Can You Substitute Butter for Oil? How & When To Do | Blue Apron (2024)

FAQs

What happens when you replace oil with butter? ›

Butter substitute for baking

Most cake mixes call for oil, but butter will bring in amazing flavor. To substitute butter for oil in baking just melt the butter, measure it, let it cool, and add it as you would the oil. Compared to oil, butter will create a cake with a firmer, cakeier texture.

Because it browns easily and can burn when cooked at high temperatures, butter is usually unsuitable for dishes that require a high cooking temperature. Instead, cooking oils are the best option and there are a variety of choices available from peanut oil, to avocado oil, vegetable oil and olive oil.

It couldn't be easier to substitute butter for oil using a 1:1 ratio. This should work with olive, canola, vegetable, and coconut oils. Simply melt and cool the butter to room temperature, then continue with your recipe. (If the recipe calls for ½ cup oil, use ½ cup melted and cooled butter.)

Unsweetened applesauce, mashed fruit, or pureed fruit such as bananas, pears, and prunes may be substituted for vegetable oil in baked goods. You can substitute cup for cup.

Bottom line: Olive, canola and safflower oils are healthier choices overall than butter and most margarines. Use them as replacements for butter and margarine in most of your cooking, but watch the amounts – those fat calories can add up fast.

Despite some widespread beliefs, oil cakes are not inferior to butter cakes. Here's why. The texture of cakes made with oil is—in general—superior to the texture of cakes made with butter. Oil cakes tend to bake up loftier with a more even crumb and stay moist and tender far longer than cakes made with butter.

To convert butter to oil, you'll want to use a 3:4 ratio instead — this means one equal part of oil equates to ¾ butter. Example: If a recipe calls for 2/3 cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of oil instead.

Milk: Use whole milk, 2% milk, or your favorite alternative milk to add moisture and help create the perfect batter consistency. Oil: A neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, keeps the cornbread nice and moist.

How to convert butter to oil? ›

Can I replace butter with oil? Yes.. and the ratio is 1:1.. so if it calls for 1 cup of oil, then you can use 1 cup of butter. This should work with most oils, olive, vegetable, canola and coconut, etc. So if the recipe says 3/4th cup of canola oil, you can just melt 3/4th cup of butter.

You can make fried foods a little lighter by frying in canola or vegetable oil. But for browning and flavor, butter is usually the first choice. Frying foods in butter can pose a challenge, however, because butter has a low smoke point and can burn quickly, which can ruin your dish.

Butter is considered a solid fat because it is solid at room temperature and oil is considered a liquid fat because it's liquid at room temperature. Because of this, you can't rely on oil to provide any leavening help in baked goods, which can result in a denser texture.

As butter melts, you'll notice that some white flecks will begin to float on the surface of a yellowish liquid that looks a lot like olive oil. The white flecks are the milk solids, or fat component of butter, while the liquid contains a lot of water.