Butter vs. Margarine: What's Better for Baking? (2024)

FAQs

Butter vs. Margarine: What's Better for Baking? ›

But when you're baking, butter triumphs over margarine every time. For cakes, cookies, and pastries, butter (unsalted, that is) provides richer flavor. (It begins as cream, after all, and margarine is made from vegetable oil.) Butter's high fat content is also what gives baked goods their texture.

Butter is often the choice for baking due to its flavor profile, while margarine, being cheaper and having a higher smoke point, can be a practical choice for cooking. In baking, butter can add a rich flavor and tenderness to baked goods, while margarine might lead to a softer texture.

In baking, melted margarine could work in recipes that call for melted butter, but in recipes that call for softened butter, swapping in tub margarine may change the texture; for example, cakes will be less tender, and cookies will generally spread out more and be less crisp.

Margarine/non-dairy spreads

Loved for its ease of spreading and scooping, margarine has long been a choice ingredient for bakers as its soft texture makes it light work to whip up into buttercream frosting or to cream into sugar for a sponge cake.

As a fat, margarine provides baked goods with texture, mouthfeel, and other sensory attributes. Its other roles include extending a product's shelf life.

Since margarine has a variable but high trans fat level, the consumption of margarine may lead to an increased incidence of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases when compared with butter. Hence, butter is considered healthier than margarines.

The short answer is while there is no exact rule for substituting the fats in your recipes, you'll likely be able to use butter or shortening as a one-to-one swap for margarine. In addition to butter, we're sharing some easy (and healthier swaps) for when you need a margarine substitute right away.

(It begins as cream, after all, and margarine is made from vegetable oil.) Butter's high fat content is also what gives baked goods their texture. Margarine, which can contain more water and less fat, may make thin cookies that spread out while baking (and may burn).

Disadvantages of Using Butter

Cookies made with butter can spoil more quickly than those made with shortening. If you want your cookies to last as long as possible (and who doesn't?), you should opt for Shortening.

What Margarine Is Best for Baking? When choosing a margarine for baking, it's important to choose one that delivers on sweet and buttery flavour, a light and soft texture, and a rich aroma that fills the home with a nostalgic and joyful atmosphere. This makes Planta the ideal option for your best baking results.

Is it better to bake with butter or spread for cake? ›

We found that real butter makes a much silkier, firmer and thicker buttercream which is perfect to hold our cakes together and spread on top. We are well known for our generous layer of buttercream in the middle of our sponge cakes (we think it's one of the best parts!).

It isn't as tasty, and has trans-fats. On the other hand, it has less cholesterol. Usually things titled butter spread are actually made from largely vegetable oil. They can be a replacement for butter in recipes where the fact that there is fat in the recipe is all that matters (quick breads, brownies, muffins, etc.).

For many recipes, margarine and butter can be used interchangeably or combined. When substituting margarine for all or part of the butter in baking, make sure the margarine contains at least 80 percent oil and don't use light or whipped margarine.

Parkay comes in spreads, sticks, and squeeze and spray bottles for cooking, baking, and topping all your favorite foods. Treat yourself and your family to its rich, buttery taste—you'll never go back to butter.

Butter, on the other hand, melts quickly, so the same recipe made with butter spreads faster and farther. Because cookies made with butter tend to spread more, the cookies are often thin and crisper. All types of fat—margarine, shortening, and butter—are tenderizers.

Rich, tasty and nutrient-dense, nut butters like almond, cashew, peanut and tahini make excellent butter substitutes for baking and cooking. They will help retain moisture in batter and dough and give your baked goods and other dishes a nutty flavor.

Stick margarine made with 80% vegetable oil, i.e. Land O Lakes® Margarine, can be substituted for butter in most baking applications, except pastry recipes and candy made from boiled syrup. Margarine will produce a softer dough than one made with butter, and it will not have the same flavor as recipe made with butter.

Most baking recipes tend to call for unsalted butter. This is because there is no standard salt content in butter, so it varies from brand to brand and country to country.