Updated: August 9, 2024
By Beverly Jackey , and Cheryl Bush

FS-1174  |  June 2021

Recipe Swaps: Common Substitutions for Making Recipes Healthier

A bowl of healthy fruit, vegetables, and olive oil

You can change your favorite recipes to make them healthier and still taste good. Simple swaps can reduce calories, sugar, fat and salt and increase fiber. Changing preparation methods can also make recipes healthier.

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide science-based advice on what to eat and drink to consume a healthy diet1. The Guidelines recommend limiting foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. Making these changes can lower your risk of or help you manage diet-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and obesity.

Sugar and Non-Nutritive Sweetners

Sugar contains calories and provides flavor, increases moisture, tenderness, and browning in baked goods. Non-nutritive sweeteners contain few or no calories but can be substituted for sugar in baking and still offer a sweet taste with lower calories. The eight non-nutritive sweeteners currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are: aspartame, acesulfame potassium, monk fruit extract, neotame, saccharin, stevia, sucralose, and advantame². If you want to use these in recipes, visit the manufacturer’s website to view the sweetener conversion charts for sugar.

Fats

Fat also provides flavor and a rich taste to food. However, using less, not eliminating it, can greatly reduce the calories. Swapping out butter and cream for plant-based fats like olive oil, canola oil, and avocados make recipes heart-healthier. Using lower-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese and sour cream in your recipes can reduce the fat and calories, too.

Salt

Salt flavors food and acts as a preservative in many canned and dried foods used in recipes. Buy lower-sodium versions of these foods to reduce the salt in your recipes. Be creative in your kitchen and swap out the salt for fresh or dried herbs. These new additions will add a punch of flavor to your recipe.

Fiber

Fiber adds bulk to our diet and helps maintain healthy bowels. You can swap out white flour, pastas, and rice in recipes for whole grain options. Whole wheat flour and pastas or brown rice increase the fiber in your recipes and can add a burst of flavor.

Let's Swap!

SUGAR Instead of this: Swap this:
Sugar Reduce sugar by 1/3 to 1/2 in cookie, pie filling, sweetbread and cake recipes
Sugar Non-nutritive sweeteners: 1 cup sucralose for 1 cup of sugar³
Sugar Applesauce and other fruit purees
Sugar Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg or flavorings like vanilla or almond extract or flavoring to enhance the sweetness
Regular jam or jelly Sugar-free or reduced sugar jam or jelly
FAT Instead of this: Swap this:
Margarine, oil, or butter Low-fat or fat-free margarine, vegetable oil spray, use nonstick pans
80% ground beef 90% ground beef, ground turkey or chicken breast
Whole egg Two egg whites, ¼ cup egg substitute
Whole milk or heavy cream Canned evaporated fat-free milk
Sour cream Plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, or low-fat sour cream, (nonfat sour cream may be too watery)
Regular cheese Fat-free or low-fat cheese (less than two grams of fat per ounce)
SALT Instead of this: Swap this:
Salt  Reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by one half
  Salt substitutes (may contain potassium). *If you need to limit potassium, check with your healthcare provider before using them
Flavoring packets with salt Fresh or dried herbs and spices (garlic powder, red pepper flakes, curry powder, oregano)
Regular soups & sauces Low-sodium soups, sauces and gravies
Regular canned or frozen vegetables Low-sodium or no-salt-added canned or frozen vegetables
FIBER Instead of this: Swap this:
White flour  Whole wheat flour (swap full amount, or ½ the amount in the recipe)
Regular pasta Whole wheat pasta
Sugary cereal Oatmeal, whole grain dry cereals, bran flakes
White rice Brown rice
Regular pasta & rice Quinoa (high-protein grain)

Sample Recipe Modifications

Check out these recipe modifications to reduce fat, sodium, and calories and add fiber. Try some of these swaps in your favorite recipes too!

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

A crockpot containing macaroni and cheese
Photo credit: C. Bush
Original Recipe
6- 1 cup servings
Modification⁴  
1 lb. elbow macaroni (cooked) 1 lb. whole grain elbow macaroni (cooked) Down arrow with text "Lower in: fats, sugar, calories, and sodium," and the up arrow with text "Higher in: fiber"
½ cup margarine ½ cup alternative light butter spread
2 eggs, beaten ¼ cup liquid egg substitute
12 oz. can evaporated milk 12 oz. can fat-free evaporated milk
10.5 oz. can cheddar cheese soup 10.75 oz. low-fat, low-sodium cheddar cheese soup
1 cup whole milk 1 cup skim milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (reserve 1 cup for topping) 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese + 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese (reserve ½ cup for topping)

Nutrition Facts

Calories....................857 per serving
Protein......................34g
Carbohydrates..........69g
Added Sugars..........12g
Fat............................49g

Saturated Fat...........24g
Fiber..........................3g
Sodium.....................1,056mg

Nutrition Facts

Calories....................550 per serving
Protein......................23g
Carbohydrates..........66g
Added Sugars............9g
Fat............................32g

Saturated Fat.............9g
Fiber..........................8g
Sodium.....................606mg

Aunt Cathy’s Crock Pot® Macaroni & Cheese 2013 University of Delaware 4-H Favorite Foods Contest Blue ribbon winner, Tyler Melson

Hamburger Casserole

A serving of Hamburger Casserole on a dinner plate
Photo credit: B. Jackey
Original Recipe
8- 1 cup servings
Modification⁴  
1 lb. ground beef 70% lean 1 lb. ground turkey Down arrow with text "Lower in: fats, sodium, and calories," and the up arrow with text "Higher in: protein and fiber"
10 oz. can condensed tomato soup 6 oz. can tomato paste and 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (no salt)
½ lb. fresh mushrooms ½ lb. fresh mushrooms
¾ cup light cream 3/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded 8 oz. low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 small onion, chopped 1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic salt 1 tsp. garlic powder
1 lb. macaroni, small shells, cooked 1 lb. macaroni, small whole wheat shells or elbows, cooked

Nutrition Facts

Calories....................528 per serving
Protein......................29g
Carbohydrates..........52g
Added Sugars............3g
Fat............................22g

Saturated Fat...........12g
Fiber..........................3g
Sodium.....................597mg

Nutrition Facts

Calories....................402 per serving
Protein......................35g
Carbohydrates..........50g
Added Sugars............0g
Fat..............................9g

Saturated Fat.............3g
Fiber...........................7g
Sodium.....................344mg

⁴Low-fat milk and cheese (1% or 2%) can also be substituted for regular milk and cheese; however, the amount of fat you consume will be somewhat higher than fat-free items.

Preparation

Cooking utencils

Try these tips.

  • Instead of frying in oil or butter, try baking, broiling, poaching, grilling or steaming. Your food can still be flavorful without adding extra calories.
  • Instead of basting in oil or drippings, swap out wine, fruit juice, vegetable juice, or fat-free vegetable broth.
  • Trim visible fat from red meats.
  • Remove poultry skin before cooking. Use non-stick cookware to reduce the amount of oil needed for cooking.

References

  1. US Department of Agriculture (2021). 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials/top-10-things-you-need-know-about-dietary
  2. Additional information about high-intensity sweeteners permitted for use in food in the United States. 02/08/2018. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states?platform=hootsuite
  3. Splenda.com (nd). Splenda® original sweeteners. https://www.splenda.com/products/original-sweeteners/
  4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019.fdc.nal.usda.gov.