The most common butter replacements depend on what you're making
The best substitute for butter changes based on whether you're baking, frying, or spreading. Oil works in most cooking situations and won't change the flavor much. Applesauce or mashed banana replace butter in baked goods but make them denser and sweeter. Greek yogurt or sour cream add moisture to cakes and muffins while keeping them tender. Coconut oil mimics butter's texture in pastries but adds coconut flavor. For spreading, nut butters, tahini, and avocado work well on toast and in sandwiches.
The reason substitutes work differently is that butter does three things at once: it adds fat for flavor and richness, it carries heat for cooking, and it creates texture through how it mixes with other ingredients. A replacement that handles one job well might fail at another. Knowing which substitute matches your cooking method saves you from ruined recipes.
Key Takeaways
- Neutral oils like vegetable or canola oil work best for frying and sautéing because they have a high smoke point and won't burn at cooking temperatures.
- Applesauce and mashed banana replace butter in baked goods at a 1:1 ratio but produce denser, moister results and work better in brownies and quick breads than in delicate cakes.
- Coconut oil creates flaky pastries and pie crusts similar to butter but adds coconut flavor, so it works better in some recipes than others.
- Greek yogurt and sour cream keep baked goods moist and tender but require you to reduce other liquids in the recipe to avoid a wet batter.
- Nut butters, tahini, and avocado are better for spreading and finishing dishes than for cooking, since they break down at high heat.
Oil for frying, sautéing, and most stovetop cooking
Use neutral oils — vegetable, canola, sunflower, or light olive oil — for any cooking that happens on the stovetop. These oils have a high smoke point, meaning they can handle the heat without breaking down or smoking. Butter's smoke point is around 350°F, but vegetable oil stays stable up to 400°F or higher, so it won't burn when you're searing meat or frying vegetables.
Replace butter with oil at a slightly lower ratio: use about three-quarters as much oil as the recipe calls for butter. A recipe asking for 4 tablespoons of butter needs roughly 3 tablespoons of oil. Oil has no water content like butter does, so you need less to get the same cooking effect. The food will brown and cook the same way, though it won't have butter's rich, creamy flavor.
Avoid extra-virgin olive oil for high-heat cooking — it has a lower smoke point and will taste burnt. Save it for finishing dishes, drizzling over soups, or making vinaigrettes. For Asian cooking, sesame oil adds flavor but burns easily, so use it as a finishing oil rather than for cooking.
Applesauce and mashed banana for baked goods
Applesauce and mashed banana replace butter in cakes, brownies, muffins, and quick breads at a 1:1 ratio. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, use 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana instead. Both add moisture and help the batter hold together, but they produce a denser, more cake-like texture than butter does. The result is closer to a brownie or a banana bread than to a light, fluffy cake.
Mashed banana adds sweetness, so reduce the sugar in the recipe by about one-quarter. Applesauce is less sweet and works in recipes where you want the original sugar level. Both work best in recipes where you expect a moist, tender crumb — brownies, chocolate cakes, and zucchini bread are good choices. They don't work well in pie crusts, biscuits, or croissants, where you need butter's ability to create layers and flakiness.
The baked good will also brown less on top because applesauce and banana don't contain the milk solids that give butter its golden color. The flavor will be fine, but the appearance will be paler.
Coconut oil for pastries and pie crusts
Coconut oil is the closest substitute to butter for baking because it's solid at room temperature and creates the same flaky layers in pastries and pie crusts. Replace butter with coconut oil at a 1:1 ratio. Use refined coconut oil if you don't want coconut flavor in your recipe; unrefined coconut oil will taste noticeably of coconut.
Coconut oil works well in pie crusts, biscuits, scones, and shortbread because it behaves like butter when you cut it into flour. The small pieces of cold oil create pockets that turn into steam during baking, which makes the pastry flaky. It won't brown quite as much as butter, and the texture might be slightly less tender, but the result is still good.
The main drawback is flavor. Coconut oil works in chocolate desserts, spiced cakes, and tropical-flavored baked goods. It doesn't work in delicate butter cakes, shortbread meant to taste purely buttery, or savory biscuits where you want a neutral flavor.
