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Can I Substitute Margarine For Shortening
Margarine can substitute shortening but be sure to add one extra tablespoon of margarine for every cup of shortening. Margarine is made up of water and has a low-fat content. So, it will give you a better result. Margarine is actually a good substitute for shortening in cake and cookie recipes.
If you would like to replace butter or margarine sticks with shortenings in your pie recipes and cookies, you are free to. It is a good idea to swap out a type of butter for another type of butter if you need to use shortening in cookies. If you are looking to substitute shortening in a cookie recipe, you could use 100% butter, but you may have to reduce the liquid in a different part of the recipe (due to the water content of the butter). If you are replacing shortening with butter or margarine, you might consider adding a little bit more water to compensate for this difference.
It is a pretty small difference, and you might not even notice it if using margarine instead of shortening. The reason you notice this is that margarine is not 100% fat, as is shortening, and you are subjecting it to an extra-high heat. To compensate for the lower fat content of margarine, in the recipe, add 1 extra tablespoon of margarine per 1 cup of shortening. You can substitute 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon margarine instead of 1/2 cup of shortening in a recipe.
| Food | Amount of Fat |
| Butter | 100% fat |
| Margarine | Is not 100% fat |
When using butter or margarine in place of shortening, you will have to increase the quantity a couple tablespoons. Butter or margarine may be used instead, adding a couple tablespoons more per one cup of shortening called for in a recipe. Instead of substituting shortening for butter one-to-one, a coconut oil-margarine combo can be used, too, or all three together.
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It is true that butter and shortening can be used interchangeably in baked goods, and shortening can even be used in one-to-one replacements. Even when the ingredients are obviously distinct, shortening and butter are frequently used interchangeably in recipes to acceptable results. Be warned, though, that the results–your baked goods–will look slightly different depending on what type of fat you use, since butter and shortening are two completely different ingredients.
Shortening may cause your baked goods to rise higher and lighter, which, depending on what you are baking, might make it a better choice than using butter. If using shortening in order to make baked goods vegan, consider using margarine or vegan oil instead. Use these like you would butter, but you may need to add one to two tablespoons more, since these forms of fat are slightly less concentrated than shortening.
Shortening has 100% fat, but margarine and butter have small amounts of water in them (so shortening adds even more fat, thereby making a product tastier and richer). One of the best shortening alternatives is margarine, since it has similar fat content and melting point. Shortening has a neutral taste and higher melting point compared to butter, making it a popular choice in baking.
It is commonly used in baked goods such as cookies, cakes, and pie crusts, providing a soft, flaky texture. Lard is best used as an alternative to pie crusts, cookies, and even breads (which call for shortening). Remember, lard is the original cooking fat, so really, you can use it in any recipe that calls for shortening.
If you replace lard with shortening, you are most likely to notice that your flavors are different. You could get by with easily switching out 1 cup shortening for 1 cup of lard, however, this is best used in recipes like cookies, cornbread, or pot pie.
Fortunately, there are a few options that you can substitute in when the recipe calls for shortening specifically, and your kitchen is well-stocked with all other ingredients in the list besides that. If you find yourself with a cookie recipe calling for shortening, but find that you have no shortening at all, no worries. There are workable shortening alternatives for cookies, including some oils, butter, lard, and others. Using butter is another excellent option as a substitute for shortening, though certainly not the highest priority on the list of alternatives.
Butter can be used in many other recipes calling for shortening as well, from cookies to frosting – just keep in mind that butter brings more distinct flavors compared to shortening, which is fairly neutral. You can even use butter-flavored shortenings to add a richer taste that comes with using butter to your cookies. Cookies are a great example where you will see the difference in the baked results when using butter in your recipe over shortening.
Margarine also tastes a lot like butter, so there is probably a little bit more buttery goodness in the flavor compared to using shortening. Using this ratio, you can use margarine instead of shortening in recipes where you want the taste of butter with a similar texture as shortening. Margarine is probably one of the best substitutes for shortening as you will not notice the flavor difference, and differences in pie crusts or cookies will also be minor (pun intended).
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Both margarine and shortening are made from butter, but because margarine is only 80% fat, it has some other additives to it that make it what it is. While butter and shortening both have similar nutritional profiles, you are better off using butter as it provides more vitamins and does not contain any trans fats. Not only does Crisco Shortener contain 50% less saturated fat and 0g of trans fats per serving compared to butter, but Crisco Shortening gives you higher-quality, lighter-textured baked goods. While vegetable shortening does not offer much in the way of flavor, it does give you puffier, flakier baked goods.
Butter has a lower melting point than shortening, and can alter your recipes texture a bit, making it crispier, softer, or less flaky. Shortening catches more bubbles of air and has a higher melting point than butter, so recipes using shortening will generally yield a finished product that will stand up slightly higher, maintain its shape when baked, and has an inside texture that is softer or lighter. You can, but be sure to lower the amount of salt called for in a recipe (you might have to do it by tasting), because real shortening is unsalted.
If your glaze is going to sit outdoors or sit at room temperature for any amount of time, and you do not have shortening, substitute it for margarine, or even coconut oil. In general, you can swap the Crisco shortening out with butter or margarine in an equivalent quantity (1 cup of Crisco Shortening=1 cup butter or margarine). Cakes made with butter can be just as light and fluffy as ones made with shortening…if you churn butter and sugar together just right.
You can 100% substitute bacon fat for shortening in cookies, but may need to use less because of its higher salt content. You begin gathering ingredients and baking tools, only to discover that you have no shortening for making those classic peanut butter cookies that you have been craving.
What can I substitute for 1/2 cup of shortening?
Instead of the half cup of shortening that your recipe calls for, you can substitute half a cup and one tbsp of margarine. It’s simple, but for the most equivalent results, add a little more margarine. Margarine is the closest alternative we can think of for butter in baking.
Can I use butter or margarine instead of shortening?
Both margarine and butter can be used in place of shortening, but you should take into account their moisture content before switching. Margarine and butter have a small amount of water content in them, whereas shortening is entirely made of fat.