Vegan fats for baking?

January 9, 2025 4:57 PM

I like to make cookies, but my partner doesn’t eat butter. Can you recommend a vegan substitute that yields chewy cookies?

For example, I’d like to make this recipe for chocolate chip rye cookies. When I’ve used Earth’s Best or other margarine for other recipes, the cookies are chewy only when right out of the oven and then they harden up. Any suggestions?

posted by Ollie to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

When I was a kid my mom used Crisco in all cookies and controlled the chewy vs. crispy-ness by controlling baking time. I've also found that they'll stay chewy better if you freeze any you're not going to eat in the next day or so.
posted by kbuxton at 5:15 PM on January 9

Not a vegan, and don't bake, but my local (very highly regarded) vegan bakery uses a butter substitute called ForA.
posted by kickingtheground at 5:27 PM on January 9

By Earth's Best, did you mean Earth's Balance?

Earth's Balance also makes "butter" sticks which are usually better for baking.

Apologies if that's something you've already used.
posted by edencosmic at 5:39 PM on January 9

Maybe coconut oil?
posted by Dr. Wu at 5:59 PM on January 9

I've routinely used the Earth Balance buttery sticks for baking with no problem. I use crisco for pie crusts.
posted by gingerbeer at 6:24 PM on January 9

Coconut oil is the star of my favorite snickerdoodle recipe . Virgin if you want a hint of coconut flavor, refined otherwise.
posted by dbx at 7:29 PM on January 9

I too have found coconut oil to be the closest vegan fat overall in terms of how it behaves in baking. It's melting point is about the same as butter, and so long as butter isn't the key flavour a good refined oil will be basically invisible in terms of its flavour profile.
posted by Jilder at 7:40 PM on January 9

This may be deeper down the rabbit hole than you're willing to go but I make my own vegan butter using this recipe. I bake a lot and it's far and away the best substitute I've ever used. It stores indefinitely in the freezer so I usually quadruple the recipe and defrost a stick at a time. Even my committed omnivore of a husband--who lovingly jokes that my vegan versions of things are "the food of lies"--thinks this stuff is great.
posted by jesourie at 10:23 PM on January 9

This is my go-to chewy vegan cookies recipe, and although it's unfussy about the fat choice (melted vegan butter or oil), it mentions storing them in an airtight plastic container with a 1/4 slice of bread to keep them soft and chewy.
posted by terretu at 1:28 AM on January 10

This is easy to solve. Crisco proportion to butter (or "butter") is the general driver of cookie chewiness more to all crisco equals chewier. Secondary is to swap white for brown sugar and lower over all amount of sugar, not by much, maybe 10-15%. Lastly is to bake them less. Chewy out of over and crispy later partially means carryover cooking has finished drying them out.
posted by chasles at 3:40 AM on January 10