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Oil substitution guide
Which oil or fat stands in for another, with smoke points, flavor notes, the ranked substitutes for the common oils on file, and which oil suits which cooking method.
Oil types at a glance
6 fatsSix common fats and what replaces each
| Oil | Use | Smoke point | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sesame oilNutty, toasty | Peanut oil, walnut oil, neutral oil + toasted sesame seeds | 350°F | Asian cooking, stir-fries, dressings, finishing |
| Coconut oilSweet, tropical | Butter, vegetable oil, palm oil | 350°F | Baking, curries, tropical dishes, vegan cooking |
| Vegetable oilNeutral | Canola oil, olive oil, coconut oil | 400°F | General cooking, frying, baking, sautéing |
| Olive oilFruity, peppery | Vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil | 325–410°F | Mediterranean cooking, dressings, sautéing, finishing |
| ButterRich, creamy | Vegetable oil, margarine, coconut oil | 300°F | Baking, sautéing, finishing, sauces |
| ShorteningNeutral | Butter, coconut oil, lard | 360°F | Baking, frying, pastry |
Substitutes by ingredient
9 of 72 cardsOpen the oils drawerThe six fats above first, then the start of the oils drawer, each name linking to its card
Oils & fats5 options
Out of Sesame oil
Nutty, aromatic oil made from toasted sesame seeds.
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toasted sesame oil | Same amount | When you want stronger sesame taste | Use sparingly as it's more potent |
| Peanut oil | Same amount | Stir-frying, Asian cooking | Good for high-heat cooking |
| Grapeseed oil + sesame seeds | 1 tbsp oil + ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds | When you need the sesame taste | Toast sesame seeds and add to oil |
| Sunflower oil | Same amount | High-heat cooking, frying | Won't have sesame flavor but good for cooking |
| Vegetable oil + sesame seeds | 1 tbsp oil + 1 tsp sesame seeds | When you want to make your own sesame oil | Heat oil and sesame seeds together, then strain |
Oils & fats7 options
Out of Coconut oil
A 100% fat pressed from coconut flesh that melts at 76F (24C), so it is a soft white solid in a cool kitchen and a clear liquid in a warm one, sold either refined and flavourless or virgin and clearly coconut-tasting.
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 cup + 2 tbsp butterper 1 cup coconut oilTweak it | No-bake bars and slices that have to set firm and taste rich | The most common swap and the right one most of the time. |
| Vegetable shortening | 1 cupper 1 cup coconut oilTweak it | Vegan pastry and biscuits worked in a warm kitchen, where coconut oil would turn to liquid, no-bake slices that have to survive a picnic table | This is the swap to reach for in July, when coconut oil is liquid on the shelf and any recipe that needs a solid fat has become impossible. |
| Vegan butter block | 1 cup + 2 tbsp vegan butter blockper 1 cup coconut oilTweak it | Vegan baking where you want the result to taste buttery rather than coconutty, dairy-free frostings and fillings that have to hold their shape | Read the label if you are avoiding coconut for allergy reasons, because a lot of vegan butters are built on coconut oil. |
| Palm shortening | 1 cupper 1 cup coconut oilTweak it | Dairy-free and coconut-free baking, for anyone avoiding both, no-bake slices in a warm room | Its practical value is for people who need to avoid coconut and dairy at the same time, which rules out most of the rest of this list. |
| Cocoa butter | 1 cup, chopped and melted gentlyper 1 cup coconut oilTweak it | Chocolate coatings and shells that must crack when you bite them | If the reason you used coconut oil was to make a chocolate shell set hard, this is a better ingredient for the job, not just a substitute for it. |
| Neutral oil (canola or vegetable) | 1 cup, measured liquidper 1 cup coconut oilYou'll taste it | Cakes, muffins, brownies and breads that call for melted coconut oil | This is the swap most people make and the one that ruins the most recipes, because both fats measure the same and only one of them goes hard. |
| Olive oil | 1 cup, light or refined for baking and extra virgin for savoury foodper 1 cup coconut oilYou'll taste it | Savoury cooking: curries, stir-fries, roasted vegetables | In a coconut curry this is a reasonable trade, since the coconut milk is carrying most of the flavour anyway. |
Oils & fats12 options
Out of Vegetable oil
A refined, flavourless liquid fat, usually pressed from soybeans or sold as a blend of seed oils, that is 100% fat and holds to about 400-450F (205-230C) in a pan.
