How to replace butter: 12 light and healthy alternatives!
Butter is a food widely used in the kitchen for both sweet and savory recipes; However, it has the disadvantage of not being exactly a light ingredient, although it gives a tasty flavor to dishes.
The choice of replacing it with other more delicate and digestible ingredients is becoming more and more widespread nowadays: not only by those who suffer from intolerances, especially lactose, or who struggle to digest it, but also by those who follow a "vegan or more" diet. he simply wants to cook lighter, healthier dishes.
Replacing the butter can be much simpler than you might think: in fact, there are many foods that perform its function and that can guarantee a tasty flavor to the dish without being heavy or not very digestible.
Below we suggest twelve light and effective alternatives to butter to be used in sweet and savory recipes: from the more classic variants to the lactose-free ones, suitable for the intolerant and vegans, up to the more original versions that you would never have thought of!
See also
1. Yogurt
This ingredient is a valid substitute for butter: it is in fact very suitable, especially in desserts.
Its creamy consistency makes it an ideal ingredient for making soft and fluffy desserts, as well as much less caloric and lighter, which is no small feat, especially for those who want to lose weight or want to keep an eye on the line.
Acting as a baking powder, it is ideal especially for plum cakes, muffins and soft cakes.
You can choose any type of yogurt: from cow's milk, of animal origin, to soy up to the Greek one, undoubtedly the thickest and least sweet of all.
Consider that 100g of butter can be replaced by 125g of yogurt.
2. Cream
Whether it is made from cow's or vegetable milk, cream is a very valid alternative to be used for this purpose, especially in sweet preparations.
The first is very similar to yogurt, therefore the same doses indicated above will be maintained: 100 grams of butter correspond to 125 grams of cream.
If you choose the latter, which is considered a perfect vegan alternative, it is advisable to reduce the sugar portions.
3. Ricotta
This ingredient is also an excellent substitute for butter to be used mostly in sweet recipes; it is obviously not a universal choice because it excludes lactose intolerant and vegans, but it allows you to create lighter and tastier recipes. It is also particularly suitable for more humid preparations because, during cooking, it tends to dry the dough.
If, during preparation, you find that you have dried your cake too much, all you have to do is add a glass of milk or an egg.
As for the doses, 100 grams of butter correspond to 120 grams of ricotta.
4. Margarine or vegetable butter
From here, let's start with the vegan options, as they are free of milk and any other ingredient of animal origin.
Among these there is undoubtedly margarine or vegetable butter, which, by virtue of their consistency similar to butter, maintain the same proportions: 100g of butter will in fact correspond to 100g of margarine or vegetable butter
Both are perfect for both a sweet and savory recipe.
5. Extra virgin olive oil
It is one of the healthiest and most used products, which however, due to its marked taste, must be used in smaller quantities than butter: for 100 grams of the latter, only 60 grams are enough.
Precisely by virtue of its intense and decisive taste, it is more suitable for preparing a savory recipe; for sweet ones, on the other hand, it would be better to use an oil with a more neutral flavor such as that of seeds, as we will see shortly.
6. Seed oil
Its neutral flavor, unlike the previous one, makes it a first choice vegan option, to be used above all in sweet preparations, which does not alter the flavor in any way; on the contrary, the use of this ingredient allows you to obtain soft desserts. and soft with a pleasant but delicate taste.
The best seed oils to use are sunflower, corn and peanut oils.
For the portions you have to play slightly to the downside: 100 grams of butter can be replaced by 80 grams of seed oil.
7. Avocado pulp
Its buttery texture and delicate taste make it an excellent alternative, both for sweet and savory preparations.
In particular, it is ideal for making donuts, biscuits and tarts of various types.
To use it effectively and get the right consistency, just mash the pulp with a fork or blend it with a blender. If it is not ripe, opt for the second mode, taking care to add a spoonful of water to facilitate the process and obtain a softer mixture.
60 grams of avocado pulp will be enough to replace the classic 100 grams of butter.
8. Blended banana pulp
This ingredient has more or less the same consistency as the previous one, and is perfect for making sweet recipes.
In general, we can say that fruit puree is more than suitable for this purpose: in addition to banana, apple is also excellent.
They are always used in equal measure with respect to butter: 100 gr per 100 gr.
9. Peanut Butter
To replace the butter you can also use peanut butter, excellent in particular for desserts, especially the harder ones, such as biscuits and American chocolate cookies.
Having a very thick consistency, it is advisable to heat it in a double boiler before combining it with all the other ingredients. Furthermore, it would be good to avoid using it for cakes and plumcakes, much softer recipes, which require more delicate products such as sunflower oil.
60 grams of peanut butter will replace 100 grams of butter.
10. Cocoa butter
A real vegetable butter that can replace the classic butter in all its many uses: in the oven, in a pan, for frying, whipping and buttering the molds.
It is used with great success to prepare puff pastry or shortcrust pastry or to make tasty chocolate desserts.
80 grams per 100 grams of butter will suffice.
11. Dried fruit cream
Dried fruit, such as almonds, cashews, peanuts and hazelnuts, make it possible to obtain very thick spreads, which are well suited as effective substitutes for butter.
They can also be prepared at home: it will be enough to toast and then blend the ingredients, so as to obtain a mixture with a consistency similar to butter.
The doses to be used will be the same as those of butter.
12. Sesame cream
The sesame cream, or thain, is excellent if you want to make a savory recipe.
However, it has a rather marked taste, therefore it is advisable to replace 100 grams of butter with 50 grams of tahini and 50 ml of oil.
It can be easily prepared at home, by toasting the sesame and blending it in the mixer, always making sure to add a little extra virgin olive oil in order to obtain a smoother and more homogeneous mixture.
