How To Make Almost Any Recipe Clean
Ever wonder how to make a not-so-clean recipe, clean?
No, you don’t scrub it with a brush. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that (really bad) joke!
I firmly believe that most recipes can be converted to a clean eating plan with a little experimentation and some elbow grease. So if you’d like to take a crack at it with one of your favorite recipes, here are some basic guidelines for making those healthy and clean substitutions.
If you would like any help with substituting a particular ingredient, please leave a comment and I’ll see if I can help. And here’s how to make (almost) any recipe clean.
THAT AWFUL WHITE STUFF
Sugar is pretty easy to substitute if you have a kitchen scale. Simply weigh the amount of sugar called for in a recipe, and then use that same weight in any natural liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup. (Don’t try to substitute by volume. 1 cup of sugar does NOT equal 1 cup of honey.) Check out my Sugar Substitution Chart for substituting different types of sugars. Coconut sugar and sucanat are also good substitutes, though I rarely cook with them.
THINK BROWN SUGAR IS A HEALTHIER OPTION? THINK AGAIN!
Brown sugar is simply white sugar with molasses added. Need to find a substitute? Follow the directions above for weighing. Once you have the weight, use 3/4 honey and approximately 1/16 molasses to get a flavor that is close to the real stuff. If you want a dry version, try sucanat. It has a mild, brown sugar flavor.
WHAT ABOUT OIL?
- In cooking or “frying” – if your recipe calls for more oil than you’d like to use, start with 1 tbsp. olive or safflower oil and replace the rest with plenty of chicken broth and a non-stick pot or pan.
- In baking – use 3/4 cup apple sauce (no sugar added), and 1/4 cup fruit purée (like pumpkin or banana) for each cup of oil. But be sure to add extra spices and extracts, as there is then little or no fat to enhance the flavor of what you are baking. Typically, 1 extra tsp. of extract or spices will do nicely. Watch your baking times closely as low-fat/non fat items turn from raw to dry very quickly when in the oven.
THE OTHER WHITE STUFF
White flour is not only used for baking, but also for thickening sauces and other culinary uses. If the texture of your recipe depends on the flour (like in baking), then stick to whole wheat pastry flour. If not, experiment with the myriad of whole grain flours found in your local health food store. It’ll be a very tasty adventure!
LITTLE GLOBES OF PROTEIN
As much as I love eggs, I know lots of folks can’t eat them. I found a fabulous source for all kinds of ways to replace eggs, either the whole egg or just the whites or yolks. Check it out here.
WHAT ABOUT GLUTEN?
This is such an involved subject that it would take me a whole other blog to cover it. So instead, I’ll send you to the expert: Elana’s Pantry. Her tips are excellent.
OTHER SUBSTITUTIONS?
If you are wondering about something not listed here, leave a comment below. I’d also love to know what substitutions you use to keep YOUR cooking and baking clean!
Article is an original work and is © Tiffany McCauley. It may not be reproduced for any reason without written permission by the author.
I know white processed sugar isn’t any good but is unrefined cane sugar ok? Also I was looking into alternative pastas and one option my local co-op has in quinoa pasta, the second ingredient is corn flour, is that ok?
By the way… thank you for such an amazing website!! It’s been so helpful as I start my clean eating journey.
Jennifer – You want to look for something called Sucanat. It’s dehydrated cane juice which is clean. Other varieties are not. But still keep it in strict moderation. As for pasta, unless it’s organic corn, I would avoid it as it will then be a GMO.
I like my coffee. I saw on the internet that coffee isn’t clean eating. Is that the case? I like the flavored creamers too. I don’t have to add extra sugar when I use it. What can I replace my flavored creamer with to get that creamy coffee? Milk doesn’t work. Would coconut milk work?
Betty Lee – In my recipe index, I have a coffee drinks section under Beverages. You’ll find several options there, even a couple creamer recipes. If you like it sweet, my condensed milk recipe is great. You can use any type of milk.
