Butter vs. Shortening in Baking (2024)

FAQs

Butter vs. Shortening in Baking? ›

Shortening traps more air bubbles and has a higher melting point than butter, so recipes using shortening tend to produce baked goods with more lift and that hold their shape during baking.

In general, you can use a 1:1 ratio when substituting butter instead of shortening. However, making this substitution may slightly alter the texture of your baked goods. Why? Shortening is solid, 100 percent fat.

Until recently, it was also thought to be healthier because it contains less saturated fat than butter and lard. However, we now know that highly processed shortening offers no health advantages over butter or lard and may in fact be a less nutritious choice ( 5 , 6 ).

Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening. Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren't as flavorful.

In general, you can substitute Crisco shortening for butter or margarine in equal amounts (1 cup Crisco shortening = 1 cup butter or margarine). Not only does Crisco shortening have 50% less saturated fat than butter and 0g trans fat per serving, it gives you higher, lighter-textured baked goods.

Cookies Made with Butter vs Shortening

The butter cookie provides better flavor and a crispier exterior with browning around edges and a chewy interior; the shortening cookie spreads less, holding its shape better while baking.

Disadvantages of Using Butter

Cookies made with butter can spoil more quickly than those made with shortening. If you want your cookies to last as long as possible (and who doesn't?), you should opt for Shortening.

Shortening is ideal for its neutral flavor, many professional bakers use it for icing. Pastry novices might prefer shortening since it has a higher melting point than lard or butter, meaning you won't have to scramble to keep the pastry dough cold.

The difference between lard and vegetable shortening is that lard is made of pure animal fat and shortening is made of vegetable oil.

No matter what you're using, use the same amount called for in your recipe. In other words, it should be a one-to-one swap. If your recipe calls for one cup of butter, you can use one cup of shortening and vice versa.

Why use lard instead of butter in cookies? ›

Fats in lard remain intact and soft after melting, but butter separates into oil and milk solids. Butter may wind up making recipes seem a bit oilier and also harder once they cool down, while lard tends to keep them soft. (Cookies are so soft and chewy and they don't flatten out and spread when baking.)

The Food Marketing Institute's FoodKeeper recommends storing unopened solid shortening, such as Crisco shortening, at room temperature for 8 months. After opening, store at room temperature for 3 months for best quality.

If you're after flakiness and sturdiness in your crust (what you need for a custard pie such as pumpkin or pean), vegetable shortening is the better option. For cookies and cakes: vegetable shortening and sugar can be creamed together, but the water in butter definitely helps that process along.

All things being equal,” she says, “there's more fat per ounce of shortening than butter, and because shortening has a higher melting point than butter, it's more forgiving to work with, so it might give the appearance of more tenderness.” But any pie crust should have enough fat, no matter the source, to produce a ...

Margarine and butter can both be used as a substitute for shortening, though their moisture contents should be taken into consideration before making the swap. While shortening is 100% fat, margarine and butter contain a small percentage of water (so, shortening adds more fat, thus more richness and tenderness).

The verdict: Use butter if you want to. If you have extreme concerns about your cake sticking, use shortening (which is pure fat with no water), cooking spray, or baking spray. Coconut oil or bacon fat will also work, as will clarified butter which has the milk solids removed.

"Use only shortening for this, do not use butter, margarine or oil!

It's really important to prevent forcefully packing your cup with flour or try to push more flour into it, as that will impact the end result. Butter: With many pie crust recipes calling for shortening, we prefer an all butter crust. It may just be a personal preference, but you really can't beat butter.