The best butter substitutes depend on what you're making

The substitute you choose matters because butter does three different jobs in cooking: it adds fat for flavor and texture, it helps baked goods rise and brown, and it carries heat for sautéing. A substitute that works for one job may fail at another. Oil works well for sautéing but won't help a cake rise. Applesauce adds moisture to brownies but won't crisp the edges of a cookie. The right choice depends on whether you're baking, frying, or spreading.

Start by identifying what the butter does in your specific recipe. If you're making a sauce or sautéing vegetables, any neutral oil will work. If you're baking a cake or cookies, you need something that creams with sugar and traps air—that narrows your options. If you're spreading butter on toast, you're looking for something with similar texture and taste. Once you know the job, you can pick a substitute that actually does it.

Key Takeaways

  • Neutral oils like vegetable or canola oil work for sautéing and frying but won't help baked goods rise the way butter does.
  • Coconut oil, applesauce, and Greek yogurt can replace butter in baking, but each changes the flavor and texture of the final product.
  • For spreading, nut butters and tahini mimic butter's richness, while olive oil works better for dipping bread.
  • When substituting in baking, reduce the total liquid in the recipe if your substitute is wetter than butter.
  • Margarine and shortening are butter substitutes designed for baking, but they contain trans fats in some brands and won't improve flavor.

Oil for sautéing, frying, and cooking

Use neutral oils like vegetable, canola, or light olive oil when you need butter for heat. These oils have a high smoke point—the temperature at which they start to break down—so they won't burn during cooking. Use the same amount of oil as the recipe calls for butter, or slightly less if you prefer a lighter result. Oil won't add the same rich flavor butter does, but it won't interfere with the taste of what you're cooking either.

Avoid extra-virgin olive oil for high-heat cooking; it has a lower smoke point and will taste bitter if it gets too hot. Save it for finishing dishes, drizzling on bread, or making vinaigrettes. For deep frying or high-heat searing, stick with vegetable, canola, or peanut oil. Ghee (clarified butter) is also an option if you want butter flavor without the milk solids that can burn—it has a higher smoke point than regular butter and works well for sautéing and frying.

Coconut oil for baking cookies and cakes

Coconut oil is the closest substitute to butter in baking because it's solid at room temperature and creams with sugar the way butter does. Use refined coconut oil if you don't want coconut flavor in your baked goods; unrefined coconut oil will taste noticeably like coconut. Replace butter with an equal amount of coconut oil in most recipes. The texture of cookies and cakes will be slightly different—often a bit drier—but the rise and browning will be similar to butter.

Coconut oil works best in recipes where a little dryness won't hurt, like chocolate chip cookies or spice cakes. It's less successful in delicate cakes that rely on butter's moisture, like pound cake or angel food cake. If you're baking at high altitude or in a very dry climate, coconut oil may make your baked goods drier than you want. In that case, add an extra egg or a tablespoon of milk to the batter to compensate.

Applesauce and Greek yogurt for moist baked goods

Applesauce and Greek yogurt replace butter in recipes where moisture matters more than richness—brownies, quick breads, and muffins. Both are much wetter than butter, so you need to adjust the recipe. Use half the amount of applesauce or yogurt as the recipe calls for butter, then reduce the other liquids (milk, water, or juice) by the same amount. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, use ½ cup applesauce and reduce the milk by ½ cup.

Applesauce adds sweetness and a subtle apple flavor, so reduce the sugar in the recipe slightly if you want to avoid an overly sweet result. Greek yogurt adds tanginess and protein, making baked goods denser and more cake-like than fluffy. Both will produce baked goods that are moister and less rich than butter versions, but they brown less evenly. Watch your baking time—these substitutes often bake faster than butter because they conduct heat differently. Start checking for doneness 5 to 10 minutes before the recipe suggests.

