Baking Guide: How To Swap Ingredients & Make Baked Goods Healthy

While baking, people are often advised to follow the suggestions of an expert to the dot. This helps home bakers and amateurs learn to bake delicious goodies. However, a lot of these delights are made using all-purpose flour, processed sugar, eggs, and even butter. With people becoming more conscious about what they are feeding their bodies, many also look for alternatives.

Video Credit: The Banana Diaries/ YouTube

Swapping in baking can even help you make baked goods healthier. It can help a person turn a delight into a vegan or vegetarian, depending on one’s dietary preferences. But people often find themselves confused about this step. If you want to know which ingredient you can swap with which ones, here is your short guide.

Milk Substitutes

Many people who are lactose intolerant or vegan would like to see through milk alternatives. If the recipe mentions a cup of cow milk, you can replace it with a cup of soy, almond, oat, and coconut milk. But the concept is not the same if you have to swap buttermilk. The best idea is to make vegan buttermilk at home by combining a cup of plant-based milk and a tablespoon of lemon or vinegar. Let it rest for five minutes and use in baking.

Sugar Substitutes

Most often, the recipes call for adding granulated or powdered processed sugar. You can replace it with honey or maple syrup for the same amount. Processed sugar can also be replaced by coconut sugar in the same amount. To swap brown sugar, you can add white sugar and a tablespoon of molasses for each cup.

Also Read: Kitchen-Friendly Uses of Baking Sheets Other Than Making Baked Goods

Egg Substitutes

Many vegans and vegetarians prefer not to eat eggs in their baked goods. A quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana can replace an egg. A tablespoon of chia seeds or flaxseed in three spoons of water can help you swap eggs without compromising the taste and texture of the confectionery.

Flour Substitutes

Usually, most baked goods are prepared using all-purpose flour or maida. It can be substituted with wheat flour or almond flour in the same quantity. However, if you want to replace it with coconut flour, the ratio is - 1 cup coconut flour:4 cups maida. You can swap all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour in the same ratio but add a quarter cup of xanthan so that the dough has a better structure to work with.

Butter Substitutes

It is easy to replace animal-based butter with plant-based butter. You can keep the amount of the swapped ingredient the same as the original one. However, if you replace regular butter with unsweetened applesauce or even mashed avocado, your goodies will be rich in texture and taste. The delights will flaunt mild earthy and fruity notes adding a touch of warmth.

Oil Substitutes

Instead of using refined and vegetable oil, you should use melted coconut oil, mashed bananas, or unsweetened apple sauce in the same quantity. Coconut oil has many benefits for skin and hair as well. It will add a rich flavour to the recipe while enhancing its undertones. If you are making cakes, you can replace vegetable oil with sour cream or yoghurt as well. 

Similarly, a teaspoon of baking powder can be replaced with a mix of a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and half a teaspoon of tartar. You have to experiment with substitution and find the best combination that works for you to create drool-worthy baked goods.