K the G-Free Foodie gets so many questions about ingredient substitutions for both food allergies and for health reasons - mostly cutting calories. Real butter is one of her favorite things, but it’s one of the ingredients she most often gets asked about replacing. She certainly doesn’t recommend any of those butter-substitutes with icky ingredients, so here’s list of natural butter substitutes when you’re whipping up treats & snacks!
1. Olive and Vegetable Oil:
Olive or vegetable oil can be used in a 1:1 ratio for butter in sauteed, fried or roasted applications. To replace butter with oil when baking, use 3/4 of the amount of butter called for.
2. Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil the easiest butter replacement, and by far my favorite. In most cases, butter and coconut oil are directly interchangeable, 1 for 1. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but it melts quickly and can be used well in baking applications. Oh, and the taste-I even spread it on toast!
3. Fruit Puree:
Fruit puree can be used in place of butter in quick bread and baking applications. To replace butter with fruit puree when baking, use 3/4 of the amount of butter called for. You’ll want to consider the flavor of the fruit when you add it to a recipe, and you may want to slightly decrease the sugar in the recipe. Some of my favorite options are applesauce, pureed sweet plums/prunes, and apricots.
4. Nut Butters:
Topping waffles, toast or fruit? Look for a low-sugar option for a protein & energy kick. Because of their varying consistencies and ingredients, nut butters are not an easy replacement in baking recipes-though it’s been done!
5. Pure Vegetable Shortening:
Vegetable shortening can be used in baked goods, but amounts of other flavorings (vanilla, cocoa, etc.) may need to be increased. On the flip side, it’s known to give pie crusts and pastries a desirable texture. That said, like butter, vegetable shortening should be eaten in moderation.
What are other natural butter substitutes that you use in cooking? Tell us in the comments below!
