What Do You Use When A Recipe Calls For Shortening

So you’re staring at a recipe, ready to bake something glorious, and it hits you like a rubber spatula to the face: shortening. What is that? A jar of white, waxy stuff that looks like a ghost’s tub of margarine? You panic. You grab the butter, the olive oil, maybe even the bacon grease from last Tuesday. Slow down, chef. Let’s talk about this weird, wonderful, and slightly misunderstood ingredient.

First, what the heck is shortening anyway?

Shortening is simply a solid fat made from vegetable oil, usually hydrogenated to turn it into a creamy, flavorless block. It was invented in the early 1900s by a chemist named William Procter—yep, one of the Procter & Gamble guys—who wanted a cheaper alternative to lard. Fun fact: Crisco’s name literally comes from crystallized cottonseed oil. Say that five times fast after a few cookies.

Shortening’s superpower is that it has no water. Butter? That’s about 15% water. Oil? Pure fat, but liquid. Shortening stays solid at room temperature, which makes it the secret agent of flaky pie crusts and soft, non-greasy cookies.

So what do you use when you don’t have it?

First, take a deep breath. You’re not stranded on a baking desert island. The most common swap is butter, but it’s a tricky friend. For every cup of shortening, use a cup of butter, but subtract two tablespoons—because butter has water that will mess with your dough’s texture. Your cookies will be slightly crispier and richer, which is usually a win unless you’re making a delicate cake.

But wait—butter also burns faster. So if the recipe says “cream shortening and sugar until fluffy,” you’ll still get there, but your mixer might growl at you. No big deal. Just don’t tell your grandmother you swapped butter into her pie crust. She’ll sense it.

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What about oil? Can I just pour in vegetable oil?

Technically, yes, but you’ll get a different beast. Oil is liquid, so it can’t trap air like solid shortening does. That means your cake might turn out denser than a black hole. For every cup of shortening, use ⅔ cup of oil—but only for cakes and muffins. Never do this for pie crusts or cookies unless you want sad, greasy frisbees. And nobody wants frisbees for dessert.

There’s a dark horse here: lard. Yes, rendered pig fat. It’s making a comeback, and for good reason—it makes the flakiest pie crusts on Earth, and it’s basically solid oil. Swap it 1:1 with shortening. Just don’t tell your vegan friends. Or do—live dangerously.

The weirdest substitute? Applesauce.

Yes, the squishy stuff you eat with pork chops. For baking, you can replace half the shortening with unsweetened applesauce to cut fat and add moisture. Your brownies will be like edible clouds. But never use it in pie crust. That would be a crime. A delicious, mushy, sad crime.

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What about coconut oil? The hipster choice.

Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so it mimics shortening’s texture. Swap 1:1, but only if the recipe can handle a hint of coconut flavor. If you’re making chocolate chip cookies, it’s a tropical dream. If you’re making a neutral pie crust, you’ll taste the beach in your Thanksgiving pie. Not terrible, but prepare for questions from Aunt Carol.

Beware: Coconut oil melts at 76°F, so if your kitchen is warm, you’ll have liquid disaster. Shortening laughs at heat. Coconut oil cries into a puddle.

So when should you actually run to the store for shortening?

Shortening has a secret weapon: No melting point drama. It stays solid until about 120°F, which means your buttercream frosting won’t slide off the cake at a picnic. It’s also the king of deep-frying—it doesn’t smoke or splatter like butter, and it gives fried chicken that perfect, crunchy armor. Ever wonder why donut shops smell like angels? That’s shortening.

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Also, it’s shelf-stable for years. You can buy a tub, use a tablespoon, then rediscover it behind the ketchup in 2030. Still good. Try that with butter and you’ll earn a mold museum.

The bottom line: Just relax and experiment.

Baking is science, but it’s also a happy accident. If a recipe calls for shortening, you can swap butter (add two tablespoons of milk to balance the water), use lard (if you’re bold), or even cream cheese (yes, it works for cookies). Shortening is a tool, not a tyrant.

And if all else fails? Just tell your guests the recipe is “modernist” and “innovative.” They’ll nod, eat your slightly flat cookies, and compliment you anyway. That’s the real magic of baking—you control the fat.