Vegetable or olive oil
- ⅓ cup neutral oil or mild olive oil
Best for: Sautéing, muffins, brownies, quick breads
Use three-quarters of the butter amount. Not for pastry or creamed cookies.
Butter Substitute
Butter is roughly 80% fat and 15–18% water. Oil is 100% fat, so you need about three-quarters as much. Solid fats also trap air when creamed with sugar, so swapping in a liquid oil works well for muffins and brownies but not for flaky pastry or creamed cakes.
Use one of these instead — amounts update as you change the quantity.
Coconut oil (solid)
- ½ cup refined coconut oil
Best for: Pie crusts, cookies, dairy-free baking
Solid at cool room temperature, so it creams like butter. Refined has no coconut taste.
Unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup butter or oil
Best for: Muffins, cakes (to cut fat)
Replace up to half the butter; all of it makes bakes gummy.
Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
Best for: Quick breads, mashed potatoes
Use half the amount of butter; tangy and lower in fat.
Questions people ask
How much oil replaces 1 cup of butter?
About ¾ cup (12 tablespoons), because oil is pure fat while butter contains water.
Can I use margarine?
Stick margarine swaps 1:1. Tub spreads contain more water and can make baked goods spread.
Other swaps: Buttermilk · Heavy cream · Baking powder · Egg · Cornstarch · Sour cream · Brown sugar · Milk