I have a soft spot for baked goods. But then again… who doesn’t? Soft and tender muffins. Sweet and chewy cookies. Hearty and oaty granola bars. Love.them.all.
Luckily, I also happen to have a soft spot for healthier baked goods. I used to boast about the fact that nothing was too sweet or rich for me, but, the older I get, the more likely I am to choose a heartier oatmeal cookie over a traditional chocolate chip one, and I’ve made it my mission to prove that you don’t have to sacrifice taste for nutritional value.
I love experimenting with healthier substitutions in my recipes, and I thought I’d share my top 3 favourites with you today.
Bananas…
Besides adding sweetness and flavour, bananas are awesome for binding and adding moisture to baked goods and can be used in place of eggs and butter/oil in things like muffins, breads, cookies and bars. They also add nutrients like potassium, vitamin B6, and fibre, which is awesome for heart health!
Use: 1 banana for 1 cup of butter or oil, or 1/2 banana for 1 egg. Just make sure they’re ripe!
Example recipes:
Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins
Strawberry Banana Oat Bars
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Non-Dairy Milk…
Non-dairy milks are a great alternative for those looking to cut back on dairy, and they can be swapped for milk in almost any recipe. I’ve always been a huge fan of Silk’s almond milk, but I recently tried their soy milk and I’ve really been enjoying that as well! It’s a great nut-free alternative for those with allergies, and it’s also the only non-dairy milk that boasts a decent amount of plant-based protein – 8g per serving! Soy protein is awesome because it can lower cholesterol, and Silk’s soy milk is organic, low in saturated fat, contains no colours, flavours, or sweeteners, and is free of GMOs.
Use: 1 cup of non-dairy milk for every 1 cup of milk.
Example recipes:
Soft and Chewy Protein Granola Bars
Black Forest Smoothie
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Honey and Maple Syrup…
Sugar may be sugar, but natural unrefined sugars will always be better than those that have to undergo heavy refinement involving the use of some pretty serious chemicals. In addition, natural suagrs also contain trace minerals that can have some beneficial effects for our bodies. Liquid sweeteners are also super useful in no-bake goods, where they add moisture and help hold the dough together.
Use: 1/2 cup of honey or maple syrup for every 1 cup of sugar, and reduce baking temperature by 25F.
Example recipes:
No-Bake Almond Fudge Protein Bars
Flourless Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Try Silk® Soy Beverages anywhere you enjoy dairy milk – over your cereal, in your favorite recipe, or simply by itself. Silk Soy Beverages are made with whole organic soybeans, contain 7 grams of soy protein, are low in saturated fat and are verified by the non-GMO Project’s verification program. Sign up for the Silk eNewsletter at http://www.drinksilk.ca/signup for an instant coupon.
Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Silk via Glam Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Silk.
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What are some of your favourite healthy baking substitutions?
I love using maple for sugar substitute! It gives a more sweet caramel taste that I enjoy 🙂
Pumpkinnnnnnn 🙂
😆 Glad to hear that you’re still staying true to your old namesake <3
My biggest pet peeve is when people ADORE a healthier version of a baked good, but once they find out it’s healthy then the “ehh, I guess it’s a little chewy…” comments start pouring in. -.- -.- -.- Makes me wince! lol (cough, my parents, cough)
I love these substitutions, too. I had no idea about reducing baking temperature with honey… so good to know!!
I love to make cookies using chickpeas. They give chocolate chip cookies that “cookie dough” texture and keeps them moist and chewy. They take the place of flour and in combination with peanut butter and some maple syrup, you also don’t need eggs! It’s wonderful for my vegan baking 🙂
I’ve heard about using chickpeas in cookies but never actually tried it myself. I’m all about soft and doughy cookies, though, so those sound perfect!
Unsweetened apple sauce is a great substitution as is Greek yogurt! 🙂 My favorite though is definitely bananas…so good and and so good for you. Thanks for sharing!
Love this post 🙂
I adore bananas in baked goods. I also like using applesauce and Greek yogurts though! I actually very rarely use butter or oil in my recipes, so those are my top 3 substitutes for baking. Although I love replacing eggs as well with flax and chia seeds for some extra super oomph!!
considering how many bananas you had on your counter, it doesn’t surprise me that they were number 1 on the list 😉 I’m a big fan of bananas, Greek yogurt, and almond milk if I’m trying to healthy something up.
I just used maple syrup in place of brown sugar yesterday for a brunch recipe I was making and thought it even tasted better this way! I love to use bananas, but use unsweetened applesauce fairly often too!
Hi Amanda! I love baked goods, but don’t do a lot of baking. I’ve heard that applesauce is a great alternative additive, but have never even tried it out. Have you?
Yup! Applesauce is actually an awesome alternative for oils. I probably wouldn’t sub out all the oil, but you can easily do half oil and half applesauce.
These are great alternatives, and I love how they hardly affect the taste/texture of what you’re baking either. I also always use honey as my sweetener in tea or coffee, and as my toppings on pancakes.
YES!!
I also just found out you can add shredded carrots to your spaghetti instead of adding sugar…if you even do that haha. Sounds weird but it’s awesome!!
