Healthy Options To Replace Refined Sugar, Flour, Fat, And Dairy
Photo by Gustavo Fring
Replacing not-so healthy fats, dairy, refined sugar, and flour in food recipes with healthier substitutes is now much easier with so many healthy options to choose from. Food and health blogs abound, making it easy for people to get back to basics and enjoy their own cooking creations. The allure of convenient food is being replaced with a newfound appreciation for health that includes making healthy food choices and preparing food from scratch.
It is when consuming baked goods that people can get veered way off their healthy eating habits. Luckily, we have healthier substitutes for the high demands of fat and refined sugar called for in some baking and cooking recipes. There are also numerous alternatives we can use instead of refined white flour. Although it may take a bit of tweaking here and there, trying healthier recipes is a worthwhile investment in your health.
It can be enjoyable to learn how to amend and adjust recipes as you familiarize yourself with how incorporating certain sugar and fat alternatives affect finished products without compromising too much on taste.
When cutting back on the fat content in recipes, bear in mind the texture of the finished product may be altered depending on what you use instead.
If you need to add extra sweetness to the recipe because you’ve substituted a sweet food such as bananas with oatmeal, start by adding ½ teaspoon of natural sweetener such as agave, maple syrup, or honey.
When baking and replacing dairy milk with plant-based milk, you’ll have to add baking powder instead of baking soda to give rise to the final product. Baking powder requires no acid to activate, while dairy milk is somewhat acidic with a pH level of 6.7-6.9, hence the need for baking soda. Plant-based milks that are not acidifying include almond and soy. Cashew, oat, and rice milks are acid forming. If coconut milk is made from fresh, it is not acidifying, however if it was produced from dried coconut, it is acidifying to the body.
The quality of products varies greatly—not only by type—but by brand as well. For instance, if you’re trying to prepare a sauce with coconut milk, a carton of coconut milk has a much thinner consistency than canned coconut milk due to its lower fat content. Canned coconut milk usually has a stronger coconut flavour as well.
Following are some healthy substitutes you might want to try. Available ratios for substituting have been provided where available, but for best results, follow package directions if there are any. You will probably want to investigate and experiment according to your own taste as you get farther into baking and cooking with new ingredients.
Agave
Agave nectar can be substituted for sugar by using 2/3 cup of agave for 1 cup of sugar.
Substitute1 tablespoon of sugar with ¾ tablespoon of agave nectar; and 1 teaspoon of sugar with ¾ teaspoon of agave nectar.
To compensate for the added liquid of the agave nectar when baking and replacing sugar, reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by the amount agave added.
Almond Flour
A healthy substitute to all-purpose flour, almond flour gives moisture to baked goods.
If replacing whole wheat flour for almond flour, be aware that the final product will be denser and softer. Keep this in mind when choosing to use it or not, as it works fine for cakes and the like but not so much for breads.
Instead of 1 cup of wheat flour, you can substitute with 1/3 cup of almond flour in yeast dough recipes such as breads and rolls.
When baking with almond flour, allow your baked goods to cool down before handling.
Almond Milk
Instead of using whole or 2% cow milk in recipes, almond milk may be used at the same ratio (1 to 1) required in recipe.
Cooking time will shorten as almond milk contains more water than regular milk making it evaporate quicker.
Almond milk may slightly alter the richness taste of baked goods as well.
Almond milk can be used as a substitute to buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of almond milk.
Due to its low-fat content, you may want to add a bit of applesauce, coconut or vegetable oil to help moisten the finished product.
It is easy to overcook baked goods when almond milk has been used, as the end product may not be as dark as those baked with dairy milk.
If a recipe calls for heated milk, warm up almond milk slowly over a double-boiler if you have one, as almond milk can easily burn and become bitter.
Applesauce (unsweetened)
In baking, unsweetened applesauce replaces eggs, milk, oil, and water with equal volumerequested in recipe.
Naturally occurring sugar content in applesauce can also reduce sugar requirements of recipes.
The taste, texture, and consistency of unsweetened applesauce render baked goods close to original recipes.
1/3 cup of applesauce (unsweetened) replaces 1 egg.
Avocado
When baking, use ½ cup of pureed avocado to replace 1 cup of mashed bananas, and add a little more sweetener if you want to keep the recipe as sweet as the original.
Smooth mashed avocado is a healthy fat spread you can use to replace spreads with eggs such as mayo.
Avocado Oil
Healthier avocado oil shares a similar nutritional value as olive oil.
Rich in good fats, look for unrefined avocado oil and use it at a 1 to 1 ratio in any recipe.
