Butter Substitutes

Tap to Read ➤ Girija Shinde

Butter is one of the most important and popular components of many tasty food recipes. Though it is very delicious, it also contains loads of calories. So, to cut down on calories, read more to know its healthier alternatives.

Butter is a vital part of our daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as supper. How can the day begin without brown bread (diet conscious, you see!) with two thickly laid layers of butter?

Diet-conscious people conveniently forget about the calories in butter, when they will opt for brown bread instead of normal bread. One of the major reasons for it is that, no one thinks that anything can actually replace butter, in taste and form. But this is not true.

There are a number of alternatives, which can be a good replacement in calories, but not in taste. Read on and you will find not just one butter substitute, but many, so you can choose any that suits your taste.

The Alternatives

As stated earlier, there are many alternatives for butter, but you should choose according to your requirements, as different substitutes taste better with certain ingredients only.

Margarine

Margarine is one of the oldest butter substitutes, mainly because it tastes a bit like butter. It does not contain cholesterol, polyunsaturated fats, and monounsaturated fat, which makes it healthier than butter.

One should select margarine very carefully, as some of it may contain such ingredients that may be doubly harmful! Margarine which contains the least amount of trans fat, is the healthiest. It can also be used for making cookies.

Light or Whipped Butter

Whipped or light butter is a low-fat version of butter, and hence, contains less calories. It also tastes like butter, so you don't have to miss your favorite food!

Coconut Butter

It does not taste like butter at all, but it is much healthier than it. It might be difficult initially to adjust to the taste, but it is quite healthy and also tasty, so why not give it a try! Another advantage of coconut butter is that, you can add it to almost any recipe!

Fruit Purees

Fruit purees can replace butter for certain recipes. Homemade apple sauce can work in baking, specially in case of sweet recipes. It adds sweetness to the recipe, so, you can easily cut down the amount of sugar.

Purees of other fruits like pineapple, banana, etc., can also be used. Half a cup of fruit puree is a sufficient substitute for one cup of butter.

Vegetable Oil Spreads

Vegetable oil spreads can work as a butter substitute for baking and for bread topping or other food toppings, muffins, crackers, etc. It contains very less calories. But, see to it that the spreads contain 50% less oil if you are cooking something like pastas or any cheese dish, because of the high moisture content in these foodstuff.

Olive Oil

One cannot easily imagine olive oil to be a replacement of butter. But, it is a fact that olive oil is one of the best alternatives. Olive oil can be a good replacement when used to toast bread.

Olive oil is healthier as it contains monounsaturated fats which help reduce the low-density lipo-protein level in the human body. Though olive oil is not a low calorie oil, research has shown that regular intake can help reduce weight, as it breaks down the stored fat in the body. You can make an olive oil dip for bread by adding certain spices to it.

Few other things like soy spreads, hummus, cooking oil, safflower oil, and nutritional yeast can also be used. So, with so many butter substitutes at hand, you can start preparing all those delicious dishes which were kept at bay, due to the fear of cholesterol and calories!