Applesauce Muffins - The BEST Healthy Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What makes a muffin healthy or unhealthy? ›

Signs of a healthy muffin recipe are whole-food ingredients like fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, eggs, and low-fat milk and yogurt (or a dairy-free alternative). Fats from plant-based oils or moderate amounts of butter can be incorporated into a muffin recipe — remember, you are making 12 servings.

If you're looking to make some of your favorite baked goods a wee bit healthier or vegan, applesauce is your magical friend! Applesauce can be used as a substitute for oil, butter, or eggs, and still give you delicious baked treats.

While you can substitute applesauce in place of granulated sugar, there are some things to be cautious of. Like butter and oil, you can substitute applesauce and sugar in a 1:1 ratio. However, sugar is a dry ingredient and applesauce is a wet ingredient, so you will have to cut back on other wet ingredients.

Other options can deliver moisture and sweetness to the mix when you don't have applesauce on hand for your cake. Plant-based yogurt, fruit puree, and even mashed banana are all viable substitutes that can be used in place of applesauce.

Now muffins aren't all bad. These things are only unhealthy if eaten on a regular basis. If every so often you want a muffin for breakfast or a snack, that's no big deal. When you grab a bakery muffin for breakfast daily, that's when you increase your risk for unwanted weight gain and other health issues.

Want to Substitute Butter and Eggs For Applesauce When Baking? Here's How. When you're trying to eat healthy, baking at home may seem out of the question because of all the fat, calories, and cholesterol found in the oil, butter, and eggs. But luckily, applesauce works as a substitute for all three.

Mashed bananas can be used as a substitute for oil or applesauce. Mashed sweet potatoes can also work when substituting applesauce in baking. You may want to add slightly less banana or sweet potato and add a little more water so the consistency will be similar to applesauce.

The soluble fiber in applesauce, in the form of pectin, can be helpful in treating digestive issues, such as diarrhea and constipation. It can help to neutralize the effects of irritable bowel syndrome. Pectin also acts as a prebiotic, which feeds good gut bacteria and promotes good digestive health.

You can substitute unsweetened applesauce for sugar in a 1:1 ratio in recipes, but you must reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe. Typically, reducing the liquid (milk, water, etc.) by ¹⁄₄ cup will do the trick. If there is no added liquid, there's no need to adjust.

How does applesauce affect blood sugar? ›

Processed fruits like applesauce and canned fruit in syrup or juice often have more carbs and can raise your blood sugar higher than fresh fruits. When you eat dried or processed fruit, check the label. Many have added sugar, and serving sizes can be very small. Go easy on the fruit juice.

Unsweetened applesauce plays the same role as butter or oil in your bake. Applesauce acts much like the fat. It keeps the flour protein from mixing completely with the wet ingredients and forming a rubbery, dense texture. This is what does applesauce do in baking.

On the flip side, if your recipe calls for applesauce as a source of moisture, then fat-heavy substitutes like yogurt or sour cream that can make your final product rich and moist will work well.

Some muffins can be high in sugar, fat, and calories, which can contribute to weight gain and other health problems if consumed in excess. However, there are also healthier muffin options that can provide beneficial nutrients and fit into a balanced diet in moderation.

Cupcake recipes generally contain much higher levels of sugar and fat. This makes cupcakes sweeter, and juicier with finer crumbs. Muffins usually have fruit, nuts, and other ingredients mixed into the batter to compensate. Because of this, muffins are usually considered healthier than cupcakes.

Blueberry Muffins. If you buy a blueberry muffin at a coffee shop, you'll likely be buying a muffin that weighs 5 ounces, contains 450 calories, and is made with refined flour and lots of added sugar (see for yourself).