Butter is a food widely used in the kitchen for the preparation of various savory and sweet recipes, but if you follow a vegan diet, or if you are lactose intolerant, you might want to replace it. For some people, butter is really essential for the preparation of some recipes, but that’s not always true.
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Let’s discover the alternative ingredients to butter!
Butter is a food of animal origin that derives from the centrifugation of cream but then is subjected to other processes. Unlike oil, butter contains cholesterol, so those with hypercholesterolemia should limit their consumption.
The butter still contains antioxidants, but the quantity depends on the diet of the animal from which the milk is obtained. It contains vitamins A and D and not only calcium and magnesium, but also cholesterol as already mentioned.
It can be included in the diet, but like some foods you must be careful, you must not exceed the quantities. In the case of particular pathologies, always ask for medical advice.
But how can you substitute butter for the preparation of different recipes?
You can replace butter with different ingredients in the kitchen, 10 alternative ingredients. Let’s find out which ones!
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1- Yogurt: a valid substitute when you have to prepare desserts such as muffins, plumcakes, and cakes, it will surely have a lower caloric intake. You can opt for the Greek one, white and lean, it has a creamy consistency, so it lends itself very well to sweet preparations. Yogurt is a valid alternative especially if you care about your figure. The quantity is for every 100 g of butter you need 125 grams of yogurt.
2-Ricotta cheese: a perfect dairy product you have to prepare sweet recipes, especially the more humid ones because when cooking in the oven, the ricotta cheese could dry out the dough. Certainly not very suitable as yogurt in case of lactose intolerances. About 120 g of ricotta cheese is needed for every 100 g of butter, then if during preparation, you notice that the dough is too dry, add a little milk.
3- Cream: it is the most used because it is best known. The cream has a fat component that resembles butter, which is why you can use it for soft desserts. Even during the preparation of the dough, the cream lends itself very well and blends well with the rest of the ingredients. The recommended amount is around 125g per 100g of butter. In the case of gluten intolerance, you can choose vegetable cream, perhaps decrease with the amount of sugar.
4- Margarine: perfect for a vegan diet, as it does not contain milk and ingredients of animal origin. It has a firm consistency like butter, it takes about 100 g of margarine per 100 g of butter. Margarine is recommended for both savory and sweet preparations.
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5- Extra virgin olive oil: it is a completely natural oil, which comes from the direct pressing of the olives, without the addition of technological aids and chemical substances such as solvents. It is a condiment that is defined as “functional food” and is a real food scent, which other oils do not have, functional as it has beneficial and protective properties for the body, only if included in a healthy and balanced diet.
A wise choice as a substitute for butter is delicate and healthy. But since it has a strong taste, it is advisable to put it in a smaller quantity, for 100 g of butter you need about 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil. It is advisable to add one with a delicate and not too strong taste to prevent it from altering the flavor of the recipe. You can substitute for both savory and sweet recipes.
6- Seed oil: both peanut and seed oil is fine. Compared to extra virgin olive oil, seed oils do not have a strong flavor. It is recommended in case of sweet recipes, indeed it makes them even softer. About 80 g of oil is enough for 100 g of butter.
7- Cocoa butter: it is a butter of vegetable origin, which is used in the kitchen both as ingredients for the preparation of sweet and savory recipes, but also for buttering trays and pans. It can also be used to prepare shortcrust and puff pastry. Approximately 8o g of cocoa butter is needed per 100 grams of butter.
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8- Dried fruit cream: it refers to peanut butter and not only almonds and hazelnuts. The cream prepared with dried fruit, allows you to obtain very thick spreadable creams, you can use them as a substitute for butter. For example, peanut butter lends itself very well in case you need to prepare cookies, but since it is very dense, you can heat it in a double boiler and then add it to the remaining ingredients. But it is not recommended in the case of cakes, muffins, and plumcakes or any recipe for very soft desserts, because seed oil is better. It takes about 60 grams of peanut butter per 100 grams of butter.
9- Sesame cream: it is recommended in case of savory preparations, it takes about 50 grams added to 50 grams of oil to replace about 100 grams of butter. If you have never prepared it, you can proceed in this way, but the sesame in a hot non-stick pan and toast it, then blend it in the mixer, adding a little extra virgin olive oil, stop when you get a smooth mixture and homogeneous.
10-Blended banana pulp: it has excellent consistency, which you can only use for the preparation of sweet recipes. 100 g of pulp is needed for 100 g of butter. You can choose the one you prefer, the choice is yours!