Substituting Butter

Baking Substitution - Whether you are fighting to keep heart healthy or you started baking and realize that you don't have all the essential ingredients you thought you had on hand, knowing substitutions can be super handy.


Substituting Butter


Margarine - personally not one of my favorite products, i try to avoid this.

Applesauce - replacing half the butter required in a recipe with applesauce, this is mostly used in cake-y recipes. Basically any pureed fruit would do here but just be aware that they will slightly alter the taste.

Avocado - replacing half the amount of butter needed with plain peeled and mushed avocado will help create a chewier and softer baked good. This is typically best for cookies but I have had success using avocado in my banana bread.

Fat free Greek Yogurt - replacing the entire call for butter all together, as if the word butter was replaced by fat free greek yogurt in the recipe.

Canola Oil - most recipes that call for melted butter can easily be replaced by canola oil. But be aware that canola oil has more calories than butter, but it is lower in saturated fat and has less cholesterol. This would not be my first thought, more like a last resort.



I never buy salted butter, salt is something that I try to avoid all together. Sometimes I will use a pinch in recipes when called for but I often just leave out the salt altogether. I would never replace butter with lard, I have never bought lard and I hope to never buy it. There is just something really unnatural with lard, it just doesn't sit right with me.