Out of Shortening, one case
Can you substitute lard for shortening?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Lard
1 cup for every cup of shortening
Yes: use 1 cup of lard for each cup of shortening. Both are 100% fat and solid at room temperature, so the amount does not change. Lard makes pie crust and biscuits flakier than shortening does. Ordinary lard has a faint savory pork taste, which is welcome in pastry and tortillas and out of place in frosting or a delicate white cake. It is pork, so it is not for vegetarian baking.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Chill and cube it for pastry and work quickly. Lard softens from about 95°F, sooner than shortening, which stays firm to about 117°F.
- Best for —
- pie crust and biscuits
One casethe full shortening card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup shortening | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lardpie crust and biscuits | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Leaf lardsweet pie crust | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Buttercookies and cakes | 1 cup + 2 tbspTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Refined coconut oil, solidvegan and dairy-free pastry made in a cool kitchen | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Lard
faintly savory; shortening has no taste at all
Rendered pork fat. It cuts into flour and creams with sugar the way shortening does, and its large fat crystals leave bigger, more distinct layers in pastry.
- Best for
- pie crust and biscuits, tortillas, tamales and empanadas, frying
- Prep
- Chill and cube it for pastry and work quickly. Lard softens from about 95°F, sooner than shortening, which stays firm to about 117°F.
- Suits
- dairy-free
- Contains
- pork
- Where it fails
- Frosting, plain sugar cookies and white cake, where the pork note shows. Anything served to people who do not eat pork.
Shelf-stable lard from the baking aisle and fresh rendered lard from a butcher measure the same. Smell fresh lard first: a strong pork smell will come through in a sweet bake.
Leaf lard
nearly neutral
Lard rendered from the fat around the kidneys. It is the mildest kind, close to neutral in flavor, and the one to choose for sweet baking.
- Best for
- sweet pie crust, cookies and doughnuts, any sweet bake where regular lard would be tasted
- Prep
- Keep it cold for pastry, as with regular lard.
- Suits
- dairy-free
- Contains
- pork
- Where it fails
- It is hard to find outside a butcher or a farmers market, and it is still pork.
Butter
rich and dairy
The swap to make when lard is not right for the bake. Butter is only about 80% fat, so it takes 2 tablespoons more per cup.
- Best for
- cookies and cakes, frosting, at 1 cup per cup, pie crust where flavor matters most
- Prep
- Chill the dough 30 minutes before baking, because butter melts sooner than shortening and cookies spread.
- Suits
- vegetarian
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Cookies come out flatter and browner, and pastry is a little less flaky than with lard or shortening.
Refined coconut oil, solid
neutral if refined, coconut if virgin
The plant-based solid fat, for when lard is ruled out by diet. It is also 100% fat, so it swaps cup for cup.
- Best for
- vegan and dairy-free pastry made in a cool kitchen, bakes that are chilled to set
- Prep
- Scoop it solid and keep the dough cold. It turns liquid at 76°F.
- Suits
- vegan, dairy-free
- Contains
- coconut
- Where it fails
- It creams poorly, so cakes that depend on beaten fat rise less. In a warm kitchen it behaves like oil.
Tips for substituting shortening
5 tips- The amount is the same at any size: ½ cup lard for ½ cup shortening, 2 tbsp for 2 tbsp.
- For pie crust, cube the lard and chill it for 15 minutes before cutting it in, and stop when the pieces are the size of peas. The visible pieces are what make the flakes.
- A crust made with half lard and half butter gives the flake of lard and the flavor of butter. For 1 cup of shortening, use ½ cup lard and ½ cup + 1 tbsp butter.
- For frying, lard holds up to about 370°F. Keep deep-frying oil at 350°F to 365°F and it will not smoke.
- Store opened lard in the refrigerator. It turns rancid at room temperature faster than shortening does.
Questions
5 questionsIs lard a 1:1 substitute for shortening?
Yes, by volume or by weight. Both are pure fat with no water, so there is nothing to adjust in the amount. The only changes are flavor and a slightly lower softening point, which means keeping pastry dough colder.
Can you substitute lard for shortening in frosting?
It will whip, but it is not a good choice. A frosting is uncooked, so the savory pork taste of lard has nothing to hide behind. Use butter in the same amount as the shortening and add the milk last.
Can I use lard in place of shortening in cookies?
Yes, cup for cup. The cookies are a little crisper and may spread slightly more, so chill the dough for 30 minutes if it feels soft. In strongly flavored cookies such as molasses, ginger or peanut butter the lard cannot be tasted. In a plain sugar cookie or shortbread, use leaf lard or butter.
Can I substitute shortening for lard?
Yes, the swap works both ways at 1 cup per cup. Pastry made with shortening is tender and a little less flaky, and tortillas and tamales lose the savory note lard gives them.
Is lard vegetarian, kosher or halal?
No. Lard is pork fat, so it does not fit vegetarian, vegan, kosher or halal cooking. Vegetable shortening, refined coconut oil or a vegan butter block are the alternatives.