There are quite a few ways to replace oil within a recipe. But keep in mind that if you take out all of the oil in a recipe, you will get a slightly gummy end product. I highly recommend to replace majority of the oil within the recipe but leave about 2 tablespoons in so that you avoid the gummy factor. Here are a few examples of oil replacers:
- banana
- applesauce
- greek yogurt
- avocado
Butter —-> Avocado
How it works? Avocados are packed with essential vitamins and minerals and are a great source of healthy fats. Swapping avocado for butter will significantly reduce the calories and fat in any recipe. To make this switch, replace with a one to one ratio. For example, if your recipe calls for one cup of butter you can swap it with one cup of mashed avocado. Just remember, naturally this will tint your batter or dough green, so keep that in mind!
Works best with: Cakes and cookies. With cakes, reduce your oven temperature by 25% and increase your baking time. This will help to prevent your cake from rising up in the middle or, alternatively, caving in. It’ll also prevent the cake from browning too quickly.
Butter —> Banana
How it works? Replacing butter in a recipe with banana results in a nice rich, dense texture which can be great for all kinds of sweets. Substitute an equal amount of mashed banana for the butter in the recipe. If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup softened butter, for example, pack a 1/2 cup with mashed banana.
Works best with: Cakes, muffins, cookies, breads. Using banana for butter may reduce cooking time by up to 25%, so keep an eye on your sweets!
And for those Vegetarians
Canola Oil —> Greek Yogurt
How it works? Using Greek yogurt in a recipe in place of oil is one of the best ways to cut the fat right out! The Greek yogurt replacement is barely detectable and makes recipes super moist. To make the substitution, cut the recipe’s amount of oil by half. Add ¾ cup of yogurt for every cup of oil that you remove from the recipe.
Works best with: Cakes, breads, cookies
Moose Munchies 