What Is Margarine and How Can I Use It?

If margarine has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 2,605 recipes to try it in.

What is margarine?

Modern margarines can be made from any of a wide variety of animal or vegetable fats, mixed with skimmed milk, salt, and emulsifiers. Like butter, margarine is about 80% fat, 20% water and solids, flavored, colored, and fortified with vitamin A, and sometimes D, to match butter's nutritional contribution to the human diet.

Margarines made from vegetable oils are especially important in today's market, as they are lower in saturated fat than butter and are generally promoted as the healthier option, although this view has been challenged.

Three main types of margarine are common:

• Traditional margarines, which contain saturated fats, are mostly made from vegetable oils.
• Blended margarines, high in mono- or polyunsaturated fats, which are made from safflower, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed, grapeseed, or olive oil.
• Hard, generally uncolored margarine for cooking or baking. (Shortening)

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find margarine: Margarine is usually found in the dairy section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Margarine is a member of the Fats and Oils US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

人造奶油

British (UK) term

Margarine

en français

margarine

en español

margarina

How much does margarine weigh?

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Fats and Oils

Recipes using margarine

There are 2605 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Chilled Green Pea Soup

Chilled green pea soup blends sweet frozen peas with thyme, onion, and minute tapioca for a velvety low-fat, low-calorie soup that works hot or cold. The tapioca thickens without flour or cream. Five minutes of standing time, twenty minutes total cook.

Blueberry French Toast Sandwiches

Golden French toast stuffed with warm blueberry-maple compote and dusted with powdered sugar. Make weekend brunch feel special with this sweet sandwich.

Graveyard Treat

Beneath a layer of ghostly whipped topping lies a chilling graveyard of cookie-crumb earth, with layers of creamy, eerie cheese filling and a tombstone of cookies marking the final resting place of your diet. Serve this spine-chilling dessert at your Halloween party, if you dare, and watch as your guests unearth the delicious secrets hidden within!

Gloria's Best Gingerbread Cookies

Soft, warmly spiced gingerbread cookies made with molasses, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Roll and cut into festive shapes for Christmas decorating with simple icing.

Tomato & Orange Soup

Creamy tomato and orange soup with fresh tomatoes, orange juice, orange zest and a swirl of cream. A British-style soup that's bright, velvety and full of citrus warmth.

Dave's Light Pumpkin Pie

Dave's light pumpkin pie uses artificial sweetener, skim milk, and nonfat evaporated milk for a holiday-classic flavor with significantly less fat and sugar. Thanksgiving dessert you can serve guilt-free.

Mommy's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft-baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with warm cinnamon and nutmeg spices, ready in under 30 minutes for chewy or crispy texture

Cute Sugar Cookies

Cut-out sugar cookies made with powdered sugar and egg whites for ultra-tender, snowy-white cookies that hold their shape under cookie cutters. Perfect for holiday decorating with frosting or colored sugar.

Streusel Snack Apple Muffins

Apple oat muffins topped with cinnamon-brown sugar streusel. Quick oats add hearty texture, fresh apple keeps the crumb moist. One-bowl batter, ready in 30 minutes.

Streusel Snack Apple Muffins

Apple oat muffins topped with cinnamon-brown sugar streusel. Quick oats add hearty texture, fresh apple keeps the crumb moist. One-bowl batter, ready in 30 minutes.

T.M.'s Gingerbread Cookies

Classic roll-out gingerbread cookies with ginger, nutmeg, and molasses, perfect for cookie cutters and holiday decorating. The traditional Christmas cookie kids and grown-ups both love to ice.

Fudgy Picnic Muffins

Fudgy picnic muffins: a brownie-meets-muffin hybrid with melted semi-sweet chocolate, two cups of pecans, and just enough flour to hold it together. Freezes well for picnics and lunchboxes.

