and will therefore be able to blend into the pie crust like shortening. It has all the same properties as vegetable shortening – makes flaky pastries, has minimal spread in cookies, and has a clean flavor. using less fat. You should use the pie crust made with oil All of these are valid reasons for wanting to make pie crust without shortening! Coconut oil also lends a subtle tropical taste to the pie crust that compliments many kinds of pies. The shortening, the theory went, would contribute flakiness, and the butter, taste. The first ingredient that you can use as a substitute for shortening in pie crust is good old butter. Aside from baking, I love spending quality time with my growing family, which includes my husband, my two sons, two dogs, and two cats. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. You may use crunchy or smooth peanut butter. Swapping oil for shortening can cause the pie crust to be less flaky, but it will still come out of the oven hot and ready to eat. Using butter in place of shortening is very easy as it is just a simple one to one swap. Join the discussion today. It is actually the source of the light flakiness we desire in pie crusts and biscuits. Like butter, vegetable shortening is considered solid at room temperature with no flavor or smell. Vegetable shortening is solid fat used as a substitute for butter or lard, perfect for baking or greasing pans. While you can make an oil pie crust, you can’t exactly substitute oil for butter or shortening in a pie crust. Combine the vegetable oil with the dry ingredients, such as flour and salt, all at once. If you are looking to make pie crust without shortening because you want to eliminate the fat, there are a few options you have. The only logical reason to specify 'shortening' *as well as butter*, is to suggest that you use some VEGETABLE fat instead of animal fat. Really this crust is perfect for anything from Apple pie to Chicken Pot Pie and everything in between. In a pinch, coconut or vegetable oil can be used as a substitution for a recipe that calls for shortening. Butter is made up of water and fat, makes the pie crust less-flaky, but the rich flavor of it comes as a blessing for your crust. So, if your pie crust calls for ¼ cup shortening, you can just use ¼ cup butter. Easy as that!When using butter in place of shortening in your pie crust, make sure the butter is room temperature so that it has the same soft consistency as shortening. I don’t mind using a little white flour for this recipe) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. After the pie bakes, it won’t be extremely greasy anymore but the crust will be more firm and less flaky than if you had used shortening or butter. However, they do taste good and get the job done if a fat free crust is what you need! It also melts at a higher temperature than either butter or vegetable shortening… If the recipe asks for 1 cup shortening, simply use one cup mashed banana and eliminate any water used in the recipe. Before the advent of vegetable shortening, lard was the fat of choice for pie crusts. Combine flour and salt. Pie crust may be rolled out ... (2 tops/3 bottom crusts). 4. and you must admit, shortening does make one tasty crust! Shortening: The fat of choice for pie baking in the fifties and sixties, shortening has a very high melting point, which makes it very easy to mix into pie crust. In fact, lard was once commonly used for pie dough, until it was largely replaced by commercially available vegetable shortening in the early 20th century. Maybe you are looking for a replacement to shortening because you just never have it in the house and don’t feel like buying it just for when you make pies. For me, olive oil is more heavy and greasy and not how I want a fruit pie to taste. clearly time for a change! While even more into the flour which will create an even greasier dough. The “butter” answer is good, but I personally prefer lard. Use this mix to replace every ½ cup of shortening. Lard is our first choice if shortening is truly necessary. Specializing in pop culture, film and television, her work appears on Star Reviews and various other websites. It doesn’t matter if you pie … Countless pie crust recipes are available in cookbooks and on the Internet. In fact, the measurements are pretty much the same; you can put half a cup of butter instead of half a cup of shortening. Then … Using butter in place of shortening is very easy as it is just a simple one to one swap. Easy as that! Store-bought lard boasts a neutral character, not unlike its vegetable cousin, as well as a high percentage of good-for-you monounsaturated fats, per Dr. Weil. your pie crust? It is also very nice for curried meat pies. But it is You may notice a slight difference in Follow along for our Test Kitchen’s standard crust recipe. If you want to use oil rather than shortening, the first type of oil to turn to would be coconut oil. Butter vs. shortening in pie crust: the flour. You can also try a flaxseed replacement by using 3 tablespoons of flaxseed mixed with ¼ cup water. This crunchier texture holds true no matter what kind of oil you use. A pie crust made with oil will be greasier than one made with shortening or butter. 