You can also melt some shortening and use it as a substitute. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently Buttermilk can also work as an oil substitute, but you should mix about three quarters of buttermilk with one quarter of melted butter before subbing it into your batter. In Baking, what is a Good Vegetable Oil Substitute. We like Greek yogurt as a substitute if health is your main priority--plus, yogurt adds natural probiotics! It doesn’t have much flavor and can easily make muffins, cakes, pancakes, or brownies, to name just a few, lower in fat but still moist and delicious. Cornstarch. It seems like I always find myself out of vegetable oil when I need it. It is best to puree or mash your own fruit so you can ensure you aren't adding any other ingredients to the recipe. Measure it just as you would the oil. For baked goods, the most popular oil substitute is applesauce. I can't imagine thick water as an acceptable substitute. I'll add a little butter since I have it in the house. Remember that completely eliminating oil from the recipe might not give it the … What other substitutes can I use? If you batter looks too dry or thin after mixing, add more nonfat yogurt gradually until you achieve the desired consistency. Baked goods may not be as fluffy, and they may be darker in color. When substituting oil for nonfat buttermilk in a recipe you will use 75 percent the amount of buttermilk as you would oil. These may have a stronger flavor in certain baked goods, but in baked items with lots of other strong flavors, pumpkin may not be quite as detectable. Just about any fruit puree will make an acceptable oil substitute in baking. Bananas can be used as an oil substitute. Pureed or mashed fruit can be used to replace oil when baking, The ratio for replacing an oil with a fruit puree is one to one, so you can substitute 1 cup of fruit puree for 1 cup of oil. If you wish to use a fruit that is already pureed, read the label to check that it does not contain anything other than the fruit in question. You can choose from a variety of ingredients to replace oil when you are baking. Butter is made up of 80 percent milk fat, while the other 20 percent consists of water and milk solids. Hillary Marshall has been writing professionally since 2006. Again, swap in the pureed pears for half the oil called for. Mayonnaise is also a great substitution. But for those of us interested in lowering calories or cholesterol in the diet, using too much cooking oil can be unattractive. It gives your food a nice, rich taste. I hate to be a naysayer, but there simply is not substitute for using cooking oil in a recipe. Yogurt is made when milk that is invaded by friendly bacteria is fermented and coagulated. Marshall studied early childhood education at the Stratford Career Institute. Of course you can use switch to oils high in monounsaturated fats (good fats). Some of the winter squash variants can be a good substitutes for oil. Mashed apples, bananas, prunes, pears, peaches and apricots are acceptable replacements for oil in baking. contributor for many years. Unless otherwise specified, use unsalted butter, because salted butter may alter the flavor of your baked goods. Another oil substitute alternative is called thick water. For instance, choosing canola oil over vegetable oil will lower saturated fat in your diet. The goal is moderation and choosing lower fat oils with good types of cholesterol. When substituting nonfat yogurt for oil in baking, it is best to use a unsweetened variety so you don't alter the flavor, or add any sugar. It can impart firmness and retain a certain amount of moisture, and it may be a better substitute for things like salad dressings, where what you’re really looking for is to add thickness. This is a combination of cornstarch and water, which is heated to a certain thickness degree and then cooled before using. Cornstarch also works as an oil substitute when you are baking. Instead of adding oil, use applesauce in one-half the amount of the oil called for in the recipe. medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. "Secrets of Fat-Free Baking"; Sandra L. Woodruff; 1994, Food Your Way: Oil Substitutions for Baking, Diana's Desserts: Tips-Ingredient Substitution, "Baking 9-1-1: Rescue from Recipe Disasters; Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Baking Questions; 40 Recipes for Every Baker"; Sarah Phillips; 2003, A Web Experience brought to you by LEAFtv. It is healthy and it gives food a great taste. Cooking oil of any type is especially helpful in baked goods, since it helps to bind ingredients together and keeps baked goods moist. This is why applesauce is often preferred. Keep track of what a serving size really is, and add oil in lower amounts. However, you need to carefully consider the item you are baking, because the substitute ingredient may alter the flavor. You can use pumpkin, which will act as the best one. However, it is usually a very low amount, and will keep things from sticking. No, for me, it's either a lower fat oil, or none at all. Bananas don’t even need to be cooked and you can make excellent banana bread without using any type of oil or shortening.