Easy Frosty Gingesnap Pumpkin Pie

Frosty gingersnap pumpkin pie skips the oven entirely. A spicy gingersnap crust holds a frozen pumpkin-ice cream filling, ready to slice straight from the freezer for Thanksgiving dessert.

Mary's Most Loved Brownies

Mary's most loved brownies are a one-bowl, melted-butter-style fudgy brownie recipe with cocoa powder, four eggs for chewy lift, and optional walnuts or peanut butter chips. Mix, pour, bake. No mixer, no chopping chocolate.

Buttermilk Pecan Waffles

Buttermilk pecan waffles with crispy edges, pillowy centers, and toasted pecan crunch baked right into the iron. The buttermilk-soda combo is the secret to that classic Southern-style lift.

Chocolate Pancakes

Eggy little chocolate pancakes that double as breakfast or sandwich cookies. Quick to mix, fast to cook, and finished with chocolate sauce or sandwiched with buttercream once chilled.

Chiffon Waffles

Chiffon waffles fold whipped egg whites into a buttery batter for impossibly light, airy waffles with crisp edges and tender insides. Served with fresh berries and maple syrup for breakfast.

Tom's Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

Tom's oatmeal peanut butter chocolate cookies are chewy oat cookies with creamy peanut butter and a melted chocolate dab on top. Three classic cookie flavors in one. Drop, flatten, bake, top.

Brown Mushroom Rice

Quick side dish with cooked brown rice sautéed in margarine with mushrooms and green onions. Simple, nutty, and ready in 20 minutes using leftover rice.

Canal Street Brownies

Canal Street brownies are dense, fudgy chocolate squares baked with unsweetened chocolate, optional walnuts, and a single 8-inch pan. A from-scratch brownie that beats any boxed mix in 40 minutes.

Lemon Yogurt Cookies

Tangy yogurt and bright lemon zest blend into soft oatmeal cookies with crisp edges, then get showered with powdered sugar for a lighter twist on classic cookies.

Whole Grain Sourdough Pancakes or Waffles

Sourdough pancakes or waffles made with a 12-hour overnight ferment of whole wheat flour and rolled oats. Tangy, hearty, and the perfect way to use up active sourdough starter for weekend breakfast.

Regina's Cheddar Biscuits

Cheddar buttermilk biscuits with cold butter cut into flour, grated cheese folded into the dough, and golden tops baked tender and tall. A flaky brunch-table staple.

Cookie Cutter Brownies

Cookie cutter brownies are firm fudgy bars baked flat, chilled, and stamped into hearts, stars, or letters with regular cookie cutters. The foil-sling method makes lifting and shaping clean every time.

Super Fudgy Pecan Pie

Fudgy chocolate pecan pie built on sweetened condensed milk and melted sweet chocolate instead of the usual corn syrup. The pecans stir into a rich chocolate custard for a brownie-meets-pecan-pie holiday dessert.

Reduced-Fat Apple Muffins

This apple muffins are rich in fibire and low-fat, they are fit for all!

Chocolately Brownies

Chocolate brownies made with a can of chocolate syrup for that fudgy old-school texture. Six ingredients, one bowl, sliced into thin sheet-pan squares. A nostalgic American treat.

Dutch Pancakes with Spicy Apples

Dutch pancake with spicy apples is a puffed, golden oven pancake cut into wedges and smothered in cinnamon-glazed apples with a sweet sour cream dollop. A dramatic, custardy brunch centerpiece.

Vanilla Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Vanilla oatmeal raisin cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a touch of corn syrup for chewy texture. Soft, spiced, classic homemade cookies.

Holiday Vegan Pumpkin Pie

A vegan pumpkin pie with a silky tofu-set custard, spiced with cinnamon, ginger and mace and sweetened with molasses, in a flaky from-scratch crust. An egg- and dairy-free holiday classic.

Double Berry Muffins

Double berry muffins layer blueberry batter around a hidden teaspoon of raspberry jam, lightened with wheat germ and orange juice. Low-fat breakfast bake.

