Out of Canola oil, one case
Canola oil substitute for baking
6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Vegetable oil
1 cup for every cup of canola oil
In baking, replace canola oil with the same amount of any neutral oil: vegetable, sunflower, safflower, corn or grapeseed oil, cup for cup, with no other change. Melted butter and melted refined coconut oil also swap in cup for cup and give a slightly firmer crumb once the bake cools. Unsweetened applesauce can stand in for up to half the oil; replace all of it and the cake turns dense and gummy.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- boxed cake and brownie mixes
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full canola oil card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup canola oil | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vegetable oilboxed cake and brownie mixes | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 2 | Sunflower, safflower, corn or grapeseed oilany recipe that calls for canola oil | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 3 | Melted butterbrownies and blondies | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Melted refined coconut oilvegan and dairy-free baking | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Light olive oilchocolate cake and brownies | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Unsweetened applesaucemuffins and quick breads | ½ cup applesauce + ½ cup oilYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Vegetable oil
none; neutral like canola
Bottles labeled vegetable oil are usually soybean oil or a blend. It is as neutral and as liquid as canola, and a cake cannot tell the difference.
- Best for
- boxed cake and brownie mixes, muffins and quick breads, carrot cake and chiffon cake
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Nowhere in baking. The two are interchangeable.
Sunflower, safflower, corn or grapeseed oil
neutral taste
Any refined, pale, liquid oil does the same job: it coats the flour and keeps the crumb moist for days.
- Best for
- any recipe that calls for canola oil, greasing pans
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Unrefined or cold-pressed versions, which taste nutty or grassy. Corn oil has a faint corn flavor that shows in a plain white cake.
Melted butter
buttery and richer
Butter adds flavor that oil does not have. It is about 80 percent fat and sets firm when cool, so the crumb is a little tighter and less moist than with oil.
- Best for
- brownies and blondies, muffins and banana bread, boxed cake mix when you want butter flavor
- Prep
- Melt it, let it cool for a few minutes so it does not cook the eggs, and measure it after melting.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Cakes served cold from the fridge, which firm up, and bakes meant to stay moist for several days. Not for dairy-free or vegan baking.
With salted butter, cut the recipe's salt by ¼ tsp for each ½ cup.
Melted refined coconut oil
neutral if refined; coconut if virgin
Refined coconut oil has almost no coconut taste. It is solid below about 76°F, so it has to be melted and it sets the crumb slightly firmer.
- Best for
- vegan and dairy-free baking, brownies, cookies and quick breads
- Prep
- Melt it and have the eggs and milk at room temperature before mixing.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- It seizes into hard flecks when it meets cold eggs or milk. Unrefined (virgin) coconut oil tastes clearly of coconut.
Light olive oil
neutral if light; fruity and peppery if extra virgin
Olive oil labeled light or extra light is refined and nearly flavorless. Extra virgin also measures the same but brings a fruity, peppery taste.
- Best for
- chocolate cake and brownies, citrus, nut and spice cakes, savory muffins and cornbread
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Extra virgin olive oil in vanilla cake, white cake or sugar cookies, where its flavor has nothing to hide behind.
Unsweetened applesauce
slightly sweeter, with a faint apple note
Applesauce keeps a bake moist with far less fat. It only works as a partial swap, because it has no fat to tenderize the crumb.
- Best for
- muffins and quick breads, spice cake and carrot cake, cutting the fat in a boxed mix
- Prep
- Replace up to half the oil with the same volume of applesauce and keep the rest as oil.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Replacing all the oil gives a dense, rubbery, gummy crumb that sticks to the pan. It does not work in brownies you want fudgy, or in anything crisp.
How it behaves in this recipe
In baking, canola oil is there to coat the flour and keep the crumb moist and tender, and to do it without adding any flavor. Because it stays liquid at room temperature and in the fridge, oil cakes stay soft. A swap needs to be fat, and the closer it is to a flavorless liquid, the less the bake changes.
Tips for substituting canola oil
5 tips- Any neutral oil is a cup-for-cup swap for canola in baking: 1/3 cup for 1/3 cup in a boxed mix, with no change to time or temperature.
- Measure butter and coconut oil after melting, and let them cool about 5 minutes before they go in with the eggs.
- Oil-based cakes stay softer when cold than butter-based ones. If the cake will be refrigerated, such as one with a cream cheese frosting, stay with a liquid oil.
- Start checking a bake made with applesauce 5 minutes early. The top can look done while the middle is still wet, so test with a toothpick.
- To grease a pan, any oil, butter or shortening works in place of canola.
Questions
4 questionsCan I use vegetable oil in place of canola oil in a cake or brownie mix?
Yes, in exactly the same amount. Canola oil is one kind of vegetable oil, and the bottle labeled vegetable oil is usually soybean oil or a blend. Both are neutral liquid oils, and the result is the same.
Can I use olive oil in place of canola oil in baking?
Yes, cup for cup. Light or extra light olive oil is neutral and can go in anything. Extra virgin olive oil has a fruity, peppery flavor that suits chocolate, citrus and spice bakes and stands out in vanilla ones.
How much butter replaces ½ cup of canola oil?
Use ½ cup of melted butter, which is 1 stick. For 1/3 cup of oil use 5 1/3 tablespoons, and for 1 cup use 2 sticks. Expect more flavor and a slightly firmer crumb.
Can I leave the oil out of a cake recipe?
No. Fat is what keeps the crumb tender and moist; without it the cake is dry and tough. If you are short, replace the missing part with melted butter, another oil, or applesauce for up to half the total.