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canola oil | 1 cupper 1 cup vegetable oilWorks | Any recipe at all, baking or frying, where you want no flavour of its own, when you want the swap nobody at the table will detect | This is the one genuinely invisible swap on the page. If you have canola oil, stop reading and use it. |
| Sunflower oil | 1 cupper 1 cup vegetable oilWorks | When canola is not in the cupboard but sunflower is | Cold-pressed sunflower oil is a different product with a definite seedy flavour and a lower smoke point. |
| Light (refined) olive oil | 1 cupper 1 cup vegetable oilTweak it | Baking, when the only oil in the house is olive oil, shallow and deep frying at high temperatures | Refined olive oil has the highest smoke point of the common household oils, which makes it a better frying oil than most people assume. |
| Avocado oil | 1 cup refined avocado oilper 1 cup vegetable oilWorks | Searing in a screaming hot pan, where anything else would smoke, when you want a neutral oil that will not break down over a long fry | Its selling point is heat, not flavour. If nothing in your recipe goes above 400F, canola does the same job for a fraction of the price. |
| Grapeseed oil | 1 cupper 1 cup vegetable oilWorks | Vinaigrettes and mayonnaise, where its thin body is an advantage, stir-frying and pan-searing up to about 400F | Its light body is the reason restaurant kitchens reach for it in dressings and homemade mayonnaise. |
| Peanut oil | 1 cup refined peanut oilper 1 cup vegetable oilTweak it | Deep frying, where its stability over a long fry is the point, wok cooking at high heat | The reason to choose it is that it holds up over repeated frying better than most seed oils do. |
| Melted butter | 1 ¼ cups, melted and cooled slightlyper 1 cup vegetable oilTweak it | Brownies, muffins and quick breads you want to taste richer | The one real trade-off is fridge texture. |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 1 cupper 1 cup vegetable oilYou'll taste it | Savoury cooking of any kind, where the olive flavour is welcome | The old claim that extra virgin olive oil cannot be cooked with is overstated. |
| Melted coconut oil | 1 cup, melted and measured liquidper 1 cup vegetable oilYou'll taste it | Vegan bakes where you want a firmer, crisper result | The 76F melting point is the catch that surprises people: the batter behaves like an oil batter and the finished cake behaves like a butter cake. |
| Unsweetened applesauce | ½ cup plus ½ cup oilper 1 cup vegetable oilYou'll taste it | Halving the fat in a muffin, spice cake or quick bread | The reason all-applesauce bakes disappoint is not moisture but tenderness: with no fat coating the flour, the gluten develops fully and the crumb goes tough. |
| Mashed ripe banana | ½ cup mashed very ripe banana plus ½ cup oilper 1 cup vegetable oilYou'll taste it | Banana bread, spice muffins and oat bakes where banana suits the flavour, using up overripe bananas while cutting some of the fat | Banana browns the crumb as well as flavouring it, so a pale vanilla cake made this way will not look like the picture in the recipe. |
| Water or broth | 2-3 tbsp water or broth, added a splash at a time as the pan driesper 1 tbsp vegetable oil for sauteingYou'll taste it | Softening onions, garlic or greens when there is no fat in the house | Listed here because people search for it. It is a real technique for softening vegetables and nothing more. |
Oils & fats8 options
Out of Olive oil
A liquid fat pressed from olives, 100% fat, sold either unrefined as extra virgin, which tastes fruity and peppery and holds to about 375-405F (190-207C), or refined as light or pure olive oil, which is nearly flavourless and holds to about 465F (240C).
