Out of Butter, one case

How to substitute oil for butter in baking

4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Vegetable or canola oil

¾ cup for every cup of butter

Use ¾ cup of neutral oil for each cup of butter, or 6 tablespoons for a stick. Butter is about 80% fat and the rest is water, so a cup-for-cup swap makes a greasy bake. Oil works where the recipe melts the butter or just stirs it in. It does not work where butter is creamed with sugar, rubbed into flour or folded into layers.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Use ¾ cup per cup of butter and add ¼ tsp salt per stick (½ cup) replaced if the recipe used salted butter.
Best for —: boxed and scratch cakes that call for melted butter
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full butter card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Butter substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup butter	Verdict
1	Vegetable or canola oilboxed and scratch cakes that call for melted butter	¾ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	Light or mild olive oilchocolate cake and brownies	¾ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Refined coconut oilcookies and bars	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
4	Gheebrownies and blondies	¾ cupTweak it	Tweak it

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Vegetable or canola oil

no butter flavor; the crumb is moister and a little denser

Neutral oil gives the fat without the water or the flavor. Cakes and quick breads made with it stay soft for days because oil is liquid at room temperature.

Best for: boxed and scratch cakes that call for melted butter, muffins, quick breads and brownies, pancakes and waffles
Prep: Use ¾ cup per cup of butter and add ¼ tsp salt per stick (½ cup) replaced if the recipe used salted butter.
Suits: vegan
Where it fails: Shortbread, pound cake, buttercream, pie crust, biscuits and puff pastry. These need a solid fat that holds air or stays in pieces.

Light or mild olive oil

fruity and slightly peppery with extra-virgin; close to neutral with a light oil

Bakes like any other oil. A mild bottle is close to neutral; extra-virgin brings a peppery, grassy note that suits some bakes and fights others.

Best for: chocolate cake and brownies, citrus, carrot and spice cakes, focaccia and savory quick breads
Prep: Use ¾ cup per cup of butter. Choose a mild oil for vanilla or white cakes.
Suits: vegan
Where it fails: Sugar cookies, vanilla cake and anything delicate, where extra-virgin oil is the loudest flavor in the bake.

Refined coconut oil

neutral if refined; virgin coconut oil tastes of coconut

The one oil that is solid at room temperature, so it can stand in for butter that is creamed or cut in. Refined has no coconut taste.

Best for: cookies and bars, creamed cakes, vegan pie crust, well chilled
Prep: Measure it solid and add 2 tbsp milk or water per cup, because coconut oil has no water.
Suits: vegan
Where it fails: A warm kitchen. It melts at about 76°F, so dough goes greasy fast; chill it 30 minutes before baking.

Ghee

nutty and buttery

Butter with the water and milk solids cooked out. It keeps the butter flavor that oil loses.

Best for: brownies and blondies, pan-frying and sauteing, recipes that call for melted butter
Prep: Use ¾ cup per cup of butter and add 2 tbsp milk or water per cup in baking.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Not dairy-free, though it carries very little lactose. It will not cream to a fluffy mass the way butter does.

Tips for substituting butter

4 tips

Smaller measures: ½ cup (1 stick) butter = 6 tbsp oil; ¼ cup = 3 tbsp; 1 tbsp = 2 ¼ tsp.
If the batter looks stiffer than the recipe describes, add 1 to 2 tbsp milk or water per cup of butter replaced. That stands in for the water butter carries.
Whisk the oil with the eggs and sugar for a full minute before the dry ingredients go in. It makes up for some of the air creaming would have added.
Oil cookies spread more. Chill the dough 30 minutes and bake on a cool sheet.

Questions

4 questions

Can I use the same amount of oil as butter?

No. Use ¾ as much. A cup of butter holds about ¾ cup of fat and the rest is water and milk solids, so a full cup of oil leaves the bake heavy and oily.

How much oil replaces one stick of butter?

6 tablespoons. One stick is ½ cup of butter, and ¾ of that is 6 tablespoons of oil.

Can I substitute oil for butter in cookies?

In drop cookies, yes: use ¾ the amount and chill the dough. They come out flatter and chewier, with crisp edges. Shortbread, cut-out sugar cookies and anything that starts with creaming butter and sugar need a solid fat such as margarine, shortening or solid coconut oil.

Does oil make a cake more moist than butter?

Usually, yes. Oil stays liquid at room temperature, so the crumb feels softer and stays that way longer. What you give up is butter flavor and some lift.