what can i substitute for butter in a cookie recipe

Best Butter Substitute For Baking

The best butter substitute for baking depends on what you have on hand, what you're baking, and your flavor and texture preferences. Here's what you need to know about butter alternatives for baking and how to use them:

Best Butter Substitute For Cooking

If you're looking for the best butter substitute for sauteing or pan-frying, opt for your favorite flavorful oil like olive oil or avocado oil. Butter has a very low smoke point, so any oil you choose will work. Of course, if you're frying, choose an oil with a high smoke point (such as peanut or canola).

Best Butter Substitute For Sauces

Recipes for sauces often call for butter toward the end of cooking to thicken things up a bit and for added richness. Heavy whipping cream, creme fraiche, or sour cream can work in its place. Add a little bit at a time until your sauce reaches the desired thickness.

Got a craving but out of butter? Try a substitute for butter in cookies and beyond!

When it comes to baking cookies, cakes and even pastries, the creamy goodness of butter provides a rich flavor that’s tough to beat. (That’s precisely why the team at the Taste of Home Test Kitchen uses butter to test most recipes.) But when the munchies come calling, and the butter dish is empty, consider these common butter substitutes.

Margarine

Margarine is possibly the most-used butter substitute for baking cookies, cakes, doughnuts or just about anything else for that matter. Margarine can be used in the equal amount of butter a recipe calls for.

Shortening

Like margarine, shortening is a smart butter substitute when baking ( here’s the difference between all three ). It can be used in the same amount as butter called for in a recipe, but unlike margarine, it lacks flavor (and water), so bakers will often add a bit more.

Olive & Vegetable Oil

You might be out of butter but you likely have a bottle of oil on hand, so grab that bad boy and bake up some treats. Oils work best for muffins and quick breads, but you can use them for cookies as well. Try ¾ cup olive or vegetable oil for every cup of butter called for.

Coconut Oil

When you’re out of butter, swap in coconut oil in equal amounts for nearly any baked good. Not only does coconut oil give sweets a little tropical flair, but it’s a great butter substitute for cakes, brownies, quick breads, muffins, corn bread and yeast breads. It’s one of few butter substitutes that makes cookies crunchy.

Pumpkin Puree

If you love pumpkin, swap it in for the butter in your treats. Multiply the amount of butter in a recipe by ¾, and you’ll know how much pumpkin puree to use. (In other words, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, you’d use ¾ cup of pumpkin in its place.) It’s both a fat and a sweetener for quick breads, cakes, cupcakes, bars and cookies.

Applesauce

Applesauce is a longtime healthy butter substitute for anyone looking to lighten up cookies, quick breads and other baked goods. Whether you’re watching your weight or not, grab a jar of applesauce the next time you’ve got a craving.

Which Butter Substitute Should I Use?

Remember, we're talking about substitutions in baking—not in other forms of cooking.

1. Applesauce

You can replace butter in baking recipes with unsweetened applesauce by using half of the amount of applesauce as the amount of butter called for in the recipe. Doing so is helpful if you are watching fat calories, need to add a little more fiber, or just don't have enough butter for a recipe.

2. Vegetable Oil

You can substitute three-quarters of a cup of vegetable oil for every one cup of butter called for. This has worked well for me in all manner of baking recipes to date, although vegetable oil does not have as many health benefits as some of the other possible substitutions.

3. Buttermilk

You can substitute half a cup of buttermilk for every one cup of butter. This has worked well for me in all recipes I've tried it with—with the exception of pie crust. It changed the consistency of the dough too much and made it crumbly, instead of flaky.

4. Avocado

You can substitute pureed avocado in equal parts for the amount of butter called for, especially if you want a higher fiber, higher vitamin K/C/B-5/B-6/E alternative. I have not yet found a baking recipe this did not work well with. I've even spread this on toast instead of butter, and it was delicious!

5. Greek Yogurt

For a higher protein substitution, use half of the amount of Greek yogurt as the amount of butter. This substitution works especially well in cakes because it creates a velvety texture. (I also use Greek yogurt instead of butter when making mashed potatoes, and my husband has never noticed a difference once I switched!)

6. Pumpkin Puree

For every cup of butter called for in a recipe, you could use three-quarters of a cup of pumpkin (or butternut squash, hubbard squash, or other similar squash) puree. (As a side note, if you're looking for a substitute for oil in a baking recipe, you can substitute an equal amount of pumpkin puree.)

Butter alternatives

There are many different options for baking, and butter is just one of them. Butter can be replaced with a variety of other substances, such as:

How do these alternatives affect your recipe?

Each of these ingredients will have a different effect on your recipe depending on what you are trying to achieve.

What happens to the nutritional value of your cookies?

Butter is made up of fat, protein, and dairy. It’s also one of the major components in cookies.

Conclusion

There are a number of substitutes that can be used in place of butter, but it’s important to know the difference. In certain cases, a butter substitute can have a negative effect on your cookie recipe.

Olive oil or vegetable oil

If you like to cook, there’s a good chance that you have a bottle of olive oil or vegetable oil in your cupboard — which can be a lifesaver if you run out of butter. Both oils are rich in fats (like butter) and add a good amount of moisture to your baked goods.

Avocado

In baking, one of the most surprising (yet effective) substitutes for butter is mashed avocado. Like butter, avocado is packed full of fat to add a flavorful kick to your cookies.

Plain yogurt

For a healthier alternative, consider using plain yogurt as a substitute for butter in chocolate chip cookies. You can either use regular yogurt or Greek-style yogurt to lower the calories and fat content in your baked goods.

Coconut oil

We’ve already discussed how olive oil and vegetable oil can be a fantastic substitute for butter in chocolate chip cookies. But coconut oil is another ingredient that you can swap in for butter as well.

Applesauce

Unsweetened applesauce is another pureed fruit that you can use instead of butter. Not only does it have less fat than butter, but it also has a number of nutrients to boost your health.