Out of Shortening, one case

Can you substitute vegetable oil for shortening?

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Vegetable oil

1 cup for every cup of shortening

Only in some recipes. Vegetable oil replaces shortening at 1 cup per cup where the shortening is melted or simply stirred into a batter, and for frying and greasing pans. It does not work where shortening is creamed with sugar or cut into flour: cookies spread thin and greasy, and pie crust and biscuits lose their layers. For those, use butter at 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons per cup of shortening.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Stir it into the wet ingredients. There is nothing to cream, so skip that step and mix until just combined.
Best for —: cakes, muffins and quick breads that use melted shortening
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full shortening card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Shortening substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup shortening	Verdict
1	Vegetable oilcakes, muffins and quick breads that use melted shortening	1 cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	Buttercookies	1 cup + 2 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
3	Stick margarinecookies and cakes	1 cup + 2 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
4	Lardpie crust and biscuits	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
5	Refined coconut oil, solidvegan pie crust and biscuits made in a cool kitchen	1 cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Vegetable oil

neutral, the same as shortening

Oil and shortening are both 100% fat, so the amount is the same. The difference is that oil is liquid, and most recipes choose shortening because it is solid.

Best for: cakes, muffins and quick breads that use melted shortening, deep frying and pan frying, greasing pans
Prep: Stir it into the wet ingredients. There is nothing to cream, so skip that step and mix until just combined.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: Cookies, pie crust, biscuits and frosting. A liquid fat cannot hold air when beaten or stay in separate pieces in a dough, and no change in the amount fixes that.

Use a neutral oil such as canola, soybean or sunflower. Olive oil brings its own flavor.

Butter

rich and dairy

A solid fat that creams and cuts in the way shortening does. It is about 80% fat, which is why it takes 2 tablespoons more per cup.

Best for: cookies, creamed cakes, pie crust and biscuits
Prep: Chill cookie dough and pastry for 30 minutes before baking. Butter melts sooner than shortening.
Suits: vegetarian
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: Cookies spread and brown more than with shortening, and pastry is slightly less flaky.

Stick margarine

buttery and a little salty

The firm block kind, about 80% fat, stands in the same way butter does. Tub spreads hold too much water.

Best for: cookies and cakes, dairy-free baking, if the label confirms it
Prep: Use sticks, not a tub, and chill the dough as for butter.
Where it fails: Soft tub margarine makes cookies spread and cakes heavy.

Lard

faintly savory

Solid and 100% fat, so it swaps cup for cup with no other change. It makes the flakiest pastry of any of these.

Best for: pie crust and biscuits, tortillas, frying
Prep: Keep it cold for pastry.
Contains: pork
Where it fails: Frosting and delicate sweet bakes, where the pork taste shows. It is not vegetarian.

Refined coconut oil, solid

neutral if refined, coconut if virgin

The one oil that is solid at cool room temperature, so it can be cut into flour. It is 100% fat and swaps cup for cup.

Best for: vegan pie crust and biscuits made in a cool kitchen, bakes that are chilled to set
Prep: Scoop it solid, do not melt it, and keep the dough cold. It turns liquid at 76°F.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Contains: coconut
Where it fails: It creams poorly and turns to oil in a warm kitchen.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeShortening

Read how the recipe uses the shortening before you decide. If it says melt the shortening, or lists it with the wet ingredients, the fat was going to be liquid anyway and oil does the same job. If it says cream the shortening with sugar, or cut the shortening into the flour, the recipe depends on a solid fat and oil will change the result.

Tips for substituting shortening

5 tips

Cake: if the shortening is creamed with sugar, oil gives a moister, denser cake that rises a little less. Whisk the oil with the sugar, eggs and liquid, then fold in the dry ingredients.
Cookies: do not use oil in a recipe written for shortening. Use 1 cup + 2 tbsp butter per cup and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Biscuits and pie crust: oil cannot be cut in, so there are no layers. Use butter, lard or solid coconut oil, or find a recipe written for oil.
Frying: swap oil for melted shortening measure for measure and fry at the temperature the recipe gives.
Greasing a pan: brush on a thin film of oil, then dust with flour if the recipe says to grease and flour.

Questions

5 questions

Can I substitute vegetable oil for shortening in a cake?

Yes, at 1 cup per cup, with a change in texture. A cake made with oil is moist and tender but a little denser, because oil cannot trap air the way creamed shortening does. It works best in recipes that already rely on baking powder or soda for most of their lift.

Can I substitute vegetable oil for shortening in cookies?

It is not a good swap. The dough is soft and oily, and the cookies spread into thin, greasy rounds with no chew. Use butter at 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons per cup of shortening, or stick margarine at the same amount.

Can I substitute vegetable oil for shortening in biscuits?

Not in a cut-in biscuit recipe. Flaky biscuits need pieces of solid fat that melt in the oven and leave layers. Oil coats the flour evenly and gives a soft, cake-like biscuit with no layers. Use cold butter or lard.

How much oil replaces ½ cup of shortening?

½ cup. Oil and shortening are both pure fat, so the measure is the same at any size. The limit is the kind of recipe, not the amount.

Can I use oil in place of shortening for frying?

Yes. Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, peanut or vegetable oil, in the same amount as the melted shortening. Fried food may be slightly less crisp once it cools.