3 Shortening Substitutes for Pie Crust (All You Need to Know)

If you’re making a pie crust often, you probably use shortening in your recipes. However, there are so many reasons why people find a substitute for shortening. For instance, shortening contains loads of trans fats, which aren’t healthy. Or, it can happen that you don’t have access to shortening. If that’s the case, here’s something for you:

In general, there are three ideal substitutes for shortening. These three are butter, lard, and coconut oil. Of course, you can use one of these three, but you should remember that there will be some slight flavor alterations.

This article will walk you through all these three ideal substitutes for shortening when you’re making pie crusts. This way, you can learn how to adjust your recipe if you don’t want to use a shortening or you don’t have access to it. 

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Shortening Substitutes for Pie CrustPin

Can you substitute shortening for pie crust?

You can substitute other products for shortening if you’re making a pie crust. However, if you do not have any shortening on hand or if you would prefer to avoid it, do not get upset if a recipe calls for it. 

You can easily substitute it with something else you already have at your disposal. The choice of fat will depend on what qualities you need from the shortening.

Shortening substitutes for pie crust

Below are three ideal substitutes you can use instead of shortening when making pie crust. You can use these things and adjust your recipe according to the changes needed.

Butter

Instead of shortening, you can use butter or margarine, adding a few extra tablespoons to each cup of shortening that is specified in the recipe.

Consequently, it would be best to use 1 cup butter or margarine plus two tablespoons of shortening for every 1 cup of shortening called for in a recipe.

In general, butter has a slightly lower melting point than shortening and may make your recipe appear more or less crisp, flaky, or fluffy if it has a lower melting point than shortening.

It would be best to experiment before making your dish for a momentous occasion such as Thanksgiving dinner. For example, make a test run before making the dish for a Thanksgiving dinner.

Since butter is an excellent component for baking and greasing, you can use it best when making a pie crust.

Coconut Oil

You can use coconut oil to substitute for butter and most other fats in the same measure. Thus, you can use it to replace shortening when making a pie crust.

Despite its solid nature at room temperature, it is also suitable for spreading, although the taste is quite different from butter. 

It is possible to use coconut oil in recipes either by melting it or beating it with sugar, just like you would butter or shortening.

There has been a growing trend for people to substitute it for butter as it has beneficial fats that make it a healthier alternative.

Coconut oil can indeed be a little more expensive than butter, and you should not use it in recipes if you are trying to reduce the fat content: it contains as much or more fat than butter or shortening.

Lard

In most cases, you may be able to substitute lard for shortening when making a recipe. For example, if you’re making a pie crust with a savory filling, you can use this product to replace shortening.

You should be aware that lard is an animal product and that if you are trying to eliminate animal fat from your diet, you should avoid lard.

If you deep fry, the lard will not harm you. Since it contains less water than butter, it has a higher smoke point and will spatter less.

However, that’s not something you need when making a pie crust. Still, if you have savory components in your pie, you’ll benefit from using lard instead of shortening.

Summary

In a nutshell, making a pie crust requires shortening, but you may substitute other products. For example, you can replace shortening with butter, coconut oil, and lard, excellent shortening substitutes. 

Rather than getting upset if a recipe does not call for shortening or if you prefer to avoid it, do not allow yourself to be upset if a recipe does not call for it. As mentioned previously, you may replace it with something else that you already have your hands on. You will have to decide on the type of fat you want from the shortening based on what qualities you need from it.

Resources

Image credits – Canva

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