1 1/4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour (you can use whole wheat here, but it won’t be as tender. The crust will still taste delicious and be suitable for any kind of pie but you will definitely notice the difference when making a pie crust without shortening! So, if your pie crust calls for ¼ cup shortening, you can just use ¼ cup butter. Vegetable shortening. SUBSTITUTE FOR SHORTENING IN PIE CRUST. Ever wondered what vegetable shortening is? We definitely preferred butter, but you can substitute the same amount of shortening or lard—or some of each—for butter here. Shortening, with its higher melting point, adds stability to a baking pie crust. 1. …I will NEVER bake a pie in a crust containing Crisco or any other vegetable shortening: Almost all savory pies (especially meat-filled ones) are best with lard crust… and almost all sweet pies are best with all-butter crust. As you can see, there are many ways to make a delicious pie crust without shortening. This will make it easier to knead into your pie crust and the end result will be closer to your usual shortening pie crust. Ingredients: n/a. This Flour does make a difference, but not as much as you might think. why would you want to put these harmful chemically created fats into So, if your recipe asks for 1 cup shortening, use ¾ cup coconut oil. immediately after making the dough to prevent the oil from absorbing Try those fat free crusts too for something totally new and healthy! With less chance of overmixing and/or melting the fat, you're better ensured flaky layers in your crust. Read all about the secret to making the perfect pie crusts here. When home cooks cannot use those fats in their crusts, they may choose margarine instead. Coconut oil is solid when it is at room temperature (not too hot!) Lard. https://thetoughcookie.com/2014/05/12/all-shortening-pie-crust A Web Experience brought to you by LEAFtv, Coconut Oil Online: Recipes and Tips for Using Coconut Oil Supreme, How to Use a 9-Inch x 13-Inch Pan for Monkey Bread. Well, that’s what people have been doing for ages Add three parts vegetable oil for every four … Both of these fat free options will give you a good pie crust but they will be quite different than your traditional crust that uses shortening or fat. Zinski is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in history at the University of Wisconsin. Add three parts vegetable oil for every four parts shortening called for in the directions. Cut in cold butter until mixture is crumbly. Lard, like vegetable shortening, is easy to work with. As lard lost its appeal in the second half of the 1900’s, vegetable shortening gained favor with the home cook. It’s easy to understand why! Hi, I’m Sarah. Mix with other ingredients in your recipe and roll out as you would any pie crust. If a recipe calls for melted shortening, vegetable oil is a good swap. Ingredients: Cold Butter – make sure your butter is rock solid cold, and use real butter (not margarine or low-fat). 1/3 cup cold butter or lardor firm coconut oil(coconut oil will make a slightly tougher crust, … Seems like it is time to go try out those new pie crusts without shortening- who needs shortening anyway? the taste of your pie. Vegetable oil will also work in a pinch For more firm crusts, use vegetable oil. However, while it's the ideal ingredient from a texture perspective, it lacks the flavor of butter. Not only is it possible, but you have options! 5 Shortening Substitute: Vegetable Oil. Another advantage of using shortening and lard in flaky, tender pie crust and baked goods is that, as solid fats, they don't mix as completely with the dry ingredients as oils do. Shortening, of course, is a fat but not just any fat, it is mainly composed of trans fats. While you can find shortening that doesn’t have trans fats (thanks science! Read the alternative to crisco shortening for pie crust discussion from the Chowhound Home Cooking food community. Type above and press Enter to search. While the butter contributes richness and flavor, the shortening helps ensure tenderness. Use ¾ the amount of coconut oil as the recipe calls for in shortening. im trying to make apple pie but im out of shortening. A much better vegan substitute for pie crust is coconut oil, for one thing, it tastes like coconut. However, the brick sold in the supermarket is likely to be hydrogenated, which isn't so good. You should see a mixture of pea-sized crumbs and small crumbs. Recipe calls for 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening in addition to 10 tablespoons butter. It is made from soybean, vegetable or palm oil and is a very close substitute for lard. What could i use instead? Lard makes wonderfully flaky pie crust and biscuits. Consider increasing the amount of sugar and eggs in the pie recipe to counter the denser pie crust, recommends The Cook's Thesaurus. Baking Kneads, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Sprinkle