Out of Coconut oil, one case
Can you substitute olive oil for coconut oil?
5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Light or refined olive oil
1 cup for every cup of coconut oil
Yes, when the coconut oil is melted into a batter or the food is cooked in it: use 1 cup of olive oil for each cup of coconut oil. Use light or refined olive oil in baking and extra virgin in savory food, where its flavor belongs. It does not work where the coconut oil has to go hard, as in no-bake bars, freezer fudge or a chocolate shell, because olive oil stays liquid.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- The tweak —
- Measure it like melted coconut oil. If the recipe measures the coconut oil solid, the amount is still the same.
- Best for —
- muffins, quick breads and brownies made with melted coconut oil
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full coconut oil card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup coconut oil | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light or refined olive oilmuffins, quick breads and brownies made with melted coconut oil | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | Extra virgin olive oilsauteing vegetables and aromatics | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Neutral oil (canola or vegetable)cakes, muffins and brownies | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Buttercookies made by creaming | 1 cup + 2 tbspTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Vegetable shorteningvegan cookies and pie crust | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
Light or refined olive oil
close to neutral; the faint coconut note is gone
The pale bottle labeled light, extra light or pure. It is refined, so it tastes close to neutral, and it replaces melted coconut oil without changing the amount.
- Best for
- muffins, quick breads and brownies made with melted coconut oil, granola, roasting and sauteing, stovetop popcorn
- Prep
- Measure it like melted coconut oil. If the recipe measures the coconut oil solid, the amount is still the same.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Anything that sets as it cools: no-bake bars, freezer fudge, a chocolate shell or a firm frosting. Also cookies and pie crust made by creaming or cutting in solid coconut oil: with a liquid oil, cookies spread flatter and crust loses its flake.
Extra virgin olive oil
fruity and peppery; noticeable in plain or vanilla bakes
The same swap with the flavor left in. In savory cooking that is usually welcome; in baking it shows.
- Best for
- sauteing vegetables and aromatics, roasting, savory bakes such as focaccia and herb breads, chocolate, citrus and spice cakes that can carry a fruity oil
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Vanilla cake, sugar cookies and other mild bakes, where the olive flavor takes over. For a very hot sear or deep frying, use the light bottle, which takes more heat. It stays liquid, so it sets nothing.
Neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
neutral taste
For when you want no olive flavor at all. It does the same job as light olive oil in any recipe that melts the coconut oil.
- Best for
- cakes, muffins and brownies, frying and stir-frying
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- It stays liquid too: no-bake bars, shells and firm frostings will not set.
Butter
buttery; no coconut
The swap for recipes where the coconut oil is used solid. Butter is about 80% fat and the rest is mostly water, which is why it takes a little more.
- Best for
- cookies made by creaming, pie crust and biscuits, no-bake bars and frosting
- Prep
- Use it at the same temperature the recipe wants the coconut oil: cold for crust, softened for creaming, melted for no-bake bars.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Not vegan or dairy-free. No-bake bars set softer than with coconut oil, so keep them in the fridge.
Vegetable shortening
neutral taste
A solid fat with no water and no flavor, so it stands in for solid coconut oil cup for cup and keeps the recipe vegan.
- Best for
- vegan cookies and pie crust, frosting that has to hold its shape, no-bake bars
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- It firms up but does not snap. Coconut oil sets brittle when cold, and shortening stays soft, so a chocolate shell or freezer fudge is softer.
Tips for substituting coconut oil
5 tips- Batters made with melted coconut oil: swap 1 cup for 1 cup, ½ cup for ½ cup, with no other change. The batter may look thinner, because olive oil does not firm up when it meets cold milk or eggs.
- Cookies: if the recipe creams solid coconut oil with sugar, olive oil makes a looser dough that spreads. Chill the dough 30 minutes before baking, or use butter or shortening.
- Granola: olive oil toasts the oats the same way, but the clusters are looser because the oil does not harden as it cools. Press the granola flat before baking and let it cool on the pan without stirring.
- Sauteing and roasting: use extra virgin over medium to medium-high heat. For a hard sear or stir-frying over high heat, use light olive oil.
- No-bake bars, freezer fudge and chocolate shell: skip olive oil. Use 1 cup plus 2 tbsp butter per cup of coconut oil, or 1 cup of shortening.
Questions
4 questionsCan I substitute olive oil for coconut oil in baking?
Yes, when the recipe melts the coconut oil, as most muffins, quick breads and brownies do. Use the same amount of light or refined olive oil. If the recipe uses the coconut oil solid, creamed with sugar or cut into flour, olive oil changes the texture: cookies spread and pie crust turns crumbly. Use butter or shortening there.
How much olive oil replaces ½ cup of coconut oil?
½ cup. The swap is measure for measure at any size: ¼ cup for ¼ cup, 1 tablespoon for 1 tablespoon. It makes no difference whether the recipe measures the coconut oil solid or melted.
Will my baking taste like olive oil?
With light or refined olive oil, hardly at all. Extra virgin olive oil has a fruity, peppery taste that comes through in vanilla cake or sugar cookies. It sits comfortably in chocolate, citrus and spice bakes and in anything savory.
Can I use olive oil in no-bake cookies, energy bars or a chocolate shell?
No. Those recipes use coconut oil because it is solid below about 76°F, and that is what holds the bar together or makes the shell crack. Olive oil only turns cloudy and thick in the fridge and never sets firm, so the mixture stays soft and greasy. Use butter at 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons per cup, or shortening cup for cup.