Substitutions
Vegetable oil hydrogenated or blended to a soft, plastic solid that is close to 100% fat, with no water and no flavour of its own.
What it does in a recipe: Pure solid fat that coats flour proteins to shorten gluten strands, giving tenderness, height and a very stable structure. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Vegetable shortening, Crisco, Trex, White fat
Quick answer
Lard
1 cup shortening = 1 cup lardAll substitutes, best first
1 cup shortening = 1 cup lardLard is also close to pure fat and solid at room temperature, and its crystal structure makes it, if anything, better at producing flaky layers.
Trade-offPastry comes out flakier and more tender. Leaf lard is nearly neutral; ordinary rendered lard carries a faint savoury note that suits a pie crust more than a cake. Neither vegan nor vegetarian.
1 cup shortening = 1 cup + 2 tbsp butterButter is only 80-85% fat, so a little extra is needed to deliver the same amount of fat that pure shortening supplied.
MethodKeep it cold and work fast in pastry. Butter softens at a much lower temperature than shortening and will smear rather than stay in layers.
Trade-offFar better flavour and browning, but cookies spread more and rise less, and frostings made with butter will not hold up in a warm room the way shortening ones do.
Allergen checkButter introduces dairy, which shortening does not contain. If you are baking for a milk allergy, stay with shortening or a vegan block — and check the tub, since a few shortenings carry milk-derived flavourings.
1 cup shortening = 1 cup refined coconut oil, chilled until firmAlso close to 100% fat and solid at room temperature, so it cuts into flour and creams in much the same way.
MethodChill it until it is firm but still pliable, roughly the texture of cold butter. Above about 76°F (24°C) it goes fully liquid and is useless for cutting in.
Trade-offSets harder and more brittle than shortening once cool, so shortbread snaps more sharply. Use refined, not virgin, unless you want coconut flavour.
Allergen checkUS labelling counts coconut among tree nuts, so this is not a nut-free substitution despite the botany. Read the jar for shared-facility statements and settle a diagnosed allergy with a clinician.
1 cup shortening = 1 cup + 2 tbsp vegan butter blockBlock vegan butters run near 80% fat like dairy butter, so a little extra makes up the difference against pure shortening.
Trade-offThe added water gives a little steam lift but softens the structure, so tall shortening-style cookies will spread more. Flavour is saltier and more butter-like.
Allergen checkSoy, coconut and cashew bases are all common in vegan blocks and formulas change between batches. Check the pack you are actually using, and treat a severe allergy as a question for the manufacturer rather than a recipe assumption.
Shortening's real advantage is that it stays solid across a wide temperature range, which is why it holds piped decorations and keeps a biscuit tall. Where that stability is the point, butter is not an equivalent swap however much better it tastes.
At a glance
| Category | Fats & oils |
|---|---|
| Job in a recipe | Pure solid fat that coats flour proteins to shorten gluten strands, giving tenderness, height and a very stable structure |
| Suits | Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Alcohol-free |
| Swaps available for | Alcohol-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeVeganVegetarian |
| Number of substitutes | 4 |
Related
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.