Butter or Margarine Substitute

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Butter or Margarine Substitute

by Erica Cruz
(Manila,Philippines)

Question:

Can I substitute vegetable oil for butter or margarine?

Answer:

Hi Erica,

It depends on the recipe.

For cakes and cookies using oil as a butter or margarine substitute works without too much difference, although you may notice a slight difference in texture or taste.

Butter obviously has more flavor than oil, and the oil can make your cookies spread thinner than butter would.

In candy making, I would try to stick with butter (or whatever the recipe calls for) because there are more things that can "go wrong" when making certain candies.

If you have a specific recipe in mind, you can mention it and one of us may be able to tell you more specifically if a butter or margarine substitute would work.

Of course, you could always just experiment yourself and discover the answer. You take a chance on wasting your ingredients, but most things would still be edible, just not as attractive.

If you are just wondering if you can grease your pan, etc., with oil instead of butter or margarine, then the answer is almost always yes.

So, what are you making? :)
Angie

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Butter or Margarine Substitute

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apple crumble
by: anna maria greenall

For health reasons i can eat neither butter or marg.....is there any possible substitute for making the crumble????? it's my favourite dish...please try to help me.

Will Olive Oil Work?
by: Angie

Hi Anna,

Will olive oil work? I've read that some people will put olive oil in the refrigerator to get it to harden (it may take a few days) and then use it in place of butter or margarine.

I don't know how it would taste in apple crumble, but it seems like it would work if you are able to have olive oil in your diet.

Let me know if you give it a try and how it turns out. :)

butter and margarine doesn't make a difference
by: Anonymous

butter and margarine doesn't make a difference it's similar butter tastes much better

ran out of marg.
by: Anonymous

Hi, Im making a pineapple square, where the sauce asks for 1 tbsp marg.
I don't have any..hah Ran out.
Will something else subsitute, or will I even miss it.?
Thanks for your answers.

Butter/Margarine Substitute
by: Katie

You can try using shortening or vegetable oil for a butter or margarine substitute.

Butter is a fat, so if you are just needing a tsp. for a sauce, then another fat should be okay to use as a substitution.

no butter or marg
by: Anonymous

i wonder if i could use olive oil to make crumble???? dare i try??? what do you think????
i can eat neither butter nor marg.......only olive oil....
can i substitute olive oil in all recipes that have butter????

I used oil
by: Anonymous

and it worked great!

Olive Oil Substitute For Butter
by: Angie

Brilliant! I'm so glad to hear that you tried the oil and found that it worked great for you. I'm always so pleased when people come back and share their follow up comments. :)

apple crumble without butter or marg
by: anna maria

yes I tried the crumble with olive oil.....it was delicious.....will surely make that again......thansk for all your help

I used oil too
by: GooGav

Hi,

I was facing the same problem this evening, as I had my heart set on a homemade apple and black cherry pie with ice cream and custard (I have a BIG appetite!) but found I'd run out of margarine, so I found this Post and used Good Oil (aka Hemp Seed Oil) and it worked perfectly!

Thanks.

sweet potatoe pie
by: Kristen

Hello,
hope someone knows the answer :)
Im making a sweet potatoe pie, it calls for 6 tables spoons of butter, but im doubling the recipe.. i only have 6 tablespoons though. can i use what i have and add a few tablespoons of olive oil??

Butter Substitution
by: Angie

In your case of doubling the sweet potato pie recipe, I think you'd be fine to just use the 6 tablespoons that you have.

I've often found that a lot of recipes are just as good with half the butter, and this sounds like one of them.

Some recipes (particularly in candy making) need exact measurements for the science to work, but most regular recipes are quite flexible.

How did the pies turn out? :)

Sweet Potatoe Pie Success!
by: Kristen

thanks for your answer! the pies turned out perfectly. Its definatly a new favorite. and now ill start experimenting with cutting butter to half in a few more bakings.

Lemon Bars
by: Cala

Hi, I'm makin' lemon bars baby!!! What can I use to substitute for 3 Tbs of butter for the crust?

alternative
by: Anonymous

hi anna,
at the health food store you can get somthing called coconut oil. its in a jar and the same consistancy as margerine. alot of people eat it on toast, if you make bakings, coconut is a really great addition. hope this helps.

Can i use vegetable shortening instead of maragine.
by: Susan

hello i currently moved overseas and there are a lot of products I can't find in the middle east..I'm also a vegan which makes things a bit more diffcult...i really want to make this vanillia frosting..it calls for maragine..do you think ill be able to use shortening? http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Vegan-Chocolate-Cupcakes-With-Vegan-Vanilla-Frosting-355374

Chocolate chip squares
by: Fatima

Hi,

I'm making a recipe that is a hybrid between a cookie and cake. It asks for 1 cup of margarine but I do not like using margarine. Is there any substitute that I can use?

Butter or Coconut Oil
by: Angie

You can use butter or coconut oil to replace the margarine requirements in most recipes.

I recently started substituting coconut oil for butter because of the health benefits. It's really nice.

Yes, shortening usually works, too, if that's all you have.

substtitute butter for carrot cake frosting
by: kathy

YES I AM INTERESTNG IN STEAD OF USING BUTTER FOR CARROT CAKE FROSTING WHAT CAN I USE FOR FROSTING INSTEAD OF USING BUTTER. I RAN OUT OF BUTTER AND MARGARINE, WHAT CAN I USE HELP ME

Vegetable Shortening
by: Angie

Do you have any vegetable shortening, like Crisco? You can substitute that for the butter in the recipe. It won't have the added butter flavor, of course, but it should work as a substitute for the fat.

sweet potato
by: Anonymous

I used pureed sweet potato as a sub for 1/2 the butter in a recipe. I am experimenting with other
recipes, such as banana bread. I'll let you know how I do.

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Butter or Margarine Substitute

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Butter or Margarine Substitute