# What to Use As a Margarine Substitute

URL: https://tastessence.com/substitutes/margarine-substitute
Category: Substitutes
Published: 2020-09-15T10:53:15
Updated: 2020-09-17T09:26:06
For many people, **margarine is a kitchen staple.** But for others, it’s an ingredient they’d rather stay away from. If you’re in the latter group, there are plenty of foods you can use as a **margarine substitute**. There are even a number of dairy-free and vegan options. In this post, we’ll take a look at margarine, discuss **how it’s different from butter**, and offer suggestions on what to use in its place. 

## What is margarine, and how is it different from butter?

Margarine was designed as an alternative to butter. **Although it looks and tastes similar to butter,** the process of making margarine is far different than butter.  **Butter is produced by churning cream,** which makes it a dairy product. On the other hand, margarine is a processed food that typically does not contain dairy. It’s made with **hydrogenated vegetable oil and some food additives**. As a result, most margarine on the market is vegan (although some have milk or other animal byproducts). Some doctors and nutritionists **prefer margarine over butter** because it’s made from vegetable oils, which contain healthy unsaturated fats. This is in contrast to butter, which has **higher levels of saturated fat.**

## Why would you need a margarine substitute?

**With more good fats than butter,** margarine should be the healthier option, right? Unfortunately, there’s a bit more to the story than that. [Some types of margarine contain harmful trans fats](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/butter-vs-margarine/faq-20058152), which **boost LDL cholesterol levels (“bad cholesterol”), while also reducing HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”).** They can also drive up your risk of heart disease. During production, **margarine goes through hydrogenation.** This process solidifies the vegetable oils inside margarine to give it a more firm, spreadable consistency (like butter). The hydrogenation process causes harmful trans fat to form in the margarine. **In general, firmer margarine (like sticks) has more trans fat than liquid or tub margarine.** 

## What is a good margarine substitute?

If you’re comfortable with consuming dairy products, **butter is an obvious margarine substitute.** Use the same quantity of butter as you would margarine, depending on what your recipe calls for. **Not only is butter less processed than margarine,** but it could even have health benefits. [A recent Harvard Medical study](https://tastessence.com/substitutes/margarine-substitute) found that if women were to consume butter instead of margarine (in the same quantities), they would **reduce their risk of heart problems by 53%.** Not a big fan of butter? Try **cream cheese or cottage cheese** in your recipes instead. You’ll still get the fat content and rich flavor (although it will taste slightly different). If you’re **vegan or don’t consume dairy** in your diet, you have other margarine substitute options as well. For baking or frying, you can swap **olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or similar products for margarine.**  For other food where you would typically use margarine (like toast), look for a vegetable oil or olive oil spread that doesn’t include trans fat. You could also **try a nut butter (such as peanut butter or almond butter)** or coconut butter. Other **vegan-friendly margarine substitutes** include unsweetened applesauce, puréed avocado, and mashed banana. For more recipe ideas and ingredient substitute tips, [**check out the Tastessence blog**](https://tastessence.com/).