The Difference Between Butter, Margarine, Shortening and Lard
Updated: May 19, 2023
Yep—butter, margarine, shortening and lard should be your best friend while cooking. Here's how to use each fat the right way.
As a cook, you should know and love fat. That’s right—fat! It shouldn’t be a scary word, especially in the kitchen. It’s your best tool for imparting richness, flavor and helping you achieve everything from perfectly roasted veggies to cakes (like this chocolate beauty) that demand a second slice. Knowing the differences between the kings of fat—butter, margarine, lard and shortening—can help equip you to create some unforgettable dishes.
Learn which fat makes the flakiest, best pie crust.
What is butter?
Butter is a fat that is made from cream that’s been churned into a solid state. It’s versatile, reliable and can pack a dish with flavor. Typical butter is around 80 percent fat—the rest is water and milk solids. With this ratio, butter can hold its own in a variety of situations, whether you’re frying eggs or whipping up chocolate chip cookies (or baking these decadent chocolate peanut butter brownies).
Butter comes salted or unsalted. Though we know it’s easy to reach for whatever’s on hand, don’t mistake the two for nearly identical products with different packaging. There’s a huge difference. Using salted butter when unsalted is called for isn’t going to turn a sweet dish savory, but it may not reach its full potential. Salted butter can function fine in cakes, cookies and similar baked goods (just make sure you eliminate the additional pinch of salt), but you’ll want to go to salt-free and be able to control the saltiness for things like sauces or this chicken in lime butter.
Why do we love butter so much? Because we don’t think it can be beat when it comes to adding flavor to cakes or cookies, especially these big, soft ginger cookies.
These desserts are BIG on butter
Kentucky Butter CakeI found this Kentucky butter cake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida
Chocolate-Tipped Butter CookiesThese wonderfully moist morsels are too tempting to resist. They melt right in your mouth. Rather than sprinkling the chocolate tips with nuts, you can roll them in red and green jimmies or leave them plain. —Charolette Westfall, Houston, Texas
Frosted Butter Rum Brickle BitesThe rum, real butter and toffee bits made these cookies my husband’s new favorite. If you’d like them less sweet, skip the frosting and sprinkle the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while still warm. —Cindy Nerat, Menominee, Michigan
Lemon Butter CookiesThese tender cutout cookies have a slight lemon flavor that makes them stand out from the rest. They're very easy to roll out compared to other sugar cookies I've worked with. I know you'll enjoy them as much as we do. —Judy McCreight, Springfield, Illinois
Contest-Winning Butter Pecan Ice CreamThis rich buttery ice cream sure beats store-bought versions. And with its pretty color and plentiful pecan crunch, it's nice enough to serve guests at a summer party.
-Jenny White
Glen, Mississippi
Key Lime Butter CookiesI love limes so much that if a recipe calls for lemons I almost always use limes instead. With their pretty green color, these are perfect for Christmas—you can also make them as sandwich cookies and use lime curd for the filling.—Deirdre Cox, Kansas City, Missouri
Buttermilk Cake with Caramel IcingThis fabulous cake and caramel frosting are so tender, it melts in your mouth. It's been a family favorite since the '70s and it goes over really well at church potluck meals. —Anna Jean Allen, West Liberty, Kentucky
Aunt Rose's Fantastic Butter ToffeeI don't live in the country, but I love everything about it—especially good old-fashioned home cooking! Every year, you'll find me at our county fair, entering a different contest. This easy toffee recipe is a family favorite. —Kathy Dorman, Snover, Michigan
Buttermilk Pound CakeNow that I've retired from teaching, I have more time to bake. This buttermilk pound cake is the one I make most often. It is a truly southern recipe, and one I think can't be topped—once people taste it, they won't go back to their other recipes with buttermilk. —Gracie Hanchey, De Ridder, Louisiana
Butter Pecan Layer CakePecans and butter give this cake the same irresistible flavor as the popular butter pecan ice cream flavor. —Becky Miller, Tallahassee, Florida
What is margarine?
Originally invented in the 1860s as an inexpensive butter substitute, margarine is a trickier beast to cook with. Margarine is created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. It’s often heavily diluted—especially the kind found in tubs. You can be working with something that’s as low as 35 percent fat. (Remember, fat = flavor.) This means it’s not a very reliable option for baking but will still work fine in other cooking.
Psst! Most margarine is packed with trans fats, which are best avoided; if you do choose to use margarine, look for one that is completely free of trans fats and go to town on delicious recipes like these creamy caramels.
What is lard?
Julia Child once said, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” We hope that when it comes to cooking, you’re not afraid of butter or butter’s big sister, lard. (Even if it has suffered from a not-so-favorable reputation.) Though it’s made from raw or rendered pig fat, don’t worry, it won’t taste like pork. We’re excited that its virtues are once again being celebrated, as it’s entirely versatile and great for frying, roasting, or making some of the flakiest pastries you’ve ever tried. We love it in pie crusts (like this cinnamon sugar apple pie), crispy vegetables, biscuits, or collard greens everyone will actually want to eat. For sweet treats, it will make for more shortbread-style cookies or tender, but less rich, cakes.
Extra tip: Lard will make for some of the best Mexican tamales you’ve ever had.
What is shortening?
The word “shortening” actually refers to all fat and oils, but is most commonly associated with Crisco and other vegetable oil products. To make shortening, oils like soybean, cottonseed or palm are hydrogenated (read: a scientist adds the chemical hydrogen) so they stay semisolid at room temperature. Like lard, shortening is 100 percent fat, but unlike lard, it was enjoying a period of popularity in recent years. We love what it adds to our favorite sugar cookies.