Mild or almost tasteless in some brands, avocado oil is great to use in salad dressings or any other recipe when you want a healthy oil with minimal oil flavour coming through.
Possibly with the highest smoke point of all oils, unrefined avocado oil lends well to high heat cooking.
Banana
Replace 1 egg with ½ mashed ripe banana.
Substitute 1 cup of butter or oil with 1 cup of mashed bananas.
When using bananas instead of butter or oil, use an equal amount of banana to the butter or oil called for in the recipe.
One pound of bananas yields 2-2 ½ cups of sliced bananas or 1 1/3 cups of mashed bananas.
Banana can be used in equal amounts as substitute for applesauce, canned pumpkin puree, silken tofu, or mashed sweet potatoes.
Bananas will flavour baked goods, so use them only when they’ll complement the taste of what it is you’re cooking.
Buckwheat Flour
A bit harder to bake with, you may need to experiment with buckwheat flour as it is a gluten-free flour.
With a slight bitterness and earthy nutty flavours, buckwheat flour will alter the taste of your final product.
Gluten-free so without binder, try combining it with a starchy flour such as almond flour to ensure stability of baked goods.
Light in texture and darker in colour, it’ll make your baked goods appear roasted brown.
If you do not require gluten-free flour, substituting ¼ of all-purpose wheat flour with buckwheat flour is a good place to start experimenting baking with buckwheat flour before adopting the ratio of 1 to 1.
An easy way to acquire the taste for buckwheat flour is with breakfast preparations that include eggs as binders in the mix such as pancakes and waffles.
The flavour of buckwheat flour goes well with other earthy and nutty foods such as vegetables, nuts, and spices.
Cassava Flour
This root vegetable flour is not only a good alternative for those looking for gluten and grain free options in flour, it is lower in fat and calories than almond or coconut flour.
Due to this flour’s high liquid absorption rate and to ensure your final baked good doesn’t turn out dry, you’ll need to use less cassava flour than what the original recipe calls for in flour.
Add cassava flour a bit at a time while checking for desired consistency.
Cashew Milk
Substitute dairy milk with cashew milk at the ratio of 1 to 1, but keep in mind this milk may impart a slightly nutty flavour to your finished baked goods.
The end product may be slightly drier and denser than you’re used to.
You can add a bit of applesauce, coconut or vegetable oil to help moisten the finished product.
Chia Seeds
Try chia seeds to help thicken liquids.
Replace corn starch with chia seeds one teaspoon at a time to thicken sauces and gravies within a couple of minutes.
Mix 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water to form a gel much like flax seeds do to replace 1 egg.
Not a binder on its own, chia seeds are a healthy binder when used with other binders.
Chickpea Flour
Mix ¼ cup of chickpea flour with ¼ cup of water to replace one egg.
A good binder, chickpea flour can also be added to thicken sauces instead of cream or other flours.
A denser flour, chickpea flour works well when baking goods such as brownies and rolls.
Be aware though, that because chickpeas come from the legume family, this flour could cause digestive upsets in some people or when consumed too often.
Coconut Flour
A gluten-free and grain-free flour alternative, coconut flour packs a lot of protein and adds a unique flavour to food.
Coconut flour really absorbs liquids, so it is a good idea to add a bit more liquid to your recipe.
You may need to add a binder if your finished product requires structure and none were listed in the recipe.
Coconut Milk
Swap one cup of dairy milk for one cup of coconut milk, but keep in mind this may change the finished flavour of whatever it is you’re baking or cooking.
Coconut milk contains more fat than dairy milk, so no need to worry about the final product’s texture. For a touch of coconut flavor, add canned coconut milk at a 1 to 1 ratio.
Full-fat coconut milk or cream is a good substitute for heavy dairy cream if you don’t mind the coconut flavour.
Coconut Oil
Given the vast array of coconut oils available, you can opt for a virgin coconut oil to keep the coconut flavour light.
Coconut oil works well to replace butter, lard, or shortening in pie crusts because of its solid form at room temperature. However, when using in pie crusts, you may want to stick to pies with sweet fillings and use another oil for meat pies.
To use in pie crusts, the ratio of 1 to 1 is said to work fine to replace shortening or butter.
Flax Seed
Ground flax seeds are often used to replace 1 egg by mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water, and letting it sit until thickened.
You can also substitute banana with ground flax seeds in much the same way, but you’ll need to add extra sweetener when replacing bananas.
Hemp Milk
This milk is reported as being a better source of calcium, iron, vitamin A, zinc, and fibre than almond, cow, rice, and soy milks.
Hemp milk has a nuttier flavour and thicker texture than rice or soy milk.
