flaky, while solid-fat substitutes like margarine, shortening, or coconut oil hold up closest to the original texture.

FAQ

Can I substitute oil for butter in cookies?

Yes, but use about 3/4 cup oil per 1 cup butter, and expect a denser, chewier cookie since oil can't trap air the way creamed butter does.

What's the best butter substitute for someone who is dairy-free?

Refined coconut oil or a dairy-free stick margarine works best in baking because both stay solid at room temperature, which margarine spreads and tub-style substitutes usually can't match.

Does using margarine instead of butter change how cookies spread?

Tub margarine has more water and air whipped in than stick margarine, which can make cookies spread thinner and bake flatter, so stick margarine is the safer swap.

Can applesauce replace all the butter in a recipe?

Replacing all the butter usually makes baked goods gummy and dense; replacing half the butter with applesauce keeps enough fat for a normal texture while cutting calories.