Healthy Substitutions for common ingredients?

[dazzlingblue]

I've been using chia gel as an egg substitute in my cornbread, but I've never tried any other kind of substitutions when it comes to 'real' bakery items like cake.

Do you have any substitutions that you make in your baking in hopes of making the item a little healthier?

 

[MyDigitalpoint]

I have found that this is good list:

Here are some of the suggestions cited most frequently. The substitution tips for which there was the most general consensus and which used the most common ingredients are listed. Following these suggestions are several Internet and book resources that give MANY, MANY additional substitution ideas.

Your final product made with the substituted ingredient may differ slightly from the original food, but still be acceptable in flavor, texture and appearance.

Basic Ingredient Substitutions​

Allspice
Amount: 1 teaspoon
Substitute: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Apple Pie Spice
Amount: 1 teaspoon
Substitute: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg plus 1/8 teaspoon cardamom

Baking Powder, Double-Acting
Amount: 1 teaspoon
Substitute: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Baking Soda
There is NO substitute for baking soda

Butter
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute:
- 1 cup regular margarine
- 1 cup vegetable shortening (for baking)
- An equal amount of oil can be substituted for a similar portion of MELTED butter if the recipe specifies using MELTED butter.
TIP 1: According to the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers, you can tell "if the product is regular margarine by checking the Nutrition Facts: a one tablespoon serving will have 100 calories." Products that contain less than 80 percent fat often give the fat percentage on the front of the package.

If the margarine is labeled "light," "lower fat," "reduced fat," "reduced calorie/diet" or "fat-free" or is called a "vegetable oil spread," you may be less successful substituting it for butter OR for regular margarine in baking and in some cooking procedures. These products are higher in water and lower in fat content and won't perform in the same way as regular butter or margarine.

For additional information about using the various forms of margarine in recipes, check the Web site of the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers: www.margarine.org/howtousemargarine.html

TIP 2: There is no standard procedure to substitute liquid oil for solid shortening in cooking. Oil is 100 percent fat, while butter, margarine and other solid shortenings are lower in fat on a volume-for-volume basis.

Also, for some recipes, solid shortening helps incorporate air into the batter when it is whipped with other ingredients such as sugar and eggs. If you try to whip these ingredients with oil, your baked product is likely to be more compact and oily in texture. Your most successful substitution occurs if your recipe calls for MELTED butter, in which case you can usually substitute an equal amount of oil.

Buttermilk
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough regular milk to make 1 cup (allow to stand 5 minutes)

Chili Sauce
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, dash of ground cloves and dash of allspice

Chocolate, Unsweetened
Amount: 1 ounce
Substitute: 3 tablespoons cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter or regular margarine or vegetable oil

Cornstarch (for thickening)
Amount: 1 tablespoon
Substitute: 2 tablespoons flour
TIP: Liquids thickened with cornstarch will be somewhat translucent while flour gives a more opaque appearance. Cornstarch will thicken a liquid almost immediately. A flour-based sauce or gravy must be cooked longer to thicken and will have a floury taste if undercooked. Joy of Cooking cookbook (Scribner, 1997) advises when using flour as a substitution for cornstarch in sauces and gravies, that you simmer it for about 3 minutes AFTER it has thickened to help avoid a raw taste of flour.

Cornstarch-thickened liquids are more likely to thin if overheated or cooked too long. Regardless of whether you use cornstarch or flour, mix it with a little cold water or other cold liquid, about two parts liquid to one part thickener, before adding it to the rest of the liquid . (Note: when you mix flour with fat to make a roux for use as a thickener, you would not dissolve it in liquid first.)

Cream, Whipping
Amount: 1 cup unwhipped
Substitute: If you wish to use a commercial pre-whipped whipped cream or whipped cream substitute rather than whip your own cream, use the guideline that 1 cup UNWHIPPED whipping cream expands to 2 cups when WHIPPED. For example, if your recipe called for 1 cup of cream to make whipped cream, you could substitute 2 cups of an already whipped product.

Egg
Amount: 1 whole egg
Substitute:
- 1/4 cup egg substitute (examples include: Egg Beaters, Second Nature, Scramblers); check label for specific directions
- Reconstituted powdered eggs; follow package directions
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (suitable for use in cake batter). NOTE: If you type "mayonnaise cake recipe" into your favorite Internet search engine, you'll find several recipes for cakes made with mayonnaise and NO eggs. This may help you decide if this substitution will work for your cake. - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder plus 1 tablespoon vinegar plus 1 tablespoon liquid (for baking use only)



TIP: If you don't use eggs very often, you may find it helpful to keep some powdered eggs on hand.