Nut butters and tahini for spreading and finishing

Peanut butter, almond butter, and tahini replace butter when you're spreading on toast, stirring into oatmeal, or finishing a dish. They have a similar fat content to butter and create a rich, creamy texture. Use them straight from the jar or thin them with a little oil or honey if they're too thick. These work well on bread, crackers, and fruit, and they add protein and flavor that plain butter doesn't.

Keep in mind that nut butters and tahini have strong flavors of their own. Peanut butter tastes like peanuts, almond butter like almonds, and tahini like sesame. They won't work in recipes where you want butter's neutral richness—like a delicate pastry or a subtle sauce. But in savory dishes like noodles or roasted vegetables, tahini adds depth. In sweet applications like smoothie bowls or energy bites, nut butters are excellent.

Margarine and shortening for baking

Margarine and shortening are designed to replace butter in baking because they're solid at room temperature and cream with sugar. They work in most baked goods without requiring recipe adjustments—use them in a 1:1 ratio with butter. However, many brands of margarine contain trans fats, which are linked to heart disease. Check the nutrition label; if it says "0 grams trans fat," the product is safe, but if it lists partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients, it contains trans fats even if the label rounds down to zero.

Shortening is pure fat with no water content, so baked goods made with it tend to be tender and crumbly rather than fluffy. It's useful for pie crusts and biscuits where you want a flaky texture, but it won't help cakes rise as well as butter or margarine. Neither margarine nor shortening adds flavor, so your baked goods will taste less rich than they would with butter. If flavor matters, coconut oil or a mix of oil and applesauce will give you better results.

Mashed banana and avocado for brownies and quick breads

Mashed banana and mashed avocado work in dense, forgiving recipes like brownies, chocolate cake, and banana bread. Both add moisture and fat without the richness of butter. Use ¾ cup mashed banana or avocado for every 1 cup of butter the recipe calls for, and reduce other liquids by ¼ cup. Banana adds sweetness and a subtle banana flavor, so reduce the sugar in the recipe by 2 to 3 tablespoons. Avocado is neutral in flavor and adds creaminess without changing the taste.

These substitutes work best in chocolate-based recipes where their flavor won't compete. Banana bread made with mashed banana instead of butter will taste like banana bread, which is fine. But a vanilla cake made with mashed banana will taste like banana cake, which may not be what you want. Avocado is more versatile because it's flavorless, but it's also more expensive and spoils quickly. Both produce denser, moister baked goods than butter, so expect a different texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use oil instead of butter in all baking recipes?

No. Oil won't help baked goods rise or trap air the way butter does, so cakes and cookies made with oil will be denser and flatter. Oil works in recipes that don't rely on rising, like brownies or quick breads, but it will fail in delicate cakes or pastries. For most baking, choose a substitute that's solid at room temperature, like coconut oil or margarine.

What's the difference between refined and unrefined coconut oil?

Refined coconut oil has been processed to remove the coconut flavor and smell, so it bakes into neutral-tasting baked goods. Unrefined coconut oil tastes and smells like coconut, so it will flavor whatever you bake with it. Both work the same way in baking; the choice depends on whether you want coconut flavor in your final product.

Do I need to change the oven temperature if I use a different butter substitute?

No, keep the oven temperature the same. However, some substitutes bake faster or slower than butter. Applesauce and yogurt often bake faster because they conduct heat differently. Start checking for doneness 5 to 10 minutes before the recipe suggests, and adjust future batches based on what you see.

Can I mix butter substitutes together in one recipe?

Yes. Mixing applesauce with a little coconut oil, for example, gives you the moisture of applesauce and the richness of coconut oil. Start with half applesauce and half coconut oil, then adjust based on how the baked good turns out. Mixing substitutes lets you dial in the flavor and texture you want.

What if my baked goods turn out too dry when I use a substitute?

Add more liquid to the batter. Start with an extra tablespoon of milk or water, mix it in, and see how the batter looks. If it's still too thick, add another tablespoon. You can also add an extra egg, which adds both moisture and fat. Keep notes on what you change so you can repeat it next time.