I probably put bananas in EVERY baked good. It’s so perfect cause of the sweetness and the consistency it give to the baked goods. Not that I would turn down a Public Banana though, that’s for sure 🙂
Wait…what? You like baking with bananas? No…. haha, I kid! 😉
All of your favorites are my favorites too but I would add applesauce to the list as well. It’s great for replacing oil/butter!
Just a little bit. Not that it’s painfully obvious or anything 😉
I’m with you. I love making small and simple substitutions which can up the nutritional benefits without sacrificing taste. Also, I puffy heart bananas. I’ve already eaten one today and I have a date with a certain smoothie this afternoon; you know the one I’m talking about.
I love all of these subs. My favorite is using greek yogurt. It lends the perfect texture to baked goods and gives an added boost of protein too!
I love all of these subs including the ones for applesauce and pumpkin above that I’ve also used. But, lately, I’ve noticed that when I use almond milk in some of my baked goods that the come out a little more dense and not as fluffy. Does anyone else have that problem?
Yes to all of these! I’ve recently started experimenting with different types of flours as well. Haven’t had many huge successes yet, but it’s fun 😀
Ohhh the flours are toughies. I really want to try rice flour — I’ve heard good things about that one!
Yes to all of these and upping the nutritional benefits of baked goods just a little without sacrificing taste. Two of my favourite no-brainer substitutions are whole-wheat flour instead of/mixed with white [so.damn.good in crumbles!] and coconut oil in place of butter. It could just be me but I find it can taste even richer than butter.
Yep yep! All of these are staples for my healthy baking as well. I fond that using olive oil instead of butter works remarkably well for maintaing moisture without all those unhealthy fats!
I’ve tried using olive oil a few times too, but I found that it has too strong of a taste for some things and makes them a little bitter.
Apple sauce for oil or eggs, flax or chia for eggs, coconut oil for butter, cacao instead of cocoa, fruit instead of sugar (dates, bananas) I’m sure there are some I am missing! Now I want to bake.
Bake, bake, bake. Do eeeeet!
I have always loved a good baking substitution. Bananas, apple sauce, chia seeds, coconut oil…
I also use bananas and yogurt for almost everything I make! I even whipped up a batch of greek yogurt cornbread recently and it was scrumptious.
I love using apple sauce in replace of canola oil and I’ve also substituted white sugar for coconut sugar.
I use maple syrup in everything! It is amazing. I especially like it in my almond butter and wish I could find more things to use it in!
Me too! Have you ever tried maple sugar before? It’s pretty much just dehydrated syrup and it tastes -SO- good.
This is so great! I’m going to have to bookmark this to use later. I also love using bananas in place of ingredients, and also use a lot of coconut oil in place of butter! I usually always sear my food in it and I love the flavor.
Yes to all these!! I use all these plus I like to switch out butter for coconut oil!
You say “heartier oatmeal cookie” and I start salivating! I love me some healthier baked goods TOO!!!
Silk and honey are two of my favs too – I also love using ground up GF oats instead of flour – a coworker used to make these amazing plum cakes – her secret ingredient was Gerber’s plum puree!
I would have never thought of using baby food, but it makes perfect sense! My mom used to make the softest chocolate cake using a plum puree — it just came in a normal jar 😛
I’ve used bananas and almond milk quite a bit as substitutes. They work so well every time! I also like using canned pumpkin.
I think we share similar mindsets- Appreciate the healtheir baked treats but also go full throttle for those made with classics like oil, butter and GUMMY BEARS.
I love this post! I always try to google/research healthy substitutions when I’m baking. I like to use dates to sweeten recipes instead of sugar!
Yes! I love these too. I’m also a big fan of applesauce and even baby food. (Really, I put baby food carrots into a carrot cake, and it was wonderful!)
Now baby food is something I never would have thought of. Definitely need to try that out…
Hey there’s a new mobile version of your blog, looks good!
Now for this post – I love it, especially the conversions! Apple sauce is a nice replacement just like mashed banana, and pumpkin puree – which I’m sure you know already! Greek yogurt is a good substitute for fats too, gives moisture and cuts the fat content obviously.
Thanks, Ann! And applesauce, pumpkin, and yogurt are all great ones as well!
Awesome suggestions!! Applesauce is definitely one that I like to use to change things up and health-ify a recipe! 😉
These are some of my favorite substitutions too! I never use regular sugar any more because I feel like I actually prefer a more natural/healthier option!
This is such a great topic! I love using maple syrup, honey, and dates to sweeten. And bananas of course are awesome! Where would I be without bananas and dates, seriously!
Definitely not something I ever want to think about!
Great tips, Amanda- all which I can vouch for too! Along with bananas, I love using applesauce when I want to cut back on oil/butter–> it adds so much moisture. A lot of the times, I tend to use oats instead of all-purpose flour. Aside from yielding a heartier baked good, the latter add a huge number of health benefits.
all great tips! i also like using flax eggs now, so great for those who can’t handle eggs!
I need to start experimenting with those more! Especially in pancakes…
I literally JUST realized how awesome bananas are in place of oil and eggs. Like, yesterday.
I know, so late to the banana party. But, these are some great tips lady! Pinning!
Silk also makes the best smoothies! Thanks for sharing these tips! 🙂