When it comes to substitutions, I wish I could answer each and every one of your questions. Unfortunately, I can’t. You see, I don’t have a crystal ball with the answers; they’re not in my head, they’re in my hands, but I’ll get to that later.
For me, baking involves the use of techniques and ingredients that come together in a magical way –each recipe is unique. Like my hero Virginia Satir, I believe in “leading the change process a half a step behind,” which has meant learning to use my senses and see what is called for in each recipe. In some ways, my recipes develop themselves as I test them. I let things happen and unexpected outcomes can be my friend during this process.
This observational experience in which I arrive at answers by using my senses –of sight, touch, smell and taste (sometimes sound too) is an organic process. I test and test my recipes until I arrive at something that appeals to me. After that, I give samples to my family. If they approve, I test the recipe without changing it, a few more times just to make sure I have something that is reproducible.
If you are looking for a substitute, I encourage you to validate these findings for yourself through trial and error. Feel free to experiment with the ingredients in my recipes and customize them to your needs, whatever those may be.
If you like to customize recipes to your individual preferences in terms of taste and nutrition, by all means, go wild and experiment! Just make sure to stop back by and leave a comment on your alchemical experience –and let us know your results.
So here’s my answer to your substitution questions. I don’t have a magic wand that I can wave to come up with the answers. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find them –just get out that bowl and spoon and start stirring!
Annette says
I am a serial subsituter but I find your recipes are so well tested, I am actually loathe to substitute! The one thing I do thought is sub tapioca starch and chickpea flour for some of the almond meal. Although not strictly paleo, because I can’t find almond meal fine enough here in Australia, I sub these in for a lighter, fluffier texture. And often I’ll add in 110 more spices, but that’s just because it’s my thing :) I love your recipes for a good, basic guide that I can then get creative off. Thanks!
Patty says
Elana, I’ve been thrilled to see your recipes change to coconut oil, palm shortening and honey as of late. I had always subbed those in your old recipes with no problems at all. I believe all are wonderfully healthy traditional foods, and that making recipes with these ingredients will certainly afford you a new cookbook opportunity. I own your other cookbooks and would be thrilled to buy one with a more traditional/primal/paleo slant. Thank you for all of your hard work to make these wonderful recipes!
PS- when my daughter was first diagnosed with Celiac and then I realized she couldn’t tolerate many other grains as well, I CRIED thinking she would never have another cookie. A friend pointed me to your chocolate chip cookie recipe and that is how I found you, I am so thankful to her for pointing me in your direction, and to you, in turn, for pointing me to many other wonderful bloggers with healthy, fun recipes that my family loves.
Jen says
Patty, I’m a long-time substituter too. I’ve made LOTS of Elana’s recipes and never used agave in any of them. One reader’s comment on one of the first recipes I came across said she subs honey for agave 1-1, so I ran with that. Do my results taste exactly as Elana intended? I don’t know and don’t care. What I care about is whether or not I like the result, and in most cases I do. If it’s yummy, why should I care if it tastes exactly like what Elana makes?
It’s amazing to me that Elana even had to write this post. And I see a new site menu item for “substitutions”. I get that people have questions for how to substitute certain ingredients for others (like how much honey for agave, or how much coconut syrup for agave or whatever), but those are science questions that have to do with sweetness level and moisture content. Go do some research online and look at the food science sites and do your own calculations. Elana can’t possibly test every variation. That’s just common sense.
julie says
Like the rest of life we all have different cooking styles. My mom was a “strictly by the recipe” cook and had no imagination nor tolerance for experimentation. We all loved everything she made. First my dad and now my son and I are in the experimental category and some of the families favorite recipes evolved from our experimentation and exploration. My message? Cook your own style and love it, share the results (as Elana does), cook and be happy!
Angela says
Great article – it’s so hard to be cut and dry about substitutions – plus everyone has different taste buds for their liking – that’s what makes it so exciting to try something new.
I don’t currently use honey as we are on sugar free and gluten free lifestyles. But I have become more proficient at using stevia and some xylitol as substitutes.
Working with healthy Christmas Cookies right now and having AMAZING results: http://www.homecookedhealthy.com
elena says
All hydrogenated oils (which is what shortening is) are poisons to human body and lead to serious health issues. Palm oil is the worth of its kind, Coconut oil and canola oil are not far better (different reasons though). With a little bit of internet research one can find why as well as good healthier replacement options for almost anything… Apple souse is perfect for baking – i tried and it works wonders. Just think about it – 200 years ago there was no shortening, canola, margarine, or coconut oils, but people eat good delicious food using all natural ingredients… And one more thing – when reading different opinions about any product, just ask your self a question – who wrote that and how do they benefit for advocating their opinion…For example, aspartame – terrible poison for people – aspartame company will tell you its not bad for human consumption – because they are selling it in more then 100 countries worldwide and its used for over a 100K products… scientists that say its not good – are just scientists – they are not selling anything…Its just a common sense – anything chemically made is not natural and hence most likely to cause harm to human body…
steph says
I would encourage everyone to look into coconut oil. It is not the “all bad” that people think it. It actually is a medium chain fatty acid that bypasses the liver which means it does not sit around in your system and cause all the bad things that other saturated fats do. It also has been proven to help with inflammation and to improve your metabolism. It is a wonderful substitute.