Greek yogurt and sour cream for moist cakes and muffins
Greek yogurt and sour cream add moisture and tang to cakes, muffins, and brownies while keeping them tender. They work best when you replace half the butter with yogurt or sour cream — so a recipe calling for 1 cup of butter would use 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup Greek yogurt. This keeps some of butter's richness while adding the moisture that yogurt provides.
Because yogurt and sour cream contain water, you need to reduce the other liquids in the recipe. If the recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, reduce it to 3/4 cup when you add yogurt. Otherwise the batter will be too wet and the baked good will be gummy instead of tender.
The result is a moist, slightly tangy cake with a fine crumb. This works well in chocolate cakes, carrot cakes, and coffee cakes. It doesn't work in pastries or pie crusts because yogurt doesn't create the flaky layers that butter and coconut oil do.
Nut butters and tahini for spreading and finishing
Nut butters — peanut, almond, sunflower seed, or tahini — replace butter on toast, in sandwiches, and as a finishing spread on vegetables or bread. They don't work for cooking or baking because they break down at high heat and can turn bitter or separate. Use them straight from the jar or thin them with a little oil if they're too thick to spread.
Avocado is another good spreading option. It's softer than nut butters, spreads easily, and has a mild flavor that works with both sweet and savory toppings. Mash it lightly with a fork and use it within a few hours, since it browns quickly once exposed to air.
Dairy-free and vegan butter substitutes
If you need to avoid dairy, vegan butter — made from vegetable oils and designed to mimic butter — works in most recipes at a 1:1 ratio. It has a similar smoke point to butter, so it works for cooking and baking. The quality varies by brand, and some taste noticeably different from butter, so you may need to try a few to find one you like.
Aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas) can replace butter in some baked goods, though the results are unpredictable. Mashed tofu works in brownies and dense cakes but produces a heavier texture than applesauce.
For spreading, tahini, nut butters, and avocado are all naturally dairy-free. Coconut oil is also vegan and works for both cooking and baking.
How to choose the right substitute for your recipe
Start by asking what the butter does in your recipe. If you're frying or sautéing, use oil. If you're baking something that needs to be flaky — pie crust, biscuits, croissants — use coconut oil or vegan butter. If you're baking something that should be moist and tender — brownies, muffins, quick breads — use applesauce, mashed banana, or Greek yogurt.
For spreading and finishing, use nut butters, tahini, avocado, or vegan butter. For recipes where you want to keep butter's richness but add moisture, use a combination of butter and yogurt.
The safest approach is to test a substitute in a recipe you've made before, so you know what the original should taste and feel like. That way you can judge whether the substitute worked or whether you need to adjust the ratio or try something different next time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use oil instead of butter in baking?
Yes, but the results are different. Oil works in brownies, cakes, and muffins, where you want a moist crumb. Use three-quarters as much oil as the recipe calls for butter. Oil doesn't work in pie crusts, biscuits, or pastries because it can't create the flaky layers that solid fat does.
What's the best substitute for butter in pie crust?
Coconut oil is the closest match because it's solid at room temperature and creates flaky layers the same way butter does. Use it at a 1:1 ratio. Vegan butter also works well. Applesauce and yogurt won't create the texture you need for pie crust.
How do I replace butter in brownies?
Applesauce, mashed banana, oil, or Greek yogurt all work in brownies. Use applesauce or banana at a 1:1 ratio for a dense, fudgy brownie. Use three-quarters as much oil as the recipe calls for butter. For Greek yogurt, replace half the butter and reduce other liquids slightly.
Can I use peanut butter instead of butter in baking?
Peanut butter works in some baked goods like cookies and brownies, but it adds peanut flavor and changes the texture. It's better used as a spread or mixed into frostings than as a direct butter replacement in most recipes.
What if I don't have any of these substitutes on hand?
For cooking, any neutral oil works. For baking, applesauce or mashed banana from your pantry will work in most recipes. If you have neither, coconut oil, vegan butter, or even Greek yogurt from the refrigerator can work in a pinch, though the results may not be exactly what the recipe intended.