Can You Substitute Butter for Shortening In A Recipe? - How to Substitute Butter for Shortening?

Can You Substitute Butter for Shortening or Shortening for butter in recipes? are the most commonly raised questions in everyone's mind.

Are butter and shortening interchangeable? Everything about butter and shortening like definitions and differences along with your main query is answered comprehensively.

If you are eagerly waiting to know about the use of butter instead of shortening in baked recipes or cooking or else in frying then with no delay just jump into this article.

Can You Substitute Butter for Shortening

What is Shortening & Butter?

Shortening:  Shortening is a 100% fat ingredient that is solid at room temperature. Mostly, shortening is used in baking recipes to get a delicate and crumbly texture. Also, it is referred to as Crisco in grocery stores.

Numerous types of shortening are margarine, lard, and vegetable shortening. In making pie crusts extra flaky, the major role goes to shortening. Shortening has a higher smoke point and also lasts solid for a longer time than butter.

Butter:  A dairy product that contains 80% fat and 20% water is called butter. It is created by churning the cream of milk which is taken from cows. Butter is high in rich, creamy, flavor that doesn't have any competition.

For fat-based dishes, butter is the best ingredient to be used in many cooking right from baking to savory dishes like sauces or even as a spread on bread or toast.

Butter has a low smoke point of 350 F so it's not recommended for frying recipes and its melting point is 98.6 F. Butter goes great in cooking and baking recipes. It can be stored at room temperature, freezer, or fridge.

But for the strong shelf life of your butter, it should sit in the refrigerator. It lasts for a year when it is frozen and 1 to 3 months refrigerated.

Can You Substitute Butter for Shortening For Cooking, Baking, and Frying Recipes?

Yes, you can substitute butter for shortening for baking and cooking. For frying, you can't use butter in place of shortening because it has a low smoke point so the butter burns easily.

Butter and shortening can be used as a one-to-one swap. Both are fat-based ingredients used mostly for baking. Check out the details like how to substitute, what happens when they swap, how butter impacts the flavor of your baked goods, etc. from the remaining modules.

How to Substitute Butter for Shortening?

If your priority in baking goods is the taste then using butter in place of shortening is the best choice. Above we have seen whether it can be worked as a good substitute for shortening or not but now, we are going to know the substitution ratio of butter for shortening.

You can replace shortening with butter in a 1:1 ratio. In case the recipe calls for 1 cup of shortening then use one cup and 2 tablespoons of butter are the correct quantity.

Does substitute butter for shortening impact the flavor?

Absolutely yes, substituting butter for shortening impacts the flavor in a better version. Cakes, cookies, pie crusts, or other baked goods made with butter taste better than shortening.

Because shortening is prepared from hydrogenated vegetable oil that has no flavor. Well, we can see that butter and shortening affect the flavor of the recipe. When you use shortening it rises higher and lighter in baking recipes.

What happens if you use butter instead of shortening?

If you use butter instead of shortening in baking then it results in flatter and thinner baked goods as creamier and more flavorful. Compare to shortening the baked goods with butter gives more taste to the final product.

So, if you don't have the ingredient in your kitchen then using butter in place of shortening is the best choice.

Butter Vs Shortening | Difference Between Butter and Shortening

The following table definitely helps you learn what is butter and what is shortening along with comparison. So, make sure to read the information on the difference between shortening and butter:

Butter Shortening
  • Butter holds 80% fat and 10% water in it.
  • Butter is more flavorful.
  • Butter can be used in all baked goods.
  • Baked goods like cookies, pie crusts, cakes, etc. made with butter are flatter, and crisper.
  • Shortening holds 100% hydrogenated vegetable oil and 0% water in it.
  • Shortening doesn't have any flavor.
  • Shortening can also be used in all baked goods.
  • Cookies are baked goods made with shortening that is crumbled and softer in texture.

FAQs on Can I Substitute Butter for Shortening in Baking, Cooking & Frying?

Final Outcomes

We hope that we have covered everything about whether can you substitute butter for shortening in cooking, baking, and frying.

If you need additional assistance on other food substitutions individually like for butter, for shortening, and many more then refer to our website @canyousubstitute.com on a daily basis as we upload without fail.

You can even suggest to us any other substitute keywords specifically as per your requirement via the comment section below so that our team will work on it and provide you in no time.