You can replace up to half the butter in most baking recipes with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce — for 1 cup of butter, use 1/2 cup butter plus 1/2 cup applesauce.
This works best in quick breads, muffins, and cakes where butter is melted into the batter rather than creamed with sugar; it isn't recommended for recipes like classic butter cookies where creaming butter and sugar creates the texture.
| Butter, salted | Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 717 | 52 |
| Fat (g) | 81.1 | 0.2 |
| Carbs (g) | 0.1 | 13.8 |
| Sugars (g) | 0.1 | 10.4 |
Substitution guidance: University of Illinois Extension. Nutrition data: Butter, salted · Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)