Like most kitchen ingredients, applesauce can be substituted, depending on what you are making and what the purpose of applesauce in the recipe. Is it for the sweetness, to acquire acidity,the freshness, the flavour or the nice texture?
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Unsweetened Apple sauce
It is best described as a dessert made of stewed apples. It is common in North America. It can be made from either peeled or unpeeled apples and no specific variety of apple is used in making unsweetened apple sauce. Unsweetened applesauce has fewer calories, no fat, lots of vitamin C and rich in fibre. It has a higher content of the helpful nutrients and has a lower content of the bad stuff. This is why it is popularly used in baking as a substitute for oil, this is done to lower the fat and calories of baked goods.
Substituting Unsweetened Apple sauce
Yogurt
Plain yogurt can be used as a substitute for unsweetened apple sauce especially in baking recipes. Where unsweetened apple sauce is required, use non-fat plain yogurt instead and you won’t even realise a change. If you are out of non-fat plain yogurt, the flavoured yogurt will do, it doesn’t taste of the flavour.You need to remember not to add sugar when using the alternative ingredient, just as you would not have added sugar with the unsweetened apple sauce. With yogurt, the baked products might become unnoticeably denser. When adding your yogurt, make sure to fold it not beat or whip it as it might cause the yogurt to separate. Also remember to play away from aluminium when using yogurt as these two react.
Oil
Unsweetened applesauce can be substituted with oil. If it’s the good texture it offers that you want to achieve then oil is the perfect unsweetened applesauce substitute. Oil does not only influence the texture but it also saves and brings along the calories and fat you do not get when you use unsweetened applesauce. Oil is actually a good substitute if you are not watching your weight. With oil, never try replacing 1 cup of oil for 1 cup of applesauce or else you won’t get good results. Unlike applesauce, oil contains no water. Try using half the amount, half a cup of oil for a full cup of unsweetened applesauce. Oil also turns your baked goods heavier when the wrong measurements are used.
Pumpkin puree
Most people mistake pumpkin puree to pumpkin pie filling, take-note the puree that can perfectly substitute unsweetened applesauce. The pumpkin pie fillings are not a good fit as they are pre-seasoned and instead of complementing the unsweetened apple sauce, they will bring out a totally different taste and flavour to the desired one. Pumpkin puree replaces unsweetened apple sauce at a 1:1 ratio. Be informed, if you have used pumpkin puree as a substitute for unsweetened apple sauce in a baking recipe, you will need to be on alert as pumpkin puree takes a little longer to bake.
Bananas
Bananas are a common ingredient in baking especially in making a banana bread. If you are out of unsweetened apple sauce, alternatively you can use bananas. Though bananas are a good unsweetened apple sauce substitute, they need to be handled carefully in this regard; one banana is equivalent to half cup of unsweetened apple sauce. You need to mash your banana well before mixing it into your dough. Bananas bake fast, hence you will have to keep a close eye on the even so that you don’t burn your food.
Silken tofu
Tofu might not be the first thing you think of when considering substitutes for unsweetened apple sauce but it fits in perfectly as a substitute. Silken tofu is not hard like other types of tofu. It is easy to substitute as it can be used at a ratio of 1:1 (one cup of silken tofu for one cup of unsweetened apple sauce). However, silken tofu causes the baked goodies to be nicely-dense; banana bread dense.
Fruit and berry puree
If you don’t have the already mentioned substitutes but you have berry purees or any fruit puree, that is substitute enough. The ratio to use when replacing fruit and berry puree for unsweetened applesauce is one is to half, meaning half a cup of fruit and berry puree is equivalent to a cup of unsweetened applesauce. By fruit puree we are referring to any fruit puree you have, be it pureed pears, raspberry or prunes. You can actually pair the fruit puree with whatever you intend to bake, for example, a prune puree can go well with muffins. Mango puree also works well though it will offer a different flavour that might be noticeable where applesauce isn’t.
Apples
The quickest and easiest substitute there is has to be apples. If you own a food processor and apples, substituting unsweetened applesauce must be easy for you. Place your apple in the food processor even when you haven’t peeled it. Add nothing to it, then it will function just like applesauce.
Pears
Pureed pears have already been mentioned, but there is another way to go about substituting unsweetened applesauce with pears. You might be practising a special diet which requires you to avoid apples, worry not. Get a can of pears, drain out the syrup in which your pears are packed. Use an immersion blender to puree your pears mixed with water then use the pear sauce.
Sweet potato
As far as the sweetness of unsweetened applesauce is concerned, a sweet potato makes a good substitute.Cook your sweet potato, peel it then mash it till it is soft and without clumps. Use half a cup of mashed sweet potato where a full cup of apple sauce is required. If you use more sweet potato your goodies may turn outdenser than desired. When using sweet potato as a replacement, you might also want to add more water to maintain the consistency acquired when apple sauce is used.
Squash
This is the most unlikely substitute for unsweetened applesauce. Vegetable purees like squash puree can be used to replace unsweetened sauce, as they have that rightful sweetness. When replacing with squash puree, you use a three quarter cup of squash puree where a full cup of unsweetened applesauce is needed. Using squash puree as a replacement is beneficial as it is in some way, it incorporates veggies into yours favourite baked goods.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise makes a good substitute as it contains both oil and eggs so once mayonnaise is used there will be no use adding oil and eggs to the recipe, or you can use less of the latter. One third cup of mayonnaise substitutes a cup full of unsweetened applesauce. Mayonnaise makes baked goodies as moist as an applesauce would. When using mayonnaise as an alternative, add a little vinegar as a way of enhancing the desired flavour.
Nut butters
It is well possible to use applesauce in lieu with peanut butter, it is a healthier substitute actually. Peanut butter adds proteins, fibre, calcium and iron to the dish. Using peanut butter as an unsweetened applesauce substitute can be quite challenging. You need to mix equal parts of oil and peanut butter until combined then use a cup of it to substitute a cup of unsweetened applesauce.
Avocado
Choose the avocado which are very ripe and mash them until they reach a smooth texture, then use the mash to substitute your unsweetened applesauce. Use a 1:1 ratio for the substitute to work well. When avocadoes are used, a noticeable change in texture will be discovered in the baked goodies.
Remember, though there is a wide range of things you can use as substitutes of applesauce, some might not work with the flavour profile you will be intending to get.