Expert: Heinz Henze - 11/21/2008

Question
When baking cakes, breads, etc. can you substitute canola oil for vegetable oil?

Thanks

Answer
Hi Shirley,

I don't know why canola oil wouldn't work as a substitute for vegetable oil in a recipe.  But one way to find out for sure is to go ahead and try out a batch (possibly even a small 1/2 batch) of whatever it is your going to make and see what happens.  The only thing that I believe might happen is that the product might taste a little different and by that I don't mean bad, just different. I honestly don't think that it should be a problem.  In the bakeries that I've worked in we've always used vegetable oil, but that's probably just a cost issue.  

If you decide to try the canola oil let me know how it goes.

Have a great day,

Heinz