Grandma’s staple baking ingredient is the perfect vegan butter substitute

(Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images) /
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From butter shortages to vegan recipes, many home bakers are looking for ideas that make their favorite baking recipes more inclusive. Although there are new ingredients that fill the shelves, one option is a classic and might be grandma’s staple baking ingredient in those family recipes. The perfect vegan butter substitute might already be in the pantry.

Many people are looking for more inclusive recipes options. While desserts might not quite be under the healthy eating category, the reality is that a vegan butter substitute is becoming more desirable. From butter shortages to rising costs, there are plenty of reasons why people are making a swap.

Although there are more options in the refrigerated section, the reality is one option has been sitting on grocery shelves and in some people’s pantry for decades. Crisco is and has been the perfect vegan butter substitute.

While some people might have scoffed at the old-school ingredient and maybe dismissed it, Crisco fits the category. Even during a recent Christina Tosi baking class, the celebrated pastry chef reminded everyone that Crisco is that vegan butter substitute.

Given that the ingredient is readily available, easy to use, and there are a plethora of recipes that use it, this holiday season could be the time to rediscover the classic pantry staple. Looking back, there might be a reason why grandma’s coffee cake, biscuits, or pie crust tasted good. It all could be because of Crisco.

Looking at Crisco, it is a vegetable shorting. It might not have all the glitz and glamour of some newer offerings, but it is and has been vegan, even the butter flavored varieties. Now, this ingredient may never be considered healthy, but it is an option to make a recipe more inclusive.

Given that nostalgia is flavoring many holiday celebrations this year, it might be time to take a look through grandma’s recipes and give Crisco a try. It might the secret to getting rave reviews from everyone at the holiday gathering.