Butter and oil are two staple ingredients you probably reach for daily. From pan-fried ribeyes to potato side dishes to celebratory desserts, just about any recipe can benefit from a little butter or oil. In some cases, you can substitute one for the other, but it depends on what—and how—you’re cooking. Read on to learn the differences between cooking with butter vs. oil.
When to Cook with Butter
If you’re baking a batch of cookies, prepping pie dough, or making a seasonal fruit cobbler, butter is your best friend. That’s because butter adds richness and flavor, promotes browning, and helps create the tender, flaky, or light textures that make baked goods so appealing. When you cream butter and sugar together, you create air pockets that can help baked goods rise and give the dough or batter a lighter texture. When cold butter is cut into flour—like in pie or pastry dough—and then baked, the water in the butter turns to steam, creating those coveted flaky layers. It’s an effect that you just don’t get from oil.
Butter is also great for finishing dishes and adding richness to savory recipes. You’ll find it used in mashed potatoes, where it creates a silky texture, or whisked into pan sauces for chicken, fish, or steak to make them taste richer and feel more luxurious.
For high-heat cooking methods like searing, sautéing, or roasting steak, fish, and vegetables, oil is often the better choice since most oils have a higher smoke point than butter. If you want the flavor of butter, add it during the last few minutes of cooking or stir it in at the end. That way, you get its rich taste without as much risk of burning.
If your recipe calls for butter but you’re fresh out, try one of these butter substitutes.
When to Cook with Oil
From pan-fried and deep-fried foods to vinaigrettes and roasted and grilled vegetables, oil is often the best choice for the job. When cooking at a high temperature, choose a neutral variety with a high smoke point, such as canola, grapeseed, or peanut oil. These oils can handle higher heat without burning as quickly. On the flip side, if you’re cooking over lower heat or no heat at all, olive oil is a great option. Reach for it when making salad dressings, drizzling it over finished dishes, or tossing it with pasta. Olive oil is also delicious in certain breads like this homemade herb focaccia. Because many olive oils have a lower smoke point than neutral oils, they’re not always the best choice for frying chicken cutlets or arancini. Other flavored oils, such as sesame oil or walnut oil, are best reserved for drizzling over a finished dish to add flavor.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. While butter can add rich flavor to baked goods, a neutral oil is the best choice in recipes where moisture is important—like brownies, quick breads and muffins, and even some cakes. That’s because oil helps keep baked goods soft and tender. And some cake recipes even call for olive oil specifically to highlight its fruity, grassy notes, such as this olive oil cake. The key is choosing an oil that suits both the cooking method and the flavor you want.
