How To Substitute Applesauce Into Your Recipe

Nothing beats the feeling of tackling the recipe for a new baked good and being able to share it with your friends and family. But if there are any health concerns or allergies, choosing a recipe can be a little tricky. 

Fortunately, you can substitute applesauce into your recipe instead of using eggs, oil, or butter, resulting in baked goods everyone can enjoy safely. 

Unsweetened applesauce is the best choice when you're using it as a substitute, as it won't add too much additional sweetness to your recipe (skip the kind with cinnamon, too, so what you're using has a neutral flavor). Keep a jar in your fridge, and you can use that applesauce as a substitute for eggs, oil, and butter whenever you bake. 

In recipes where egg acts as a binder (not a leavening agent), you can use applesauce as a substitute for the egg. This is a healthy substitution for people who are watching their cholesterol, those with egg allergies, and people who just don't eat eggs, such as vegans. 

For every egg your recipe calls for, try using 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce instead, suggests Lifehacker. 

Sometimes using fruit purée instead of egg can make your baked goods come out a little denser than usual, so you can add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to help give it the same light texture, according to Peta. 

If you're trying to cut down on the amount of fat in your diet, or if you're cooking for a vegan or someone who is lactose intolerant who doesn't eat butter, then applesauce is your friend. 

When baking, you can replace the butter in your recipe with half the same amount called for of applesauce. For instance, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, replace it with 1/2 cup of applesauce, suggests MyRecipes. This can, however, affect the texture of your baked goods. If you're making a substitution for health reasons but want your baked good to have the same texture you're accustomed to, you can still reduce the fat and cholesterol in your recipe by replacing just half of the butter with applesauce (per Cupcake Project). 

You can also use applesauce as a substitute for oil. Oil acts as both a binder and helps keep your baked goods moist, which applesauce can also do (per Bob's Red Mill). Use a one-to-one substitute of applesauce for oil — for example, if your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil, replace that with 1/2 cup of applesauce.