Patty says
Thanks for addressing the coconut oil issue, it is a wonderfully healing food, in my experience.
Sabrina says
I would also add that coconut oil and palm oil HAVE been used for centuries– perhaps not in the US, but in countries like Thailand where coconuts and palm trees grow readily and those countries have much lower incidence of heart disease then we do in the US.
Frank says
My doctor gave me a list of foods to avoid. Coconut and palm oils were listed as saturated fats, which should be avoided. In Thailand, they do eat coconut oil (I don’t know about palm oil). However, they have less heart problems, because they eat very little meat, especially red meat. Also, they don’t eat butter and cheese. I doubt if they eat much or any food that contain partially hydronated vegatable oils.
Celia says
I would actually suggest that it’s not due to decreased meat/butter consumption, but decreased consumption of crap processed foods with hydrogenated oils, loads of sugar, etc. But yeah, coconut oil is a very healthful food (and great for the skin!).
Lisa says
Totally agree with you on all points! I would also say that many medical professionals know very very little about nutrition, shockingly. Funny that people try to tell us all the time that in order to be healthy/lose weight we need to limit our consumption of meat, when what we really need to limit (or eliminate) is processed food loaded up with chemicals. If they only knew the science….
Nick says
Your doctor took about 1 hour worth of nutrition courses through medical school. Medical students are not taught health, they are taught how to treat disease. Coconut oil, butter, palm, and ghee are mostly saturated and should be consumed everyday for optimal health!
Christy says
Absolutely true!!! Coconut oil is not only good for your skin but taking 1 tablespoon a day has brought my triglycerides down! I <3 it and use it in protein shakes or for cooking eggs or for dry feet or healing a cut! The stuff is amazing!!! I don't use the cheap stuff though, I use the organic cold-pressed varieties! Can find reasonable prices on vitacost.com
Nana says
I am curious as to why unrefined organic coconut oil is not good. I’ve read from various sources that it is good. I know that canola oil is not good. Why is palm oil better? Could you enlighten me?
Sharon says
To Elana reader’s comment – Palm shortenening make by Spectrum is not hydrogenated so it’s best not to jump to conclusions when you don’t know what you’re talking about. Coconut oil is a very good, if not the best oil, read the research!
anna says
Coconut oil is GOOD. It is not hydrogenated. I try to stay away from the hydrogenated oils and I have been using Coconut oil almost exclusivly for a long time along with Olive Oil.
Betty says
There is also tons of information extolling the virtues of
coconut oil. Too, saturated fats like butter. Real butter.
Vickilynn says
Dear ELANA readers,
I am replying to a post by ELENA (not the same person as the writer of this blog and her recipes). who states certain oils are poisons.
ELENA, organic virgin coconut oil is neither hydrogenated or dangerous.
Organic, expeller-pressed palm oil is neither hydrogenated or dangerous and neither are poisonous.
In fact, both are amazingly healthy and healing for our bodies. There are wonderful informational articles out there if one has the desire to study the new and emerging information and fight the old mentality that saturated fats are evil (which they are not). And none of the oils Elana has included in her recipes are hydrogenated.
Dear ELANA, thank for these recipes, this blog and your books. Please keep ’em coming!
Dana says
Palm oil is not naturally hydrogenated. It’s called shortening because that is how it’s used, and shortening was originally a plant oil meant to be a substitute for lard. You can use palm oil as a substitute for lard too, hence the name.
Be sure to read labels to make sure what you’re getting is not hydrogenated; it is always listed in the ingredients. And the vegan palm oil Elena’s talking about is NOT hydrogenated. I’ve been going back and forth on buying it because I’m not vegan (and have no intentions of becoming one), but tropical oils are very good for you. In fact, if you *are* vegan, you *need* to be eating coconut and palm oils because while you can make saturated fats yourself, the process involves excess carbohydrate intake, something that’s not terribly good for you. Your body would prefer to consume them in food; it causes far less damage.
DebbyK says
I think you may be confused regarding hydrogenated fats. Virgin coconut oil is not processed, refined and certainly it’s not hydrogenated. In fact, coconut oil, and it’s butter, has many healing qualities. Google Chris Kresser and search his site for fats. Red Palm oil is another great nutritious oil to use in cooking. There is nothing wrong with saturated fats in your diet if you’re staying away from processed foods and sugars and choosing whole foods like our ancestors ate. Our brains need saturated fats to function.
Vegetable oils, aside from red palm oil and coconut oil, are not that healthy and should be used sparingly.
I agree with you regarding canola oil as not good for you, but it is not hydrogenated. However, most vegetable oils do fall into the ‘not healthy because they are processed’ category.
halley says
I know you probably pull out your hair when you get three dozen comments about different subs but I’ve noticed your readers always stepping up to offer their insights to what they’ve done. Since, like many of your fans, I’m allergic to everything under the sun and then a self imposed vegan, sometimes making recipes in general are tricky so I am always delighted by your yummy treats, despite the ocaasional humming and hahing over a random sub.
