Butter has always been one of the cornerstones of baking. It’s what gives cookies their crisp edges, brownies their chew, and cakes their delicate crumb. It’s not only about flavor — butter plays a structural role. When creamed with sugar, it creates air pockets that give baked goods body. When melted, it brings richness and depth. Depending on whether it’s solid or liquid, butter completely changes the outcome of a recipe.
So, how do we bake without it?
In my bakery, we rely on coconut oil. It’s a saturated fat (like butter,) which means it behaves much like it: solid at room temperature, hard in the fridge, and liquid once it warms above 75°F. That similarity makes it an incredible stand-in for butter in most recipes. But it also carries its own set of benefits.
Saturated fats often get a bad reputation, but in baking they’re essential. They provide stability and structure, and they preserve freshness. Coconut oil, in particular, is a natural preservative. It allows our cookies, cakes, and brownies to freeze and thaw beautifully, without losing texture or flavor. Other oils don’t carry this property, which is why hydrogenated shortenings were invented in the first place — to mimic what saturated fats already do. Coconut oil does it naturally, purely, and without industrial processing.
When it comes to coconut oil, there are two choices. Virgin coconut oil has a strong coconut flavor and aroma, which works for raw desserts or recipes where that flavor belongs. Refined coconut oil is neutral, pressed twice, and allows the true flavors of your baked good to shine through. That’s the one I turn to most often.
Not all fats, however, are created equal. We avoid seed oils, vegetable shortenings, and hydrogenated fats. They’re cheap replacements for butter, highly processed, and they don’t have the structure to perform well in baking. Seed oils (including vegetable shortenings,) for example, are polyunsaturated fats that lack the stability of saturated fats. They can’t give you the same lift, elasticity, or preservative quality.
Occasionally, I’ll turn to olive oil — especially in sponge cakes, where its fruity note adds character and tenderness, and the recipe requires a softer more delicate oil.
When substituting butter for coconut oil, I always recommend adjusting the amount slightly. Butter and coconut oil aren’t identical in water content, so using the same weight one-to-one can lead to cookies that spread too much. A good rule of thumb is to reduce the coconut oil by about 15%. For example, if a recipe calls for 100 grams of butter, use 85 grams of coconut oil. This keeps the structure intact and your final bake just right.
For me, this isn’t just about replacing one ingredient with another. It’s about making intentional choices. Butter gave traditional baking its foundation. Coconut oil allows us to continue that craft — vegan, gluten-free, wholesome — while opening doors to infinite creativity.
This is BakeBeauty101. How to see every swap as an invitation to explore more beauty in the kitchen.
xx
Pamela Wasabi
