Can you replace coconut oil with vegetable oil

A versatile alternative for conventional vegetable oil in both cooking and baking, coconut oil substitutes for other oils with just a few modifications. The oil has both pros and cons for you to consider as you substitute it for canola, corn, olive or sunflower oils.

Tips

Choose virgin coconut oil if you want a strong coconut flavor in your food, such as in a curry sauce. For less flavor, opt for expeller-pressed coconut oil, which has little to no coconut taste.

Although coconut oil works well for cooking in a skillet or wok, you need to keep certain factors in mind:

  • Use coconut oil as is, in its solid state, for pan-frying and sauteing; it melts quickly and turns from a solid to a liquid even more quickly than butter.
  • Substitute coconut oil for only half of the oil you need if you cook over high heat, keeping conventional oil for the other half. Coconut oil, like butter and extra-virgin olive oil, has a lower smoke point than more conventional cooking oils, making it more apt to smoke and potentially catch on fire than the other oils.

  • Use a strong-flavored coconut oil instead of butter when you want to add a tropical flavor to a dish, such as in shrimp scampi from the Food and Wine website.

  • Contrast the bitterness of sauteed vegetables like kale or spinach by cooking them with a little coconut oil along with vegetable oil.

Tips

To balance coconut oil's relatively low smoke point of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, supplement it with oils that have higher smoke points, such as safflower oil at 510 F; corn oil and sunflower oil at 450 F or canola oil at 400 F.

Coconut oil typically comes in a solid form with a layer of oil on the top. Stir the oil into the solid before using it for baking, and follow these guidelines:

One of the most common questions most people hear nowadays in the kitchen is about a substitute for their low-quality vegetable oil that has been extracted from soy or other beans. Then the follow-up question is always going to be “where to buy coconut oil…?”

You might not believe it but this is usually always the case for people who are now prepared to enter the good and healthy life. People have been asking is it okay to change the ingredients in the recipe when it asks for vegetable oil, especially when baking? The answer is absolutely YES.
In almost all cases in any dish that requires vegetable oil, you can always use coconut oil as a replacement and will provide the same tasty goodness in each and every bite. One thing that you might notice is the presence of coconut smell, but just a tiny bit of it.

Virgin Coconut Oil is the prime choice of any health conscious enthusiast to live a longer and happier life. This oil is processed without any RBDs (refining, bleaching, deodorising) which can cause cancer and other harmful sicknesses and diseases in long term usages. Virgin coconut oil is extracted by cold press method, a traditional and clean way of separating the oil from the coconut meat without any chemicals.

VCO is abundant in Lauric acid which has high medicinal properties that act as a powerful antimicrobial substance, easily killing viruses, bacteria, and fungi. This makes it extremely powerful in reducing common colds and flu that you might get from anyone, in the simplest of terms, it promotes a stronger immune system.

The most basic and standard way of measuring it as a replacement to most recipes that requires vegetable oil is just using the same quantity i.e., 1/3 cup vegetable oil = 1/3 cup coconut oil. Just be reminded that coconut oil in cold temperature is solid in form, just warm it up to make it liquid and have an accurate measurement.

Vegetable oil is a sneaky little culprit. It’s in virtually everything nowadays. Flip over a package of any processed foods and more than likely you’ll see it listed as an ingredient. On top of that, you’ve been told it’s “heart healthy” and what you should use to cook with. It even has the word “vegetable” in it, further misleading it’s harmful true identity.

What’s bad about vegetable oil?

Vegetable oils or processed seed oils, which include canola, corn, soybean, sunflower, cottonseed, safflower and a few others contain very large amounts of Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids have been shown to contribute to inflammation in the body. And not so surprisingly, the rise in inflammatory diseases (anything ending in -itis) correlates with our increased consumption of vegetable oil in the last few decades.

Vegetable oils are also highly processed. They go through various stages of high heat, toxic chemicals, solvents and bleach. Believe me when I say, if you really saw how they were processed, you’d never want to consume vegetable oil again.

They’re also high in trans fats, unstable when heated and have been linked to cardiovascular disease and numerous other diseases tied to inflammation, like autoimmune disease.

What’s good about coconut oil?

Coconut oil has numerous health benefits. It contains medium-chain saturated fatty acids, which is a healthy form of saturated fat compared to trans fat. This type of fat is more easily digested and converted into energy for the body and brain.

Coconut oil has a high smoke point and is more stable to cook with. This means that it doesn’t oxidize, go toxic and produce free radicals at high temperature, like vegetable oil.

Coconut oil also has medicinal properties. About 50% of the fatty acids in coconut oil are from lauric acid. This acid has been shown to kill pathogens like bacteria, viruses, candida and parasites. Lauric acid also boosts your immune system and metabolism.

And while coconut is high in saturated fat, it can actually lower your risk of heart disease.

In addition to the food benefits of coconut oil, coconut oil is also a wonderful skin moisturizer and great for your hair. It’s a healthy eating, healthy living multi-tasker!

Swapping coconut oil for vegetable oil

Coconut oil has a distinctive flavor so start swapping slowly, until you become familiar with the taste. In baking recipes, if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup vegetable oil, start with a 1/4 vegetable oil and 1/4 coconut oil, eventually working up to a full replacement. You can also use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil in your fry pan for chicken or stir fry. Trust me, once you ditch the vegetable oil for good, you’ll never miss it!

What I use and recommend: Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (and it’s on Amazon Prime!)




Do you currently cook with coconut oil? If not, do you think you’ll give it a try now? Share in the comments below!

What can you substitute for coconut oil in baking?

Best substitute for coconut oil.
Butter or vegan butter (best for baking). The very best substitute for coconut oil in baking is the same amount of butter! ... .
Olive oil (non-baked). Olive oil is a plant-based oil like coconut oil, and works well as a 1-for-1 replacement. ... .
Neutral oil, like grapeseed oil or sunflower oil..

Can you substitute vegetable oil for coconut oil in a cake?

2. Coconut oil can be substituted 1:1 for other fats. When it comes to baking, coconut oil makes a wonderful substitute for butter and other oils, like olive oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil. Regardless of the type of fat used in a recipe, you can swap in an equal amount of coconut oil.

Can I use olive oil instead of coconut oil for baking?

Can I use olive oil instead of coconut oil? Yes, olive oil is a good replacement for coconut oil for cooking purposes. Olive oil is plant-based like coconut oil so if you follow a vegan diet then this is a good substitute to use. In cooking, you can use olive oil within the same ratio as you would coconut oil.

How much coconut oil is equal to 1 2 cup vegetable oil?

In baking recipes, if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup vegetable oil, start with a 1/4 vegetable oil and 1/4 coconut oil, eventually working up to a full replacement.