Those who have followed me for a long time know I love making desserts and, to make them softer and lighter, I always try to use oil instead of butter!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve often given up trying recipes that impressed me because they required an excessive amount of butter!
What to do in these cases? Simple, just do the butter/oil conversion!
Don’t worry, you don’t need a calculator, just save this chart!
The substitution between butter and oil in cooking is a common practice, but it requires some care to guarantee a perfect result.
In this article, I’ll reveal all the secrets to successfully convert these ingredients so you don’t compromise the texture and flavor of your dishes.
Other easy and tasty recipes I recommend you try:
- Cost: Medium
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs (medium, whole)
- 1 1/8 cups granulated sugar
- 3.5 oz cornseed oil
- 1/2 cup water (or milk)
- to taste lemon zest
- 1 packet baking powder (0.56 oz)
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about, you might need a little less)
- 3 eggs (medium, whole)
- 1 1/8 cups granulated sugar
- 9 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup water (or milk)
- to taste lemon zest
- 1 packet baking powder (0.56 oz)
Tools
- Bowls
- Mixer
- Pan
- Spatula
- Sieve
Preparation
Note well: in the oil/butter conversion you will notice that the quantities are different, this is not an error and I’ll explain why at the end of the article ↕️
Since I’m not the only one who likes to make desserts without butter and, given the requests from some readers, I decided to share with you the butter/oil conversion table. It will be useful to prepare lighter and softer cakes and desserts.
The most correct proportion would be 80%, that is 100 g of butter corresponds to 80 g of oil (whether it’s seed oil or olive oil is not always specified in tables you find online; I have always used seed oil for sweets because its flavor is decidedly milder).
In the table above you will also find the opposite conversion, for those who prefer to make a cake using butter instead of oil, so we can please everyone.
I hope this article will be handy for making many delicious sweets!
In the ingredient amounts I gave you an example recipe with oil and the conversion with butter.
You can find the full procedure of the oil-based recipe here: Very soft water cake without butter and without milk.
For the recipe converted to butter the procedure is as follows: melt the butter in a double boiler and let it cool.
Beat the eggs and sugar with electric beaters for about 10 minutes, add the lemon zest.
Sift flour and baking powder and pour, a little at a time, into the mixture, alternating with a little water (or milk).
Finally pour the melted butter into the mixture and mix well. Transfer to a pan and bake following the same methods as the other recipe.
An important tip: when converting butter/oil the amount of flour may vary (it changes by a few grams).
The mixture with butter will have a different texture, denser and may require less flour.
Adjust based on the consistency of the dough and, if necessary, remove a few grams of flour.
The same applies if the original recipe is butter-based and you want to convert it to oil. You will need to add a little flour if the dough is too runny.
I’ll leave you a few easy and indulgent butter-free recipes; of course anyone who wants can use butter following the amounts given above.
Very soft lemon cake without butter and without milk
Notes
Why do the quantities change from butter/oil to oil/butter?
The reason the numbers change depends on the “starting point” of the calculation.
1. The 80% Rule (from Butter to Oil)
When you replace butter with oil, you remove the water and milk solids, using only the fat portion (the oil). For this reason you need less.
The formula is: Butter x 0.8 = Oil
So: 10g (Butter) x 0.8 = 8g (Oil)
In this case, the oil is 80% of the butter’s weight.
2. The 125% Rule (from Oil to Butter)
If instead you start from oil and want to go back to butter, you must add that “missing part” (the water and solids) that butter has and oil does not. You must not add 20%, but you must divide by the previous factor.
The inverse formula is: Oil : 0.8 = Butter (which is equivalent to Oil x 1.25)
So: 10g (Oil) x 1.25 = 12.5 g (Butter)
In this case, the butter is 125% of the oil’s weight.
I will give a more immediate example 💡
Think of a discount:
If you have 100€ and remove 20%, you get to 80€. (This is the Butter ➡️ Oil step).
But if you have 80€ and want to return to 100€, adding 20% is not enough (20% of 80 is only 16, you would arrive at 96€). You must add 25% of 80 (that is 20€) to return to 100€.
In summary: The numbers are different because the base on which you calculate the percentage changes.
When you go from butter to oil, you calculate the saving on the weight of the butter; when you do the opposite, you calculate the addition on the (smaller) weight of the oil.
Which oil should I use instead of butter?
Seed oils (sunflower, corn, peanut): Ideal for sweets and preparations where you don’t want a strong flavor.
Extra virgin olive oil: Great for savory recipes and some rustic desserts where its flavor pairs well (e.g., olive oil cakes).
Other oils (coconut, avocado): Can be used depending on the recipe and desired flavor, taking into account their characteristics (e.g., coconut oil is solid at room temperature).What changes when replacing butter with oil?
Texture: Desserts made with oil are often moister, softer and less crumbly than those made with butter. In savory preparations the texture difference may be less noticeable.
Flavor: Oil can add its own distinctive flavor, especially if you use extra virgin olive oil. Butter provides a richer flavor and a particular “melt-in-the-mouth” quality.Do oil-based desserts keep the same way as butter-based ones?
Generally, desserts made with oil tend to remain moist longer than those made with butter, which can dry out more quickly.
Is replacing butter with oil healthier? / Fewer calories with oil instead of butter?
From a nutritional point of view, oil (especially extra virgin olive oil) is generally considered healthier than butter due to its profile of unsaturated fatty acids. However, the caloric content is similar by weight.
