All About Pie

Can I substitute margarine for butter in an apple pie recipe?

I was wondering if substituting margarine for butter in an apple pie recipe would change the overall taste in any way. I'm making an apple pie for vegetarians and need to replace the butter with something else. Any suggestions or advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Public Comments

1. I think you'll be fine in this situation. As a matter of fact, I've only used butter in my apple pies a few times-- I almost always use margarine. And, yes, they are still delicious!! Best of luck and happy baking!
2. Yes, you can replace the butter with margarine. You can also cut the margarine in half and use applesauce for the other half to cut the fat content, this works in most any recipe, even brownies, but it would be especially good in an apple pie. Best of Luck!
3. Margarine can be substituted for butter in most any recipe (margarine, not spreads!). In a pie you are looking for taste more so than the fat, so this would be acceptable. You should nto notice any taste difference at all. In the future, when you are baking and you might want to exchange margarine for butter, make sure you use a real margarine. In 1992 most all manufacturers began to replace some of the fat in margarine with water and created spreads. Margarine by law must have 80% fat just like butter. Spreads, on the other hand, have 42%-70% fat, depending on the brand. This makes a huge difference in quality of baking ability between the spreads. I only use Land O' Lakes Margarine (LOL) when I use margarine to bake with. LOL is a true margarine and you will get the same superior results as you would when using real butter. I rarely bake with margarine, except at Christmas time, as I prefer using butter in most recipes, both for taste and health. Butter is a much healthier choice since all margarines and spreads are hydrogenated and it has been proven that hydrogenated oils cause heart disease and clogged arteries. So when you use margarine, use in moderation. If what you have is a spread, it should not make a difference in a pie. However, if you were to try to make cookies or brownies and used a spread, you most likely would be very disappointed with the results as they usually turn out dry and inedible, unless the company who makes the spread has created a recipe that is compatible with their spread. These recipes are on the box of spread that you would buy. You can find butter on sale all the time for around $1.79-$2.00 a pound (at least in central Ohio where I live), and this freezes well so you can stock up. I usually buy 10 pounds at a time when it is on sale.
4. Yes I believe it is to add a dash of salt and a small amount oil to the surface of the apple mix to help prevent drying out