Nutty Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal raisin cookies with toasted walnuts, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and a hit of nutmeg. Chewy in the middle, crisp on the edges, and packed with three cups of rolled oats for serious texture.

Mrs. Lyon's Banana Bread

Classic banana bread with three mashed bananas, eggs, and a no-frills batter that bakes into a tender loaf with a crackled top. The simple banana loaf grandma made.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

Whole-wheat raspberry muffins folded with fresh berries and lemon zest, crowned with a brown-sugar pecan-cinnamon streusel. Hearty breakfast muffins that lean nutty and lightly sweet.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

Whole-wheat raspberry muffins folded with fresh berries and lemon zest, crowned with a brown-sugar pecan-cinnamon streusel. Hearty breakfast muffins that lean nutty and lightly sweet.

Chewy Moist Brownies

Chewy moist brownies that stay fudgy thanks to a duo of corn syrup and brown sugar, plus melted semisweet chocolate for deep flavor. Made with egg whites for a lighter crumb and baked in a foil sling for clean, neat squares.

Yummy Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Chocolate chip pudding cookies stay soft and chewy for days thanks to a secret box of instant chocolate pudding mix folded right into the dough. Loaded with chips and optional nuts.

Mocha Brownies

Fudgy chocolate brownies amped with instant coffee for deep mocha flavor, studded with walnuts, and finished with optional creamy coffee-cream-cheese frosting.

Best Apple Walnut Cake

Apple walnut cake loaded with four cups of thinly sliced apples and a full cup of chopped walnuts, lightly spiced with cinnamon. A dense, moist autumn sheet cake or loaf.

Decorated Sugar Cookies

Decorated sugar cookies use powdered sugar and a touch of almond extract for tender, rollable dough that holds intricate cookie cutter shapes. The classic Christmas cookie recipe.

Old Fashion Ginger Snaps

Crispy old fashioned ginger snaps made with whole wheat flour, molasses, cinnamon, and cloves. These spiced cookies bake up flat and crackled in just 8 minutes with a warm, snappy bite.

Granny's Thumbprint Cookies

Granny's Thumbprint Cookies are a classic, melt-in-your-mouth treat with a nutty coating and a vibrant jelly center. These cookies are simple to prepare, making them ideal for holiday baking, tea parties, or a cozy family dessert. The combination of tender cookie dough and sweet jelly creates a delightful balance of textures and flavors.

50 percent Reduced Fat Banana Nut Bread

Reduced fat banana nut bread with non-fat sour cream and egg substitute, swirled with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Half the fat of standard banana bread, all the moist banana flavor.

Breakfast Apple Orange Spice Muffins

Spiced apple-orange muffins with grated fresh fruit and warm spices. Light texture from folded egg whites. Optional raisins for extra sweetness.

Very Moist Pumpkin Pie

A very moist, custardy pumpkin pie spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove. Lightened up with sugar substitute and skim milk for a lighter slice on the Thanksgiving table.

Rich Double Chocolate Muffins with Buttermilk

Decadent chocolate muffins made with melted unsweetened chocolate and buttermilk, studded with chocolate chips for intense cocoa flavor in every bite.

Classic Pecan Pie

Classic pecan pie with the Karo Original recipe, eggs, corn syrup, sugar, and toasted pecans in a flaky crust. Thanksgiving staple with a glossy, gooey filling and crackly top.

Very Buttery Banana Nut Bread

Ultra-rich banana nut bread with a full cup of butter and folded egg whites for the lightest crumb. Golden, tender, and impossibly moist from the double banana-butter combo.

Maximum Mac 'N' Cheese

Double cheese mac and cheese using cheese tortellini in a creamy processed cheese sauce. Cheese-stuffed pasta in cheese sauce means maximum cheese in every bite.

Mom's Best Banana Bread

Classic banana bread with overripe bananas, simple ingredients, moist crumb texture. No mixer needed, ready in one hour from start to slice.

All 2,605 recipes