Vegan butter, shortening, coconut oil, and lard are all dairy-free alternatives that can be used in place of butter in pie crust recipes. Each option imparts a slightly different flavor and texture, so choose the ingredient based on what you’re looking for in your final pie.
Beside this, is pie crust better with butter or oil?
Oil pie crusts are easy to work with because, unlike butter, the fat is already melted. This means that it incorporates into the flour more easily than a solid fat does. The end result is still a flaky, delicious, and satisfyingly rich crust.
In this way, can I use oil instead of butter in crust?
No Bake Cookies – In most cases, the butter helps the cookies set up, so you’ll want to use a highly-saturated oil, like coconut oil or palm oil (or shortening). You can use a 1:1 ratio of oil (or shortening) for the butter. The dough will feel greasy if you use oil, but it will set up more normally when chilled.
What can I use to replace butter?
8 Substitutes for Butter in Cookies and Other Baked Goods
- Margarine. Margarine is possibly the most-used butter substitute for baking cookies, cakes, doughnuts or just about anything else for that matter. …
- Shortening. …
- Olive & Vegetable Oil. …
- Coconut Oil. …
- Pumpkin Puree. …
- Applesauce. …
- Greek Yogurt. …
- Bananas.
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Can you replace butter with vegetable oil?
A good rule of thumb is to replace about 3/4 of the butter in a recipe with olive, canola, or vegetable oil (if the recipe calls for 1 cup butter, use ¾ cup oil).
Why is my pie crust not flaky?
When ingredients like the butter become too warm, your crust won’t have that flaky quality. To keep your dough cool, make sure to use ice cold water instead of room temperature. This will prevent the butter from melting and keep the dough light.
What are the two most common fats used to make pie crust?
Oil and margarine are the two most common fats used to make pie crust.
Can I use olive oil instead of shortening?
If you want to use a healthy alternative to shortening then olive oil is a great choice. Olive oil works very similarly to shortening which is why it is an excellent substitute. However, it is not suitable as a substitute for shortening in all recipes.
What do I use if I don’t have shortening?
Margarine and butter can both be used as a substitute for shortening, though their moisture contents should be taken into consideration before making the swap. While shortening is 100% fat, margarine and butter contain a small percentage of water (so, shortening adds more fat, thus more richness and tenderness).
How do they make shortening?
It is made by hydrogenating (adding hydrogen to) vegetable oil, such as soybean or cottonseed oil. Vegetable shortening is solid at room temperature, resembling the texture of butter but with virtually no flavor or odor.
Is there a healthy substitute for shortening?
Banana puree, applesauce or prune purees are healthy substitutions for vegetable shortening. Although the flavors may be slightly different, you will become accustomed to the difference.

Ame Vanorio
Ame Vanorio is a former science and special education teacher who has morphed into a freelance writer, specializing in blogs about animals, education and environmental science topics. She is the executive director of Fox Run Environmental Education Center and is a licensed wildlife rehabilitation expert. Ame lives on her farm in rural Kentucky with 4 wonderful dogs and lots of other critters!




















