Vegetable Oil Substitute

Vegetable oil is an oil derived from plants, fruits, vegetables or seeds. Though many parts of a plant can be used for extracting oil, seeds are mainly used for this purpose. Vegetable oils are regularly used in cooking various food items. It is known to be an essential ingredient in many food recipes. It imparts a unique flavor to the food and aids in cooking vegetables and spices. It is definitely an essential part of a recipe. But, if you need vegetable oil right away and are feeling inconvenienced to rush to the nearest store, what would you use?

Good Substitutes for Vegetable Oil

Apple Sauce
Apple sauce is one of the best options for vegetable oil substitution. You can use the same amount of apple sauce as the oil you were going to use. Moreover, this is a classic low-fat option when compared to other oils. You can also use vegetable oil along with apple sauce in your recipes for completing the total oil requirement.

Coconut Oil
Coconut oil makes an extremely healthy substitute for any type of cooking oil. You can also opt for cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil. It's good for your health and also makes the food delicious. Using a melted shortening is also another option for substituting vegetable oil. This also helps in retaining the taste of a particular recipe.

Melted Margarine
You can use melted margarine to prepare a tasty dish. The amount of melted margarine to be used is same as the amount of vegetable oil required for the recipe. Using melted butter is also a great idea. When preparing a dish, take butter equal to the quantity of vegetable oil needed for that recipe. Melted butter is often chosen due to the rich taste that it imparts to the food.

Prune Puree
Prune puree also offers a good alternative for vegetable oil. Puree of most of the fruits, make a perfect vegetable oil substitute for baking. The quantity of puree will remain same as the amount of vegetable oil. Puree often adds a nice flavor to the baked food. This also means that you need to pick the right puree for a particular recipe.

Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a great ingredient which can work as a substitute for vegetable oil. This substitute works well in some chicken and baking recipes. You won't notice a great difference in the taste. However, while baking brownies if you run out of both vegetable oil and mayonnaise, then butter is the most simple and easiest available substitute.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Vegetable oil is used in many recipes for its tasteless qualities. You can also replace this oil with extra virgin olive oil for making sauces, salads and marinades. Make a note of choosing only high quality virgin oil from a good brand while shopping as its taste can differ from product to product. On the other hand, using olive oil for making fries may not be a good idea as it does not have a high boiling point which is required for a deep frying.

For frying food items or coating the pans, you make use of cooking spray which is easily available in the market. It comes in various flavors and makes a good substitute for vegetable oil for this purpose. If you are in middle of cooking something mouth-watering and have suddenly noticed an empty vegetable oil bottle, then do not fret. There is no need to run to the store. You can easily utilize other stuff that are present in your kitchen to prepare a good dish. However in the end, it all boils down to the type of food you are preparing. Just make sure that you don't make any mistake in the measurement as it can easily lead to cooking disasters. Understand the properties of the substitute and then only experiment while cooking. Finally, what matters is healthy food which is also easy on your palate. Though it is really difficult to find an alternative that will retain the exact taste of vegetable oil, you might find one that tastes better!