5 Substitutes for Shortening: How to Substitute Shortening

Shortening is any type of cooking fat that stays solid at room temperature. The term shortening most commonly refers to solidified hydrogenated vegetable oil, such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, or palm oil. However, shortening can also refer to any type of fat that remains solid at room temperature such as butter, margarine, or lard.

Shortening is typically used to “shorten” elastic wheat dough containing gluten in order to make it more crumbly, crispy, and hold its shape. Shortening is often used as a key ingredient in cookie dough, pie dough, streusels, and cakes. Shortening can also be melted and used to deep fry dishes like fried chicken. Shortening has a high smoke point and does not require refrigeration like animal or dairy-based fats.

Shortening was first developed as a hydrogenated vegetable oil in the early 1900s. In 1901, German chemist Wilhelm Normann discovered the hydrogenation process for fats. A few years later, fellow German chemist Edwin Kayser produced a cheap soap alternative using hydrogenated cottonseed oil instead of pork fat. By 1910, major soap manufacturers began to use this refined oil as an inexpensive substitute ingredient for candles and soaps. The following year, the ingredient was sold for culinary use and marketed as a kosher and healthier alternative to animal fats like lard.

Shortening has a number of culinary uses in the kitchen, some of which include the following.

1. 1. Frying: Shortening has a high smoke point which makes it suitable for high-heat cooking like deep frying. It is often used for battered and deep-fried dishes, as it helps the battered food keep its shape and crisp up. Keep in mind that the composition of your shortening can affect just how much heat your food can tolerate. For example, vegetable shortening made of 100 percent cottonseed oil has a slightly lower smoke point than shortening made of soybean oil.
2. 2. Baking recipes: Shortening “shortens'' baking doughs, preventing the formation of gluten molecules and creating a crumbly, flaky texture. Shortening yields moist cakes, flaky crusts for pastries and pies, and leavened biscuits. It also creates crumbly, chewy scones and cookies that hold their shape.
3. 3. Icing: Shortening is a better choice than butter or oils for frosting. You can beat sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk directly into shortening to create an icing that won’t melt all over your baked goods if left in warmer temperatures.

There are four main varieties of shortening, all of which have their own characteristics and specifications for cooking.

1. 1. All-purpose: All-purpose shortening is usually made out of a combination of cottonseed and soybean oil, and may or may not contain emulsifiers. It is primarily used on a small commercial scale or at home for any cooking or baking purpose.
2. 2. Liquid: Liquid shortening is made of 100 percent soybean oil, and is often used for recipes that call for melted shortening. The liquid form of shortening is also good for deep frying, but not for pastries because it doesn’t leave room for air bubbles.
3. 3. Solid: Solid shortening is perfect for baking. It traps air bubbles in dough which can prevent the flour from soaking in too much moisture. This yields more leavened dough for breads or puffed pastries, and helps things like cookies maintain their shape.
4. 4. Cake/icing: This type of shortening has a higher ratio of fat to emulsifiers which helps baked goods like cakes retain moisture. Using shortening for frosting will also prevent your icing from melting quickly.

If you don’t have any vegetable shortening on hand, there are a few other ingredients you can use. Some of the best shortening substitutes include:

1. 1. Butter: Butter usually isn’t considered shortening, though it is solid at room temperature like shortening. Butter is a water-in-fat emulsion made from cream, the majority of which is butterfat. You can substitute butter for shortening and vice versa in an equal ratio, but keep in mind that butter has a lower melting point than shortening and contains more water. This means that things like cookies are likely to spread out as they cook.
2. 2. Lard: Lard is made of 100 percent animal fat (usually pork) that has been rendered and clarified. Lard has a high smoke point and a savory flavor, with an easy texture that allows for spreading. You can use a one-to-one swap if you’re substituting lard for shortening in a recipe.
3. 3. Margarine: Margarine is a combination of refined vegetable oil and water with the same fat ratio to water content as traditional butter. Margarine does not contain as much flavor as butter but does have a few milk solids and a high amount of trans fats. Margarine also contains water and has a low melting point, which means that it will cause your creations to spread out when they bake.
   
4. 4. Coconut oil: Coconut oil is a healthier oil than shortening that remains relatively solid at room temperature. You can swap coconut oil for shortening in a baking recipe in a 1:1 ratio. However, keep in mind that coconut oil has a distinct coconut flavor, making it different from the neutral taste of shortening.
5. 5. Applesauce: You can replace shortening with applesauce in sweet baking recipes to add more density to your creations. One cup of shortening equals about half a cup of applesauce.

Shortening is made out of pure vegetable oil, and butter is a dairy product made out of milk fat. Here are some other fundamental differences between shortening and butter.

1. 1. Ingredients. Butter is derived from animal dairy, while shortening is created from vegetable fat. This is why vegetable shortening does not need to be refrigerated, while most grocery store butter does.
2. 2. Water and fat content. Shortening is 100 percent solidified vegetable oil, while butter contains a small percentage of water (around 15 to 18 percent depending on the brand). The more butter you use, the more flavor your meal or pastry will have.
3. 3. Flavor. Butter has a rich flavor while shortening is naturally flavorless and odorless. This means that adding butter to a recipe over shortening will yield a more flavorful end product.
4. 4. Texture. Using shortening in baking recipes yields an end product that is chewy on the outside, but crumbly and dense on the inside. When butter is heated in baking, butter spreads out because of its low melting point. It also yields a crispier end product than shortening when it is used in baking.
5. 5. Melting points. The water and milk content of butter gives it a lower melting point than vegetable shortening. You can use both ingredients to fry foods, but butter is best for light browning or spreading and shortening is best for deep frying.

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