11 Desserts that Substitute with Applesauce

How can you have your cake and eat it too? By cutting out a few calories! There are lots of ways to cut out fat, calories, and sugar from your favorite desserts to make them lighter. Remove some sugar altogether. Replace white flour with whole wheat or an alternative flour. Unsweetened applesauce also makes a great substitution for butter or oil. It still leaves your baked goods moist and flavorful, but applesauce has few calories, no fat, and low natural sugars! Applesauce is the perfect healthy swap. Check out these not-so-sinful dessert recipes using applesauce as a substitute below so you can still enjoy something sweet without the guilt.

Red Velvet Cake: You're likely thinking, "A light version of red velvet cake isn't possible," but this recipe achieves the unachievable by swapping out a few bad ingredients with good stuff, like applesauce, egg whites, and light buttermilk. Here's the recipe.

Skinny Coconut Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Banana gets a little help from unsweetened applesauce to keep this bread moist and flavorful! You won't be able to resist this sweet bread. Click here for the recipe!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Dough Balls: Sometimes, the cookie dough is better than the end product. These cookie dough balls are a healthy, no-bake treat! Here's the recipe from Keep It Sweet Desserts.

Apple Oat Bran Muffins: These heart healthy muffins would be perfect as a light dessert. They're so good, you could even have one for breakfast! Here's the recipe from Unsophisticook.

Skinny Fudge Brownies: Applesauce and stevia add the perfect sweetness to these rich, chocolate brownies. You'll never know they're a lightened up version. Here's our original recipe!

Healthy Carrot Cake: You'd think a dessert that has vegetables in it would be naturally healthy, but unfortunately, that's usually not the case with carrot cake. This version turns traditional, too-sweet carrot cake on its head and adds applesauce, yogurt, and agave to keep it sweet and moist. Here's the recipe from Love and Lemons.

No Bake Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake: You read that right. Cheesecake! This cheesecake has no dairy, no gluten, no soy, and no eggs! Click here for the recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie.

Apple Pie Protein "Ice Cream": There's no ice cream maker required for this ice cream wannabe! Protein powder and almond milk give it a creamy flavor while applesauce and a fresh apple provide texture and fresh flavor. Here's Nutritionist in the Kitch's recipe.

Upside Down Apple Pecan Breakfast Cake: It's hard to decide if this dish is a dessert or breakfast. How about both! This healthy dish is also vegan. Click here for the recipe from Oh She Glows.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Trail Cookies: A vegan take on chocolate chip cookies. There's no butter or oil in this recipe. Snack on your favorite cookie without guilt! Check out Lunchbox Bunch's recipe here!

Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins: Your average pumpkin muffin gets an upgrade. Quinoa gives these healthy muffins a unique texture. There's no oil or butter, but these muffins stay moist from the pumpkin and applesauce. Here's Popsugar's recipe.

Try substituting applesauce into your favorite desserts to lighten them up!

>> Read More: 43 Skinny Desserts