Out of Butter, one case

Butter substitute for a roux

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Neutral oil

3 tbsp for every 4 tbsp of butter

A roux needs fat and flour, not butter in particular. Use 3 tablespoons of neutral oil for every 4 tablespoons of butter, with the same amount of flour the recipe calls for; oil is all fat and butter is about 80%. Stick margarine or a vegan butter block goes in tablespoon for tablespoon. What you lose is the butter flavor, which matters most in a white sauce.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Warm the oil over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook until it smells toasty: 1 to 2 minutes for a white roux.
Best for —: a dark roux for gumbo and etouffee
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full butter card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Butter substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 4 tbsp butter	Verdict
1	Neutral oila dark roux for gumbo and etouffee	3 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
2	Stick margarine or vegan butter blockbechamel and cheese sauce	1 tbsp per 1 tbspWorks	Works
3	Ghee or clarified butterwhite sauces where you want the butter taste	3 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
4	Bacon drippings or pan drippingssausage gravy and pan gravy	3 tbspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Cornstarch slurrygravy and pan sauces when there is no fat to cook flour in	1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp cold water per 2 tbsp flourYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Tub spread or light margarine	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Neutral oil

neutral; the butter flavor is gone

Canola, vegetable or sunflower oil. It is the usual fat for a dark Cajun roux, because it has no milk solids to burn during the long cooking.

Best for: a dark roux for gumbo and etouffee, gravy, a dairy-free white sauce
Prep: Warm the oil over medium heat, whisk in the flour and cook until it smells toasty: 1 to 2 minutes for a white roux.
Suits: vegan
Where it fails: A bechamel or cheese sauce tastes flatter without butter. Add a pinch more salt, since the butter in most kitchens is salted.

Using the same amount of oil as the butter also works. The roux is a little looser and thickens the same, because the flour does the thickening. Olive oil measures the same way and its flavor comes through.

Stick margarine or vegan butter block

close to butter, a little less rich

A firm block with about the same fat and water as butter, so the roux cooks, foams and thickens the same way.

Best for: bechamel and cheese sauce, a dairy-free white sauce, with a vegan block, gravy
Where it fails: A brown or dark roux: like butter, it has solids that scorch during long cooking. Use oil for those.

Many margarines contain milk. For a dairy-free sauce, check the label or use a block sold as vegan.

Ghee or clarified butter

buttery and slightly nutty

Butter with the water and milk solids removed. It keeps the butter flavor and can be cooked to a brown roux without burning.

Best for: white sauces where you want the butter taste, blond and brown roux, gravy
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: It is still dairy, so it is no help if you are avoiding butter for that reason.

Bacon drippings or pan drippings

meaty, salty and, with bacon, smoky

The fat left in the pan from bacon, sausage or a roast. This is how most gravy starts, and it brings the flavor of the meat with it.

Best for: sausage gravy and pan gravy, gumbo, bean and greens dishes
Prep: Strain or spoon off the fat, measure it, and hold back the recipe's salt until the sauce is finished.
Where it fails: Bechamel, cheese sauce or anything mild or sweet, where the meat flavor is out of place.

Cornstarch slurry

clean, with no toasted flavor; the sauce is glossy instead of creamy

Not a roux, but the way to thicken with no fat at all. 1 tbsp of cornstarch thickens about as much as the 2 tbsp of flour in a roux.

Best for: gravy and pan sauces when there is no fat to cook flour in, stir-fry sauces, a gluten-free sauce
Prep: Stir the cornstarch into the cold water, whisk it into the simmering liquid at the end and boil for 1 minute.
Suits: vegan, gluten-free
Where it fails: Gumbo and other dishes where the browned roux is the flavor. A cornstarch-thickened sauce also thins if it is boiled for long and turns watery after freezing.

Tub spread or light margarine

Soft tub spreads and light margarines hold much more water and less fat than butter.

Best for: spreading, not cooking
Where it fails: The water spatters, the flour clumps into a paste instead of frying in the fat, and the sauce ends up short of fat and lumpy.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeButter

A roux is fat and flour cooked together, usually in equal measures. The fat coats the flour so it disperses in the liquid without lumps, and the cooking takes away the raw flour taste. Any fat does that job. Butter adds flavor, and its milk solids burn if the roux is taken dark.

Tips for substituting butter

5 tips

For a medium white sauce, 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp flour thicken 1 cup of milk. With oil, 1 ½ tbsp carries the same 2 tbsp of flour.
Oil and ghee do not foam the way butter does, so go by smell and color: a white roux is ready in 1 to 2 minutes, a blond roux in 3 to 5.
Dark roux for gumbo: use oil over medium to medium-low heat and stir constantly, 20 to 45 minutes, until it is the color of milk chocolate. Black specks mean it has burned; start again.
The darker the roux, the less it thickens. A dark roux is there for flavor, so do not expect it to set a sauce the way a white one does.
Add the liquid in stages: about a third first, whisked to a smooth paste, then the rest.

Questions

5 questions

Can I make a roux with olive oil?

Yes. Use 3 tablespoons of olive oil for every 4 tablespoons of butter and cook the flour in it the same way. The flavor comes through, which suits a bechamel for lasagna or moussaka better than it suits a sweet or very mild sauce.

What is the ratio of oil to flour in a roux?

Equal parts oil and flour by volume is the usual rule and it works: ½ cup of each for a pot of gumbo. When you are converting a butter recipe, 3 tablespoons of oil for every 4 tablespoons of butter gives the same amount of fat. Either way the roux thickens the same.

Can I make cheese sauce for mac and cheese without butter?

Yes. Make the roux with oil, stick margarine or a vegan butter block, then add the milk and cheese as usual. With oil the sauce is a little flatter, so taste it and add a pinch of salt.

Can I use bacon grease in a roux?

Yes, for gravy, gumbo and other savory dishes. Use 3 tablespoons for every 4 tablespoons of butter and salt the sauce at the end, because the drippings are already salty.

Can I thicken a sauce without any fat?

Yes, with a cornstarch slurry instead of a roux: 1 tablespoon of cornstarch stirred into 2 tablespoons of cold water replaces 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk it into the simmering liquid and boil 1 minute.