Here's How to Substitute Butter for Shortening in Baked Goods (2024)

FAQs

Here's How to Substitute Butter for Shortening in Baked Goods? ›

How to Substitute. 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.

Cookies Made with Butter vs Shortening

Cookies made with only butter may spread a bit more, have crisper edges and taste rich and buttery. Those made with only shortening bake higher and spread less during baking.

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).

Butter is a natural substitute for shortening: it provides a a similar texture and even more of a savory flavor. If one is substituting butter in a recipe that calls for shortening, here's the ratio: Ratio- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of butter for 1 cup shortening.

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 ).

As an example, you have a cookie recipe that calls for two sticks of butter (1 cup or 226 grams), but you want to use shortening instead. There are two steps: Multiply the weight of the butter by 0.8, which gives you 181 grams. This is how much shortening you'll need.

Which One Should I Use in Cookies? 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.

Crisco may be beneficial for other baking applications, but for biscuit making, butter is the ultimate champion!

Crisco® all-vegetable shortening will make your cakes moist, pie crusts flaky, and cookies soft and fluffy, with 0g of trans fat per serving*. One look, and you'll see why we've got butter beat.

What are the 4 kinds of shortening that usually used in baking? ›

According to The Spruce Eats, there are four common types of vegetable shortenings: solid, liquid, all-purpose, and cake or icing shortening.

From giving pie doughs and shortbreads their signature crumble to leaving biscuits with a softer and lighter texture, shortening is the secret ingredient behind many recipes. This semi-solid fat possesses a remarkable ability to form a tender, flaky, and melt-in-your-mouth texture for a wide array of baked goods.

Shortening is used in most doughs and batters, to give the baked product a crisp and crumbly texture. Rubbing the fat in causes the baked product to have a flaky texture, as the dough is separated into layers.

Cookies made with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be flatter and crispier than cookies made with shortening.

Baked goods made with shortening are typically softer and more tender than those made with butter. They also tend to be slightly taller, as it has a higher melting point and doesn't spread as much.

Like butter, clarified butter, or ghee, is a suitable substitute for shortening in baked goods. It adds a rich, buttery flavor. Since it has less water than regular butter, you can use a one-to-one ratio when swapping ghee for shortening during baking.

If you don't want to use shortening, try this all-butter pie crust instead. Let's compare: Using all butter creates a lighter-textured crust and this is due to the butter's water content. As the crust bakes, the butter's water converts to steam, lifting up the dough and creating flaky layers.

Lard. Lard has similar properties to shortening and a rich flavor. It's a solid animal fat, so if you prefer vegetarian or vegan options chose the options above. Ratio: 1 cup lard for 1 cup shortening.

Vegan Shortening Recipe - Coconut Oil Base

Melt the coconut oil in a microwave so it's barely melted and as close to room temperature as possible. Measure it and add it and the canola oil to a food processor. Making smooth shortening is dependent on the mixture solidifying as quickly as possible after it's mixed.