Written by Abby Gelineau, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Dietetic Intern
Updated: December 26, 2024
Applesauce is the perfect side to any meal and a great way to get in a little fruit. It’s a perfect snack or lunch side for kids and is commonly used in lots of different ways as a topping for meat such as pork chops or ribs. However, did you know that applesauce can also be used in baking as a fat substitute?
You can use it in place of oil or butter in a 1:1 ratio (i.e., if the recipe calls for 4 Tbsp oil, use 4 Tbsp applesauce).(1) You can even replace some of the eggs in your recipes by using ¼ cup applesauce per 1 egg required.(1) It is not recommended to replace all of your oil, butter, or eggs in your recipe because it will make your recipes denser, and pectin (the binding agent in applesauce) does not replace milk proteins or egg proteins perfectly. However, substituting part of the recipe ingredients with applesauce can still be a way to reduce the fat content, while providing a little bit of fiber.(1)
Speaking of pectin…what even is that? Pectin is a fiber found in many fruits such as apples, and it can provide structure to the fruit and changes during the ripening process.(2) Pectin has been researched and found to have potential impacts on many different health diseases/conditions including gut health, insulin, cholesterol, and cancer.(2) Since pectin is a form of dietary fiber, it can act like a prebiotic, feeding the bacteria in the gut to help strengthen the function of the microbiome.(2,3) So, next time, try adding some applesauce to your recipes to boost some of the
nutritional quality of your baked goods!
Banana Bread
By Motts®
What You Need:
- ½ cup Mott’s® No Sugar Added Applesauce Apple
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 4 (2 cups) ripe medium bananas, mashed
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
What You Do:
- Preheat oven to 375°. Spray 8½x4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and allspice.
- In medium bowl, whisk together bananas, sugar, applesauce, egg whites, oil, and vanilla.
- Bake 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes.
- Invert onto wire rack. Turn right side up. Cool completely.
References
1. ABCs of Baking: A for Applesauce. Milk Jar Cookies. December 1, 2021. Accessed December 23, 2024. https://milkjarcookies.com/blogs/news/abcs-of-
baking-a-for-applesauce
2. Lara-Espinoza C, Carvajal-Millán E, Balandrán-Quintana R, López-Franco Y, Rascón-Chu A. Pectin and Pectin-Based Composite Materials: Beyond Food
Texture. Molecules. 2018;23(4):942. doi:10.3390/molecules23040942
3. The Potential of Pectins to Modulate the Human Gut Microbiota Evaluated by In Vitro Fermentation: A Systematic Review – PMC. Accessed December 23,
2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9460662/#sec1-nutrients-14-
03629
4. Banana Bread. Mott’s®. Accessed December 23, 2024. https://www.motts.com/recipes/banana-bread
