Substitute for Butter? 16 Best and Healthy Butter Alternatives

Need Healthiest Butter Substitute Options? What can you use instead of butter?

Butter is one of the principal ingredients for most of the delicious dishes. Due to its high unhealthy fat content, most people would like to know is there any healthy substitute for butter? If you find yourself out of butter and need for a healthy butter substitute, then try the below best butter alternatives.

There are many great substitutes for butter. To make a substitute for butter, no need to buy any ingredients from the store, you can easily make a healthy butter substitute by using your kitchen ingredients. You may also try some other combinations to enhance the taste of the alternative made from butter.

If you need a substitution for butter in cookies, baking, cakes, sauces, pancakes, muffins or brownies, you can try the below butter replacements.

What is the need to replace butter?

As per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010), the usual American Diet consists of high cholesterol and saturated fats. But your body needs only a little amount of these fats to perform the essential day to day functions.

The high amount of saturated fats and cholesterol is not good for your health.

• It may raise LDL Cholesterol (the kind that can build up in arterial walls and increase your risk of heart attack.) and lowers HDL.
• Also, it raises blood levels of other lipoproteins. The more lipoproteins in your blood greater the risk of heart diseases.

Quality matters just as much as quantity when it comes to consuming fats. Diets with a higher percentage of fats – if they are the good sort – can actually be better for you than their low-fat counterparts, according to a report issued by the American Heart Association (AHA).

By using healthy substitutes for butter, you can avoid those fats. At the same time, no compromise in the taste while preparing butter alternatives.

Healthy Substitutes for Butter

What is a good substitute for butter? The substitutes for butter may differ based on what you intend to use them for. Here is the complete list of best and healthy substitutes for butter.

Butter is used in baking as a leavening agent. Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious butter alternatives that can serve the same purposes in baking.

1. Applesauce

Applesauce is primarily used to replace oil in the recipe. But it could be a healthy substitute for butter. Replacing a half cup of butter with an apple sauce is the best butter substitute without compromising the taste. Usually, this alternative is good for making cakes.

When compared to butter, Unsweetened Applesauce has 94% fewer calories and 99% less fat. Moreover, it is free from cholesterol and saturated fat.

If you never mind the appearance of the butter substitute, then replace the entire butter with an applesauce to cut down more fat and calories.

Ingredients

• ½ cup Apple Sauce
• ½ cup Butter

Directions

• Take half cup of applesauce and half cup of butter in a bowl
• Mix them well to make a good butter alternative.

Note: Applesauce is readily available in the market. If you like to prepare on your own, you are more welcome!

You can replace butter in baking recipes with unsweetened applesauce by using half of the amount of applesauce as the amount of butter called for in the recipe.

2. Avocado

Replacing a half cup of butter with mashed avocado is also a good substitute for butter. This butter substitute replaces the unhealthy dietary fats (bad fats) in the butter with the healthy monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA). It is preferable to use with bread.

Ingredients

• ½ cup mashed Avocado
• ½ cup Butter

Directions

The directions are same as like the above applesauce alternative.

• Take half cup of Avocado and a half cup of butter in a bowl.
• Mix them well to make a good butter substitute.

3. Canola oil

If you prefer melted butter substitute, then canola oil would be a good choice. Canola oil also noted as rapeseed oil is one of the best oil for heart health.

Further, it has very less saturated fat when compared to other commonly used oils in the U.S. Since it has only 7% of saturated fat, it should be a healthy replacement for butter with low calories.

Moreover, Canola oil is also very high in healthier unsaturated fats such as omega-3 fatty acid and alpha-linolenic acid.

4. Greek Yogurt

Looking for a butter substitute for cookies? You may prefer Greek yogurt to retain the taste of butter with low fats and calories. It is the best butter substitute for baking cookies and cakes.

Usually, Greek yogurt is much thicker than the regular yogurt. So, Greek yogurt is also a good substitute for butter when you like to add some thickness. Due to its thickness, one-quarter cup of Greek yogurt is enough to replace a half cup of butter.

Ingredients

• ½ cup Butter
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt

Directions

• Take ¼ cup of Greek yogurt in a bowl.
• Add ½ cup of Butter in it.
• Blend it well.

Now the healthy substitute for butter for baking cookies is ready to use.

5. Prune puree

What can you substitute for butter? This butter substitute cut downs the unhealthy fats and adds the needed fibre content to your body. It is the low-calorie and low-fat alternative to butter. You can replace the entire butter with prune puree.

It is readily available in baby shops and if time permits, you can also prepare it. This butter substitute is good for baking chocolates.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of prune puree

Directions

• Replace 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of prune puree.

