Out of Parchment paper, one case
Can you substitute wax paper for parchment paper?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Aluminum foil
1 sheet, greased for every sheet of parchment paper
Not in the oven. Wax paper is coated with wax, which melts and smokes at baking temperatures, and the paper can catch fire. Parchment is coated with silicone and is made for oven heat. Wax paper can stand in for parchment only where nothing gets hot: rolling out dough, separating layers, wrapping food, and lining a pan for a no-bake dessert. To line a pan for baking, use greased foil, a silicone mat, or butter and flour.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Grease the foil with butter, oil or cooking spray before the food goes on.
- Best for —
- roasting vegetables, fish and chicken
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full parchment paper card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 sheet parchment paper | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aluminum foilroasting vegetables, fish and chicken | 1 sheet, greasedTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Silicone baking matcookies | 1 matWorks | Works |
| 3 | Butter + flourcake pans and loaf pans | 1 thin coat of butter + a dusting of flour per panTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Cooking spray or a greased pancookies on a sheet pan | 1 light coat per panTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Wax paper | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Aluminum foil
no change
Safe at any oven temperature, but food sticks to it unless it is greased. It also carries heat to the bottom of the food faster than parchment does.
- Best for
- roasting vegetables, fish and chicken, brownies and bar cookies, with an overhang to lift them out, sheet-pan dinners
- Prep
- Grease the foil with butter, oil or cooking spray before the food goes on.
- Where it fails
- Cookie bottoms brown faster and spread more; check them a few minutes early. Delicate cookies and meringues stick even when the foil is greased.
Silicone baking mat
no change
A reusable non-stick liner for a sheet pan. It does what parchment does for cookies and anything sticky, with no greasing.
- Best for
- cookies, candy, brittle and caramel, roasting on a sheet pan
- Where it fails
- It cannot be cut to fit a cake or loaf pan, and it does not go under a broiler. Cookie bottoms brown a little less than on parchment.
Butter + flour
no change
The standard way to prepare a pan before parchment was common. The butter holds a thin layer of flour that keeps batter from bonding to the metal.
- Best for
- cake pans and loaf pans, Bundt pans, which parchment cannot line, muffin tins
- Prep
- Rub soft butter into every corner, add a spoonful of flour, tilt and tap the pan until it is coated, then knock out the excess. Use cocoa powder in place of flour for chocolate cakes.
- Where it fails
- It gives you nothing to lift a bake out with, so brownies and bars have to be cut in the pan. It does not help cookies on a flat sheet.
Cooking spray or a greased pan
no change
A thin film of oil, shortening or spray on the bare pan. It is the quickest option and enough for most cookies and roasted food.
- Best for
- cookies on a sheet pan, roasted vegetables, casseroles and baking dishes
- Prep
- Use a light, even coat. Too much grease makes cookies spread.
- Where it fails
- Sticky, sugary bakes such as macarons, meringues and lace cookies still stick. Cookies spread more on a greased pan than on parchment.
Wax paper
none when cold; waxy and smoky if it is heated
Thin paper coated on both sides with food-grade wax. It is non-stick and resists moisture, but it has no heat resistance. It replaces parchment only for cold jobs.
- Best for
- rolling out pie or cookie dough between two sheets, separating layers of cookies, candy or burger patties, lining a pan for fudge, no-bake bars or icebox cake, setting chocolate-dipped fruit or pretzels
- Prep
- For cold jobs, use it sheet for sheet as you would parchment.
- Where it fails
- Anything in an oven, toaster oven or air fryer, and under a broiler. The wax melts onto the pan and the food, the paper sticks and smokes, and it can ignite.
It is fine as a loose cover in the microwave to stop splatters, because the microwave heats the food and not the paper.
How it behaves in this recipe
The two papers look alike and sit next to each other on the shelf, which is where the confusion comes from. Parchment paper is treated with silicone and the box lists an oven-safe temperature, usually 420°F to 450°F. Wax paper is coated with wax and its box says it is not for oven use.
Tips for substituting parchment paper
5 tips- Check the box before you line a pan. Parchment lists a maximum oven temperature, usually 420°F to 450°F. Wax paper lists none.
- For cookies with no parchment, bake on an ungreased or lightly greased sheet pan and loosen them with a thin spatula after 2 minutes of cooling.
- For brownies, line the pan with foil, leave 2 inches hanging over two sides, and grease it. The overhang lifts the slab out the way a parchment sling does.
- Do not pour boiling-hot caramel or toffee onto wax paper. Sugar syrup straight from the stove is hot enough to melt the wax. Use greased foil or a silicone mat.
- Keep wax paper for the freezer: a square between each burger patty or cookie-dough round stops them from freezing together.
Questions
5 questionsCan you use wax paper for baking cookies?
No. Wax paper is not oven-safe: the wax melts into the cookies and onto the pan, the paper smokes, and it can catch fire. Bake cookies on a bare or lightly greased sheet pan, on greased foil, or on a silicone mat.
Can you substitute parchment paper for wax paper?
Yes. The swap works in that direction for every job. Parchment is non-stick and moisture-resistant too, so it can line a counter, separate layers, wrap food and line a no-bake pan. It costs more, which is the only reason to keep both.
What happens if I already baked on wax paper?
The wax will have melted and the paper has probably stuck to the food and the pan. The coating is food-grade wax, so food that touched it is not poisonous, but it may taste waxy or smoky. Peel off the paper and throw away any part where paper is stuck or scorched. If the paper is smoking in the oven, turn the oven off and leave the door closed until it cools.
Can wax paper go in the microwave or the air fryer?
The microwave, yes: laid loosely over a dish, it stops splatters and stays cool enough. The air fryer, no. An air fryer is a small convection oven, and the heating element sits close to the paper.
Can I line a cake pan with wax paper?
Use something else. Wax paper is not rated for oven heat, and any edge left uncovered by batter will smoke. Butter the pan and dust it with flour, or cut a round from greased foil.