Swap in an Easy Margarine Substitute for a Healthier Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a healthy substitute for margarine? ›

It's easy to swap in coconut oil, olive oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil for margarine. In most recipes, oil is substituted for margarine at a 3:4 ratio. This accounts for any water or other ingredients in the margarine. So, for every cup of margarine in the recipe, use 3/4 cup of oil.

It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil.

Stick margarine, also known as block or hard margarine, has the same texture as butter, and is therefore a better substitute for baking and cooking than tub margarine.

Light margarine contains less saturated and trans fat than regular margarine. A spread with heart-healthy plant sterols or stanols; 2 grams per day can help lower LDL cholesterol if your diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol. This light margarine has fewer calories and fat than regular margarine.

There are a variety of Smart Balance options - ranging from Original, to Light, to Whipped, to Olive Oil, to "Heart Right". All contain less saturated fat (1.5-2.5 grams) than whipped butter does (3.5-4.5 grams), but about the same number of calories per tablespoon. This is a perfectly fine choice for spreads.

The Weight Watchers-recommended healthy oils (olive, sunflower, safflower, flaxseed, canola) can be substituted for butter in any recipe. This simple switch does not particularly decrease the PointsPlus values in the recipe, but will eliminate saturated fats and cholesterol.

Healthy Diet

Even though butter is a better choice over margarine, people who are overweight or obese are often advised not to consume butter. For such people, margarine with low or no trans fat is sometimes considered to be the best option, since it may prevent increases in blood cholesterol level and heart disease.

What to use instead of margarine on toast? ›

Olive oil spread is better for you than butter or margarine and it's great on toast. It's also really easy to make your own! The secret? Olive oil spread is simply olive oil kept at a cold enough temperature that it solidifies.

Country Crock® is a spread made with oils from plants, whereas butter is made with milk or cream from cows. Country Crock® has less saturated fat per serving than dairy butter, but still has a delicious buttery taste. Country Crock® products also tend to be softer out of the fridge for easy spreading.

Avoid hydrogenated margarines. The second kind of margarine is made from non-hydrogenated oils. This is our best choice because these oils are heart healthy oils, for example: canola oil or soybean oil. These oils actually help to lower our LDL and raise our HDL.

When it comes to healthy margarine, Smart Balance may come to mind. With no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, Smart Balance may be one of the best cholesterol-reducing margarine brands on the market. Additionally, it contains zero trans fat.

Unlike many spreads and margarines, we use absolutely no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Instead, we use our unique natural oil blend that can help support healthy cholesterol levels already within the normal range. Some of our products even get a boost of vitamin D, calcium, omega-3s, and other nutrients.

"Margarine has the better nutrient profile in terms of being lower in saturated fat than butter, and both should be considered in the context of the whole diet," she says. "But emerging evidence suggests that there's an association between poor health and ultra-processed diets above and beyond nutrients."

In general, you can substitute Crisco shortening for butter or margarine in equal amounts (1 cup Crisco shortening = 1 cup butter or margarine). Not only does Crisco shortening have 50% less saturated fat than butter and 0g trans fat per serving, it gives you higher, lighter-textured baked goods.