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canola oil | 1 cupper 1 cup olive oilTweak it | Sauteing, roasting and pan-frying, where you only need the fat, when you do not want any olive flavour in the finished dish | The one thing canola cannot do is be tasted. That is a feature when you are frying an egg and a loss when you are dressing tomatoes. |
| Vegetable oil | 1 cupper 1 cup olive oilTweak it | Baking, when a recipe calls for olive oil but is not named after it, when it is the bottle already open in the cupboard | For baking this is the swap that costs you the least, because most of olive oil's aroma is driven off in the oven anyway. |
| Sunflower oil | 1 cup refined sunflower oilper 1 cup olive oilTweak it | Shallow and deep frying where olive oil would start to smoke, roasting at 425F and above | Worth knowing for roasting at high temperatures, where extra virgin olive oil can turn bitter and this will not. |
| Ghee (clarified butter) | 1 cup, melted and measured liquidper 1 cup olive oilTweak it | Sauteing and roasting where you want a rich flavour rather than a plain one, high-heat cooking that would push extra virgin olive oil too far | The one swap here that gives back a real flavour instead of removing one. It is dairy, so it is out for a milk allergy or a vegan dish. |
| Peanut oil | 1 cup refined peanut oilper 1 cup olive oilTweak it | Deep frying, where the oil has to hold up for the whole batch, wok cooking at high heat | Choose it for stability under long or repeated frying rather than for anything it adds. |
| Avocado oil | 1 cup refined avocado oilper 1 cup olive oilTweak it | Searing in a very hot pan, where extra virgin olive oil would smoke, dressings, when you want something rounder than canola | If the reason you are replacing olive oil is that your pan keeps smoking, this is the oil with the most headroom on the shelf. |
| Melted butter | 1 ¼ cups, meltedper 1 cup olive oilYou'll taste it | Gentle sauteing of onions, mushrooms or fish where you want a dairy richness | This is the swap that most changes the identity of a dish. |
| Melted coconut oil | 1 cup, melted and measured liquidper 1 cup olive oilYou'll taste it | Sauteing and roasting in dishes where a sweet, tropical note suits the food | The 76F melting point is the practical problem. |
| Toasted sesame, walnut or chilli oil | not a swap — do not substitute cup for cup; use ½ tsp at the end of cooking as a seasoningNot for this | Adding half a teaspoon at the end of cooking, off the heat, as a seasoning | Walnut oil also contains tree nuts, which matters if you are cooking for other people. |
Dairy8 options
Out of Butter
A solid dairy fat churned from cream, about 80% fat, 16-18% water and 1-2% milk solids, sold in 4 oz sticks and used for baking, frying and spreading.
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stick margarine | 1 cupper 1 cup butterTweak it | Creamed cakes and cookies when there is no butter in the house | The only thing to check is the packaging. |
| Vegan butter block | 1 cup, chilledper 1 cup butterTweak it | Dairy-free baking that still has to rise from creamed air, dairy-free frosting that has to hold a piped shape | This is the swap for when the rise comes from creaming and the result still has to be dairy-free. Nothing else on this list does both jobs. |
| Shortening | 1 cupper 1 cup butterTweak it | Pie crust and biscuits that have to come out flaky | Shortening melts about 25F higher than butter. |
| Vegetable oil | ¾ cup neutral oilper 1 cup butterYou'll taste it | Brownies, muffins, quick breads and pancakes | This is the swap most people reach for and the one most often done in the wrong recipe. |
| Ghee (clarified butter) | ¾ cupper 1 cup butterYou'll taste it | Frying and searing when you still want a buttery flavour | If your butter keeps burning in the pan, the milk solids are the reason and ghee is the fix. |
| Coconut oil (refined, solid) | 1 cup, scooped solid from the jarper 1 cup butterYou'll taste it | Dairy-free pastry, kept cold, where you want real flakes | The 76F melting point is the whole story. |
| Greek yogurt | ½ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt plus ½ cup butterper 1 cup butterYou'll taste it | Cutting the fat in a muffin or quick bread by half | The protein is the catch. |
| Unsweetened applesauce | ½ cup plus ½ cup butterper 1 cup butterYou'll taste it | Halving the fat in a muffin, spice cake or quick bread, when there is no fat in the house at all and the recipe is a soft batter | There is no fat here to coat the flour, so a cake made entirely with applesauce turns tough and rubbery. Half is the honest ceiling. |
| Tub spread or light margarine | not a swap — do not substitute by volume; buy a stick or block insteadNot for this | Spreading on toast, which is the job they are actually made for | Check the tub for a fat percentage. Under about 75% and it will not behave like butter in any bake, however carefully you measure. |
Baking8 options
Out of Shortening
A white, solid vegetable fat that is 100% fat with no water and no flavour, and melts at about 117F (47C), which is roughly 25F higher than butter.
