Substitutes for unsalted butter

Unsalted butter substitutes

Salted butter is the easiest swap: use the same amount and cut the recipe's salt. Shortening, coconut oil and margarine also go in cup for cup. Oil uses less and suits melted-butter recipes.

What unsalted butter does

Provides fat, flavour and, because it is about 15% water, steam for lift. Creamed with sugar it traps air; melted it makes bakes chewy.

Quick reference

SubstituteAmount
Vegetable shortening 1 cup vegetable shorteningper 1 cup unsalted butter
Coconut oil 1 cup coconut oilper 1 cup unsalted butter
Margarine 1 cup stick margarineper 1 cup unsalted butter
Vegetable oil Sources vary¾ cup vegetable oilper 1 cup unsalted butter
Applesauce for half the butter Sources vary½ cup butter + ½ cup unsweetened applesauceper 1 cup unsalted butter
Salted butter Sources vary1 cup salted butterper 1 cup unsalted butter

When the substitute matters

  • Salted butter: the same amount, with 1/4 tsp less salt per stick (1/2 cup).
  • Shortening, coconut oil, margarine: cup for cup, with less butter flavour.
  • Oil: 3/4 cup, only where the recipe uses melted butter.
  • Applesauce replaces half the butter at most, in muffins and quick breads.

The substitutes, in detail

Vegetable shortening

Amount: 1 cup vegetable shortening per 1 cup unsalted butter

One-to-one by volume.

  1. Swap cup for cup.
  2. Boost salt and flavourings a little, since shortening has little flavour (Taste of Home).

Best for

  • cookies
  • pie crust
  • biscuits
  • frosting

Not for

  • recipes where butter flavour is the point

What changes

Cookies hold their shape and turn out softer; the flavour is blander and there is no butter taste.

  • dairy-free
Sources: Land O'Lakes·Taste of Home·Betty Crocker

Coconut oil

Amount: 1 cup coconut oil per 1 cup unsalted butter

Equal amount. Use it solid for creamed recipes and melted where melted butter is called for (Betty Crocker's two columns).

  1. Swap cup for cup.
  2. Use refined coconut oil for a neutral taste (Taste of Home).

Best for

  • cookies
  • muffins
  • quick breads
  • brownies

Not for

  • recipes where butter flavour matters

What changes

Similar richness. Unrefined oil adds a coconut flavour.

  • vegan
  • dairy-free
Sources: Betty Crocker·Taste of Home·Ricardo

Margarine

Amount: 1 cup stick margarine per 1 cup unsalted butter

Equal amount. Ricardo limits it to cakes and cookies.

  1. Swap cup for cup.

Best for

  • cakes
  • cookies

Not for

  • laminated doughs such as croissants
  • recipes where butter flavour matters

What changes

Close texture; less butter flavour.

Sources: Taste of Home·Ricardo

Vegetable oil

Amount: ¾ cup vegetable oil per 1 cup unsalted butter

Sources vary

Hershey's, Taste of Home and Ricardo say 3/4 cup per cup of butter; Food Network and Betty Crocker give 1 cup for melted butter. The Butter page's extension-chart method uses 7/8 cup. Start at 3/4 cup.

  1. Use for recipes that call for melted butter.
  2. Do not use where butter must be creamed or kept solid.

Best for

  • brownies
  • quick breads
  • muffins
  • melted-butter cakes

Not for

  • creamed cookies
  • pie crust
  • buttercream

What changes

Moist, tender crumb with no butter flavour. Oil has no water, so the bake can be denser.

  • vegan
  • dairy-free
Sources: Hershey's Kitchens·Taste of Home·Ricardo·Food Network

Applesauce for half the butter

Amount: ½ cup butter + ½ cup unsweetened applesauce per 1 cup unsalted butter

Sources vary

Replace half the butter only. Betty Crocker suggests a test run with half and half in quick breads, muffins and some cakes.

  1. Use 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup applesauce in place of 1 cup butter.
  2. Do a test batch before relying on it.

Best for

  • quick breads
  • muffins
  • some cakes

Not for

  • cookies that need to spread and crisp
  • pastry
  • frosting

What changes

A moister, softer, cakier crumb with less butter flavour.

Sources: Taste of Home·Betty Crocker

Salted butter

Amount: 1 cup salted butter per 1 cup unsalted butter

Sources vary

Land O'Lakes treats salted and unsalted butter as equal, cup for cup. Joy of Baking says to decrease the recipe's salt by 1/4 teaspoon for each 1/2 cup of salted butter, or 1/2 tsp per cup. Cook's Country reports 1/3 to 1/2 tsp table salt per stick, equivalent to 2/3 to 1 tsp per cup of salted butter. The sources therefore give salt adjustments from 1/2 to 1 tsp per cup, depending on the brand; the butter amount stays 1:1.

  1. Use the same amount of salted butter.
  2. Joy of Baking's adjustment is to cut the recipe's added salt by 1/4 tsp for each 1/2 cup (1 stick) of salted butter. Cook's Country's salt-content range is higher; see the brand-dependent amounts above.

Best for

  • baking when the recipe includes salt that can be reduced

Not for

  • recipes with no added salt to reduce

What changes

Keeps butter's fat and texture, but brings salt already mixed into the butter.

Sources: Land O'Lakes·Joy of Baking·Cook's Country

Don't use

  • Salted butter in delicate bakes without cutting salt

    Cook's Country says that in baking two sticks of salted butter add about 3/4 teaspoon of salt, an amount easily detected.

How we source this

Each swap is backed by at least two independent sources, including a test kitchen, university extension service or product maker. The amounts replace one unit of the original ingredient and do not work in reverse. See the full source list.

Sources

Related substitute pages