However, newer research has found it might be less healthy. A lot of shortening is packed with artificial trans fat, so to protect your health be sure to look for options that are not hydrogenated. Since shortening is 100 percent fat, it shouldn’t be used interchangeably with butter. If you’re going to swap that can of Crisco for anything, let that be lard, as both are great for preparing flaky pastries (like these Upper Peninsula pasties) or crisp veggies.
Knowing what butter, margarine, lard and shortening bring to the table (pun intended) will help you finesse your favorite recipes and master a wide range of dishes across the cooking gamut.
Try using our baking bucket list to get started
Best Sandwich Bread: Basic Homemade BreadIf you'd like to learn how to bake bread, here's a wonderful place to start. This easy white bread recipe bakes up deliciously golden brown. There's nothing like the homemade aroma wafting through my kitchen as it bakes. —Sandra Anderson, New York, New York
Best Quick Bread: Banana-Zucchini BreadMy grandmother made this quick bread for as long as I can remember, and I've been making it ever since I learned how to bake. Children love it for a snack, and it's good to serve at any meal. It's another delicious way to use zucchini, which is so abundant in late summer. —Eva Mae Hebert, Lafayette, LA
Best Braided Bread: Honey ChallahI use these shiny beautiful loaves as the centerpiece of my spread. I love the taste of honey, but you can also add chocolate chips, cinnamon, orange zest or almonds. Leftover slices of this sweet challah recipe work well in bread pudding or for French toast. —Jennifer Newfield, Los Angeles, California
Best Biscuits: Southern Buttermilk BiscuitsThe recipe for these four-ingredient biscuits has been handed down for many generations. (And don't forget our Test Kitchen's biscuit tips.) —Fran Thompson, Tarboro, North Carolina
Best Soda Bread: Homemade Irish Soda BreadSome people consider bread to be the most important part of a meal...and this Irish bread satisfies such folks! This recipe is by far the best soda bread I've ever tried. With the addition of raisins, it is moist and delicious! —Evelyn Kenney, Trenton, New Jersey
Best Muffin: Zucchini-Chocolate Chip MuffinsWhenever I make these muffins, I freeze several. As I'm leaving for work in the morning, I pull one out and enjoy it at the office with a cup of coffee. —Janet Pierce DeCori, Rockton, Illinois
Best Corn Bread: Skillet Corn BreadThis skillet corn bread looks like a puffy pancake but has an easy-to-cut texture. It complements everything from chicken to chili. —Kathy Teela, Tucson, Arizona
The Ultimate Chocolate Chip CookieEveryone has a favorite type of chocolate chip cookie—a little crispy, a little chewy—but they all have to begin with a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. This is the best place to start! —Megumi Garcia, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Best Oatmeal Cookies: Chewy Oatmeal CookiesGet all the details on how to make the best-ever oatmeal cookies. We won't tell if you skip the raisins and add extra chocolate chips instead!
Best Homemade Slice-and-Bake Cookies: Date-Nut PinwheelsPinwheel cookies with dates and walnuts are a family treasure. There are a few steps when prepping, so I sometimes freeze the dough and bake the cookies later. —Frieda Whiteley, Lisbon, Connecticut
Best Angel Food CakeFor our daughter's wedding, a friend made this lovely, angel food cake from a recipe she's used for decades. It really is one of the best angel food cake recipes I've found. Serve slices plain or dress them up with fresh fruit. And be sure to avoid common angel food cake mistakes. —Marilyn Niemeyer, Doon, Iowa
Best Pound Cake: Lemon Lover’s Pound CakeEveryone raves about this pretty lemon pound cake—and it sure doesn't last long with my family. It also freezes beautifully, so why not make two and pop one into the freezer for another day? —Annettia Mounger, Kansas City, Missouri
Best Chiffon Cake: Chocolate Chiffon CakeIf you want to offer family and friends a dessert that really stands out from the rest, this is the cake to make. Beautiful high layers of rich sponge cake are drizzled with a succulent chocolate glaze. —Erma Fox, Memphis, Missouri
Best Sheet Cake: Peanut Butter Sheet CakeI received this recipe from a minister's wife, and my family loves it. —Brenda Jackson, Garden City, Kansas
Best Bundt Cake: Olive Oil CakeA good olive oil cake isn't overly sweet, so it can just as easily be a breakfast treat or an afternoon snack as a dessert. —Lisa Kaminski, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Best Layer Cake: Italian Cream Cheese CakeButtermilk makes every bite of this awesome Italian cream cheese cake recipe moist and flavorful. I rely on this recipe year-round.—Joyce Lutz, Centerview, Missouri
Best Shortcake: Lemon-Berry ShortcakeThis simple lemon shortcake is tender and not overly sweet. Enjoy this summertime classic with a generous layer of whipped topping and berries. —Meryl Herr, Overland Park, Kansas
Best Cake Roll: Pumpkin RollThis pumpkin roll recipe is great to keep in the freezer for a quick dessert for my family or unexpected guests, to take to a gathering, or to give as a yummy gift. —Erica Berchtold, Freeport, Illinois
Best Crisp: Cranberry Apple CrispApple cranberry crisp is a wonderful dessert for fall, when both cranberries and apples are in season. The fruits are quite compatible in flavor and color, and they help make any table look festive and inviting. —Martha Sue Stroud, Clarksville, Texas
Best Torte: Flourless Chocolate TorteChocoholics—like me!—know that nothing says chocolate like a flourless torte. —Kayla Albrecht, Freeport, Illinois
Best Trifle: Pumpkin Mousse TrifleYou can speed up this recipe by using a store-bought pound cake or baking and freezing one ahead of time. The sugared pecans can also be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container.—Becky McClaflin, Blanchard, Oklahoma
Originally Published: April 02, 2019