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 cup + 2 tbsp butterper 1 cup shorteningTweak it | When you want the bake to actually taste of something | Half butter and half shortening is the answer most bakers settle on: butter for the flavour, shortening for the height and the flake. |
| Stick margarine | 1 cup + 2 tbsp stick margarineper 1 cup shorteningTweak it | When you want to keep the neutral, unflavoured result shortening gives, cheap everyday baking where butter is not worth it | Read the label if you need it dairy-free, because a lot of margarine contains whey or milk solids. |
| Lard | 1 cupper 1 cup shorteningTweak it | Pie crust and biscuits when maximum flakiness is the goal | This is the fat American pie crust was built on before shortening existed, and it is still the flakiest option. |
| Vegan butter block | 1 cup + 2 tbsp vegan butter blockper 1 cup shorteningTweak it | Dairy-free baking where you also want a buttery taste | The one swap here that is both dairy-free and capable of creaming, which is why it is worth buying for vegan cakes rather than reaching for oil. |
| Coconut oil (refined, solid) | 1 cup, scooped solid and packedper 1 cup shorteningYou'll taste it | Dairy-free pastry, worked quickly in a cool kitchen, bakes you want to set firm in the fridge | In a kitchen above about 76F this behaves like oil and any recipe relying on solid fat will fail. In a cool kitchen it is a decent stand-in. |
| Unsweetened applesauce | ½ cup plus ½ cup shortening or butterper 1 cup shorteningYou'll taste it | Cutting the fat in a muffin or quick bread by half while keeping the flavour neutral, soft cakes where a damper, denser crumb is acceptable | Nothing here coats the flour, and that coating is exactly what the word shortening describes, so the result is tougher rather than tenderer. |
| Mashed ripe banana | ½ cup mashed very ripe banana plus ½ cup shortening or butterper 1 cup shorteningYou'll taste it | Bakes where banana flavour is welcome anyway, like banana bread or spice muffins, when you want to cut the fat and have overripe bananas to use up | Bananas also brown the crumb, so a pale vanilla cake made this way will not look like the picture. |
| Vegetable oil | 1 cup neutral oilper 1 cup shorteningYou'll taste it | A soft batter where the shortening was only ever melted or beaten into liquid | The earlier version of this page called oil a straight 1:1 swap without saying that it destroys pastry and creamed cookies. |
Oils & fats6 options
Out of Almond oil
Mild, sweet oil extracted from almonds with delicate nutty flavor, commonly used in baking, skincare, and light cooking applications.
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut oil | Same amountTweak it | Baking, salad dressings | Has a stronger, more pronounced nutty flavor than almond oil but works in similar applications. |
| Hazelnut oil | Same amountTweak it | Baking, desserts | More pronounced toasted flavor than almond oil but similar texture and cooking properties. |
| Extra virgin olive oil | Same amountTweak it | Salad dressings, light sautéing | Very different flavor profile but similar texture. Choose high-quality extra virgin for best results. |
| Pecan oil | Same amountWorks | Baking, sautéing | Very similar to almond oil in terms of flavor and cooking properties. May be easier to find. |
| Avocado oil | Same amountTweak it | Sautéing, roasting | Neutral flavor so won't add nutty taste. High smoke point makes it good for cooking. |
| Grapeseed oil | Same amountTweak it | Sautéing, roasting | Neutral flavor and high smoke point. Won't add nutty taste to dishes. |
Oils & fats6 options
Out of Argan oil
An amber, viscous finishing oil pressed from the roasted kernels of the argan tree of southwest Morocco, smelling strongly of toasted nuts and warm sesame, and sold for cooking as culinary or food-grade argan oil to distinguish it from the unroasted cosmetic version.
