Everything You Need to Know About Substituting Butter for Oil in Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Everything You Need to Know About Substituting Butter for Oil in Cooking? ›

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.)

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.

So which one is healthier? Based on its nutritional value, olive oil is a clear winner in terms of health benefits. So, if you're wondering if you should substitute olive oil for butter, the answer is yes. Even swapping out butter for olive oil half of the time can have a big impact.

Oils generally boast a higher smoke point than butter, making them more versatile for high-heat cooking methods like frying, sautéing, and searing. Butter, with its lower smoke point, is more suited to baking, low-heat sautéing, and adding finishing touches that require a gentle touch and rich flavor.

the butter brownies actually had a fudgier texture. they were softer, and they really just melted in your mouth. they also had that shiny crust and just better flavor, whereas the oil brownies were actually chewier. they were crunchier at the top and at the edges.

When it comes to cooking, both butter and vegetable oil have their merits. Butter adds a rich flavour to sauteed dishes and imparts a golden crust to pan-seared meats. However, its lower smoke point makes it less suitable for high-temperature cooking.

Due to its liquid nature, using oil in cookies typically results in a denser texture. Also, because oil is 100% fat, it doesn't react with flour the way butter does (butter contains water). Because of that, your cookies won't be as fluffy. If you're a fan of flat cookies, then using oil is an excellent option.

Fried Eggs

"When they are fried, it gives them a little toasted brown butter flavor, which only adds to the eggs," she says. "Butter also makes everything better!" Butter certainly works for fried eggs, but oil is the fat of choice for cooks who want a runny yolk with a satisfying crispy white.

But which one — butter or oil? Each is best suited for different kinds of sautéing: When cooking over very high heat, use oil, which is less likely to burn. When sautéing with medium-high heat, you may opt for butter, which adds a nice flavor.

Is Country Crock^® better for me than dairy butter? Country Crock® products are all made of plant-based oils – a source of good fats. Because we use plant-based oils, all our Country Crock® products contain less saturated fat than dairy butter, as well as zero cholesterol.

Why do chefs use butter instead of oil? ›

For other meats cooked at a lower temperature or for less time, butter can work much better. For instance, shrimp cooks so quickly that the butter likely won't have time to burn. Or, if you're pan-searing chicken in a moderately hot pan, butter can help with the browning.

The healthiest oil to cook with is olive oil. It's versatile, being used in everything from frying to finishing. It's also rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and polyphenols, all of which have shown protective effects against cancer and liver, heart, and neurodegenerative diseases (27, 28).

Why does oil give cake superior texture? Butter is 18% water, so when the batter is baked, some of its liquid evaporates. Replacing the water from the butter with oil means there's more fat left in the cakes to ensure tenderness.

Oil Brownies: These were chewier with crunchier edges and a crunchier topping. They were more matte on top with a far less crinkly shiny brownie 'skin. ' They tasted more like box mix brownies. Butter Brownies: These were much fudgier, softer, and had a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

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.)

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.

The spongy texture and moist flavor that oil creates can be a boon to certain recipes. Not to mention oil is cheaper and easier to work with. Butter will always provide superior flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. In many recipes, combining the two gives the best of both worlds.

When using oil to bake a cake rather than a solid fat like butter, you will end up with a more tender cake. Since oil is a liquid at room temperature, you get a final product that has more moisture throughout.

By mixing oil and butter together, you can increase the smoke point and the flavor. It really is the best of both worlds. The fat in the butter will still burn eventually, but the oil will help to dilute the nasty burnt taste that we absolutely do not want in our food (via Serious Eats).

The muffins made with oil had a very light and soft texture, they were perfect! The texture of the oil muffins was superior to the texture of the butter muffins. I will also say using butter is probably best in a recipe that doesn't have a lot of flavor add-ins, like a basic muffin recipe.