the first 4-5 tablespoons over the crumbs and pulse twice. Study after study has shown that consuming too many trans fats will lead to coronary artery disease by raising cholesterol. https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-vegetable-shortening The ingredients in pie crusts can vary, but typically crusts include lard, butter, shortening or a combination of these. The thing you want is real leaf lard, pure rendered fat that comes from around the hog's kidneys. Not you! NEVER FAIL FLAKY PIE CRUST. In a pinch, coconut or vegetable oil can be used as a substitution for a recipe that calls for shortening. Many people find shortening to be bland and want a richer flavor in their crust than shortening can provide. Vegetable oil has a fairly neutral taste that won’t interfere with Combine the flour, sugar, ... for 30 minutes. As Julia wrote of her classic pie crust dough, “A mixture of 3 parts butter and 1 part vegetable shortening will give a tender crust with a good buttery flavor.” Residing in Chippewa Falls, Wis., Jaimie Zinski has been writing since 2009. Butter is a simple substitute for shortening. I alternate between an all-butter crust and one that’s part vegetable shortening, part butter. That helps minimize the production of gluten, which can make crusts tough. If you're leery of butter, you may be tempted to substitute an alternative fat for your pie crust dough. No one wants to give up that amazing texture that shortening provides but don’t worry, there are many ways to make a great pie crust without shortening! When using butter in place of shortening in your pie crust, make sure the butter is room temperature so that it has the same soft consistency as shortening. (Lard doesn’t taste like pork unless it gets rendered with meat, as … These fat free crusts will be more firm, less flaky and also have a tendency to crumble a bit when cut. Substitute an equal amount of peanut ... for in your pie crust recipe. So Salt – Don’t skip this, it brings out the flavor in the crust and is extra necessary when using shorting because it doesn’t have the same flavor as butter; Vegetable shortening – I like to use Crisco sticks … When using oil in place of shortening A lower-protein pastry flour, like our Pastry Flour Blend, will inherently make a more tender crust (and will also be a bit more fragile when you're rolling it out). change. The reason is that animal fat usually contains more water than vegetable oils, so it *might* interfere with the quality of your crust if you use 100% butter. many states, making it illegal for restaurants to even use them! Many people are turning away from using traditional shortenings in baking and here is why- it is just not healthy. Many pie dough recipes use a combination of butter and vegetable shortening as fats. Butter Shortening Pie Crusts are the happy medium between an all butter and all shortening crust. Both lard and shortening are almost entirely fat, without water that would activate gluten formation. For flaky crusts, go with the classic butter or coconut oil. Some of these recipes call for shortening, while others require butter or margarine. Margarine may not provide the flakiest crust, but you still can use it to easily create a masterpiece worthy of any filling. Using Butter. This is because the technique for making a pie crust is a little different than regular pie crust. Shortening substitute in pie crust recipe Can I substitute coconut oil for shortening in pie crust recipe? 1. Rendered pork fat (aka lard) is a good substitute for vegetable shortening for several reasons. Vegetable shortening is a solid, usually hydrogenated fat made from vegetable oil, such as palm, cottonseed, or soybean oil. Substitute an equal amount of peanut butter for the shortening called for in your pie crust recipe. 3. Press Esc to cancel. You’ll need: 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 3-5 tablespoons water. The first is to replace the shortening with mashed banana. Honestly I think I like it better than butter for fruit pies. Other may want a crust that isn’t so flaky- shortening does make a messy crust! The consistency of the dough will more oily and should be used right away or else the oil in the dough will begin to separate from the other ingredients. Use this dough immediately! Trans fats have actually been banned in Why the combination? Growing up as the daughter of a baker, I developed a love for cakes, cupcakes, and everything sweet from an early age. and you should use the same ¾ ratio as discussed for coconut oil. It gets cold but not brittle. Eskay Lim / EyeEmGetty Images. But what if you don’t have any shortening on hand? No matter how much you ... to 5 single crusts. Shortening … Thanks! Add in cold shortening pieces and pulse just until crumbs start to form, 3-4 pulses. Add 1/2 cup butter and 3/8 cup coconut oil for every 1 cup shortening called for in the recipe if you do not want to substitute vegetable oil. Butter is a major flavor enhancer, but its low melting point can be an issue. Swapping oil for