8 Butter Substitute Ideas to Cook, Bake and Fry Anything

Need an easy swap for butter? This guide to eight butter substitute ideas will help prevent a kitchen crisis! Plus, they all taste delicious, too!

While grass-fed butter is a Paleo-friendly food – and healthy in moderate amounts – we get that sometimes you’ll want to change things up.

Luckily, there are many healthy alternatives to butter. Whether you’re baking, high heat frying or just looking for a more enticing spread, these Paleo-friendly substitutions (like vitamin-rich ghee and creamy avocados) make for easy butter swaps.

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Below, we’ll break down how to use each substitution and what kind of recipes they work best in.

Ghee

When all the sugar and proteins are cooked out of butter, you’re left behind with butterfat – aka ghee! This liquid gold has a high smoke point, making it a terrific option for sautéing, and is filled with vitamins A, D and E and CLA.

If you’re lactose intolerant, but you still want that savory, “buttery” taste, ghee can be a great butter substitute. Since the milk solids get strained out, ghee is essentially free of casein and lactose.

Butter equivalent: 1 cup ghee : 1 cup butter
Flavor: nutty, savory
What it does: adds moisture and “buttery” texture due to fat content
Recipes to use it in: sautéing, frying, searing meat

Applesauce

Unsweetened applesauce is great butter substitute for cutting calories and fat while creating a moist, dense end product. If you want a less dense result, use half the amount of butter called for in a recipe and replace the rest with applesauce. Due to its flavor, applesauce is best used in sweet recipes.

Butter equivalent: 1 cup unsweetened applesauce : 1 cup butter
Flavor: mildly sweet
What it does: creates a denser, moister result than butter
Recipes to use it in: breads, sweet muffins, pastries, cakes

Pumpkin Purée

Pumpkin purée, much like applesauce, creates a denser baked good with plenty of moisture and pumpkin flavor. Pumpkin also adds fiber and beta carotene to recipes. Be sure to use 100% canned pumpkin without added ingredients, and make ample use of it during the holidays!

Butter equivalent: ¾ cup : 1 cup butter
Flavor: sweet-savory
What it does: adds moisture and smooth texture
Recipes to use it in: muffins, dessert bars, cookies, breads, spiced desserts

Avocado

Creamy avocados blend seamlessly into dessert recipes, especially those containing chocolate. Avocado’s smooth texture lends a luxurious texture and moisture to desserts like muffins and cookies. Due to their abundance of nutrients and healthy fats, avocados amp up the health benefits of any recipe they are added to without altering the flavor.

Butter equivalent: ¾ cup : 1 cup butter
Flavor: mild, buttery
What it does: adds moisture and creamy texture
Recipes to use it in: baked goods like muffins, brownies, cake, and especially chocolate desserts.

Banana

Ripe mashed bananas add flavor, sweetness and moisture, making them an ideal butter substitute in muffins, brownies, and quick breads. Bananas have a strong flavor, so it is best to keep this in mind when pairing with other ingredients. From a health standpoint, bananas add potassium while reducing fat content when replacing butter.

Butter equivalent: 1/2 cup mashed banana : 1 cup butter
Flavor: strong sweetness
What it does: adds moisture and strong sweet flavor (Tip: Be sure to reduce sweetener in recipe if using banana.)
Recipes to use it in: breads, muffins, cookies. (Tip: Because banana adds a noticeable flavor, it is best used in chocolate, nut, or fruit desserts.)

Nut Butter (almond, cashew, etc.)

The nutty flavors of almond and cashew butter nicely complement most baked recipes, like cookies and muffins. With a high fat content rich in omega-3’s, nut butter adds moisture and fiber to recipes. Look for nut butter that is made of 100% ground nuts without added oils or sugar. And always choose organic, non-GMO nut products. If you happen to have raw nuts on hand, grind up your own nut butter!

Butter equivalent: 1 cup nut butter : 1 cup butter
Flavor: nutty, mildly sweet (Note: reduce sweetener when using in recipes)
What it does: adds moisture, density and flavor
Recipes to use it in: cookies, banana bread, nut breads, brownies

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has a high smoke point, making it ideal for pan cooking in recipes like stir-fry. Virgin, unrefined coconut oil offers anti-inflammatory benefits and MCT’s, a preferred source of energy for fueling the body as opposed to storing as fat. Coconut oil imparts a light coconut flavor to recipes, so use it in complementary recipes like curry, banana bread, or chocolate chip cookies.

Butter equivalent: 1 cup coconut oil : 1 cup butter
Flavor: mildly sweet
What it does: adds moisture, flavor, aroma
Recipes to use it in: frying, sautéing, cookies, cakes, pie crusts, breads, brownies

Tallow

Tallow is a rendered fat from cows or lamb. The high smoke point of tallow makes it an excellent butter substitute for high heat cooking. Try roasting sweet potato wedges or spiral sliced fries in melted tallow for a richly flavored snack. Grass-fed beef tallow contains CLA, a potent fatty acid that can help decrease certain cancer risks.

Butter equivalent: ¾ cup tallow : 1 cup butter
Flavor: savory, umami
What it does: adds flakiness to baked goods; adds moisture and crispiness to fried recipes
Recipes to use it in: frying, roasting, savory breads, pie crusts, pizza crusts, biscuits

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