This may sound a little odd but, is there anyway in which i can make this recipe clean or at least healthy?
I am having trouble finding good substitutes.
Rebecca – Sure! I’m not sure how the changes will affect it, but here’s what I would do:
350g dark chocolate, chopped – Unsweetened baking chocolate with honey added to taste.
40g butter
2 eggs
⅔ cup (150g) caster (superfine) sugar – Sucanat (you can run it through a blender to turn it into powdered sugar.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract – Get the pure stuff. No added sugars
¼ cup (35g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted – Whole wheat pastry flour.
¼ teaspoon baking powder, sifted
peanut butter frosting
1 cup (160g) icing (confectioner’s) sugar mixture – Sucanat in a blender
1 cup (280g) smooth peanut butter – No sugar added
80g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract – Pure
⅓ cup (80ml) single (pouring) cream
Hello,
Quick question: What do you think about Agave nectar (the bottles that sell this looks like a dark honey-like syrup). Would you recommend this to substitute instead brown or white sugar?
Thanks!
Araceli – No. Agave is highly processed stuff, similar to corn syrup. If you need a brown sugar flavor you can use honey with a bit of molasses or for a dry sweetener, use Sucanat.
I’m looking for a healthier way to use recipes that call for velveeta. Any recommendations ? Thank you
Tina – I’ve been contemplating that myself. It’s not easy. About the only thing I can think of is simply to make your own cheese sauce using cheddar and cream.
Hi there!
I’m quite enjoying the recipes and the information, thank you very much.
One thing I wanted to mention, a substitution I have been making for years when baking — ground flax seed for the fat/oil in recipes. It’s a 3:1 ratio, so if the recipe calls for 1 cup of oil you need 3 cups of ground flax seeds. It’s good for you and it tastes great. Fantastic, particularly in muffins or quick breads!
JASAHM – Sounds interesting! The issue I’ve always had with flax is the sort of oily (almost slick and slimy) texture it gives baked goods. Do you know a way around that or do you just get used to it?
The only time I have that “trouble” is if I use it in something like banana muffins that are quite moist to begin with. My family actually finds that it makes things a little drier.
JASAHM – Interesting! I’ll have to try that out. Thank you! 🙂
I was wondering if real sorghum molasses for sweetener could be used in clean eating?
I have spent hours reading your blog and have learned so much already! Thanks for all you have done to help others learn to eat clean!
Marquita – I looked it up because I have never heard of it. It appears to be clean, but I don’t know how a larger company would process it. You would have to look at the processes the company uses that you want to buy from. But beyond that, I’d say it’s pretty clean.
How about a substitute for cream cheese. So many of my winter casseroles an soups call for it. I’ve heard Greek yogurt and, while it is a great sub for sour cream, it is a bit too tangy for cream cheese, in my opinion.
Desiree – Oh boy. If I could come up with a substitute for that, I’d be a millionaire! LOL! I keep searching, but haven’t found anything yet. I think the only thing you can really do is find a good quality cream cheese at a specialty store. I think that’s the closest you will get. But I’ll keep searching. 🙂
I’ve been experimenting with substitutions, and am wondering, can you replace multiple ingredients in the same recipe? For example replacing butter with banana and sugar with honey in one recipe. Or does one have to remain unchanged. This is all new to me and very confusing but im not giving up yet.
Heather – You can. But with baking, you have to keep the wet to dry ratio the same. So if you use honey, you’ll need to up a dry ingredient slightly to get it to come out right.
How about butter? I searched and could not find anything on the web. My daughter (13) recently was started on the AIP. Even though I have been eating clean for almost a year, this is all too new for me. Thanks in advance 🙂
Michelle – Good quality butter in moderation is clean. I’m not sure what AIP is though. If it’s a medical issue that would be something else entirely and I couldn’t comment on that.