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toasted sesame oil, diluted | 2 tsp sesame oil made up to 1 tbsp with neutral oilWorks | Drizzling over tagine, lentils or roast vegetables | Neat toasted sesame oil is more pungent than argan and reads distinctly East Asian, which is why it needs diluting with a mild oil. |
| Roasted hazelnut oil | Same amountWorks | Amlou and nut-based spreads | Sweeter, rounder and less savoury than argan, which has an earthy, faintly sesame edge underneath the nuttiness. |
| Roasted walnut oil | Same amountTweak it | Salads and dressings | More tannic and openly bitter than argan, which reads as toasty rather than sharp. |
| Unrefined almond or peanut oil | Same amountTweak it | Amlou, where almond is already a main ingredient | Look for unrefined or roasted versions, since refined almond and peanut oils are nearly flavourless and will contribute nothing at all. |
| Good olive oil plus toasted ground almonds or sesame seeds | 1 tbsp oil + ½ tsp toasted ground nuts or seedsYou'll taste it | Finishing soups, dips and vegetable dishes | The olive oil supplies richness and fruitiness, the toasted nuts or seeds supply the roasted top note that argan is really about. |
| Leave it out and finish with olive oil | Same amountTweak it | Tagines, stews and soups | There is no cheap ingredient that tastes like argan oil, and a bad imitation is worse than a clean omission. |
Oils & fats3 options
Out of Avocado oil
Oil made from avocados with mild, buttery flavor and high smoke point, used in cooking and salad dressings.
| Substitute | Amount | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | Same amountTweak it | Cooking, salad dressings | Different flavor, similar smoke point - more fruity |
| Grapeseed oil | Same amountTweak it | Cooking, salad dressings | Different flavor, similar smoke point - more neutral |
| Sunflower oil | Same amountTweak it | Cooking, salad dressings | Different flavor, similar smoke point - more neutral |
Smoke points
6 oils| Oil | Smoke point | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Avocado oilMild, buttery | 520°F | High-heat cooking, frying |
| Grapeseed oilNeutral | 420°F | Sautéing, frying |
| Vegetable oilNeutral | 400°F | General cooking |
| Coconut oilSweet, tropical | 350°F | Baking, low-heat cooking |
| Sesame oilNutty, toasty | 350°F | Finishing, dressings |
| ButterRich, creamy | 300°F | Baking, low-heat cooking |
By cooking method
| Method | Oils that suit it |
|---|---|
| High-heat cooking | Avocado, grapeseed, vegetable |
| Baking | Butter, coconut, vegetable |
| Salad dressings | Olive, walnut, sesame |
| Asian cooking | Sesame, peanut, vegetable |
Choosing and storing
2 listsChoosing the right oil4 tips
- For frying, pick a smoke point above 400°F: avocado, grapeseed or vegetable oil.
- For baking, pick a neutral oil so the crumb tastes of the cake, not the fat.
- Toasted sesame oil and extra-virgin olive oil are finishing oils: add them off the heat.
- A solid fat (butter, coconut oil, shortening) and a liquid oil are not interchangeable in pastry: the solid one makes the flakes.
Storage and handling4 tips
- Store oils in a cool, dark cupboard, not beside the stove.
- Nut and seed oils (walnut, sesame, flax) go rancid fastest: refrigerate after opening.
- A rancid oil smells like crayons or old nuts: smell before you pour.
- Unopened oils keep about a year past the printed date; opened, use within a few months.
Common oil swaps
Also on file
One ingredient at a time
Every ingredient has its own card: the swap, the amount, and every option stamped.