Baking Substitutions: Swapping Olive Oil for Butter & Other Fats
Baking isn't just about mixing your wet and dry ingredients—it's about bringing together flavors and textures to delight your tastebuds. While traditional baking usually relies on butter or canola oil, olive oil is a culinary secret weapon that can take your creations to the next level. Beyond the obvious health benefits (healthy fats, antioxidants, and brain boosting nutrients), olive oil can add a new depth of flavor and richness you might not expect.
Here we'll explore the art of baking with olive oil, and share our recommendations for how and when to substitute it for other fats!
Olive Oil Is A Flavor UP!
That same delightfully fruity, peppery flavor profiles of Drizzle and Sizzle carry over into your baked creations. These taste notes add a special complexity and depth to baked goods, enhancing savory and sweet bakes alike. Even though we are butter lovers over here at Graza HQ, it can sometimes overwhelm more delicate flavors while olive oil complements and enhances them, creating a more complex taste overall.
Why Olive Oil Makes For Great Bakes
Health Benefits: Extra virgin olive oil is known for its health benefits—rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, polyphenols, fatty acids like Omega-3, and vitamins A, D, E and K. Other fats such as butter (which yes, is super delicious, and a great go-to when you're baking something with a particularly buttery flavor—like a croissant, for example), but it's also high in saturated fats that can raise your cholesterol. By swapping it for olive oil, you can make a heart healthy choice while keeping things tasty.
Increased Moisture: Olive oil adds a rich moisture to baked goods, keeping them fresh and tender for longer! This is especially a plus when it comes to making cakes and muffins, when you're trying to create a moist crumb.
Improved Texture: Did you know baked goods made with olive oil often have a lighter and airer texture than those made with butter? That's because the viscosity of olive oil allows for an easier incorporation into batters, resulting in a smoother consistency, and smoother, fluffier bakes.
Longer Time To Enjoy Your Bakes: The high antioxidant content of olive oil (and Picual olives that Sizzle and Drizzle and made from are happen to have the highest antioxidant counts around) help prolong the shelf life of your bakes, keeping them fresh longer without any need for chemical or artificial preservatives.
Substituting Olive Oil for Other Fats in Baking
1:1 Replacement for Butter, Canola, and Vegetable Oil: When you're swapping olive oil for butter, canola, or vegetable oil, you can use a simple 1:1 ratio. But keep in mind that olive oil has a lower melt point than butter, so you might need to adjust baking times and temperature to account for the difference.
Picking the Best Olive Oil: Selecting the right olive oil is the first step. Opt for extra virgin olive oil, which has a more robust flavor (and a higher antioxidant count!) than light or refined olive oils. Most olive oil in the U.S. is blended from old, low quality oils. But across the ocean, people are using fresh, never-blended olive oil by the gallon. Graza is that olive oil. We're made from 100% Picual olives from Jaen, Spain, the region where over half the world’s olive oil is produced.
Consider Flavors: Since olive oil has a distinct flavor profile, consider how it will complement other ingredients in your recipe. For example, in citrus-flavored cakes or cookies, choose a mild olive oil like Sizzle that won't overpower the delicate citrus notes. Sizzle overall will have a more mellow flavor, while Drizzle is what you need if you're looking for the olive oil flavor to shine through every bite.
Our Recipe Recommendations
These buttermilk cheddar biscuits come with an extra kick thanks to more than just a pinch of paprika, and make a tasty base for your Chicken on a Biscuit sandwiches, or as a savory-sweet breakfast when paired with a dollop of your favorite jam!
2. Quick and Easy Olive Oil Apple Crumble
Forget leaving a pie on your windowsill—we're all about CRUMBLE SEASONNN!!! One warning before you whip up this super tasty Sizzle apple crumble... Don't count on leftovers! In our experience, this one goes FAST!
This fresh herb cheesy tart is super easy to whip up (S/O puff pastry), features not one not two but three cheeses, AND is topped with a delish Drizzle pesto. Did we mention it all comes together in only fifteen minutes?
4. Natasha Pickowicz's Red Velvet Cake
The James Beard semifinalist and author of More Than Cake is known for her one of kind creations, so we asked her to make something special with Graza. The result? Her first ever red velvet cake, all soaked in Drizzle.
It's giving squash... topped with pepitas and sage crisped in Sizzle, this pumpkin focaccia is super tasty and can be whipped up in under an hour. Wins all around.
6. Olive Oil Cranberry Cornbread
What's a bowl of chili without the cornbread? This EVOO cornbread is made with seasonal cranberries, adding a sweet and tart upgrade to the classic.
The only thing missing from the Whole Foods Berry Chantilly Cake is a Drizzle of the Sizzle.
8. Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies
The ultimate chocolately cookies... topped with flakey Maldon of course!
We're miso girlies. If you're not (yet), this pear ginger loaf, topped with a delicious miso cinnamon glaze is the perfect fall bake to give it a try :-)
The deliciously crunchy almond olive oil biscotti (made all the better with a little hint of orange zest) are a perfect compliment to your morning coffee...
11. Soft Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies
Like a DIY oreo for the pumpkin spice season girlies.
12. Kid Friendly Zucchini Tart
A little tart for your little one <3
Or check out ALL OUR BAKING RECIPES HERE!
