Out of Lard, one case

Can you substitute butter for lard?

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Butter

1 cup + 2 tbsp for every cup of lard

Yes: use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of butter for each cup of lard, because butter is about 80% fat and lard is 100%. Keep the butter very cold and chill the dough 30 minutes before rolling, since butter softens sooner. A pie crust made this way is tender and tastes of butter but is less flaky than a lard crust. Do not use butter in place of lard for deep frying.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Cube it and freeze it 10 minutes before cutting it into the flour. Hold back 1 to 2 tbsp of the ice water in a pie dough, since the butter brings water of its own.
Best for —: pie crust and sweet pastry
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full lard card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Lard substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup lard	Verdict
1	Butterpie crust and sweet pastry	1 cup + 2 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
2	Half butter, half shorteningpie crust that should be flaky and taste of butter	½ cup + 1 tbsp butter + ½ cup shorteningTweak it	Tweak it
3	Vegetable shorteningthe flakiest pie crust without lard	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
4	Ghee or clarified butterpan frying and searing	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
5	Bacon drippingsrefried beans and pinto beans	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
Not a swap	Tub margarine or spreadable butter	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Butter

rich and clearly dairy, where lard is neutral to faintly savory

About 80% fat with 16 to 18% water and a little milk solids. The extra 2 tablespoons make up the missing fat; the water and milk solids are why it browns more and flakes less.

Best for: pie crust and sweet pastry, biscuits and scones, bread and rolls, flour tortillas
Prep: Cube it and freeze it 10 minutes before cutting it into the flour. Hold back 1 to 2 tbsp of the ice water in a pie dough, since the butter brings water of its own.
Suits: vegetarian
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Deep frying and high-heat searing: the milk solids scorch well below frying temperature. In refried beans, tamales and carnitas the pork flavor is gone and the dish tastes of butter.

Use unsalted butter. With salted, cut the salt in the recipe by ¼ tsp per ½ cup of butter.

Half butter, half shortening

buttery, a little milder than all butter

Shortening is 100% fat and stays solid longer, as lard does, so it brings back the flake. The butter brings the flavor.

Best for: pie crust that should be flaky and taste of butter, biscuits, decorative crusts that have to hold a crimp
Prep: Chill both fats, cut the shortening in first until sandy, then the butter in larger pieces.
Suits: vegetarian
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Savory dishes that wanted lard for its pork flavor.

Vegetable shortening

neutral, flatter than lard or butter

The closest match in structure: solid, 100% fat and neutral. It needs no change in amount.

Best for: the flakiest pie crust without lard, tamale masa, which needs a fat that whips, vegetarian and dairy-free versions
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: It adds no flavor. Crusts brown paler than with butter.

Ghee or clarified butter

nutty, toasted butter

Butter with the water and milk solids removed, so it is nearly pure fat and takes high heat. This is the form of butter to use where lard was the frying fat.

Best for: pan frying and searing, flour tortillas, refried beans, when you want a butter flavor
Suits: vegetarian
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Pie crust and biscuits: it is soft at room temperature and does not cut into the flour in firm pieces, so the pastry is short and crumbly, not flaky.

Bacon drippings

smoky and salty

Rendered pork fat with smoke and salt in it. Where lard was in the dish for its flavor, this is closer than butter.

Best for: refried beans and pinto beans, cornbread and savory biscuits, frying eggs, potatoes and greens
Prep: Strain it, and cut the salt in the recipe, since the drippings are already salted.
Where it fails: Sweet pastry and pie crust for fruit pies, where the smoke is out of place.

Tub margarine or spreadable butter

varies

Soft spreads are made with extra water, oil or air so they spread cold. That is the opposite of what a pastry fat has to do.

Best for: nothing in pastry
Where it fails: Pie crust turns tough and greasy, biscuits spread flat, and the extra water makes dough sticky. Use stick butter.

Tips for substituting lard

5 tips

Amounts: for ½ cup lard, use ½ cup plus 1 tbsp butter. For ¼ cup lard, use ¼ cup plus 1 ½ tsp butter. For 2 tbsp or less, swap evenly.
Pie crust: freeze the cubed butter 10 minutes, leave some pieces the size of peas, and chill the dough 30 minutes before rolling and again before baking.
Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time and stop 1 to 2 tbsp short of the recipe. Butter carries about 3 tbsp of water per cup.
Butter crusts brown faster. Tent the edge with foil once it is golden.
For frying, use ghee, clarified butter or a neutral oil. Whole butter burns before it is hot enough to fry.

Questions

5 questions

Can I use butter in place of lard in pie crust?

Yes. Use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cold butter per cup of lard, hold back 1 to 2 tablespoons of the water, and chill the dough 30 minutes. The crust is tender, golden and tastes of butter. It is less flaky than a lard crust; half butter and half shortening gets closer.

Can I use butter in place of lard in bread?

Yes. Bread recipes use lard in small amounts to soften the crumb, and butter does the same job. For 2 tablespoons or less, use the same amount. For more, add 1 ½ teaspoons of butter for every ¼ cup of lard. The loaf tastes slightly richer.

Can I use butter in place of lard in tortillas or tamales?

In flour tortillas, yes: use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons per cup of lard, softened. They are soft and taste of butter. For tamales, butter beats into the masa, but it melts sooner and the flavor is different; shortening handles more like lard there.

Is butter a 1:1 substitute for lard?

Not quite. Butter is about 80% fat, so an even swap leaves the recipe short on fat and adds water. Use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons per cup. In small amounts, a tablespoon or two, the difference is too small to matter.

Can I fry with butter where a recipe uses lard?

Not for deep frying. The milk solids in butter burn long before the fat reaches frying temperature. For shallow pan frying over medium heat butter works; for anything hotter use ghee, clarified butter or oil.