You can use yogurt instead of butter at a ratio of 1/2 cup of yogurt for every 1 cup of butter, in baking only. Like applesauce and mashed banana, this is a fat-reduction swap, not a like-for-like fat swap: yogurt is not a fat, it is cultured milk, and it works by adding moisture, protein and a gentle tang where the butter would have been. It is the swap to use when you want a lighter, moister bake with a subtle tang — in coffee cake, muffins, quick breads, banana bread and chocolate cake, where the yogurt's acidity also helps the leavening. What it cannot do is replace butter's structure, its ability to trap air, or its rich flavour, and this page explains exactly where that line falls.

Yogurt is the most versatile of the low-fat butter substitutes, because its tang is an asset rather than a limitation. In a chocolate cake, yogurt adds depth and moisture without any flavour that competes with the chocolate. In a coffee cake, its tang balances the sweetness of the streusel. In a muffin, it makes a tender crumb that stays moist for days. It also has a practical advantage over applesauce and banana: its acidity activates baking soda, so a recipe that uses yogurt instead of butter may rise better than the original, provided the recipe contains baking soda. If the recipe uses baking powder instead, the yogurt's acidity is neutralised and the benefit disappears — but the moisture remains.

The ratio, in a table

The table below converts butter to yogurt for the amounts you are most likely to meet. The rule is always the same: half as much yogurt as the butter you are replacing. The table shows the full-replacement amount — if you are replacing only half the butter, halve these numbers again and keep the rest as butter. Use plain, full-fat yogurt: Greek yogurt works too, but it is thicker, so thin it with a tablespoon of milk per half cup.

Butter called for Yogurt to use (full replacement) Notes
1 tablespoon 1 1/2 teaspoons
2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
1/2 cup 1/4 cup
2/3 cup 1/3 cup
3/4 cup 6 tablespoons
1 cup 1/2 cup
1 1/2 cups 3/4 cup
2 cups 1 cup

By weight, one cup of butter is 227 grams and half a cup of yogurt is about 123 grams (plain yogurt weighs 245 grams per cup). If you are weighing ingredients, that is the number to use. Note that yogurt is mostly water — about 85 percent — so you are adding moisture, not fat. That is why the result is moister but also denser: water does not tenderise crumb the way fat does, and it does not trap air the way creamed butter does.

Worked examples

Example 1: A coffee cake that stays moist for a week

A coffee cake recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter. Replace half of it — 1/4 cup of butter — with 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, and keep the other 1/4 cup as butter. The cake will be moist and tender, with a gentle tang that balances the sweet streusel topping, and it will stay soft for days longer than the butter version. The yogurt's acidity also works with the baking soda in the recipe, giving the cake a little extra lift. This half-and-half approach is the best way to start with yogurt: you get the moisture and the tang with almost none of the risk.

Example 2: Chocolate muffins with a tender crumb

A chocolate muffin recipe calls for 1/3 cup of butter. Replace it entirely with 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of yogurt. The muffins will be moist and tender, with a deep chocolate flavour that the yogurt's tang enhances rather than competes with. Because the recipe contains baking soda, the yogurt's acidity will help it rise. Bake them for the same time, but check them with a skewer — the extra moisture can make the centre take a minute or two longer to set.

Example 3: A lemon drizzle cake with a tangy crumb

A lemon drizzle cake calls for 1 cup of butter. Replace half of it with 1/2 cup of yogurt and keep 1/2 cup as butter. The yogurt's tang suits the lemon perfectly — the cake will taste brighter and fresher than the butter version, and the crumb will be moist for days. This is the recipe where the swap is an improvement rather than a compromise: yogurt and lemon are a natural pairing, and the cake benefits from both the moisture and the acidity.

