lemon almond mini bundts with icing and almonds

Tips For Healthier Baking

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It’s no secret that we love a sweet treat. But we also know that eating sugary pastries with little nutritional value isn’t giving our bodies the fuel we need, and can set us back on our health and wellness goals. So we figured out how to have our cake and eat it too- literally.

It turns out that it’s not difficult to add nutritional value into baked goods while decreasing added sugars and other nutritionally blah ingredients, and you don’t have to compromise flavor or texture. Try some of these tips in your home baking to prove it! It’ll still be a treat, but a more nutritionally satisfying one.

Boost Fiber

Flax, chia, and psyllium husk are all regular components of our baking and are the powerhouses behind the fiber and protein of many Sensible Bakery treats. Higher fiber makes baked goods more satiating and reduces sugar spikes. They’re also valuable for the texture and cohesion of vegan and gluten-free baking.

chocolate chip oatmeat cookies on a white plate with more cookies and chocolate chips around

Sub Out Sugar

Erythritol is our secret weapon for replacing sugar. It’s low calorie, doesn’t raise blood sugar, and doesn’t cause digestive issues like or have the unpleasant aftertaste of many other sugar substitutes.

Natural sweeteners with more vitamins and minerals and lower glycemic index than cane sugar like date or coconut sugar are still sugar, but with less blood spikes and higher nutritional value.

Fruits are also a great way to naturally boost sweetness. Of course, they will significantly impact the taste of your recipe, so they’re best used when you want an apple cake or banana muffin rather than a more subtle sweetener. They will also increase moisture, so it’s best to reduce liquids and won’t work for every recipe.

a sugar free keto brownie with almonds on top on a white plate with a bite taken out

Choose Your Fats Wisely

Extra virgin olive oil is well known as a healthier oil choice with its heart healthy and antioxidant properties, but its use in baking can be limited due to its effects on flavor (as much as we love an olive oil cake).

Our most used option is hi-oleic sunflower oil. Like olive oil it’s high in monounsaturated oleic acid, raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol without raising LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. It also has a mild and unobtrusive flavor that won’t affect your bakes.

a vegan gluten free banana walnut muffin on a white counter with cinnamon sticks and walnuts

Lose the Gluten and Level Up Your Flour

Switch out your wheat flour for a nutritional boost. Almond flour is high in protein, healthy fats, and vitamin E- but is also higher calorie. Oat flour is high in fiber and protein, and coconut flour is high in fiber and has a lower glycemic index. Both will affect the texture and taste of your bakes somewhat, so experiment with flour blends to find the perfect setup for you. We have a guide to the gluten free flour blends we use here.

vegan gluten free blueberry scones with lemon glaze and fresh blueberries

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t indulge, and we don’t think calling terrible tasting pucks of protein cookies is a real solution. Our baked goods are still an indulgence, but a smarter one that’s better for your body.

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