Want to make any quick bread recipe lighter? Try these extra ideas from our Test Kitchen. And be sure to check out the two recipes in our August/September issue.

Start with the oil or butter.

  • You can usually decrease the total amount of oil or butter by about 10 to 15 percent without missing it.

  • After cutting down the total, substitute 1/4 to 1/2 of the remaining butter or oil with unsweetened applesauce.

  • If you're substituting a substantial amount (1/2 to 1 cup) of applesauce for oil or butter, you can also slightly reduce the sugar in a recipe.


Look at the eggs.

  • When baking, it's okay to substitute some egg whites for whole eggs. Try to stay away from using all whites because the texture will be compromised.

  • However, substituting whites for some whole eggs can allow room for butter or other high-fat or high-calorie ingredients without compromising the texture.

  • Because there are so many servings in a baked good, fat and calories in one serving are pretty small per whole egg. One whole egg has 78 calories and 5.3 g of fat; when you divide that by 12 or 16 servings in 1 loaf of bread, the number is insignificant.


Consider how much sugar you're using.

  • You can usually decrease the amount of sugar by 25 percent without missing sweetness.

  • Fruit purees, like unsweetened applesauce or prune baby food, add natural sweetness when used to replace some of the butter or oil.

  • You can further decrease the sugar if your original recipe already contains fruit, such as mashed banana, dried apricots or raisins.

  • Sugar adds up quickly, so even a small decrease can make a big difference.
    1 tablespoon = 48 calories and 12 g carbs


Cut back on mix-ins.

  • Without affecting the final product, you can decrease the amount of fatty mix-ins like nuts and chocolate chips. If you chop nuts smaller and buy miniature chips, they become more evenly dispersed, giving you more pieces per bite.

  • Toast nuts and coconut for additional flavor.

  • Calories and fat from nuts can add up quickly.
    1 tablespoon = 51 calories and 5.3 g fat