Out of Butter, one case

Can you substitute lard for butter?

4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Lard

7/8 cup for every cup of butter

Yes, in pastry, biscuits, bread and frying. Use 7/8 cup lard for each cup of butter, which is 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons, because lard is 100% fat and butter is about 80%. Pie crust comes out flakier and biscuits more tender, but the butter flavor is gone. Lard is pork fat, so it is not vegetarian, kosher or halal.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Measure 7/8 cup per cup of butter (7 tbsp per stick). Chill it before cutting it into flour. If the recipe used salted butter, add about ¼ tsp salt per stick replaced.
Best for —: pie crust

One casethe full butter card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Butter substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup butter	Verdict
1	Lardpie crust	7/8 cupTweak it	Tweak it
2	Leaf lardsweet pie crust	7/8 cupTweak it	Tweak it
3	Shorteningpie crust and biscuits	1 cup + 2 tbsp waterTweak it	Tweak it
4	Stick margarinecreamed cakes and cookies	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Lard

neutral to faintly savory; no dairy flavor

Rendered pork fat, solid at room temperature and all fat, with no water and no milk solids. It makes larger, more distinct flakes in pastry than butter does and it tolerates more heat in a pan.

Best for: pie crust, biscuits and savory pastry, bread dough, tortillas and frying
Prep: Measure 7/8 cup per cup of butter (7 tbsp per stick). Chill it before cutting it into flour. If the recipe used salted butter, add about ¼ tsp salt per stick replaced.
Suits: dairy-free
Contains: pork
Where it fails: Buttercream, shortbread, butter sauces and butter on bread, where butter is the flavor. Cakes that rely on creamed butter: lard is softer and holds less air, so the crumb is tighter.

A dough may need 1 to 2 tbsp more water than the recipe says, because butter brought some water and lard brings none.

Leaf lard

clean and neutral

Lard rendered from the fat around the kidneys. It is the mildest and firmest lard and the one bakers choose for sweet pastry, because it has almost no pork flavor.

Best for: sweet pie crust, pastry where no savory note is wanted
Prep: Use it the same way as regular lard: 7/8 cup per cup of butter, kept cold.
Suits: dairy-free
Contains: pork
Where it fails: The same places as regular lard: frosting, shortbread and anything that should taste of butter.

Shortening

blank; no dairy flavor

The vegetarian fat that behaves most like lard: solid, all fat and neutral. Use it when lard is ruled out by diet.

Best for: pie crust and biscuits, cookies that should stay tall
Prep: Use the same amount as the butter and add 2 tbsp water or milk per cup.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Anything where butter is the flavor.

Stick margarine

cleaner and a little saltier, with less dairy flavor

For cakes, cookies and frosting, where lard is a poor fit, firm stick margarine at about 80% fat is the closer swap for butter.

Best for: creamed cakes and cookies, frosting, spreading
Prep: Use the stick, not a tub spread. Soften it for creaming.
Suits: vegetarian
Where it fails: Shortbread and buttercream still taste plainer than with butter.

Tips for substituting butter

5 tips

Lard for butter: 1 cup butter is 7/8 cup lard (¾ cup plus 2 tbsp), ½ cup (1 stick) is 7 tbsp, and 4 tbsp is 3 ½ tbsp.
Salted butter carries salt and lard has none. Add about ¼ tsp salt per stick of salted butter you replace.
For pie crust, cut cold lard into the flour until the pieces are the size of peas, then add ice water 1 tbsp at a time. Expect to need 1 to 2 tbsp more than with butter.
Lard softens quickly in warm hands. Chill the dough 30 minutes before rolling and again before baking.
In a pan, lard has no milk solids to burn, so it handles searing and frying heat that scorches butter. Use the same amount you would use of butter, by eye.

Questions

5 questions

Can I substitute lard for butter in pie crust?

Yes, and it is a traditional choice. Use 7/8 cup lard per cup of butter and keep it cold. The crust is flakier and more tender than an all-butter crust, with a plainer flavor. You may need 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water.

Can I substitute lard for butter in Cuban bread?

Yes. Traditional Cuban bread is made with lard, so this takes the loaf closer to the original. For a recipe that calls for 4 tablespoons of butter, use 3 ½ tablespoons of lard, melted or softened as the recipe directs.

Can I use lard instead of butter in cookies?

It works, with a change in the cookie. Use 7/8 cup per cup of butter. Lard cookies are tender, crumbly and pale, and they taste plain because the butter flavor is missing. For sweet cookies, leaf lard or a neutral supermarket lard is a better choice than home-rendered lard, which can taste of pork.

Does lard taste like pork in baking?

It depends on the lard. Leaf lard and most shelf-stable supermarket lard are close to neutral. Home-rendered lard and fat saved from cooking can carry a savory, roasted flavor that suits biscuits and savory pies but shows in a sweet bake.

Is lard a 1:1 substitute for butter?

Close, but use a little less: 7/8 cup per cup. Lard is all fat and butter is about 80% fat and 16 to 18% water. A cup-for-cup swap makes pastry greasy and cookies spread.