The Lard Substitute You Should Reach For In Your Baked Goods

If you find yourself reading recipes for pie crust from generations past, the ingredient that you're likely to come is lard. Lard, more specifically leaf lard, was historically used for baking because it has a neutral flavor, along with well-sized and stable fat crystals. That means when you add it to pie crust, you'll get a beautiful, layered effect and a delectable mouthfeel. 

But lard is rather tough to find in grocery stores these days. Plus, the fat is sourced from around the kidneys and the loin of the pig, so it's an unsuitable ingredient for folks who are vegan or adhering to a kosher diet. Luckily, there is a widely available ingredient that you can use as a 100% plant-based replacement for lard in your favorite pie crust or cornbread recipe: coconut oil. You can use a 1-to-1 ratio when substituting this saturated oil for lard in your recipe, but you'll have to express due care to ensure the flavor and texture of your recipe comes out just right. 

When you're cooking with coconut oil, there are some important things you'll need to keep in mind. The first is that coconut oil tends to have a strong coconut flavor to it, especially if you opt for virgin or unrefined coconut oil. While this might be great as a crust for a coconut cream pie, it's not ideal for everything that you bake. Processing strips away a lot of that flavor, which makes refined coconut oil our top pick for baking. 

If you're trying to substitute coconut oil for lard in a recipe, you'll want to be mindful of its temperature before you add it to the recipe. Cold coconut oil will behave a lot like lard, while allowing your coconut oil to warm up too much before you add it to your pie crust will result in a stodgy shell that lacks defined layers. Since this oil is temperature sensitive, it's important to bring your other ingredients to room temperature (or keep them chilled, depending on what you're making) to ensure that you don't inadvertently cause the oil to harden or melt.