Hemp Oil
Hemp’s fat/oil content is comparable to that of walnut.
The seeds of hemp contain all 9 essential amino acids, making this a powerful oil to use in food preparation.
With a low smoke point, hemp oil is better suited to foods that won’t be cooked at high temperatures.
Hemp oil adds a slightly nutty flavour.
Honey
Since honey is sweeter than sugar, the substitution ratio is slightly lower than 1 to 1.
To replace1 cup of sugar, use ¾ cup of honey; for 1 tablespoon of sugar use ¾ tablespoon of honey; and replace1 teaspoon of sugar with ¾ teaspoon of honey.
To compensate for the added liquid of honey when using it instead of sugar when baking, reduce the liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup for every cup of honey used.
Maple Syrup
Replace 1 cup of sugar with ¾ cup of maple syrup;1 tablespoon of sugar with ¾ tablespoon of maple syrup; and 1 teaspoon of sugar with ¾ teaspoon of maple syrup.
To compensate for the added liquid of the maple syrup when baking, reduce the liquid called for in the recipe by 3-4 tablespoons per cup of maple syrup added.
Oat Flour
Lighter in weight than wheat flour, oat flour should be weighed if using it to replace other heavier flours.
Spooned and levelled into 1 cup, oat flour weighs 88-90 grams while 1 cup of whole wheat or all-purpose flour weighs approximately125 grams.
When baking with oat flour as a replacement to regular flour, add extra baking powder, yeast or other leavening product to ensure proper rise.
Use 2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder to every cup of oat flour.
Replace with oat flour at a ratio of 1 to 1.
Allowing batter to rest a little before cooking helps ensure your baked good turns out moist.
Oat Meal
Substitute 1 banana with ½ cup of soaked or prepared plain oat meal, and add extra sweetener if you want.
Oatmeal is a good binder to replace eggs or cheeses in some recipes that require structure such as meat loaf or meat balls.
Oat Milk
The thick texture of oat milk can be used to substitute dairy milk requirement in baked goods at a ratio of 1 to 1.
Oat milk may slightly impact the flavour of the final baked good.
Quinoa Flour
The flavour of quinoa flour is not for everyone, as it can be slightly bitter and may overpower the other flavours in a recipe.
Substituting half of all-purpose flour with quinoa flour works in many baking recipes.
To replace whole wheat flour, use a ratio of 1 to 1 in cake and cookie recipes.
Soy Milk
With its neutral flavour and thick texture, soy milk is a good substitute for dairy milk that should not alter the taste of baked goods.
Make sure to use organic and non-genetically modified soy milk.
Soy/Tofu
Replace 1 egg with ¼ cup of silken tofu blended.
Stevia (Pure)
Yes indeed, one teaspoon of stevia replaces 1 cup of sugar.
You will need to increase bulk if you substitute sugar with stevia. Depending on what you are making, you can add applesauce, bananas, or vegan yogurt in the same amount as what the recipe calls for in sugar.
Substitute1 tablespoon of sugar with1/8 teaspoon of stevia; and replace 1 teaspoon of sugar with a small pinch of stevia.
Vegan Yogurt
You can substitute 1 egg with ¼ cup of plain yogurt.
Replace 1 banana with ½ cup of plain or Greek yogurt.
Don’t substitute with yogurt if the recipe includes acidic ingredients such as citrus.
Vegetable Oil
When baking, if you want to substitute butter for vegetable oils such as olive oil, you will have to compensate for the oils’ lack of solidity at room temperature by reducing the amount used.
Some olive oils can have a strong flavour that will impact the taste of baked goods such as pie crusts, making olive oil better suited for meat pies and not so good with sweet fillings.
Some measurements to replace butter with extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) follow:
Butter: 1 tsp = ¾ tsp EVOO
Butter: 1 tablespoon = 2 ¼ tsp EVOO
Butter: 2 tablespoons = 1 ½ tablespoonsEVOO
Butter:1 cup = ¾ cup EVOO
Butter: ¾ cup = ½ cup + 1 tablespoon EVOO
Butter: 2/3 cup = ½ cup EVOO
Butter: 1/3 cup = ¼ cup EVO?O
Butter: ½ cup = ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons EVOO
Butter: ¼ cup = 3 tablespoons EVOO
Water
· Substituting with water instead of milk is satisfactory especially in small amounts.
· If using water in amounts above 1 cup, add 1 tablespoon of fat such as vegetable oil or applesauce to each cup of water you are using.
As always, include a wide variety from each food group into your diet to avoid your body becoming resistant or sensitive to a particular food.
Hope this information inspires you make healthy substitutions when baking and cooking.