Substitutions / salted butter
What to use instead of salted butter
Use unsalted butter in equal amounts. Just add a pinch of salt to compensate for what's missing.
Every option, best first
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter | 1:1 | Just add a pinch of salt to compensate for what's missing. |
| Coconut oil | 1:1 | Works well for baking and sautéing, but adds a faint coconut flavor and lacks the dairy richness. |
| Olive oil | ¾ tbsp / 1 tbsp | Good for savory cooking, but changes the flavor profile noticeably and won't work for creaming or pastry. |
How much is a cup of salted butter?
Substituting by volume and weighing are different problems, and the second one has an exact answer. Weigh salted butter in grams →
A word on how to read these
A substitution is a trade, not an equivalence. The ratio gets the quantity right; the third column is the part worth reading, because it tells you what you are giving up. In a stew, most of these are invisible. In a cake — where flour, liquid, fat and leavening are in a fixed relationship — the same swap can change the crumb.
Why baking notices and stew doesn't →
Where these came from
These substitutions were written by Gather's own kitchen model — the same one the app uses when you tap an ingredient and ask what else would work — then checked and saved as a fixed list in July 2026. Nothing on this page is generated while you read it. They are a good starting point and not a substitute for tasting as you go.