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Butter substitute

Dairy, cream and fats · Checked against 4 sources · Updated November 4, 2026

Quick answer

Swap 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of margarine. Shortening, lard or oil also work, at 7 eighths cup plus half a teaspoon of salt. In recipes that melt the butter, an equal amount of oil works. You lose butter's flavor, and cookies spread differently.

How much do you need?

Fractions work: 1 1/2, ¾, 0.5. The amounts below update as you type.

Show only options that are

What to use

  1. Margarine

    • Gluten-free
    • Nut-free
    • Egg-free
    • 1 cup 235 ml stick margarine
    Best for
    Baking, 1 for 1.
    What changes
    Check the label: some are dairy. Low-fat spreads have more water and bake worse.
    Skip it when
    Tub spreads and low-fat margarine.

  2. Shortening and salt

    • Vegan
    • Dairy-free
    • Gluten-free
    • Nut-free
    • Egg-free
    • ⅞ cup 205 ml solid shortening
    • ½ tsp 2.5 ml salt
    Best for
    Cookies and pie crust.
    What changes
    No butter flavor. Cookies hold their shape.
    Skip it when
    Recipes where butter is the main flavor, like shortbread.

  3. Lard and salt

    • Dairy-free
    • Gluten-free
    • Nut-free
    • Egg-free
    • ⅞ cup 205 ml lard
    • ½ tsp 2.5 ml salt
    Best for
    Pie crust and biscuits.
    What changes
    Very flaky, savory edge.
    Skip it when
    Vegetarian cooking.

  4. Oil and salt

    • Vegan
    • Dairy-free
    • Gluten-free
    • Egg-free
    • ⅞ cup 205 ml oil
    • ½ tsp 2.5 ml salt
    Best for
    Quick breads, muffins and brownies.
    What changes
    Moister, denser crumb. No butter flavor.
    Skip it when
    Creamed cookies and cakes, which need solid fat.

Diet labels describe the ingredients as normally made. Check packages for gluten and allergens. Some refined sugar is filtered with bone char, which matters if you eat vegan.

Which swap for which job

UsePickWhy
Melted butter in a recipeEqual amount of oilBoth are liquid, so the batter behaves the same.
Creaming for cakes and cookiesMargarine (stick) or shorteningNeeds a solid fat.
Pie crustShortening or lardFlaky layers.

Do not substitute here

  • Frosting and shortbread. Oil. Butter's flavor and structure are the whole point.

Questions

Why add salt?

The added salt stands in for salted butter. If your recipe already uses unsalted butter, skip it.

Can I use applesauce?

In some baked goods it replaces some of the fat, but the texture is cakier and softer.

Sources

Ratios come from these sources, in our words. Where they disagree, we say so or pick the amount that matches tested results. Ratios are a starting point. Taste and adjust.