Out of Butter, one case
Can you substitute olive oil for butter?
3 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup for every cup of butter
Yes, where the butter is melted or used for cooking: use ¾ cup olive oil for each cup of butter, or 2 ¼ teaspoons per tablespoon. For sauteing and roasting, use the same amount you would of butter. It is not a swap where butter is creamed, cut into flour or spread into layers.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- The tweak —
- In baking use ¾ cup per cup of butter. For pan cooking, use it tablespoon for tablespoon.
- Best for —
- sauteing vegetables, eggs and fish
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full butter card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup butter | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extra-virgin olive oilsauteing vegetables, eggs and fish | ¾ cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | Light or mild olive oilvanilla and yellow cakes | ¾ cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Half butter, half olive oilpan sauces and sauteing | ½ cup butter + 6 tbsp oilTweak it | Tweak it |
Extra-virgin olive oil
fruity and peppery; no dairy richness
Liquid fat with a fruity, peppery flavor. It replaces melted butter well and makes a moist, tender crumb.
- Best for
- sauteing vegetables, eggs and fish, chocolate, citrus and spice cakes, mashed potatoes, pasta and bread dipping
- Prep
- In baking use ¾ cup per cup of butter. For pan cooking, use it tablespoon for tablespoon.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Shortbread, pie crust, croissants and buttercream. It also smokes sooner than refined oils, so keep searing heat moderate.
Light or mild olive oil
close to neutral
Refined olive oil with little flavor and a higher smoke point. The safer choice when you do not want to taste the oil.
- Best for
- vanilla and yellow cakes, muffins and quick breads, frying and roasting at higher heat
- Prep
- Use ¾ cup per cup of butter in baking.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- The same structural limits: nothing creamed, rubbed in or laminated.
Half butter, half olive oil
buttery with a mild olive note
Keeps some butter flavor and browning while cutting the butter you need in half.
- Best for
- pan sauces and sauteing, brownies and loaf cakes, when you are simply short on butter
- Prep
- Melt the butter and stir the oil into it before adding to the batter.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Recipes that need all of the butter solid, such as pie crust.
Tips for substituting butter
4 tips- Conversions: 1 cup butter = ¾ cup olive oil; ½ cup = 6 tbsp; ¼ cup = 3 tbsp; 1 tbsp = 2 ¼ tsp.
- Butter browns and foams; olive oil does not. If a recipe says to cook until the butter foams, heat the oil until it shimmers.
- Baking with extra-virgin oil works best with strong flavors: chocolate, orange, lemon, almond, warm spices.
- On toast or a baked potato, use about 2 tsp oil where you would use 1 tbsp butter and add a pinch of salt.
Questions
4 questionsHow much olive oil equals a stick of butter?
6 tablespoons. A stick is ½ cup of butter, and you use ¾ as much oil.
Can I use olive oil instead of butter in cookies?
In drop cookies you can, at ¾ the amount, with the dough chilled. They bake flatter and chewier and will taste of the oil unless you use a mild one. For shortbread or cut-out cookies, use a solid fat.
Can I use olive oil instead of butter in boxed mac and cheese?
Yes. Use 3 tablespoons of oil in place of the 4 tablespoons of butter. The sauce is slightly thinner and less rich; a spoonful of cream cheese or sour cream brings the body back.
Is olive oil a 1:1 substitute for melted butter?
For cooking in a pan, yes. In baking, use ¾ as much, because butter is only about 80% fat.