What Is a Substitute for Vegetable Oil?

What's the best vegetable oil substitute?

Canola oil is the closest 1-to-1 substitute. It has a neutral flavor and similar smoke point (around 400 degrees F), which makes it interchangeable with vegetable oil in baking, frying, and sauteing. Sunflower oil and grapeseed oil also work as 1-to-1 swaps with similar properties.

For most cooking applications, any neutral, refined oil substitutes for vegetable oil without affecting the recipe. Brand and source don't matter much. Use what you have on hand.

Can you use butter or olive oil instead?

For baking: melted butter substitutes for vegetable oil at 1-to-1 and adds richer flavor. The result is slightly more dense and flavorful. Olive oil also works at 1-to-1 in some recipes (banana bread, certain cakes) but adds a noticeable olive flavor that doesn't fit all baking.

For sauteing and roasting: butter has a lower smoke point (about 350 degrees F) than vegetable oil, so it burns more easily at high heat. Olive oil works for most stovetop cooking. For high-heat cooking like deep frying, butter and extra-virgin olive oil aren't great substitutes; refined oils with higher smoke points work better.

How do you reduce fat by substituting applesauce or yogurt?

For baking, applesauce can replace some or all of the vegetable oil. Use 3/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce per 1 cup of vegetable oil. The result is lower in fat and slightly more moist, with a denser texture.

Greek yogurt is another fat-reducing substitute: use 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt per 1 cup of oil. Mashed avocado also works (use 1 cup per cup of oil, plus 1 tablespoon of liquid to compensate). For recipes that depend on oil's specific moisture profile (cakes, brownies, quick breads), partial substitution (replacing half the oil) gives better results than full replacement.

When does the vegetable oil substitute fail?

For deep frying, the substitute matters because smoke point affects cooking. Peanut oil (450 degrees F), avocado oil (520 degrees F), and refined coconut oil (400 degrees F) all work for frying. Butter, olive oil, and unrefined oils smoke too easily for deep frying.

For oil-based salad dressings, the flavor of the substitute matters more. Olive oil works for vinaigrettes; vegetable oil is too neutral. For mayonnaise, neutral oils (vegetable, canola, grapeseed) are necessary; olive oil makes the mayo too bitter. Match the substitute to the application: neutral for baking and frying, flavored for dressings and dipping.