Out of Vegetable oil, one case
Vegetable oil substitute for pancakes
6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Melted butter
1 ¼ cups for every cup of vegetable oil
In pancake batter, replace vegetable oil with melted butter at 1 ¼ times the amount: 2 ½ tablespoons of butter for 2 tablespoons of oil. The pancakes taste richer and brown a little faster. Canola or any other neutral oil swaps in the same amount with no change, and light olive oil does too.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Melt it and let it cool for a few minutes. Whisk it into the milk and egg last, in a thin stream, so it does not set into lumps.
- Best for —
- scratch pancakes
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full vegetable oil card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup vegetable oil | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melted butterscratch pancakes | 1 ¼ cupsTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Canola oilany pancake batter | 1 cupWorks | Works |
| 3 | Light olive oilany pancake batter | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Extra virgin olive oilsavory pancakes and corn cakes | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Melted coconut oildairy-free and vegan pancakes | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Unsweetened applesaucecutting the fat in pancakes by half | ½ cup applesauce + ½ cup fatYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Melted butter
richer and buttery; browns a little faster
Butter is about 80% fat, so it takes a little more to match the oil. In pancakes it is the swap most people prefer to the original, for the flavor.
- Best for
- scratch pancakes, pancakes from a boxed mix, buttermilk pancakes
- Prep
- Melt it and let it cool for a few minutes. Whisk it into the milk and egg last, in a thin stream, so it does not set into lumps.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Greasing the griddle: the milk solids in butter burn at pancake heat and leave black specks. Dairy-free pancakes.
Canola oil
no change
The same kind of refined, flavorless liquid fat. Sunflower, safflower, corn, grapeseed and refined avocado oil all behave the same way.
- Best for
- any pancake batter, greasing the griddle, dairy-free pancakes
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Nowhere in pancakes.
Light olive oil
nearly neutral, with a faint olive note
Light or refined olive oil is filtered until little olive flavor is left. It measures and cooks like vegetable oil.
- Best for
- any pancake batter, greasing the griddle, dairy-free pancakes
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Light means light in flavor, not in fat. Do not confuse it with extra virgin, which tastes clearly of olive in a plain batter.
Extra virgin olive oil
olive, fruity and slightly peppery
It measures the same as vegetable oil and makes an equally tender pancake. The difference is flavor: grassy, peppery and noticeable in a plain batter.
- Best for
- savory pancakes and corn cakes, whole wheat, oat or buckwheat pancakes, lemon or blueberry pancakes
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Plain buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup, where a strong oil tastes out of place. A mild bottle is far less noticeable than a robust one.
Melted coconut oil
coconut, unless the jar says refined
All fat, like vegetable oil, but solid below about 76°F. Unrefined coconut oil tastes of coconut; refined does not.
- Best for
- dairy-free and vegan pancakes, banana or tropical-fruit pancakes, greasing the griddle
- Prep
- Melt it, measure it liquid, and take the chill off the milk before you whisk it in.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- It sets into small hard flecks when it meets cold milk or eggs. They melt on the griddle, but the batter looks curdled.
Unsweetened applesauce
faintly fruity, less rich
Applesauce replaces the moisture of oil, not the fat. Use it for half the oil at most and make up the other half with any fat you have: ½ cup applesauce plus ½ cup melted butter or oil per cup.
- Best for
- cutting the fat in pancakes by half, apple, cinnamon or oat pancakes
- Prep
- Replace half the oil with an equal amount of applesauce and keep fat for the other half.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Pancakes with no fat in the batter are tougher, paler and more likely to stick. Keep half the fat, and grease the pan well.
Tips for substituting vegetable oil
4 tips- Butter amounts: for 1 tbsp oil use 1 tbsp plus ¾ tsp melted butter; for 2 tbsp use 2 ½ tbsp; for ¼ cup use 5 tbsp.
- Grease the griddle with a thin film of oil, shortening or clarified butter. Whole butter scorches at about 375°F griddle heat; if you use it, wipe the pan between batches.
- With butter in the batter, turn the heat down slightly and flip when the bubbles on top stay open, usually 2 to 3 minutes. The extra milk solids brown the surface sooner.
- Stir the batter only until the flour is wet. The swap does not change that rule: lumps are fine, and overmixing makes any pancake tough.
Questions
5 questionsCan you substitute olive oil for vegetable oil in pancakes?
Yes, in the same amount. Light or refined olive oil has almost no taste and nobody will notice. Extra virgin olive oil works the same way in the batter but adds a fruity, peppery flavor, which is pleasant in whole grain or savory pancakes and noticeable in plain ones.
Is butter a 1:1 swap for oil in pancakes?
Close. Butter is about 80% fat, so the full match is 1 ¼ times the oil: 2 ½ tablespoons for 2 tablespoons. In a batter that small, an even 2 tablespoons makes a slightly leaner pancake and still works.
Can I leave the oil out of pancakes?
For the 1 to 2 tablespoons most recipes use, yes. The pancakes are a little less tender and dry out faster as they sit, and they are more likely to stick, so grease the pan. Boxed mixes labeled complete already contain fat and only need water.
Can I use melted shortening or margarine?
Yes. Melted shortening swaps in the same amount as the oil and adds no flavor. Stick margarine with 80% fat is used like butter, at 1 ¼ times the amount. Avoid tub spreads, which are partly water.
What can I grease the pan with if I have no oil?
A thin wipe of shortening, clarified butter, ghee or bacon fat. Whole butter works for one batch at medium-low heat; wipe out the browned bits before the next. A good nonstick pan needs almost nothing.