Out of Butter, one case

Can you substitute vegetable oil for butter?

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Vegetable oil

¾ cup for every cup of butter

Yes, where the recipe melts the butter: use ¾ cup of vegetable oil for each cup of butter, or 6 tablespoons per stick, and do not reduce the other liquids. That covers brownies, muffins, quick breads, pancakes and boxed mixes. It does not work where softened butter is beaten with sugar or cold butter is cut into flour, because oil cannot hold air or stay in solid pieces.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Use ¾ cup per cup of butter: 6 tbsp per stick, 3 tbsp per ¼ cup, 2 ¼ tsp per tablespoon. If the butter was salted, add about ¼ tsp salt per stick replaced.
Best for —: brownies, including boxed mixes
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 oilbrownies, including boxed mixes	¾ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	Half oil, half buttercakes and cupcakes	6 tbsp oil + ½ cup butterTweak it	Tweak it
3	Olive oilchocolate cake and brownies	¾ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Stick margarinecreamed cakes and cookies	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
5	Shorteningpie crust and biscuits	1 cup + 2 tbsp waterTweak it	Tweak it

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Vegetable oil

flatter, with none of the dairy or browned-butter flavor

A neutral liquid fat: canola, sunflower, corn or a vegetable blend. Butter is about 80% fat, so ¾ cup of oil supplies the same fat as a cup of butter.

Best for: brownies, including boxed mixes, muffins, quick breads and pancakes, cakes mixed in one bowl with melted butter, frying and sauteing
Prep: Use ¾ cup per cup of butter: 6 tbsp per stick, 3 tbsp per ¼ cup, 2 ¼ tsp per tablespoon. If the butter was salted, add about ¼ tsp salt per stick replaced.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Creamed cakes and cookies, pie crust, biscuits, scones, shortbread and buttercream. Oil stays liquid, so it cannot trap air with sugar, make flaky layers or set into a frosting.

Do not also cut the recipe's liquid. Going from 1 cup of butter to ¾ cup of oil has already removed about 2 ½ tbsp of water.

Half oil, half butter

butter, a little milder

For when you have some butter but not enough. Half the butter keeps the dairy flavor, and the oil makes the crumb softer and slower to dry out.

Best for: cakes and cupcakes, brownies and blondies, banana bread and other loaves
Prep: Melt the butter you have, measure it, and make up the rest with oil at ¾ of the missing amount.
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: A recipe that creams the butter: half the fat as a liquid still thins the creamed mixture, so the cake rises less.

Olive oil

fruity and peppery in place of dairy

Measures and bakes exactly as vegetable oil does and brings its own fruity, peppery taste. Use it where that flavor is welcome or hidden.

Best for: chocolate cake and brownies, citrus, nut and spice loaves, savory cooking
Prep: Choose a mild or light olive oil for baking; a strong extra-virgin oil tastes bitter in a plain vanilla cake.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Plain vanilla cakes and sugar cookies, where the olive flavor has nothing to hide behind.

Stick margarine

cleaner and a little saltier, with less dairy flavor

The swap for the recipes where oil does not work. It is solid at room temperature and made to about the same 80% fat as butter, so it creams with sugar.

Best for: creamed cakes and cookies, recipes that say softened butter, frosting
Prep: Use the firm stick, never a tub spread, and cut the added salt by about ¼ tsp per stick if the recipe says unsalted butter.
Where it fails: Shortbread and buttercream, where butter is the flavor. Many margarines contain whey, so read the label for a dairy-free bake.

Shortening

blank; no butter flavor

The solid fat for pastry and tall cookies. It is 100% fat, so it needs the water that butter would have brought.

Best for: pie crust and biscuits, cookies that should not spread, creamed cakes
Prep: Add 2 tbsp water or milk per cup of shortening.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Anything where you taste the butter.

Tips for substituting butter

5 tips

Read the method before the ratio. If the recipe says melted butter, oil works at ¾ the amount. If it says softened or cold butter, use a solid fat.
The amounts: 1 cup butter = ¾ cup oil. 1 stick (½ cup) = 6 tbsp. 1/3 cup = ¼ cup. ¼ cup = 3 tbsp. 1 tbsp = 2 ¼ tsp.
Brownies: oil gives a fudgier, denser brownie that stays soft for days, with less of the butter taste. Add ¼ tsp salt per stick replaced if the butter was salted.
Cookies from a melted-butter recipe: use ¾ the amount of oil and chill the dough 30 minutes before baking, because oil dough is softer and spreads more.
In a pan, oil can go hotter than butter, which scorches at about 300°F. Use the same amount you would of butter, and add any butter you do have off the heat for flavor.

Questions

5 questions

How much vegetable oil equals ½ cup of butter?

6 tablespoons, which is ¾ of the butter amount. For 1 cup of butter use ¾ cup of oil, for ¼ cup use 3 tablespoons, and for 1 tablespoon use 2 ¼ teaspoons. Leave the other liquids in the recipe as written.

Can I substitute vegetable oil for butter in cookies?

Only in cookie recipes that melt the butter, at ¾ the amount, with the dough chilled 30 minutes. In a recipe that creams softened butter with sugar, oil gives a flatter, denser, greasier cookie with pale edges, because there is no creamed air to lift it. Stick margarine or shortening is the swap for those.

Can I substitute vegetable oil for butter in brownies?

Yes. Most brownie recipes melt the butter, so use ¾ cup of oil per cup of butter. The brownies come out fudgier and stay moist longer, and they taste a little less rich because the butter flavor is missing. Many boxed brownie mixes call for oil to begin with.

Can I use vegetable oil in place of butter in a cake?

In a cake mixed with melted butter or from a boxed mix, yes, at ¾ the amount. In a cake that starts by beating butter and sugar until fluffy, no: the rise comes from air held in solid fat, and oil cannot hold it. For that kind of cake, use stick margarine, or look for a recipe written for oil.

Do I need to add water or milk when I use oil?

Not as a rule. The ¾ measure matches the fat in the butter, and most batters do not miss the 2 ½ tablespoons or so of water the butter carried. Do not cut the other liquids. If the batter looks stiffer than the recipe describes, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or water per cup of butter replaced.