Can You Substitute Olive Oil for Vegetable Oil?

Last updated on September 28th, 2022 at 07:55 am

Vegetable oil is neutral oil which means that it doesn’t have a lot of taste or smell when you’re using it in cooking. It’s a neutral ingredient and has a wide variety of use in cooking and baking. 

If you need some vegetable oil for a recipe can you put olive oil in it instead? 

You can substitute olive oil for vegetable oil in savory meals or salad dressing. However, if you’re baking, you shouldn’t use olive oil as it leaves a fragrant and flowery taste. 

The strong floral flavor that olive oil emanates even after it has been cooked would overpower any baking you have done. You should avoid using olive oil in baking, as it will impact the final product. 

However, in other foods, it is perfectly acceptable.

What Can You Use Instead Of Vegetable Oil?

Now that we know that you can’t use olive oil as a substitute in baking, what can we use? 

The best substitute for vegetable oil would be another neutral oil you can use to impart any flavor in baking. You can use canola oil, sunflower oil, and grapeseed oil as substitutes for baking as they don’t involve any additional flavor.

You can substitute these flavors one for one as you would like. You should try to find the most organic and authentic versions of these oils so that you can get the best results.

However, if the recipe asks for you to use vegetable oil in baking, you don’t want to use anything neutral like grapeseed or sunflower oil. Instead, experts say it’s best to use coconut oil or butter for baking. 

Baking is an unforgiving mistress, and when it comes to baking, the texture is everything. So, if you happen to run out of vegetable oil, you should use butter or coconut oil instead.

Using these alternatives instead of vegetable oil will give you the same texture and result in your time of need.

What Is The Best Vegetable Oil Substitute For High-Heat Cooking?

Vegetable oil is neutral, which is why it’s the best possible cooking oil for frying and searing. You can keep the heat between 375F and 400F. Any greater than  400F, and you’ll find that the flavor of the oil starts to change. 

For high-heat cooking oils like grapeseed, canola, peanut, and safflower oils are all great substitutes for vegetable oil and give the best results. You want the oil to almost be a medium instead of flavoring.

What Is The Best Vegetable Oil Substitute For Dressings, Mayonnaise, And Vinaigrettes?

We often use vegetable oil in salad dressings and vinaigrettes. Vegetable oil is generally mild, so it doesn’t impart any flavoring when used in dressings, mayonnaise, and vinaigrettes.

 You also don’t apply any heat in these recipes, which is why you can more often than not replace any oil in these recipes. 

For salad dressings, mayonnaise, and vinaigrettes, any natural oil, or even a blend would work well as a substitute for vegetable oil. It will pair well and with relative ease.

Can You Use Olive Oil In Baking?

Sometimes, people feel they can compromise on taste because they want to have a healthier alternative. Studies have found that olive oil is healthier than vegetable oil in many ways. 

So if the taste is out of the question, is it possible for people to use olive oil in baking? Butter and other oils have lots of saturated fat, and not everyone can eat these. 

People who have cholesterol issues or heart conditions cannot afford to eat lots of saturated fats. For these people, olive oil may provide an answer even in baking.

You should know that you can use butter or margarine with olive oil in all goods and recipes. However, the ratio might be a little different simply because of the structure and consistency of both of these ingredients. 

For baking you can use 3 parts of olive oil instead of 4 parts of butter. This ratio would mean that if a recipe asks for a stick of butter or 8 tablespoons, you can use 6 tablespoons of olive oil.

Many recipes also call for the creaming of butter with sugar to achieve the perfect texture. In recipes of this kind, you’re going to have to opt for butter alone. 

You can’t cream olive oil with sugar as the texture of the oil doesn’t allow for it. We suggest that you don’t make recipes of this sort for older people or people who want to go without eating butter or vegetable oil as it won’t work.

Furthermore, if a recipe calls for neutral and organic oil like vegetable oil or grapeseed oil, you can use extra virgin olive oil in the recipe. If you don’t mind the floral notes that olive oil will impart on the mixture, then you can use it on a one-to-one ratio.

For baking, you don’t want to use any old olive oil. Try to find an extra virgin olive oil that tastes good all on its own so that when you bake using it, the goods aren’t just oily and horrible. 

Instead, they represent the best notes of olive oils. If you use an off-the-shelf olive oil, you will find that the olive oil overtakes all your taste buds to the point that you don’t even understand any nuance in the baked goods.

Can You Use Applesauce In Baking?

Sometimes, when people look for healthier alternatives in their baking and cooking, they may want to cut oil out altogether. For many vegan and vegetarian people, the idea of using shortening or butter is mortifying in baked goods. 

For these people, applesauce is a notable alternative. It doesn’t just involve the use of applesauce. You can also use mashed banana, as it releases its form of vegetable oil.

You can use applesauce in the place of oil or butter in baking. However it will change the flavor profile and texture of what you are making. 

You must be aware that while it may cut calories, using apple sauce will make your baked goods much softer.  To maintain some structural integrity, experts recommend using applesauce in combination with some low-calorie oil. 

So for half of the amount, you may use applesauce and to the rest, add regular oil.