Butter is a key ingredient in many biscuit recipes, contributing moisture, flakiness, and rich flavor. However, there may be times when you want to make biscuits but don’t have butter on hand. The good news is that there are several effective substitutes for butter when making biscuits.
Quick Answer
Yes, you can substitute butter in biscuit recipes. The best substitutes are shortening, oil, yogurt, or milk. Shortening is the closest replacement for butter’s moisture and flakiness. Oil can mimic butter’s moisture but won’t contribute flakiness. Yogurt and milk add moisture and tanginess. Adjust other liquids in the recipe when using substitutes.
Butter’s Role in Biscuit Recipes
Butter is more than just a flavoring agent in biscuits – it serves several structural functions:
- Butter provides moisture, allowing the dough to come together and keeping biscuits tender.
- The fat in butter coats flour proteins, inhibiting gluten development for a tender, flaky texture.
- When chilled, butter firms up and creates small pockets of fat that lead to flakiness when baked.
- Butter contributes rich, creamy flavor.
Substituting another ingredient for butter requires finding a replacement that can mimic some or all of these attributes.
Best Butter Substitutes for Biscuits
Shortening
Shortening is the most common and closest substitute for butter in biscuit recipes. Like butter, shortening:
- Contains fat that keeps biscuits tender and flaky.
- Incorporates air into the dough during mixing.
- Hardens when chilled for easy cutting and layering.
Shortening has a neutral flavor and less moisture compared to butter. But it can mimic butter’s texture and flakiness. Use an equal amount of shortening in place of butter.
Oil
Vegetable oil or other neutral tasting oils are an effective moisture replacement for butter in biscuits. Oil can help achieve a tender texture.
However, oil does not replicate the flakes from butter’s fat. Biscuits made with oil may turn out a bit more cake-like with a softer texture.
Substitute oil for butter at a 1:1 ratio. Since oil is 100% fat compared to butter’s roughly 80% fat, you may want to reduce the amount slightly, using about 3/4 as much oil as butter.
Yogurt
Plain yogurt makes a tasty, tangy alternative for butter in biscuits. Yogurt provides moisture and richness from its fat and protein content. It can also add flakiness when half-and-half or whole milk yogurt is used.
Substitute the same amount of yogurt for butter. Since yogurt contains liquid, reduce other liquids in the recipe by 2-3 tablespoons per 1/2 cup yogurt.
Milk
Milk can provide moisture and tenderness when substituted for butter in biscuits. Whole milk or half-and-half work best to mimic butter’s fat content. Skim or low-fat milk may produce tougher, less flaky biscuits.
Replace butter with an equal amount of milk or reduce other liquids slightly. Expect biscuits to be more cake-like and less flaky with milk.
How to Adjust Biscuit Recipes When Substituting Butter
Making adjustments to the liquid content can help produce great biscuits when substituting butter:
- Reduce other liquids – When using yogurt, oil or milk instead of butter, reduce other liquids like water or regular milk by a few tablespoons per 1/2 cup substitution to account for moisture in the substitutes.
- Increase leavening slightly – Butter contributes tenderness but also richness, moisture and flake. With oil or milk instead, increase baking powder by 1/4 teaspoon and/or baking soda by 1/8 teaspoon per 1/2 cup butter to ensure good rise.
- Handle dough gently – Butter makes biscuit dough easy to work with. Oil or milk dough will be more sticky, so handle gently and chill longer before baking if needed.
- Adjust bake time – Biscuits without butter may bake faster, so check a few minutes early and extend time if needed for golden brown biscuits.
Best Biscuit Recipes for Butter Substitutes
Certain biscuit recipes work better with butter substitutes than others. Here are some good options:
Shortening Biscuits
Since shortening best mimics butter, recipes developed for shortening are ideal. The biscuits will turn out very similar with either fat used.
Buttermilk Biscuits
Buttermilk provides moisture, richness and tang that complement oil or yogurt substitutes. Leavening helps these biscuits rise high.
Cream Biscuits
Cream biscuit recipes rely on heavy cream for tenderness. Swapping out butter for oil or milk still provides a rich, delicate biscuit.
Drop Biscuits
Drop biscuits require less dough handling compared to rolled or cut biscuits. This makes them more forgiving for sticky oil or milk doughs.
| Biscuit Type | Best Substitutes |
|---|---|
| Shortening biscuits | Butter or shortening |
| Buttermilk biscuits | Oil or yogurt |
| Cream biscuits | Oil or milk |
| Drop biscuits | Oil or milk |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make biscuits without butter or shortening?
Yes, it is possible to make biscuits without any butter or shortening. The best substitutes are oil, yogurt, or milk. Oil provides moisture but biscuits will be less flaky. Yogurt and milk add moisture and richness but also less flake. Adjust other liquids when using substitutes and expect a softer, more cake-like texture.
Is margarine a good substitute for butter in biscuits?
Margarine can substitute for butter in biscuits in a 1:1 ratio. Stick margarine will provide better flakes than tub or liquid margarine. Look for margarine with a similar fat content to butter. Expect slightly less richness than butter, but margarine can mimic butter’s moisture and flake.
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter in biscuits?
Yes, refined coconut oil can substitute for butter at a 1:1 ratio. The fat content of coconut oil mimics the moisture and tenderness butter provides. Biscuits made with coconut oil will have a very subtle coconut flavor. Virgin or unrefined coconut oil is not recommended, as the stronger flavor may overwhelm biscuits.
Should you use cold or melted butter for biscuits?
Cold, solid butter is best for biscuits to create flaky layers. Melted butter will incorporate more evenly but result in less distinct layers and flake. For best results, use very cold, cubed butter. Work it into the dry ingredients, flattening chunks between your fingers or a pastry cutter to maintain pieces of butter.
The Bottom Line
While butter provides ideal taste, moisture and flake for biscuits, several substitutes can mimic some of its effects. Shortening is the best all-around substitute, closely replicating butter’s properties. Oil and dairy products like yogurt and milk can also fill in for moisture and tenderness. Adjusting liquids, leaveners and bake times will help achieve delicious biscuits even without butter.