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All out of applesauce? Here’s the best applesauce substitute to use in recipes like pancakes, cookies, quick breads, and more.
Applesauce is often used as a replacement for oil in baked goods like quick breads, pancakes, and cookies. Why? It can replace the moisture without the fat, yielding lower calorie and super moist baked goods.
Are you making a recipe that calls for applesauce and don’t have any? As a cookbook author, are my tricks you can use to save your recipe.
Best Applesauce Substitute
Before you pick a substitute, figure out the job the applesauce is performing in the recipe. In most baking recipes it’s either: adding moisture, standing in for oil or butter, or binding things together in place of eggs.
1. Mashed banana
The best applesauce substitute? Mashed ripe banana! Banana has a similar moisture content and fiber content to applesauce. You can use it as a 1 for 1 substitute. Remember that it will add a subtle banana flavor, but this may or may not be perceptible depending on the other flavors in the recipe.
2. Pumpkin puree
Another good applesauce substitute? Pumpkin puree. Just like mashed banana, pumpkin is a fruit puree (yes, pumpkin is a fruit!). Grab a can from the back of your pantry for this substitution. Use pumpkin as a 1 for 1 substitute for applesauce. You may want to add a tablespoon or so sugar to mimic the sweetness of applesauce.
3. Make homemade applesauce
If you don’t have applesauce but have apples and time on your hands…you can make your own applesauce! It’s easy to make and you can make a half or quarter batch depending on the amount of apples you have on hand. Try Stovetop Applesauce (45 minutes) or Instant Pot Applesauce (25 minutes).
4. Greek yogurt or sour cream.
You can use Greek yogurt as a 1:1 swap that adds moisture and tenderness. This is great for things like spice cake or banana bread.
5. Pureed pear
If you happen to have canned pears on hand, blend them in the blender and use as a 1:1 substitution.
6. Mashed sweet potato
You can also use a cooked and mashed sweet potato (try the microwave). Use 1:1, but you may have to add some liquid to it to make sure it is a loose consistency like applesauce. It’s denser so it’s best in muffins and quick breads, not cakes.
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