Hi
I want to make a cauliflower soup and it calls for parmesean cheese, I cannot do cheese. Help? Thx
Alice – You can try it without, but the cheese does add some flavor, so you may have to adjust the spices to your liking.
How would you us a product like NuNaturals Pure Stevia poweder?
Shauna – Most of those companies will have conversion charts on their websites. I don’t use them, so I’m not really sure.
Do you have a substitute for half and half ? Thank you
Meagan – Not really. But you can thicken other milks or use coconut milk. Depends on why you want to avoid it. If it’s because of dairy, then coconut is a great choice. But if it’s for avoiding the fat, then I would look at some nut milks. If it’s because of the processing, then pretty much any full-fat milk will work.
So im a baker and i have a customer that only does organic. Can i just get a regular cake recipe and use all organic products instead ?
Claudia – Sure. If organic is her only requirement, you can get organic white flour, butter, milk, etc. But if you want something clean, that’s entirely different.
Do you think its possible to substitute plain greek yogurt for vegetable oil in a zucchini bread?
Hope – It’s possible, but I haven’t tried, so it’s hard to say. I know apple sauce works, so I would imagine yogurt would work as well. Just a guess though.
Hi! I am allergic to nuts and I am lactose intolerant. Do you have any ideas for snacks during the day? Most of the clean eating sites I have visited mention snacking on nuts.
Jacqui – How about: hard boiled eggs, chopped veggies with non-dairy dip, roasted chickpeas, guacamole with homemade chips made from clean tortillas, chopped fruits or even deviled eggs. Would those work?
Absolutely love this! Super helpful!!! Thanks so much! I feel empowered!
Gretchen – Great! I’m happy you found it helpful! 🙂
Hi! Thank you so much for this information! I just started adopting a clean eating lifestyle and I stumbled upon your blog. So thankful for you and your blog! I have a question too. Any idea what I can substitute for vegetable shortening in my pie crust recipe? Thanks again!
Christina – Welcome! I do have several pie crust recipes on my blog here, but if you are simply looking to clean your own recipe up, then I recommend a good quality coconut oil for that. You can also use butter if you prefer to avoid any coconut flavor. I hope that helps!
Hi, I’ve had a severe back injury and surgeries for 7 years. I just turned 60 and my meds don’t allow for much weight loss. HOWEVER, I’m old school, grew up on scratch recipes. No one in my family measured anything! Lol. I love pies, but have a terrible time with crust. I also would like to find a easy white cake to put fruit on. My problem I always want to bake but don’t have a single low fat, sugar free substitutes I need to replace the sugar or at least cut back on it. You would think by now I would know how to do this but old habits are hard to break. I like the substitute TRIVIA.. the amount of dry measurement as sugar, easy…. BUT I kind of find it to sweet and the texture in my white cake is a little rubbery. I use it for fruit and such, but there’s nothing like a white cake made with fresh eggs, real butter, and white sugar… doesn’t get any better.
What could a substitute besides applesauce, sub sugar, no egg, no fat, honey, syrup??? Lol…. might as well not bake!!! I always thought that a real good cake, doesn’t really need icing. It’s good by itself. Add some peaches or blackberries and it’s a good dessert.
Like all others we get it in our heads, NOW I CAN EAT MORE BECAUSE I LEFT THE ICING OFF! Haaaa….
Can you find me a good white cake recipe where I can sit down and actually enjoy a piece of cake? And not that 1×1 small square!! Lol
My piece of cake or pie is different than the new APPROPRIATE SIZE for today!!!! If I want some pie or cake I want to be able to go through 2 cups of coffee before it’s gone!!! Haaaaa
Debbie – I’m not sure I can help. It sounds like clean eating may not be your focus. This is the closest thing I have to that sort of recipe. It’s different from what you are looking for however. Heartier for sure. Truvia wouldn’t be considered clean eating either. https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-birthday-cake/ . Sorry, wish I could be more help.