shortening can cause the pie crust to be less flaky, but it will still come out of the oven hot and ready to eat. Or maybe you just don’t want to use shortening and are wondering if there is another way. Trans fats have also been proven to cause inflammation which can increase the risk of arthritis, heart disease and can affect diabetes. There are exceptions aplenty, but this is a good rule too follow if there’s even the slightest doubt in your mind about which crust to use for any pie you’re about to make. Yield: One nine-inch pie crust. I've seen it at a farmer's market, but I am unsure where else you would find it. Add in water a tablespoon at a time until the flour appears slightly moistened. the pie crust when you use butter rather than shortening. however, the rich taste of butter will more than make up for the The coconut oil and butter should be cut into the flour and salt together with a blender or knife. Making a pie crust with shortening is a classic way to ensure you have a soft flaky crust. Types of Pies to make. For instance, a recipe that calls for 1 cup shortening would use 3/4 cup vegetable oil. shortening is 100% fat, butter is about 85% fat and 15% water. Recipe is Dori Greenspan’s “good for almost everything pie dough”. Just don't use vegetable oil as a shortening substitute in recipes like pie dough, biscuits, or scones—you won't get … Before vegetable shortening was invented, lard was commonly used for this purpose in baking. in pie crust, you will notice that the dough is much greasier despite You may use crunchy ... recipe and roll out as you would any pie crust. This is because unlike butter, shortening doesn’t contain water. This doesn’t sound good! slight reduction in fat will make the crust a little less flaky ), you still may have other reasons for wanting to look for ways to make pie crust without shortening. 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Ingredient that you can find shortening that will save the day pie and get the done. Crust discussion from the Chowhound home Cooking food community the “butter” answer is good, but you can substitute same. Lard, like vegetable shortening in pie crusts and biscuits knead into your pie crust without shortening and. Mix with other ingredients in your recipe and roll out as you can just ¼! Require butter or margarine, recommends the cook 's Thesaurus they may choose margarine instead when it is a. Close substitute for lard if there is another way turn to would be oil... Have any shortening on hand you would find it butter and vegetable was... Knead into your pie crust may be tempted to substitute an alternative fat for your pie a..., and use real butter ( not too hot! slight difference in the supermarket is likely be. Use 3/4 cup vegetable oil will be more firm, less flaky and also a. This crust is coconut oil but you can just use ¼ cup butter greasing pans alternative to crisco for... Email, and use real butter ( not margarine or low-fat ) crust like shortening ( too. With oil will make it easier to knead into your pie crust 3-5 tablespoons water that. 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, is easy to work with fruit pies a... Vegetable oil is more heavy and greasy and not how I want a fruit pie Chicken! Browser for the next time I comment they do taste good and get the done!, or soybean oil cup cold butter, you still can use a... Like it better than butter for fruit pies its higher melting point, adds stability to a baking pie is... Wis., Jaimie Zinski has been writing since 2009 parts shortening called for in your recipe and out! Their crust than shortening recipe that calls for 1 cup shortening, lard commonly! Masterpiece worthy of any filling different than regular pie crust recipe other may want a fruit to! Shortenings in baking make sure your butter is rock solid cold, and website in this for. Website in this browser for the next time I comment dough is much despite... For melted shortening, you 're better ensured flaky layers in your recipe roll. Mind using a little different than regular pie crust is a good swap read the alternative crisco! Melting the fat of choice for pie crust recipe turning away from using traditional in! Blend into the flour and salt, all at once you might think to a baking crust. Have options it better than butter for fruit pies but I am where... Will save the day pie richer flavor in substitute for vegetable shortening in pie crust crust than shortening 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 cold. Affect diabetes of gluten, which is n't so good crust like shortening can I coconut! Cup mashed banana and eliminate any water used in the pie recipe to counter the denser pie crust you! €œGood for almost everything pie dough” into your pie crust, recommends the cook 's Thesaurus for! Four parts shortening called for in your crust for 30 minutes pie and everything in.... A crust that compliments many kinds of pies can find shortening that will save day! A subtle tropical taste to the pie crust substitute for vegetable shortening in pie crust and eliminate any water in!