Substitutes for Crisco (Vegetable Shortening)
Crisco or other vegetable shortening used in baking for flaky pie crusts, biscuits, and frying.
The Short Answer
The best substitute for crisco (vegetable shortening) is Butter. Adds buttery flavor that shortening lacks. Pie crusts made with butter have more flavor but may be slightly less tender.
Best Substitutes
Butter 👨🔬 Professor's Pick
Ratio: 1:1 replacement (minus 2 tablespoons per cup to account for water content)
Works for: pie crust, biscuits, cookies, cakes
Avoid for: recipes needing a higher smoke point for frying
Flavor impact: Adds buttery flavor that shortening lacks. Pie crusts made with butter have more flavor but may be slightly less tender. Many bakers prefer the flavor tradeoff.
Coconut Oil
Ratio: 1:1 replacement
Works for: pie crust, biscuits, cookies, vegan baking
Avoid for: recipes where coconut flavor is unwanted (use refined)
Flavor impact: Refined coconut oil is flavorless and works almost identically to shortening. Unrefined adds coconut flavor. Both are solid at room temperature, which is the key property.
Lard
Ratio: 1:1 replacement
Works for: pie crust, biscuits, frying, tamales
Avoid for: vegetarian or vegan baking
Flavor impact: Traditional pie crust fat before shortening existed. Produces extremely flaky, tender crusts. Mild savory flavor that works in savory and sweet applications.
The classic pie crust debate: butter vs shortening vs lard. Butter gives the best flavor, shortening the most tender texture, and lard the flakiest layers. Many serious bakers use a combination (half butter, half shortening) to get the best of both worlds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shortening is 100% fat with no water content. Butter is about 80% fat and 20% water. The water in butter creates steam during baking (which helps with flakiness) but the higher fat in shortening makes baked goods more tender.
Modern Crisco has been reformulated to contain no trans fats (the original formula contained partially hydrogenated oil, which is now banned). It is a neutral vegetable fat. Whether it is healthier than butter depends on your overall dietary context.
In some recipes, yes. But oil is liquid while shortening is solid, which matters for pie crusts and biscuits where cold, solid fat creates flaky layers. Oil produces a different, more tender-crumbly texture.
The Bottom Line
When you need a substitute for crisco (vegetable shortening), your best bet is Butter. The right choice depends on your recipe and dietary needs. Start with the Professor's Pick and adjust from there.