If you regularly make biscuits, chances are you use shortening as part of your recipe. People choose shortening substitutes over shortening for several reasons. For example, shortening is incredibly high in trans fats, which are unhealthy. Additionally, it may be the case that you do not have access to shortening. However, here is something you might like to check out:
Generally, there are eight ideal substitutes for shortening that you can use. These eight are butter, coconut oil, Ghee, lard, bacon fat, margarine, and vegan butter. Of course, you can use one of the eight options listed above, but remember that there may be slight differences in the taste.
In this article, you will see eight perfect substitutes for shortening you can use when making biscuits. If you do not have access to or do not wish to use shortening, you can adjust your recipe accordingly.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
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Can you substitute shortening for biscuits?
If you are making biscuits, you can replace the shortening with other products. On the other hand, if you don’t have any shortening on hand or would like to avoid it, don’t be upset if a recipe says that you should use it.
It is easy for you to substitute it with another item already available to you. However, you will have to decide which fat to use based on what characteristics you need in your shortening.
Shortening substitutes for biscuits
If you are making biscuits, you can use eight ideal substitutes instead of shortening. If you choose to use these substitutes, you will need to adjust the recipe.
Butter
If you are without any shortening at any point, you could reach for a stick of butter as an alternative. Make sure that the amount of butter is the same.
The baked goods you make may not turn out quite as flaky, but you’re guaranteed to enjoy a rich, buttery flavor.
You can achieve a buttery taste by serving them with butter instead of shortening if you are making biscuits.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil can be an ideal substitute for shortening. The texture of the oil is very similar to shortening, and it is also vegan.
You can swap out the recipe one-for-one, but it is essential to remember that the coconut flavor will likely be very subtle in your baked goods.
You can always find refined coconut oil on the market if it bothers you that your biscuits have a hint of coconut flavor. Its flavor is slightly more subtle than that of unrefined coconut oil.
Ghee
Known as clarified butter, Ghee is simply butter that has been anointed with a clarifier to rid it of the milk solids and water.
As a result, it is suitable for cooking at higher temperatures, such as frying. In any recipe that calls for shortening in pan-frying or baked goods, you can replace it with butter one-to-one to give it a more buttery flavor.
When you use Ghee instead of shortening, you can be sure that your biscuits will always have a buttery flavor that you will surely enjoy.
Lard
Lard may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of substituting shortening, but lard is a perfect substitute. The best way to use it is for recipes that can go savory, such as biscuits, cornbread, savory scones, and pot pies.
Lard will add a rich flavor to your biscuits because it is nothing but fat and flavor. There is no better way to enjoy biscuits than with a savory dish since you should pair biscuits with savory meals.
Bacon Fat
Bacon grease is a great alternative for butter if you’re baking savory goods. You may not want to use it in sweet recipes, but I think you’ll like it if you’re baking savory items!
It’s time to make Ree’s cheddar-onion bacon biscuits! By collecting the drippings from your weekend brunch, you’ll be prepared to make these tasty biscuits. But, of course, you can’t go wrong with biscuits and bacon as a combination.
In other words, if you are making biscuits, you cannot go wrong in replacing your shortening with bacon fat.
Margarine
Besides being used as a flavoring, margarine is also excellent for baking and cooking. Most commonly, it’s used as a substitute for butter, and it’s also used as a substitute for shortening.
For every cup of shortening, add a tablespoon of margarine: Margarine contains water and has a lower fat content, so you should be able to achieve a better result if you add a little more.
If you add a little extra margarine to replace the shortening, you can get a fantastic biscuit that tastes as good as the ones made with shortening.
Vegan Butter
Now that so much vegan butter is available on the market, it would be nice to be able to use one instead of shortening in any recipe where you would otherwise use such butter.
To obtain the proper fat-to-water ratio, add one or two tablespoons to each cup of shortening.
The vegan butter can be a great alternative to shortening when you want to enjoy some biscuits, but you are always conscious of what’s in the ingredients.
Summary
The following are eight ideal substitutes for shortening. There are eight: butter, coconut oil, Ghee, lard, bacon fat, margarine, and vegan butter. You can choose any of the eight options above, but keep in mind that tastes may vary slightly.
You can substitute other products for shortening if you are making biscuits. Don’t worry if a recipe says you must use it when you don’t have any shortening on hand or want to avoid it. If you already have another item on hand, you can easily substitute it. It depends on what characteristics you need in your shortening on what type of fat to use.
Resources
Image credits – Canva
