Olive Oil Substitutes

Out of olive oil? These are the swaps that actually work, with conversion ratios for any recipe size and notes on how each one changes the result.

Need to convert olive oil between cups, grams, or ounces first? Open the olive oil converter.

What to use instead of olive oil

  • Vegetable Oil

    Ingredient swap

    1 cup olive oil = 1 cup vegetable oil (1:1 by volume)

    The neutral swap for any recipe where olive oil's flavour is not the point. Vegetable oil is almost identical in weight (220 g vs 216 g per cup) and behaves the same in frying, dressings, and bakes, without the grassy, peppery notes of extra virgin.

    See vegetable oil substitutes →

  • Butter (use the calculator)

    Calculator

    Out of oil entirely? Melted butter pours like oil but adds dairy flavour and sets firmer, so the amounts are not equal: use a little more butter by weight (227 g vs 216 g per cup). The butter to oil converter works out the exact swap for any recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I substitute for olive oil?
There are 2 workable substitutes for olive oil, depending on what you have on hand and which property of olive oil matters most for your recipe. The closest swap is usually 1 cup olive oil = 1 cup vegetable oil (1:1 by volume). Each option below lists the conversion ratio for any recipe size, plus notes on how the swap changes the texture, flavour, rise, or browning.
Will substituting olive oil change how my recipe turns out?
Yes, every swap trades one property for another: fat content, moisture, acidity, or protein. The notes on each substitute describe what changes in texture, flavour, rise, or browning, so you can choose the swap that matters least for your recipe. Open the olive oil converter
How do I measure olive oil accurately?
Weighing in grams is more reliable than scooping cups, especially when a substitute has a different density from what the recipe expects. The olive oil converter on this site converts between cups, grams, ounces, millilitres, fluid ounces, tablespoons, and teaspoons, so you can scale a recipe up or down without losing the ratio. Open the olive oil converter

Other ingredient and produce substitutes

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