Flour, All-Purpose White Flour
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1/2 cup whole wheat flour plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour.
TIP: It's generally recommended that you replace no more than half the all-purpose white flour with whole wheat flour. Too much whole wheat flour in a recipe calling for all-purpose flour might result in a reduced volume and a heavier product.

Flour, Cake
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Flour, Self-Rising
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup minus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt

Garlic
Amount: 1 small clove
Substitute: 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Herbs, Fresh
Amount: 1 tablespoon, finely cut
Substitute:
- 1 teaspoon dried leaf herbs
- 1/2 teaspoon ground dried herbs

Lemon Zest (fresh grated lemon peel)
Amount: 1 teaspoon
Substitute: 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Marshmallows, Miniature
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 10 large marshmallows

Mayonnaise (for use in salads and salad dressings)
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 cup cottage cheese pureed in a blender
- Or use any of the above for part of the mayonnaise

Mustard, Dry (in cooked mixtures)
Amount: 1 teaspoon
Substitute: 1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Onion
Amount: 1 small or 1/4 cup chopped, fresh onion
Substitute: 1 tablespoon instant minced onion
TIP: Dried onion may be added directly to moist foods such as soups, gravies, sauces and salad dressings. You may need to rehydrate it with a little water before adding it to drier foods. Check package directions -- one brand advises adding an equal amount of water and letting the dried onion stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Pasta (substituting one for another)
Amount: 4 cups COOKED
Substitute: The National Pasta Association suggests these substitution ratios.
Check www.ilovepasta.org/faqs.html#Q10 for more information.

- 8 ounces of UNCOOKED elbow macaroni, medium shells, rotini, twists, spirals, wagon wheels, bow ties, mostaccioli, penne, radiatore, rigatoni, spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, vermicelli and fettuccine all produce about 4 cups COOKED pasta

- Use about twice as much UNCOOKED egg noodles to provide 4 cups COOKED pasta. Approximately 8 ounces UNCOOKED egg noodles equal 2 1/2 cups COOKED noodles.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
Amount: 1 teaspoon
Substitute: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 ground teaspoon ginger plus 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice plus 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Rice
Amount: Any amount
Substitute: Most rice products will substitute for each other on a fairly equal basis in recipes; however, their cooking times and the amount of liquid needed may vary. If possible, choose a rice with a comparable grain length for the closest match. Visit the USA Rice Federation's Website to learn more about cooking with the different forms of rice.

Rum
Amount: any amount
Substitute: 1 part rum extract plus 3 parts water. For example: for 1/4 cup rum, substitute 1 tablespoon rum extract plus 3 tablespoons water.

Sugar, Confectioners' or Powdered
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch; process in a food processor using the metal blade attachment until it's well blended and powdery.

Tomato Juice
Amount: 1 cup
Substitute: 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water

Tomato Soup
Amount: 10 3/4 ounce can
Substitute: 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1/4 cup water

Wine, Red
Amount: Any
Substitute: The same amount of grape juice or cranberry juice

Wine, White
Amount: Any
Substitute: The same amount of apple juice or white grape juice

Yeast, Compressed
Amount: 1 cake (3/5 ounce)
Substitute:
- 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
- Scant 2 1/2 teaspoons loose active dry yeast

Source: University of Nebraska, Food, Nutrition & Health, http://food.unl.edu/web/fnh/ingredient-substitutions

 

[cherza]

I have been using substitutions in my baking. I use stevia or agave syrup instead of sugar in my desserts. They are natural sugars derived from plants. The stevia and agave syrup sweetens my desserts. Almond milk is a great substitution for dairy milk. It is made from almonds nuts. This milk taste amazing! I bake with gluten free products also.

 

[Bella]

I have heard that you can substitute oil with applesauce, but I have yet to try it. Where do you get chia gel? I am always afraid that if a substitute something major, the taste will be a bit wonky. What do you think?

 

[cmckinney01]

Splenda can be used as a healthy substitution for sugar. Apple sauce can be used in place of vegetable oil. I also like to use olive oil in place of vegetable oil. I can't use almond milk because I'm allergic to nuts. However, I do use 2 percent milk and not whole milk.

 

[LivetoErr]

I substituted almond milk in a cake I made today. It turned out well.

Be careful with the brand of "stevia" you use. Truvia isn't stevia, Stevia in the Raw is mostly dextrose, etc. The brand I get here, in Mexico, is stevia and sugar. I also use agave syrup since the agave plant is quite abundant here, the syrup is too.

