Out of Butter, one case

Butter substitute for pie crust

6 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 6 options

Use Shortening

1 cup + 2 tbsp water for every cup of butter

For a rolled pie crust, use cold shortening in the same amount as the butter and expect to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more ice water; the crust is flaky and tender but plain in flavor. Lard works at 7/8 cup per cup of butter. For a graham cracker crust, melted stick margarine or melted coconut oil replaces the melted butter in the same amount. Liquid oil cannot make a flaky rolled crust.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Chill it, cut it into the flour until the pieces are pea-size, and add ice water 1 tbsp at a time. Shortening has no water, so the dough takes about 2 tbsp more per cup of fat.
Best for —: flaky rolled pie crust

One casethe full butter card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Butter substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup butter	Verdict
1	Shorteningflaky rolled pie crust	1 cup + 2 tbsp waterTweak it	Tweak it
2	Lardsavory pies and pot pies	7/8 cupTweak it	Tweak it
3	Stick margarinerolled crust when margarine is all there is	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
4	Vegan butter blockdairy-free rolled crust	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
5	Coconut oil (refined, solid)dairy-free rolled crust	1 cup + 2 tbsp waterYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
6	Vegetable oilpress-in crusts	¾ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option6 options

Shortening

blank; flaky and tender, with no butter flavor

Solid, all fat, and slower to melt than butter, so the pieces stay whole in the dough and the crust bakes flaky. It is easier to roll than an all-butter dough.

Best for: flaky rolled pie crust, decorative edges and lattice that must hold their shape, dairy-free and vegan crust
Prep: Chill it, cut it into the flour until the pieces are pea-size, and add ice water 1 tbsp at a time. Shortening has no water, so the dough takes about 2 tbsp more per cup of fat.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Crusts where the butter taste matters, such as a plain custard or fruit galette. The crust also browns paler.

Lard

neutral to faintly savory, depending on the lard

The traditional pie fat. Lard makes the most distinct flakes of any fat and a very tender crust. It is all fat, so use a little less than the butter.

Best for: savory pies and pot pies, fruit pies with a very flaky crust
Prep: Use 7 tbsp per stick of butter, well chilled. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time; expect 1 to 2 tbsp more than the recipe gives for butter.
Suits: dairy-free
Contains: pork
Where it fails: Not vegetarian. Home-rendered lard can taste of pork in a sweet pie; leaf lard and neutral store-bought lard do not.

Stick margarine

cleaner and a little saltier, with less dairy flavor

Firm stick margarine has butter's fat and water, so the recipe needs no other change. It is softer than butter and warms faster.

Best for: rolled crust when margarine is all there is, graham cracker and cookie crumb crusts, melted, press-in shortbread crust
Prep: For a rolled crust, cube it and freeze it 15 minutes before cutting it in. For a crumb crust, melt it and use it as the recipe uses melted butter.
Suits: vegetarian
Where it fails: Tub and light spreads: too much water, a tough crust that shrinks. A warm kitchen, where the dough turns greasy.

Vegan butter block

close to butter, with a faint oily or coconut note

Foil-wrapped vegan blocks are about 80% fat and can be kept cold and cut in like butter. This is the closest dairy-free match for an all-butter crust.

Best for: dairy-free rolled crust, vegan shortbread crust
Prep: Cube it and freeze it 10 minutes before cutting it in. It softens faster than butter, so chill the rolled crust before baking.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free, vegetarian
Where it fails: Tub versions, which are too soft and wet to make flakes.

Coconut oil (refined, solid)

neutral if refined; crisp and a little brittle

Scooped solid and kept cold, refined coconut oil cuts into flour like shortening. Melted, it also binds a crumb crust and sets very firm in the fridge.

Best for: dairy-free rolled crust, no-bake graham cracker crust
Prep: For a rolled crust, chill the oil until hard, cut it in, and use about 2 tbsp more ice water per cup. For a crumb crust, melt it and use the same amount as the melted butter.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Contains: coconut
Where it fails: A warm kitchen: coconut oil turns liquid at about 76°F and stops making flakes. Straight from the fridge a coconut oil crust is hard to cut.

Vegetable oil

plain; mealy and crisp, not flaky

Oil coats the flour evenly instead of sitting in pieces, so there are no layers. It makes a crisp, sandy, crumbly crust that is pressed into the pan, and it can bind a baked crumb crust.

Best for: press-in crusts, graham cracker crust that will be baked
Prep: For a crumb crust, use ¾ as much oil as melted butter and bake it 8 to 10 minutes at 350°F so it sets. For a pastry crust, stir oil and cold water into the flour and press the dough into the pan; do not try to roll it thin.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: A flaky rolled crust, a lattice or a top crust. A no-bake crumb crust made with oil never firms up, because oil stays liquid in the fridge.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeButter

In a rolled crust, cold butter stays in solid pieces until the oven melts them, and the gaps they leave are the flakes. In a crumb crust, melted butter is glue that hardens when chilled. Each job needs a fat that is solid when cold, which is why liquid oil is the weak option in both.

Tips for substituting butter

5 tips

Keep everything cold. Chill the fat, use ice water, and rest the dough in the fridge 30 minutes before rolling. Substitutes other than shortening soften faster than butter.
Shortening, lard and coconut oil contain no water. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough holds when pinched; it usually takes 1 to 2 tbsp more than the recipe gives for butter.
If the butter was salted, add about ¼ tsp salt per stick replaced when using shortening, lard or coconut oil.
For a graham cracker crust, swap the melted butter for the same amount of melted stick margarine or coconut oil, press firmly, and chill 1 hour or bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350°F.
Crusts made without butter brown less. Brush the top crust with milk or beaten egg if you want color.

Questions

5 questions

Can I substitute lard for butter in pie crust?

Yes. Use 7/8 cup lard per cup of butter, kept cold, and add ice water a tablespoon at a time. The crust is flakier and more tender than an all-butter crust and tastes plainer.

What can I use instead of butter in a graham cracker crust?

Melted stick margarine or melted coconut oil, in the same amount as the melted butter. Both firm up when chilled, which is what holds the crumbs together. Liquid oil works only if you bake the crust, at ¾ the amount; in a no-bake crust it stays loose.

What replaces butter in a shortbread crust?

Stick margarine or a vegan butter block, in the same amount. The texture is right, but shortbread gets most of its flavor from butter, so the crust tastes plainer. A little extra vanilla or a pinch of salt helps.

Can I make pie crust with oil instead of butter?

You can make a press-in oil crust, which is crisp and crumbly, but not a flaky rolled one. Flakes come from solid pieces of fat that melt in the oven and leave layers. Oil has no pieces. For a flaky crust without butter, use shortening or lard.

Why is my shortening crust dry and crumbly?

It needs more water. Butter is 16 to 18% water and shortening has none, so a dough made with the same amount of shortening is short on liquid. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time until it holds together when pinched.