Butter substitutes: 5 swaps and how the nutrition changes
To replace 1 cup of butter, use 1 cup margarine, 7/8 cup oil or 7/8 cup oil plus 1/2 tsp salt, plus 2 more options below. 1 cup of butter has 1687 calories, and the swaps come to 1586 to 1686 calories for the same amount. The biggest change is in saturated fat: 103.5 g in the original, 29.1 g to 70.3 g in the swaps.
Per 1 cup
| Calories | Fat | Saturated fat | Protein | Carbs | Total sugars | Sodium | Cholesterol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butter (original) | 1687 calories | 186.6 g | 103.5 g | 1.9 g | 0.14 g | 1.3 g | 1189 mg | 533 mg |
| 1 cup margarine | 1628 calories (-59) | 183.2 g (-3.4) | 34.5 g (-69.0) | 0.36 g (-1.6) | 1.6 g (+1.5) | 0 g (-1.3) | 1705 mg (+515) | 0 mg (-533) |
| 7/8 cup oil | 1686 calories | 190.8 g (+4.2) | 29.1 g (-74.4) | 0 g (-1.9) | 0 g (-0.1) | 0 g (-1.3) | 0 mg (-1189) | 0 mg (-533) |
| 7/8 cup oil plus 1/2 tsp salt | 1686 calories | 190.8 g (+4.2) | 29.1 g (-74.4) | 0 g (-1.9) | 0 g (-0.1) | 0 g (-1.3) | 1180 mg (-9) | 0 mg (-533) |
| 7/8 cup lard plus 1/2 tsp salt | 1618 calories (-69) | 179.4 g (-7.2) | 70.3 g (-33.2) | 0 g (-1.9) | 0 g (-0.1) | 0 g (-1.3) | 1180 mg (-9) | 170 mg (-363) |
| 7/8 cup shortening plus 1/2 tsp salt | 1586 calories (-101) | 179.4 g (-7.2) | 44.8 g (-58.7) | 0 g (-1.9) | 0 g (-0.1) | 0 g (-1.3) | 1180 mg (-9) | 0 mg (-533) |
Numbers in brackets show the change from the original. USDA FoodData Central.
How to make each swap
- 1 cup margarine. Compared with 1 cup of butter: -59 calories, -3.4 g fat, -1.6 g protein, -1.3 g sugars, +515 mg sodium. Source: NMSU Extension, NDSU Extension, USU Extension.
- 7/8 cup oil. Compared with 1 cup of butter: +4.2 g fat, -1.9 g protein, -1.3 g sugars, -1189 mg sodium. Source: NDSU Extension, USU Extension.
- 7/8 cup oil plus 1/2 tsp salt. Compared with 1 cup of butter: +4.2 g fat, -1.9 g protein, -1.3 g sugars, -9 mg sodium. Source: NDSU Extension.
- 7/8 cup lard plus 1/2 tsp salt. Compared with 1 cup of butter: -69 calories, -7.2 g fat, -1.9 g protein, -1.3 g sugars, -9 mg sodium. Source: NMSU Extension, NDSU Extension, USU Extension.
- 7/8 cup shortening plus 1/2 tsp salt. The sources give 7/8 to 1 cup of shortening (hydrogenated fat). Compared with 1 cup of butter: -101 calories, -7.2 g fat, -1.9 g protein, -1.3 g sugars, -9 mg sodium. Source: NMSU Extension, NDSU Extension.
Which swap fits what you need
Per 1 cup, among the swaps above.
- Fewest calories: 7/8 cup shortening plus 1/2 tsp salt, 1586 calories (1687 calories in butter)
- Least sodium: 7/8 cup oil, 0 mg (1189 mg in butter)
Choosing a swap
Stick margarine is the cup-for-cup swap all three guides list. NDSU and USU also give 7/8 cup of oil for each cup of butter.
Calories hardly change, because every option is almost pure fat. What changes is saturated fat. A cup of butter has 103.5 g, margarine and oil have about a third of that, and lard has 70.3 g.
Oil, lard and shortening contain no salt, so the guides add 1/2 tsp of salt to stand in for salted butter. Skip it if your recipe used unsalted butter.
Written from the extension guidance and USDA numbers on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Sources
Substitution ratios
- New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension, In a Pinch Ingredient Substitution (Guide E-131, revised May 2016). https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_e/E131/ (accessed 2026-10-12)
- NDSU Extension, Ingredient Substitutions (FN198, J. Garden-Robinson, April 2013 edition). https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/HHS/HHS-784-W.pdf (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Utah State University Extension, List of Ingredient Substitutions for Cooking and Baking. https://extension.usu.edu/archive/list-of-ingredient-substitutions-for-cooking-and-baking (accessed 2026-10-12)
Nutrition numbers: USDA FoodData Central (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Butter (salted): Butter, stick, FDC ID 2710155 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Stick margarine: Margarine, regular, 80% fat, composite, stick, with salt, FDC ID 172346 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
- Vegetable oil (soybean): Oil, vegetable, soybean, refined, FDC ID 172370 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
- Table salt: Salt, table, iodized, FDC ID 746775 (Foundation Foods, published 2019-12-16)
- Lard: Lard, FDC ID 171401 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01) · full profile
- Vegetable shortening: Shortening, household, soybean (partially hydrogenated)-cottonseed (partially hydrogenated), FDC ID 171011 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
How we calculate: each part of a swap is converted from its household measure to grams with the USDA portion weight for that food (1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp), then multiplied by the USDA values per 3.5 oz (100 g). Water counts as zero, and so do pinches under 5 g (salt, baking powder) where USDA lists no value. A dash (—) means USDA reports no value for at least one part. USDA measures sugars directly but calculates total carbohydrate by difference, so in a few foods here, mostly dairy, sugars come out slightly higher than carbs. We show the USDA numbers as published. How we verify.