Applesauce works but I don't find it the same.

But, as they say, everything in moderation. Bake the real stuff, just don't eat it all at once.

 

[jtucci21]

I have heard that you can substitute oil with applesauce, but I have yet to try it. Where do you get chia gel? I am always afraid that if a substitute something major, the taste will be a bit wonky. What do you think?

I've used applesauce to replace a portion of the oil and sugar in recipes like carrot cake or zucchini bread, but I haven't tried it in anything else. It seems to lend itself nicely to dense breads or cakes since it ups the moisture a lot.

 

[VioletxSkye]

I don't really use substitutions but how about organic honey for sugar? Or maybe even unsweetened apple sauce for sugar or for oil/butter. Maybe even try different flours like almond flour, and coconut flour, and rice flour.

 

[Josie]

I don't use white sugar at all anymore. Mostly honey and maple syrup. I was using agave a while back, but natural or not, it's worse for you than high fructose corn syrup.. so careful with that one. Either way, sugar is sugar.. don't go nutty because it's natural.. common mistake

 

[Bella]

I don't use white sugar at all anymore. Mostly honey and maple syrup. I was using agave a while back, but natural or not, it's worse for you than high fructose corn syrup.. so careful with that one. Either way, sugar is sugar.. don't go nutty because it's natural.. common mistake

So if you use honey in place of sugar, how much do you use? I would rather use honey, but I am not sure on conversions. Can you always use honey to replace sugar or are there some things that you can not substitute?

 

[VioletxSkye]

So if you use honey in place of sugar, how much do you use? I would rather use honey, but I am not sure on conversions. Can you always use honey to replace sugar or are there some things that you can not substitute?

Well, I haven't used it but I think you may be able to take the advice of this link: http://cooks.com/4516i4d5 It shows how to substitute honey for sugar. I am sure it'll do fine in most baked goods.

 

[True2marie]

Popular substitutes for baked goods are as follows:

• Honey for Sugar
• Wheat Flour for White Flour
• Vegetable Oil for Real Butter
• Splenda for Sugar

These are the ones I know of and use on occasion. They work well as along as you know how to manipulate them. Otherwise, you can end up with a mess.

 

[Peggio]

I do the following substitutions, depending on the recipe:

• coconut oil in most baked goods instead of vegetable oil,
• homemade applesauce for oil,
• combo of wheat, rye, oat flour(s) for 1/2 the recipe amount of AP flour,
• decrease sugar in most recipes by 1/3 to 1/2 what is called for (without appreciable difference in taste),
• use brown sugar instead of white,
• use agave syrup, maple syrup or honey instead of sugar
• coconut milk for evaporated or sweetened condensed milk
• coconut cream for whipped cream
• soy milk for regular milk
• 1/2 and 1/2 for cream

 

[JenJuhasz]

My youngest is highly dairy sensitive. He can't even eat baked goods that contain butter or whey or milk (or cheese or yogurt or sour cream and the list goes on). I'm learning to substitute with coconut milk and coconut oil. Haven't tried almond milk yet (as one poster suggested) as we were concerned about nut allergies earlier on. To help with leavening, I use a lot of apple cider vinegar in cakes - it improves the taste and helps with the overall texture and fluffiness!

 

[SmartPea85]

I've used applesauce in place of oil for brownies and cakes, and it works great. I also recently made cupcakes using greek yogurt as a substitute for oil and eggs.
I see a lot of people saying they use Splenda or Equal instead of sugar when baking, but I would avoid doing this since a lot of research and studies have come out recently that shows Splenda isn't as great as we once thought because it contains sucralose and aspartame, which can lead to cancer and tumors. I also avoid sugar substitutes because they trick your body into storing fat,which is the opposite of what you want when you're trying to make baked goods a little healthier!
Check out this article I found:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/07/sugar-substitutes.aspx

 

[Angelica Gapit]

Thank you for all of these healthy alternatives! These are really helpful and I will start experimenting on cakes with these suggestions.

Thank you guys! I'm really glad I found this forum.

 

[Caffajake]

I've seen almond milk used in place of regular milk. Substitutions I've been meaning to try are applesauce or Greek Yoghurt for oil/oil and eggs. Bought some Greek Yoghurt the other day and I'm excited My sister makes cakes with coconut oil and they are delicious.

 

[Manny]

Yogurt, sour cream and mascarpone cheese can all be sweetened for great results. Try using natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup instead of granulated sugar. Fruits and nuts add a lot of flavour for health foods.