Vegetable shortening is a solid fat made entirely from vegetable oils. Unlike butter, which contains about 20% water, shortening is 100% fat, giving it unique properties in baking and cooking. It stays solid at room temperature, has a neutral flavor, and creates a distinctive tender texture in baked goods. You’ll find it sold in tubs or sticks at virtually every grocery store, most commonly under brands like Crisco.
How Vegetable Shortening Is Made
Shortening starts as liquid vegetable oil, typically from soybeans, cottonseed, palm, or a blend. The challenge is turning that liquid into a solid that behaves predictably in recipes. For decades, the primary method was partial hydrogenation, a process that pumps hydrogen gas through vegetable oil to make it firmer. This worked well but created trans fats as a byproduct.
In 2015, the FDA determined that partially hydrogenated oils were no longer safe for use in food, and by January 2021, manufacturers were required to reformulate. Today’s vegetable shortenings rely on different techniques. The most common is interesterification, which rearranges the fatty acid molecules within the oil to change its melting point and texture without producing trans fats. Manufacturers also blend fully hydrogenated oils (which don’t create trans fats) with liquid oils, or use naturally solid fats like palm oil. The result is a product with the same smooth, scoopable consistency as the original, minus the health concerns of trans fats.
Why Bakers Reach for Shortening
Shortening’s name comes from its most important function: it “shortens” gluten strands. When you mix flour with water, proteins in the flour link together to form gluten, the stretchy network that gives bread its chewy texture. Fat physically coats those proteins, preventing them from connecting as aggressively. The result is a more tender, crumbly texture in cookies, pie crusts, and cakes.
Because shortening is 100% fat with no water, it behaves differently from butter in several ways. It traps more air bubbles during creaming, which gives baked goods extra lift. It also has a higher melting point, roughly 46 to 48°C (about 115 to 118°F), compared to butter’s much lower softening point. That means cookies made with shortening hold their shape better in the oven instead of spreading thin across the baking sheet. For the same reason, shortening is the go-to fat for buttercream frostings that need to stay stable at room temperature. Professional-style cream icings can contain around 40% shortening by weight.
The tradeoff is flavor. Butter brings a rich, recognizable taste that shortening simply can’t replicate. Many bakers split the difference, using a combination of butter (for flavor) and shortening (for structure) in the same recipe.
Shortening vs. Butter vs. Lard
The practical differences come down to fat content, water content, and melting behavior. Butter is about 80% fat and 20% water. That water turns to steam in the oven, which is what creates the distinct flaky layers in a butter-based pie crust. Shortening produces a tender crust that’s slightly less flaky but holds together more reliably.
Lard, which is rendered pork fat, was the original shortening before vegetable versions appeared in the early 1900s. It produces exceptionally flaky pastry and has a smoke point around 190°C (374°F). Vegetable oil blends used in modern shortening reach about 220°C (428°F) when refined, making shortening a reasonable choice for frying as well. Butter, by comparison, burns at a relatively low 150°C (302°F) unless clarified.
Shortening’s melting point is designed to fall just below body temperature. This prevents the greasy, waxy mouthfeel you’d get from a fat that doesn’t fully melt on your tongue.
Types of Vegetable Shortening
Not all shortening is the same product. Manufacturers formulate different versions for different jobs.
- All-purpose shortening is what you’ll find on grocery shelves. It works for cookies, pie crusts, frying, and general baking.
- Cake shortening contains added emulsifiers (typically 5 to 8%) that help incorporate air into batter, producing a softer crumb and longer shelf life. These emulsifiers also form complexes with starch that keep cakes moist for days.
- Icing shortening is formulated to stay smooth and hold its shape across a wide temperature range, which is critical for decorated cakes that sit out at events.
- Cookie or confection shortening has a higher solid fat content at room temperature so fillings don’t ooze or slide when you bite into a sandwich cookie.
The crystal structure of the fat matters here. Shortening works best when its fat crystals are in a form called beta-prime, which is smooth and incorporates air efficiently. Wide temperature swings during storage can convert these crystals into a coarser form that doesn’t perform as well in baking. This is one reason professional bakers are careful about how they store their shortening.
Nutritional Profile
Modern vegetable shortening contains zero trans fat per serving, thanks to the FDA’s removal of partially hydrogenated oils from the food supply. It is, however, still a concentrated source of fat and calories. A tablespoon contains roughly 12 to 13 grams of fat and about 110 calories. The fat profile varies by brand but generally includes a mix of saturated and unsaturated fats, with palm oil-based shortenings leaning heavier on saturated fat.
Shortening has no cholesterol, no protein, and no carbohydrates. It also contributes essentially no flavor, which is either a benefit or a drawback depending on the recipe. If you’re choosing between shortening and butter for health reasons, neither is a health food, but the removal of trans fats has eliminated shortening’s most significant nutritional concern.
Storage and Shelf Life
Unopened vegetable shortening keeps well in a cool, dark pantry for a year or more. Once opened, it gradually absorbs odors and oxidizes. You’ll know it’s gone off by an unpleasant, stale smell and a bitter or “off” taste. This rancidity isn’t dangerous in the way spoiled meat is, but it will ruin whatever you bake with it.
If you only use shortening occasionally, store the opened container in the refrigerator. It will firm up but softens quickly at room temperature when you’re ready to use it. Keeping it cold significantly slows the oxidation process. Avoid storing it near strong-smelling foods, since fat readily picks up surrounding aromas.