A cup of shortening is a standard baking measurement: one level cup of solid fat, typically scooped from a tub or canister. Shortening itself is a solid, 100% fat product made from vegetable oils, designed to stay firm at room temperature. It’s a staple in pie crusts, cookies, cakes, and frostings because it behaves differently from butter in baked goods.
What Shortening Actually Is
Shortening is a soft, solid fat with a bland flavor and no odor. Unlike butter, which is about 80% fat and 20% water, shortening is 100% fat with zero moisture. This distinction matters in baking because water creates steam and activates gluten, both of which change the texture of your final product. Shortening keeps things tender and flaky without adding extra liquid to the mix.
Most commercial shortening is made from vegetable oils like soybean, cottonseed, canola, or corn oil. These liquid oils are processed into a solid form through methods like full hydrogenation (which doesn’t produce trans fats) combined with a technique called interesterification, where fatty acids are rearranged to create a fat that’s solid at room temperature but melts smoothly during baking. Older formulations relied on partial hydrogenation, which did create trans fats, but that process has largely been phased out.
Shortening also contains emulsifiers, compounds that help fat and liquid blend together. Common ones include monoglycerides and lecithin. These are what give shortening its smooth, plastic consistency and help it incorporate evenly into batters and doughs.
How to Measure a Cup of Shortening
Shortening is sticky and dense, which makes measuring it trickier than scooping flour. There are three reliable methods, depending on what form your shortening comes in.
Pack-and-level method: Spoon shortening into a dry measuring cup, pressing it down firmly with a spatula or the back of a spoon to eliminate air pockets. Keep packing and adding until the cup is full, then level off the top with a straight edge. This is the most common approach for tub shortening.
Water displacement method: Fill a 2-cup liquid measuring cup with cold water to the 1-cup line. Add spoonfuls of shortening, pushing them under the water, until the water level rises to the 2-cup mark. The shortening you’ve added equals exactly 1 cup. Pour off the water, drain the shortening briefly, and you’re set. Keep the water and the shortening as cold as possible to prevent melting, and make sure every piece is fully submerged.
Pre-measured sticks: Some brands sell shortening in stick form with measurement markings printed on the wrapper, just like butter. You simply cut off the amount you need. One tablespoon of shortening weighs 12 grams, so a quarter cup comes to 48 grams. If you have a kitchen scale, weighing is the most accurate option regardless of packaging.
Why Recipes Call for Shortening Instead of Butter
Shortening and butter are not interchangeable in every context, even though you can substitute them at a 1:1 ratio by volume. The 20% water content in butter means your dough or batter will be slightly wetter, which can change how cookies spread, how tender a cake turns out, or how flaky a pie crust feels.
In pie crusts, shortening creates distinct flaky layers because it stays solid longer during mixing, coating flour particles without melting into them. Butter adds flavor but can make crusts slightly less tender if overworked. Many bakers use a combination of both to get flavor and flakiness together.
For frostings and icings, shortening holds its shape in warm environments far better than butter. This is why wedding cakes and decorated cupcakes often use shortening-based frostings: they won’t slide off the cake at a summer outdoor event. The tradeoff is flavor, since shortening tastes neutral while butter adds richness.
All-Purpose vs. High-Ratio Shortening
The tub of Crisco in most grocery stores is all-purpose shortening. It works well for general baking, frying, and greasing pans. High-ratio shortening is a specialty product used mainly by professional bakers and cake decorators. It contains additional emulsifiers that let it absorb more sugar and liquid than standard shortening, producing exceptionally moist cakes with a fine, even crumb.
High-ratio shortening is sold at baking supply stores rather than regular supermarkets. If a recipe specifically calls for it, all-purpose shortening won’t perform the same way, particularly in cakes with a high sugar-to-flour ratio.
How to Store Shortening
Unopened shortening keeps for a long time in a cool, dark pantry. Once opened, it remains stable for several months, though quality gradually declines. The fats slowly oxidize over time, especially at higher temperatures, which eventually causes rancidity. You’ll notice rancid shortening by its off smell or slightly bitter, stale taste.
Store opened shortening tightly sealed at room temperature, away from heat sources like the stove or a sunny window. Refrigeration isn’t necessary but can extend its life. If your shortening has been sitting in the pantry for over a year, give it a sniff before using it. Fresh shortening should smell like almost nothing at all.