Convert oil to butter (or butter to oil) for any recipe with this quick substitution calculator. Enter your oil amount, choose your measurement unit and conversion direction, and get the exact butter equivalent you need — plus a handy breakdown of the most common measurements.
Converted Amount
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In Teaspoons
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To substitute 1/2 cup of oil with butter, use approximately 5/8 cup (10 tablespoons) of butter. The standard ratio is 1 cup of oil equals 7/8 cup of butter, so multiply your oil amount by about 1.167 to get the butter equivalent.
One stick of butter equals 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons. To convert to oil, multiply by 0.75 — so 1 stick of butter equals about 6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) of oil.
Instead of 1/2 cup of oil, use about 5/8 cup of butter (roughly 10 tablespoons or just over half a stick). Since butter contains water and milk solids, you need slightly more butter than oil to achieve the same fat content.
To convert 1/3 cup of oil to butter, use approximately 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of butter (about 0.39 cups). Apply the standard ratio: multiply the oil amount by 1.167 to get the butter equivalent.
Yes, but with caveats. Oil can replace butter in most cookie recipes at a 3:4 ratio (3 parts oil for every 4 parts butter). However, cookies made with oil tend to be denser and chewier rather than crispy, and they won't spread the same way since oil doesn't cream with sugar.
Oil produces a moister, denser cake that stays soft longer because it remains liquid at room temperature. Butter gives cakes a richer flavor and a lighter, fluffier crumb because it traps air when creamed. For pound cakes and loaf cakes, oil is often preferred; for layered cakes where flavor matters most, butter is usually better.
Neutral oils like canola, vegetable, or light olive oil work best as butter substitutes in baking because they won't overpower the recipe's flavor. Avoid strongly flavored oils like extra virgin olive oil unless the recipe specifically calls for it or you want that flavor profile.
Oil cannot replace butter in recipes that rely on creaming (beating butter and sugar together) for structure and lift — such as many layer cakes, shortbread, and some cookies. It also won't work as a direct substitute in frostings, compound butters, or pastry dough like croissants and puff pastry where solid fat is essential to the texture.