Healthy Baking Substitutes

We all love our baked treats, but it can be hard to enjoy them when you think about all of the unhealthy ingredients that are used. That’s why I use certain substitutions to make healthier baked goods. These are just suggestions, but you should experiment to see which ones you like best!

Flour

Most recipes call for white flour, but I usually use at least half whole wheat flour. Depending on the recipe, you can use more than half whole wheat flour. For example, I wouldn’t use more than half wheat flour when making crepes or sugar cookies, which use lighter batters. But if I were making chocolate chip cookies, or pumpkin muffins, which have a richer flavor, the use of more whole wheat flour would not be noticed as much. It is important to use white wheat flour, it has all of the nutrients of other whole wheat flours, but a less over-powering flavor.

Sugar 

In most modern recipes there is an excessive amount of sugar. You can compare modern recipes to older ones, or specifically healthy ones to see how much sugar those recipes use, and then use a more appropriate amount of sugar. There are a lot of sugar substitutes that have more nutritional value, or can be used on smaller quantities. In my family, we generally use sucanat as a substitute when it is appropriate. It has more flavor than plain sugar, but is also less processed.

Other Substitutes and Recipe Additions

You can also grind up oats (about a quarter cup) and add them to the recipe. You may need to add extra liquid, but this adds not only a healthy ingredient, but a new texture to whatever you are baking.

You can also use tofu to add protein to a recipe. It can also substitute part of the butter or oil in a recipe. The best kind to use is silken tofu, and be sure to blend it until it is smooth with no lumps! This is especially good in pumpkin pie.

Carob chips in whole or in part are a great substitute for chocolate chips. You can also use low-fat or fat free cream cheese instead of full fat cream cheese.

Of course, every baker is different! Baking is all about trial and error.  Do you have a healthy alternative to add? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy baking!