Butter Extract Substitutes

The 12 Best Butter Extract Substitutes For All Your Baking Needs

"Disclaimer: Thank you for reading our post and in full transparency, we may earn an affiliate commission when you buy products through our links. This will not cost you anything extra, but the small commission we receive helps keep funding our reviews and articles. Learn more about our review process here."

Butter extract can really elevate the flavor notes in baked goods. It adds a buttery flavor to your cakes, cookies, and muffins without adding any fat. Some people refer to butter extract as “liquid gold” so you can understand its importance.

It enhances not only the flavor but also the texture. You can make melt-in-your-mouth souffle cakes or lava cakes by just adding a few drops of this liquid gold. 

What’s great about butter extract is that it is free of gluten, fat, and even lactose. It is a handy ingredient to have in your pantry as you can use it to make a wide variety of food. You can also use it in ice creams to achieve a buttery, creamy texture.

How Can You Make Butter Extract At Home?

How Can You Make Butter Extract At Home

If store-bought ones are not available, you can easily make butter extract at home. All you need is a good chunk of butter and a little bit of vodka. You can use a saucepan to make this butter extract. 

The first step is to put one-third of the butter and a cup of vodka in the saucepan over low heat. It is important to mix the two ingredients over low heat as the alcohol can quickly evaporate if exposed to high heat.

When the butter and the vodka are mixed well, turn the heat off and pour the liquid into another container. Then, let the mixture sit at room temperature for at least 5 hours. 

The next step is to put the mixture in the freezer so that it freezes completely. This step helps to separate the fat from the liquid. After letting the mixture freeze overnight, you will have to strain the mixture in order to remove the fat from the mixture completely.

You might want to strain it at least two times before baking. You may use a cheesecloth or even a coffee filter to strain the liquid.

Best Butter Extract Substitutes

Although butter extract is not difficult to make from scratch - all you need is butter and alcohol, there may be some days when you don’t have the ingredients at home or can’t find butter extract at your local grocery store. But not to worry, there are lots of substitutes for butter extract that you can use for baking or for cooking savory food. Below are twelve suitable butter extract substitutes for baking!

Butter

Butter

Although it might seem obvious, the closest substitute for butter extract is just plain butter. If you’re using butter extract to bring out the true buttery flavor in your baked goods, you might as well just use real butter. After all, butter extract is a fat-free substitute that is used to mimic the taste of butter. 

Since real butter contains a high level of fat, your cakes are likely to have a softer texture while your cookies are likely to become chewier. You can replace two tablespoons of butter extract with only one stick of butter. A stick of butter can also be used for cooking savory food items.

However, beware of the high-fat content - one stick of butter contains 92g of total fat. If you’re using butter for baking cakes, cookies, and other sweet goods, it might be better o use unsalted butter. 

Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Extract

If you bake on the regular, you are definitely familiar with this ingredient. Some say that vanilla extract is one of the trademark ingredients for baking. If you’re out of butter extract, you can easily use vanilla extract as a substitute. 

If you usually use one tablespoon of butter extract, you can replace it with half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. You only need to use a pinch - a little goes a long way. Since vanilla extract produces a slightly sweet and subtle vanilla smell, you might want to use it for baked goods and desserts only.

Almond Extract

Almond Extract

You only need to use a pinch of almond extract to replace the butter extract in your recipe. For every tablespoon of butter extract, it is recommended to use only a teaspoon of almond extract.

Although almond extract is made from raw almonds, you’ll be surprised to find out that it tastes nothing like almonds. Instead, it produces a strong sweet flavor that goes well with berries, coffee, chocolate, or even vanilla. 

If you have almonds at home, you can make the extract yourself. You’ll need to use raw, unsalted almonds for this recipe. The first step is to finely chop the almonds and place them in a jar. Then, fill the jar with vodka. You will want to pour the vodka till it reaches about an inch over the almonds.

Once you have poured the vodka, you will want to keep the jar in a cool, dark place for around five or six weeks. Then, use a cheesecloth to strain the liquid. This liquid is the almond extract, which makes an excellent substitute for butter extract. 

Olive Oil

Olive Oil

You can use olive oil instead of butter extract in several recipes, starting from cakes and cookies to brownies and pies. Just as how butter extract adds richness and creaminess to your baked goods, olive oil does the same.

You can easily substitute one tablespoon of butter extract with one tablespoon of olive oil. It is best to use a 1:1 substitution ratio so that the batter is not too runny.  

Canola Oil

Canola Oil

Another great substitute for butter extract is canola oil. You can use it for cooking both savory and sweet food. What’s great about canola oil is that it is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. Like olive oil, you can stick to a 1:1 substitution ratio. 

Another reason why canola oil is a great substitute for butter extract is that it does not add or alter the flavor of your baked goods.

Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil

If your recipe calls for one tablespoon of butter extract, you can use a tablespoon of coconut oil as a substitute. For baking, it is safe to use a 1:1 substitute ratio. If you don’t want strong coconut flavors, use refined coconut oil for baking and cooking.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil is another type of oil that you can use as a substitute for butter extract. Since sunflower oil adds a slightly nutty flavor to baked goods, you might want to refrain from using a large volume.

If your recipe calls for one tablespoon of butter extract, it is best to replace it with half a tablespoon of sunflower oil.

Almond Butter

Almond Butter

Almond butter makes a great substitute for butter extract since it produces a rich, dense texture in cakes, cookies, and other such baked goods. If you are fond of baked goods with nuts, almond oil is a great choice for you as it adds a strong nutty flavor.

By replacing one tablespoon of butter extract with one tablespoon of almond butter, you will be able to bake healthy and tasty goods at home. 

Cashew Butter

Cashew Butter

Cashew butter has a rich, creamy texture that makes it quite a versatile ingredient. Unlike almond butter, cashew butter has a mild nutty flavor, which allows you to use it for any type of baked goods, desserts, syrups, and even ice cream. You can replace each tablespoon of butter extract with one tablespoon of cashew butter. The result will be similar but with subtle hints of nutty flavors. 

You can make cashew butter at home instead of buying store-bought ones that include lots of preservatives. You will need roasted cashew nuts and a food processor. You can roast the cashew nuts in your oven. To do this, you will need to preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, line the cashew nuts in a single layer on the pan and bake for around 10-12 minutes.

It is recommended to shake the tray every five minutes so that all sides are roasted properly. Although this step is optional, you can coat the cashew nuts with oil and salt before putting them in the oven. 

After the cashew nuts are roasted and cooled down, you can put them in the food processor till it turns into powder. During this process, the cashew nuts will release oil and you will see that the powder-like texture will start to get quite thick.

At this point, you will have to scrape the sides and then turn on the food processor again till you reach a creamy, buttery texture. The entire process takes around 15 to 20 minutes.

Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt

Just as how butter extract makes cakes and biscuits moist and tender, Greek yogurt does the same. You can also use Greek yogurt to achieve the creamy texture in ice creams, fillings, or even buttercream frosting. 

You can replace butter extract with Greek yogurt in the same quantity. This means that if you are using one tablespoon of butter extract, you may substitute it with one tablespoon of Greek yogurt.

You can also add more if you like. Even if you use two tablespoons of Greek yogurt for every tablespoon of butter extract, the texture and flavor of your baked goods will be the same.

Applesauce

Applesauce

Applesauce is another great substitute for butter extract. Many chefs and home cooks use applesauce to replace oil or butter in recipes since it adds moisture to your baked goods without needing any saturated fats. You can use it to make bread, cakes, muffins, pancakes, or even waffles.

Since applesauce has a sweet taste naturally, you can reduce the amount of sugar needed in the recipe. Plus, you only need to use a very small amount. You can substitute each tablespoon of butter extract with only half a tablespoon of applesauce.

The texture and flavor of your baked goods will be the same as before. Another interesting fact about applesauce is that it can be used as a substitute for eggs as well!

You only need three ingredients to make applesauce - apples, water, and sugar. You can skip the sugar part as the sauce will get its natural sweetness from the apples. You can keep a jar of applesauce in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can also put them in the freezer in an airtight container or even in a ziplock bag for longer.

Here’s a video on how to make applesauce at home:

Ghee

Ghee

If you’re looking for healthy substitutes, you might want to try clarified butter, which is more commonly known as ghee. Ghee is quite popular in southeast countries such as India. It acts as a rich source of vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy fats. You can use it in both sweet and savory foods. When you buy a jar of ghee, you’ll notice that it separates into two parts.

The upper part is liquid while the lower part is quite dense. If you want to substitute ghee for butter extract, you might want to use the top part only. The liquid is basically butter extract so, you can use a 1:1 substitution ratio.

For example, if your recipe calls for one tablespoon of butter extract, you can replace it with one tablespoon of ghee.

Butter Extract Substitutes

For every tablespoon of butter, you can use:

  • ½ stick of butter
  • ½ tsp. of vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. of almond extract
  • 1 tbsp. of olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. of canola oil
  • 1 tbsp. of coconut oil
  • ½ tbsp. of sunflower oil
  • 1 tbsp. of almond butter
  • 1 tbsp. of cashew butter
  • 2 tbsp. of Greek yogurt
  • ½ tbsp. of applesauce
  • 1 tbsp. of ghee

Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

There are many substitutes for butter extract. You can use raw butter, extracts, oils, nut butter, ghee, or even applesauce instead of butter extract. In order to keep the flavor and texture the same as before, we recommend you follow the substitution ratios we have mentioned in this article.

5/5 - (2 votes)

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

user-avatar

Bella Howard

Bella Howard is a contributing writer and foodie with a particular love of Mexican, Chinese and Euro...

Pin It on Pinterest

Shares
Scroll to Top