🫒 Fats

Crisco Substitute Recipe: How to Make Your Own Shortening

Learn how to make your own Crisco substitute with simple recipes using butter, lard, and other ingredients. Discover homemade shortening alternatives for baking and cooking.

✓

Quick Answer

You can make your own Crisco substitute by combining butter and vegetable oil (1:1 ratio), or by using lard and vegetable oil (1:1 ratio). These homemade alternatives provide similar functionality to commercial shortening.

Best Substitutes

Butter-Vegetable Oil Combination

1:1 (half butter, half vegetable oil)

A combination of half butter and half vegetable oil creates a homemade shortening that combines the rich flavor of butter with the texture and stability of commercial shortening.

Best for:

bakingcookiescakesmuffinsbiscuits

Combines the flavor of butter with the texture of shortening

Lard-Vegetable Oil Combination

1:1 (half lard, half vegetable oil)

A combination of half lard and half vegetable oil creates a homemade shortening that provides the flakiness of lard with the stability of commercial shortening.

Best for:

pie crustsbiscuitspastriescookiescakes

Creates flaky pastries with neutral flavor

Coconut Oil-Vegetable Oil Combination

1:1 (half coconut oil, half vegetable oil)

A combination of half coconut oil and half vegetable oil creates a vegan homemade shortening that works well in most recipes with a slight coconut flavor.

Best for:

vegan bakingcookiescakesmuffinspie crusts

Vegan option with slight coconut flavor

Butter-Lard Combination

1:1 (half butter, half lard)

A combination of half butter and half lard creates a homemade shortening that combines the rich flavor of butter with the flakiness of lard.

Best for:

pie crustsbiscuitspastriescookiescakes

Combines the flavor of butter with the flakiness of lard

Margarine-Vegetable Oil Combination

1:1 (half margarine, half vegetable oil)

A combination of half margarine and half vegetable oil creates a plant-based homemade shortening that works well in most recipes with neutral flavor.

Best for:

bakingcookiescakesmuffinsbiscuits

Plant-based option with neutral flavor

Cooking Tips

  • 💡Mix ingredients at room temperature for best results
  • 💡Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to ensure even combination
  • 💡Store homemade shortening in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks
  • 💡Let homemade shortening come to room temperature before using
  • 💡For pie crusts, use cold homemade shortening
  • 💡For creaming methods, use room temperature homemade shortening
  • 💡Test your homemade shortening in a small batch before making large quantities
  • 💡Consider the flavor profile of your recipe when choosing ingredients
  • 💡Some combinations may need slight adjustments in baking time or temperature
  • 💡Homemade shortening may have slightly different texture than commercial shortening

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

Learn how to make your own Crisco substitute with simple recipes using butter, lard, and other ingredients. Discover homemade shortening alternatives for baking and cooking.