🫒 Fats

What is a Substitute for Crisco? Complete Guide to All Alternatives

Learn what is a substitute for Crisco including butter, lard, coconut oil, and more. Complete guide with ratios, techniques, and when to use each alternative.

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Quick Answer

A substitute for Crisco is any fat that can replace it in recipes. The best substitutes are butter (1:1 ratio) for flavor, lard (1:1 ratio) for flakiness, coconut oil (1:1 ratio) for vegan options, or vegetable shortening (1:1 ratio) for identical results.

Best Substitutes

Butter

1:1

Butter is the most popular substitute for Crisco. It's a dairy product that adds rich, buttery flavor and creates tender, moist baked goods. It's the go-to choice for most home bakers.

Best for:

cookiescakesmuffinsbiscuitspie crustsbrowniesfrosting

Most popular substitute with rich, buttery flavor

Lard

1:1

Lard is rendered pork fat that creates the flakiest pastries. It has a neutral flavor and is traditional for pie crusts and biscuits. It's solid at room temperature like Crisco.

Best for:

pie crustsbiscuitspastriescookiescakesfrying

Animal fat that creates the flakiest pastries

Coconut Oil

1:1

Coconut oil is a plant-based oil that's solid at room temperature, making it perfect for vegan baking. It has a slight coconut flavor and creates tender baked goods.

Best for:

vegan bakingcookiescakesmuffinspie crustsbrownies

Plant-based oil that's solid at room temperature

Vegetable Oil

1:1

Vegetable oil is a liquid oil that creates lighter, more tender baked goods than Crisco. It has neutral flavor and is versatile for many recipes.

Best for:

cakesmuffinsquick breadsbrownieswaffles

Liquid oil that creates lighter, more tender baked goods

Margarine

1:1

Margarine is a plant-based spread with similar fat content to Crisco. It has a slight buttery flavor and creates tender baked goods. Choose stick margarine for baking.

Best for:

cookiescakesmuffinsbiscuitsfrosting

Plant-based spread with similar fat content

Vegetable Shortening

1:1

Vegetable shortening is a generic version of Crisco with identical properties. It has neutral flavor and works almost exactly the same in most recipes.

Best for:

cookiescakespie crustsfrostingbiscuits

Generic shortening with identical properties to Crisco

Cooking Tips

  • 💡A substitute is any ingredient that can replace another in a recipe
  • 💡Butter is the most popular substitute for Crisco
  • 💡Lard creates the flakiest pastries
  • 💡Coconut oil is perfect for vegan baking
  • 💡Vegetable oil creates lighter texture
  • 💡Margarine works well for similar results
  • 💡Vegetable shortening is the most direct substitute
  • 💡For creaming methods, use room temperature fat
  • 💡For pie crusts and pastries, use cold fat and work quickly
  • 💡Test your substitute in a small batch before making large quantities

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

Learn what is a substitute for Crisco including butter, lard, coconut oil, and more. Complete guide with ratios, techniques, and when to use each alternative.