Original Ingredient | Substitution |
Baking chocolate, unsweetened | 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or carob powder plus 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or soft margarine Tip: Since carob is sweeter than cocoa, reduce the sugar in the recipe by 25% when using this substitute |
Butter, margarine, shortening, oils in baked goods | Reduce amount of fat in recipe by 1/3 When appropriate use an canola oil for solid fat (3/4 cup canola oil = 1 cup of solid fat) Applesauce or prune puree for the amount of butter, shortening, or oil Butter spreads or shortenings specially formulated for baking, trans-fat free (Country Crock® Baking Sticks, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® All Purpose Sticks, or Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks) Tip: To avoid soggy or flat baked goods, don’t use diet, whipped or tub margarine for regular margarine |
Chocolate chips | Reduce the amount by ½ and use mini chocolate chips to help spread the chips throughout the recipe |
Egg | Replace 2 egg whites for 1 egg ¼ cup of egg substitute for 1 egg 1 Tablespoon flax meal or chia seed + 3 Tablespoons hot water (Stir to combine and let stand for about 10 minutes or until thick) |
Flour for baking | Whole wheat flour for half of the called for flour White whole wheat flour (read package for directions) |
Sugar | Reduce amount by 1/4 or 1/3 for baked items Use a sugar substitute such as Truvía® Baking Blend or SPLENDA® sugar blend (follow directions on package for the amount to use) |
Tip: For best results, do not make more than 2 changes to recipes for baked good |
Ingredient | Substitution |
Buttermilk | Low fat buttermilk Powdered buttermilk Add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of low fat milk.Stir to combine and then let stand for 10-15 minutes until mixture begins to curdle |
Cheese, sliced or shredded | Reduced fat, fat free, or light Use a stronger flavored cheese, like sharp cheddar, but use ½ the amount Use dairy-free cheese like Daiya®, Go Veggie!® or SoDelicious® |
Cream | Fat free half and half Evaporated skim milk |
Cream Cheese | Fat free or low fat/Neufchâtel cream cheese Greek cream cheese (made with Greek yogurt) |
Cream, whipped | Fat free or low fat whipped topping |
Ice cream or Frozen yogurt | Fat free or low fat Sugar free or no sugar added Sherbet Specialty ice creams such as Halo Top®, Chilly Cow®, Moophoria by Ben and Jerry’s® |
Milk Milk, evaporated Milk, sweetened condensed | Nonfat (skim) or 1% milk Fat free, evaporated Fat free or low fat, sweetened condensed |
Sour Cream | Fat free or low fat Plain regular or Greek yogurt, fat free or low fat Blended cottage cheese, fat free or low fat |
Ingredient | Substitution |
Bacon | Lower sodium bacon Turkey bacon Vegetarian bacon (MorningStar Farms® Veggie Bacon Strips) Canadian bacon Smoked turkey Lean prosciutto (Italian ham) |
Butter, margarine, shortening, oils in cooking | Canola or olive oil Cooking spray or water |
Mayonnaise | Fat free, low fat, reduced fat, or light |
Salad dressing | Balsamic vinegar or flavored vinegars Low fat vinaigrettes Low fat or fat free |
Ingredient | Substitution |
Beef and pork | Lean cuts (flank, round, loin) Trim visible fat Reduce portion size |
Chicken and turkey | Remove skin before cooking White meat more than dark Ground turkey or chicken breast at least 90% lean, extra lean or white meat Soy Chik’n Nuggets® Lightly breaded chicken breast (Perdue® Simply Smart®) |
Ground beef | At least 90% lean beef Brown, drain, rinse before adding to recipe Ground turkey or chicken breast at least 90% lean, extra lean or white meat |
Tip: Replace some meat in soups or casseroles with beans or lentils |
Ingredient | Substitution |
Fruit, canned in heavy syrup | Canned fruit in light syrup or natural juice Rinse fruit with water Fresh or frozen unsweetened fruit |
Gelatin or pudding mixes | Sugar free gelatin Sugar free and fat free pudding Make pudding with nonfat (skim) milk |
Soups or broth | Lower fat and no salt added soups and broth |
Syrup | Lower calorie, sugar-free syrup Pureed unsweetened fruit |
Vegetables, canned | No salt added canned vegetables Rinse canned vegetables Fresh or frozen |
Ingredient | Substitution |
MSG “Accent®” | Eliminate |
Salt | Eliminate except for yeast breads Reduce the amount Herbs, spices, or salt-free seasoning mixes or herb blends |
Seasoned salts (garlic, onion, celery) | Fresh ingredients Powdered seasonings |
Soy sauce | Less sodium soy sauce |
Tip: Flavor foods with juices, vinegars, citrus zest or strongly flavored vegetables, such as onion or garlic |
Ingredient | Substitution |
Sautéing | Use a nonstick skillet. Less or no oil is required to prevent sticking Use a nonstick cooking spray instead of butter, margarine, oil or shortening Sauté foods in a small amount of wine, broth or juice instead of using fat or oil |
Deep Frying | Bake, broil, grill, roast or stew instead |
Pan Frying | Remove fat from cooked ground meat by draining in a colander or using paper towel to soak up grease |
Baking | Place meat on a rack while cooking so grease will drain off |
American Heart Association. Web. 12 Feb. 2019. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/cooking-skills/cooking/smart-substitutions-to-eat-healthy
“Cooking Tips for Weight Management.” Nutrition Care Manual. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Web. 12 Feb. 2019. http://www.nutritioncaremanual.org/vault/2440/web/files/CookingTipsWeightMgmt.pdf
“Your Guide to Healthy Ingredient Substitutions.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 26 July 2016, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/healthy-recipes/art-20047195