Vegetable Oil Substitute for Baking
For 1 cup of vegetable oil, use 1 cup melted butter. Butter is about 16% water (USDA FoodData Central), so expect a slightly denser, richer crumb than oil gives. Below: the swap scaled to the amounts recipes use, plus every other option.
For 1 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup melted butter
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Butter is about 16% water (USDA FoodData Central), so expect a slightly denser, richer crumb than oil gives.
Data & method: Melted butter: a kitchen convention, not a published ratio — a common 1 : 1 kitchen swap; we found no primary source that publishes it as a ratio, so treat it as a convention; Unsweetened applesauce (half the fat): a kitchen convention, not a published ratio — a common lower-fat convention, not a published ratio. The sourced ratios are pinned to their source by an automated test. How we calculate →
Every option
Best swap Melted butter
1 cup melted butter
Butter is about 16% water (USDA FoodData Central), so expect a slightly denser, richer crumb than oil gives.
Kitchen convention — no published source found.
Also works Unsweetened applesauce (half the fat)
½ cup vegetable oil + ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
A lower-fat swap for muffins and quick breads — replacing ALL the oil turns them gummy.
Kitchen convention — no published source found.
Scaled to what your recipe calls for
Melted butter, computed for the amounts recipes actually use:
| Recipe needs | Use instead |
|---|---|
| ¼ cup of vegetable oil | ¼ cup melted butter |
| ½ cup of vegetable oil | ½ cup melted butter |
| ¾ cup of vegetable oil | ¾ cup melted butter |
| 1 cup of vegetable oil | 1 cup melted butter |
| 1½ cups of vegetable oil | 1½ cups melted butter |
| 2 cups of vegetable oil | 2 cups melted butter |
Need a different amount — or a different ingredient?
The calculator scales every option to your exact amount, for all 17 staples we cover.
Best swap Melted butter
1 cup melted butter
Butter is about 16% water (USDA FoodData Central), so expect a slightly denser, richer crumb than oil gives.
Kitchen convention — no published source found.
Also works Unsweetened applesauce (half the fat)
½ cup vegetable oil + ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
A lower-fat swap for muffins and quick breads — replacing ALL the oil turns them gummy.
Kitchen convention — no published source found.
Other swaps bakers look for
- Buttermilk substitute
- Cake Flour substitute
- Self-Rising Flour substitute
- Baking Powder substitute
- Brown Sugar substitute
- Powdered Sugar substitute
- Sour Cream substitute
- Heavy Cream substitute for baking
- Whole Milk substitute
- Egg substitute
- Cream of Tartar substitute for leavening
- Cornstarch substitute for thickening
- Honey substitute
- Unsalted Butter substitute
- Bread Flour substitute
- Vanilla Extract substitute
Weighing instead? 1 cup of vegetable oil in grams: 198 g →
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of vegetable oil?
The best swap for 1 cup of vegetable oil is 1 cup melted butter — butter is about 16% water (USDA FoodData Central), so expect a slightly denser, richer crumb than oil gives. This one is a kitchen convention rather than a published ratio. 1 more option below.
Which vegetable oil substitute works best?
Melted butter is listed first. Unsweetened applesauce (half the fat) also works (a lower-fat swap for muffins and quick breads — replacing ALL the oil turns them gummy).
How much substitute do I use for a different amount of vegetable oil?
Scale the parts linearly. The table on this page covers the common amounts, and the calculator scales every option to exactly what your recipe calls for — never a vague "adjust to taste".