Butter to oil converter
Enter the amount of butter in a recipe to see how much vegetable oil to use instead, or switch the direction to replace oil with butter. Volume uses the common baking rule of ¾ cup of oil for 1 cup of butter; weight replaces only the fat, since butter is about 80–82 % fat.
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How to use it
- Choose the direction: butter to oil or oil to butter.
- Choose volume (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons or mL) or weight (grams or ounces).
- Enter the amount from your recipe. The result is in the same unit, with the millilitre or gram equivalent below.
- For weight, set the fat content from the butter’s label if you know it; 80 % is a common minimum for butter.
How the conversion works
By volume: oil = butter × ¾, and butter = oil ÷ ¾. Cups and spoons are US measures: 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 236.6 mL.
By weight: oil = butter × fat share, and butter = oil ÷ fat share. The rest of the butter, mostly water, is shown separately so you can decide whether to add some liquid back.
Worked examples
- 1 cup of butter → 1 × 0.75 = 0.75 cup of oil (177 mL).
- 8 tablespoons (½ cup) of butter → 6 tablespoons of oil.
- 200 g of butter at 80 % fat → 200 × 0.8 = 160 g of oil; the other 40 g was water.
- 100 g of oil, butter at 82 % → 100 ÷ 0.82 = 121.95 g of butter.
Tips
- Measure oil in a liquid measuring cup at eye level; butter sticks are often marked in tablespoons.
- When replacing oil with butter in a cake, melted butter works like oil in the method; softened butter needs creaming.
- Do not swap in recipes where solid butter makes the structure, such as puff pastry, shortcrust or laminated dough.
- Salted butter adds salt: when you switch to oil, a pinch more salt keeps the taste.
Frequently asked questions
How much oil do I use instead of 1 cup of butter?
Use ¾ cup of oil, about 177 mL. The usual rule of thumb by volume is 3 parts oil for 4 parts butter, because butter is not pure fat while oil is. For half a cup of butter that is 6 tablespoons of oil.
How much butter replaces oil?
Divide by 0.75: ¾ cup of oil becomes 1 cup of butter, and ½ cup of oil becomes about ⅔ cup of butter. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly if the recipe mixes oil into wet ingredients.
Why does the weight mode ask for the fat content?
By weight the tool replaces only the fat. Butter is about 80–82 % fat, the rest is mostly water with some milk solids. 200 g of butter at 80 % holds 160 g of fat, so 160 g of oil carries the same fat; the other 40 g was water, which you can add back as water or milk if the batter looks dry.
Does the swap change the result?
Usually a little. Oil makes cakes and muffins moister and more tender but without the butter taste, and it cannot be creamed with sugar, so recipes that rely on creaming (pound cake, many cookies) rise and spread differently. Quick breads, brownies and muffins take the swap best.
Which oil should I use?
A neutral oil such as sunflower, canola or light olive oil keeps the flavour closest. Strong extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil change the taste; coconut oil is also solid when cool, which changes the texture.