Since adopting a plant-based diet, I’ve chosen to remove oil from my diet. I don’t cook or bake with oil. I still enjoy baking and have found that applesauce is a great oil substitute. Occasionally I run out of applesauce when I’m baking, thankfully substituting applesauce is no problem!
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Question: What can I use as a substitute for applesauce?
First a little background. I don’t normally like to buy a lot of processed products but I like to use applesauce instead of oil and sometimes in place of eggs in baking. A reader recently wanted to make The World’s Best Banana Bread but she was out of applesauce and needed a substitute.
The quickest and easiest substitute is an apple. I know, simple huh?
Just put a cored apple in a food processor or high-powered blender like a Blendtec and process it. You don’t even have to peel it. The result is 100% apple, no fillers, no additives. This pureed apple will work just like applesauce in recipes. Your kids will probably like it too! You can even add cinnamon if you are feeling crazy.
If you don’t have apples or have an allergy there are a few other options.
What can be used instead of applesauce?
If you are out of applesauce and apples, there are plenty of other foods you can use as a substitute. Pureed pears, peaches and other fruit will work but may leave a slightly stronger taste.
Mashed bananas can be used as a substitute for oil or applesauce. Mashed sweet potatoes can also work when substituting applesauce in baking. You may want to add slightly less banana or sweet potato and add a little more water so the consistency will be similar to applesauce.
My World’s Best Vegan Banana Bread recipe uses applesauce! It’s so easy to put together! In fact most of my baked goods use applesauce or an applesauce substitute.
For more recipes that use applesauce (instead of oil) check out my Bread and Muffin Recipe Page! If you are still using oil in your baking try applesauce in its place.
Have you tried pureeing apples to use in place of applesauce?
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