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

FAQs

What happens when you replace oil with 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.

Because it browns easily and can burn when cooked at high temperatures, butter is usually unsuitable for dishes that require a high cooking temperature. Instead, cooking oils are the best option and there are a variety of choices available from peanut oil, to avocado oil, vegetable oil and olive oil.

Replacing Oil with Butter

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.)

Unsweetened applesauce, mashed fruit, or pureed fruit such as bananas, pears, and prunes may be substituted for vegetable oil in baked goods. You can substitute cup for cup.

Bottom line: Olive, canola and safflower oils are healthier choices overall than butter and most margarines. Use them as replacements for butter and margarine in most of your cooking, but watch the amounts – those fat calories can add up fast.

Despite some widespread beliefs, oil cakes are not inferior to butter cakes. Here's why. The texture of cakes made with oil is—in general—superior to the texture of cakes made with butter. Oil cakes tend to bake up loftier with a more even crumb and stay moist and tender far longer than cakes made with butter.

To convert butter to oil, you'll want to use a 3:4 ratio instead — this means one equal part of oil equates to ¾ butter. Example: If a recipe calls for 2/3 cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of oil instead.

Milk: Use whole milk, 2% milk, or your favorite alternative milk to add moisture and help create the perfect batter consistency. Oil: A neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, keeps the cornbread nice and moist.

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.

For example, if a recipe calls for one cup oil, use ½ cup applesauce and ½ cup oil. Bananas: As a substitute for oil (vegetable or other) called for in a baking recipe, swap in mashed bananas for half the oil called for. Pureed or baby-food pears: This convenient product also makes a good substitute for oil in baking.

What can I use in a recipe if I don't have oil? ›

Can I replace butter with oil? Yes.. and the ratio is 1:1.. so if it calls for 1 cup of oil, then you can use 1 cup of butter. This should work with most oils, olive, vegetable, canola and coconut, etc. So if the recipe says 3/4th cup of canola oil, you can just melt 3/4th cup of butter.

You can make fried foods a little lighter by frying in canola or vegetable oil. But for browning and flavor, butter is usually the first choice. Frying foods in butter can pose a challenge, however, because butter has a low smoke point and can burn quickly, which can ruin your dish.

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.

There is, however, an advantage to cooking with a mixture of oil and butter. Though the milk proteins will still burn, if you cut the butter with oil, they'll at least be diluted, meaning that you won't have as much blackened flavor in that mix.