What changes in the result

Three things change when you swap yogurt for butter. First, the flavour: yogurt adds a gentle, milky tang. In chocolate cake, coffee cake, lemon cake and muffins, that tang is welcome; in a vanilla cake or a butter cookie, it can taste slightly sour, which is why a half replacement is safer there. Second, the texture: the result is moister but denser, because water does not tenderise crumb the way fat does and does not trap air the way creamed butter does. Third, the leavening: yogurt's acidity activates baking soda, so a recipe that contains baking soda may rise better with yogurt than with butter. If the recipe uses only baking powder, the acidity is neutralised and there is no leavening benefit — but the moisture remains.

The practical consequence is that yogurt is a good partial substitute in almost any muffin, quick bread or cake, and a good full substitute in chocolate cake, coffee cake and banana bread, where the tang is an asset. It is not a substitute in pastry, in cookies that need to be crisp, or in any recipe where butter's flavour is the point.

When not to substitute

Do not use yogurt instead of butter in recipes that rely on creaming butter with sugar (sponge cakes, most layer cakes, many cookies), in pastry of any kind, or in shortbread, where butter is the structure and the flavour. Do not use it in frying or sautéing — yogurt is not a fat and will not fry anything, and it will curdle at high heat. Do not use flavoured or sweetened yogurt unless you adjust the sugar and flavourings in the recipe: a vanilla yogurt will add vanilla, a strawberry yogurt will add strawberry, and a sweetened yogurt will add sugar you have not accounted for. Use plain, unsweetened yogurt. And do not use it in a recipe that is already very wet, because the extra moisture will make it soggy. The swap is baking only, and even in baking it is a partial swap first and a full swap only in forgiving recipes.

One more caution: if you use Greek yogurt, it is much thicker than regular yogurt, so thin it with a tablespoon of milk per half cup, or the batter will be too stiff. And do not use non-fat yogurt in a recipe that needs fat for tenderness — the result will be dry. Full-fat plain yogurt is the best choice for baking.

Frequently asked questions

How much yogurt do I use instead of 1 cup of butter?

Use 1/2 cup of yogurt for 1 cup of butter — about 123 grams by weight. That is the full-replacement amount. For the safest result, replace only half the butter: use 1/4 cup of yogurt and keep 1/2 cup of butter. The half-and-half approach gives you the moisture and tang with almost none of the texture risk.

Can I use Greek yogurt instead of butter?

Yes, but thin it first. Greek yogurt is much thicker than regular yogurt, so add a tablespoon of milk per half cup of Greek yogurt to bring it to the consistency of regular yogurt. Otherwise the batter will be too stiff and the bake will be dense. Greek yogurt's tang is slightly stronger, which suits chocolate and lemon cakes well.

Can I use yogurt instead of butter in cookies?

In soft, chewy cookies, a half replacement works — the cookies will be softer and more cake-like. A full replacement makes cookies puffy and soft, and they will not crisp. In crisp cookies or shortbread, the swap fails: the cookies need butter's fat for their texture and flavour. For cookies, replace at most half the butter.

Does yogurt make cakes rise better?

It can, if the recipe contains baking soda. Yogurt is acidic, and its acidity reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide, which lifts the cake. If the recipe uses only baking powder, the yogurt's acidity is neutralised by the powder's own acid, and there is no extra lift — but the moisture benefit remains. Do not add extra baking soda to a recipe just because you are using yogurt; the amount already in the recipe is enough.

Should I use full-fat or non-fat yogurt?

Full-fat, for baking. Non-fat yogurt adds moisture but no fat, and the result can be dry and rubbery. Full-fat yogurt adds a little fat as well as moisture, which helps the crumb stay tender. If you only have non-fat yogurt, use it in a half replacement rather than a full one, and keep the rest of the butter.

Can I use yogurt instead of butter in a savoury bake?

Yes, in some. Yogurt works well in savoury muffins, scones and quick breads, where its tang suits cheese, herbs and vegetables. It does not work in pastry, where butter's fat is structural, or in frying. For a cheese scone, replacing half the butter with yogurt gives a tender, tangy result that is arguably better than the original.

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