5 Simple Ways to Bake Healthier Treats

Whether you love to bake or are looking to make healthier versions of your store-bought favorites, here are 5 simple ways to bake healthier treats that taste great.

Don’t sacrifice taste and enjoyment for health: they can work together. Here are some simple ways to lighten up, reduce sugar, and bring more nutrients to your recipes while still keeping them tasty. These may seem like little changes but remember that it all adds up!

1. Reduce total calories.

Reduce total calories by cutting back on the oil in a recipe. Instead of using all the oil, add some unsweetened applesauce or a mashed banana. For example, if a recipe calls for ½ cup of oil, try reducing it to ¼ cup and adding ¼ – ½ cup of applesauce or mashed banana. But don’t nix the oil completely—including some fat in your baked good will make it more satisfying and help you absorb those fat-soluble vitamins. A good place to start is to reduce it by a quarter or a half.

2. Reduce saturated fat.

Reduce saturated fat by substituting 2% Greek yogurt for regular sour cream. You will still get that same moisture and tasty flavor, but with less saturated fat. Again, rather than going for completely fat-free yogurt, however, keeping a little fat in there will add flavor and may leave you more satisfied. Bonus: using yogurt in desserts that are not cooked (such as pudding, bliss balls, or cream) will also add healthy probiotics.

3. Reduce sugar.

Reduce sugar by replacing some of the sugar called for with pure maple syrup—maple syrup tastes sweeter so you can use less. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, try using ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup maple syrup.

Another way to naturally sweeten a baked good is to use mashed bananas or canned pumpkin puree; next time you make banana bread, try reducing the sugar and see how it tastes—you may be surprised to discover it doesn’t need all the sugar you usually add.

Additionally, you can use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate for chocolate chip cookies or anything else that calls for chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the less sugar and milk fat it will have, so aim for a chocolate that is 60% or higher in cocoa content.

4. Reduce the total carbs.

In addition to cutting back on added sugar, you can reduce the total carbohydrates in a recipe by substituting almond flour for regular flour. Made simply by finely grinding whole almonds, almond flour is packed with healthy fat and protein. While you could switch out all the flour to almond flour, a good place to start is to use half almond flour.

5. Boost fiber and nutrients.

Boost fiber and nutrients by using a whole-grain flour such as spelt, oat, or white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. If you are gluten-free you could use certified gluten-free oat flour, quinoa flour, or sorghum flour. The first time you make this switch you may want to do it for just half of the flour; if it works well, increase it to ¾ or all.

Moreover, you can add more heart-and-gut-healthy soluble fiber to cookies, pancakes, and muffins by using flax eggs instead of regular eggs. For each egg called for, simply mix together 1 tablespoon of flax meal with 2 ½ tablespoons of water. Let sit for a few minutes before adding to the batter. Not sure you want to try flax eggs? You can still add a couple of tablespoons of flax to almost any recipe; just be sure to cut back on the flour a little bit or add more water so the batter doesn’t become too thick.

Additional Tips

Ready to get baking? Before you start, just a few final tips: First, try only one of these suggestions at a time. Think about it, what would happen if you reduced sugar, flour, and oil at the same time—you might not have much of a baked good left! Instead, make little changes, at least as you get familiar with the substitutions, and remember that it all adds up.

Secondly, speaking of adding up, remember that the calories in these “healthier versions” still count. The goal is not to make muffins healthier so that you can eat more of them.

Finally, there are certain baked goods that are better left in their original version—for example croissants. So, choose your substitutions wisely and remember that you can still enjoy the original any time you want—just eat mindfully and savor!