6. Mashed Tofu

What can you substitute for butter with low cost? Mashed Tofu!

Tofu is an excellent source of iron, calcium, amino acids, magnesium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, and other micro-nutrients. When compared to butter, Tofu has 88% less fat and 90% fewer calories. So it should be a healthy substitute for butter.

You can replace half the butter with Mashed tofu.

Ingredients

• ½ cup Butter
• ½ cup Mashed Tofu

Directions

• Take ½ cup of Mashed Tofu in a bowl.
• Add ½ cup of Butter in it.
• Blend it well.

7. Pumpkin Puree

Is pumpkin puree a better alternative to Butter? Yes, it is a good substitute for butter.

Pumpkin is loaded with fibre, vitamins, and minerals. It boosts your immunity and helps the digestive system to digest foods efficiently.

Replace one cup of butter with ¾ cup of pumpkin puree.

8. Olive Oil

Olive is a well-known ingredient for stir-fries and salad dressings. Also, it is also a good butter substitute in baking. If you think about replacing butter with oil, then go for Olive oil.

You can replace 1 cup of butter with ¾ cup of Olive oil. This butter substitute is ideal for mashed potatoes and sauce for pasta. It is also an excellent substitute for any oil used in baking.

9. Nut Butter

Nut butter tastes good and loaded with various nutrients such as potassium, fibre, and healthy fats. You can use nut butter as a perfect topping for a bagel, coffee cakes, and a muffin. It is also an excellent substitute butter substitute for cookies. You can prefer almond or peanut butter.

It adds thickness to the toppings and one of the best butter substitute for muffins.

10. Coconut oil

Can you use coconut oil instead of butter? Coconut oil is a great substitute for butter in baking. It has a lot of health benefits such as heart care, improves memory, boosts immunity, increases the energy, prevents cancer, etc.

One minor drawback in replacing butter with coconut oil is it may slightly change the taste of a dish. If you like to use coconut oil in place of butter, replace it in the 1:1 ratio. i.e Replace 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of coconut oil.

This butter replacement is good for cookies, pancakes, and toast. You can also substitute coconut oil for melted butter.

11. Mashed Banana

Are you wonder about this alternative? Yes, mashed banana can be used as a healthy substitute for butter. Most people have the habit of eating a banana daily. It is fat-less and is the best substitute for butter in baking.

You can substitute 1 cup of Butter with 1 cup of mashed banana.

12. Pureed white beans

The pureed white beans is a better replacement for butter.  It has 98% less fat, 70% less sodium, and 84% fewer calories than salted butter. Also, it is rich in fibre content.

For a healthy butter substitute, replace ½ cup of butter with pureed white beans.

Ingredients

• ½ cup Butter
• ½ cup pureed white beans

Directions

• Take ½ cup of pureed white beans in a bowl.
• Add ½ cup of Butter in it.
• Blend it well.

13. Hummus

A Levantine Arab dip made of chickpea paste with various additions, such as fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini.

Chickpeas are the best butter substitute. Since it is rich in fibre, vitamin, proteins, and manganese. It is a good and healthy butter substitute for baking pita bread and cookies. It is mostly eaten in the Levant.

For 1 cup of butter, substitute 1 cup of Hummus.

14. Margarine

Low-fat margarine is also a great substitute for butter. It contains no saturated fat and good for your heart health. For 1 cup of butter, substitute 1 cup of low-fat margarine.

It is a good alternative for butter since it contains higher levels of healthy unsaturated fats and lower levels of saturated fats.

Note: For a good butter substitute, don’t use diet, stick, whipped, or tub-style margarine.

15. Salted Butter Substitutes

Here are some of the salted butter substitutes.

• For 1 cup of butter, substitute 1 cup shortening and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Substitute 1 cup of butter with 7/8 cup lard and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Replace a cup of butter with 7/8 cup vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

16. Unsalted Butter Substitutes

• For 1 cup unsalted butter, substitute 1 cup shortening, 7/8 cup vegetable oil, or 7/8 cup lard.

In a nutshell,

Butter is one of the principal ingredients for most of the delicious dishes. Due to its high unhealthy fat content, most people would like to know is there any healthy substitute for butter. What is a good substitute for butter? If you need a substitution for butter in cookies, baking, cakes, sauces, pancakes, muffins or brownies, you can try the below butter replacements.

Try one of our many substitutes for both salted and unsalted butter, plus healthy butter substitutes that reduce calories and fat in your favorite recipes.

By using healthy substitutes for butter, you can avoid those fats. At the same time, no compromise in the taste while preparing butter replacements. The substitutes for butter may differ based on what you intend to use them for.  If you find yourself out of butter and need for a healthy butter substitute, then try the above butter alternatives.