Shifting and Sifting Healthier Desserts

Tired of finding alternatives to fit your favorite desserts? Well you no longer have to worry, because Simply Eats has prepared a list of healthy alternatives for you! No need to worry about a recipe with butter or sugar again!

Alternatives for butter:

Ah, yes, butter... Everyone's favorite addition. As we all know though, butter is packed with extra calories and fat, which is probrobly why it tastes so good! Also, most recipes - especially dessert recipes - call for butter, and sure, when you make banana bread you add apple sauce, and when you make cake you add Greek yogurt, but what do you add when that baklava recipe calls for 3 sticks of butter?! When the main flavor is butter you need to make sure that you still have the same creaminess, saltiness, and of course fattiness! But making it without the butter requires you to add more than just avocado, so what do you do now? Here an Simply Eats we ask ourselves this everyday, which is why we made this blog.

Nut Butter

PROS: The creaminess and texture is a perfect match for butter, and it is filling so you don't over eat. It also comes in multiple different flavors and is easy to add to anything and everything!

CONS: Most nut butters are full of unwanted fats and calories. They are also sticky and can make everything taste NUTS!!!

Avocado

PROS: Creamy, yummy and green? What! Avocado is full of potassium, fiber, and vitamin K. It also makes your smoothies creamier, and that chocolate cake healthier! With a mild flavor, avocado also doesn't over power existing flavors, but still has enough flavor to spread on your toast!

CONS: Avocados are also full of fat, and consuming too much avocado can cause unwanted weight gain.

Pumpkin Puree

PROS: Pumpkin puree is great when baking goods and is full of nutrients. It also is low in calories and has a smooth texture like butter.

CONS: Pumpkin puree has lots of carbs, about 20 grams for every cup you have. the consistency of pumpkin puree isn't for everyone and the flavor can over power most other flavors.

Apple Sauce

PROS: Apple sauce is a great sweetener and doesn't cover up other flavors. The texture is great when baking and good on toast too! Apple sauce also helps moisten breads, cakes, and other butter-calling foods.

CONS: Apple sauce is hard to use in food aside from baked goods. It is also watery and can be hard to use as a substitute alone. If you are trying to cut down on all sugars, apple sauce isn't for you, due to its natural sugars.

Greek Yogurt

PROS: Greek yogurt is an extremely healthy alternative to butter, and yogurts like Fage Greek Yogurt contains almost no sugar. They also help make you bakes softer and more moist. Greek yogurt also has lots of vitamins and has a similar texture to butter. The flavor of Greek yogurt is also subtle and isn't noticeable in most recipes!

CONS: If your trying to duck away from dairy this isn't a good alternative for you, and it also has some unhealthy fats, but they aren't nearly as bad as those in butter. The salty flavor that salted butter has isn't even slightly in most Greek yogurts.

Coconut Oil

PROS: Coconut oil is great in that it has little to no flavor when added in baking, and it doesn't stick to your baking sheets! It is also a good alternative to butter because it is oily like butter.

CONS: Unlike butter, coconut oil isn't creamy and doesn't have the same texture as butter.

Mashed Bananas

PROS: Like apple sauce, mashed bananas are great for a natural sweetener.

CONS: Bananas take FOREVER to mash. I'm not kidding, it is the most annoying thing in the world!