Betty says
I like this comment. Perhaps, one should ask questions in an open
phrase? “Does anyone know if, ________ will work?” This will
encourage others to share their successes in the kitchen. :)
donna says
Hi yr so right. Like i am wonderig if i could use coconut flour? I like the taste. I cant seem to tolerate the almonds. I have made cookues and muffins w coconut flour and its pretty tasty. I use agave for my sweeteners. I also used cocoa powder to mke things chocolatey. Usually just mix in a little With wet ingredients. Its hard so new to this lifestyle.
Debby says
Hi,
I, too, have sensitivities to almonds and though really like the recipes in your book, I am wondering if I can change out the almond ingredients for coconut butter and coconut flour or if you have other recommendations. I was so happy making my first loaf from your recipe but unfortunately my stomach is not…. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Warmly,
Debby
janeray1940 says
I make the Paleo Pumpkin Bread all the time, but since honey is pure fructose and I have fructose intolerance, I sub stevia. I use about 3/4 of a teaspoon, and add a couple tablespoons of whole milk Greek yogurt to make up for the lost volume. It works great – although since some Paleo folks avoid dairy I suppose it becomes not exactly paleo :)
I’ve also taken the same basic recipe and tried other flavors and add-ins – omit the pumpkin, use a bit more yogurt in its place, add some lemon or almond extract and some poppyseeds. Or a handful of cranberries (a fructose-free fruit!).
Sarah says
This comment about replacing honey is very helpful, as I have fructose intolerance as well! I use maple sometimes, but it still gives me an unpleasant blood sugar spike, even if I avoid some of the digestive distress. As a result I prefer stevia, but it can sometimes dry out the recipe – your advice is great!
meghan says
in place of honey, try pure palm (coconut) sugar. it is lower on the glycemic index which is a plus! the smell kind of reminds me of brown sugar. i’ve actually been using a bit in my coffee. OR how about using dates. maybe 5ish dates, pitted, mushed down, add a little water. heat in the microwave at 30seconds for ease or on the stove for a few. remove, mush again, it’s going to start to smell AMAZING, add a little coconut oil and a sprinkle more of water, mush down again, heat a little more and at the end of this you have some liquidy-ish sweetner oh and your kitchen is going to be the most amazing smelling place in the universe!!!
Jane says
Cool- I LOVE the idea of coconut sugar, palm sugar or date sugar for cookies, muffins or some cakes. (I didn’t realize the terms coconut and palm sugar were used interchangably- I have both and they are very diff… coconut sugar is from the coconut palm, palm sugar from the sugar palm).
I’ve used coconut oil some- mostly in Elana’s recipes. I like grapeseed oil for sweet baking like quickbreads or muffins (is there a problem with grapeseed oil now? :-((….
Hm..looking online, coconut sugar is sucrose not fructose- and supposedly the glycemic index of coconut sugar is 35, while table sugar (also sucrose) is 64. I wonder why that would be? HM. This came from the Sweet Tree site, a coconut sugar manufacturer.. and supposedly there have been studies questioning those figures- but can’t find any more.
For me I’d use it mostly because of the flavor. Increased nutrition would be a bonus but.. do any of us really eat sweets to enhance our nutrition? Really? Unless we’re mainlining sweets.. the lower glycemic index would be great IF it’s really true. Does anyone know any more about this? Curious now.. will be looking online for more inf.
Cindi says
I have been using Big Tree Farms organice blonde coconut sugar for a couple of years now, and I have been very intrigued by the blood science of it. To my knowledge, there haven’t been any serious studies on it, but from personal experiences of the diabetics I know, coconut sugar has been phenomenal for them. I, too, think it is a sucrose, but for some reason, the additional nutrints that make it up altogether do not adversely affect their blood sugar. This is the response of multiple diabetics. I’ve had several who say they use 1/4 cup on a bowl of oatmeal and it does nothing to their blood surgar levels two hours later when they retest. I’ve also used it to make a strawberry jam and they say that doesn’t affect their sugar levels either, which is a little curious to me because I think the strawberries alone should do that. It is very possible that there is some other component in the coconut sugar that causes this effect, but they’re thrilled with it. I cannot speak to any other coconut sugar except that of Big Tree Farms, and I do know that the way they process it may have something to do with the results as well. They do not heat it, and heat does change it in the processing, so you’ll have to expirament on your own and let us all know!
Dana says
This is an old comment but I need to say this because it’s a common stumbling block on the road to health. You cannot judge the worth of a sugar upon its place on the glycemic index alone. Glucose is not the only “problem child” in any sugar. Generally speaking, sugars also tend to contain fructose, which is destructive to the liver, especially in the absence of adequate choline in the diet. (If you’re curious, Google for Chris Masterjohn and choline and fructose and see what you find.) The lower a sugar is on the glycemic index, then, the more likely it is to be really high in fructose.
Someone at risk enough for type 2 diabetes that they have now changed their diet to cut back on carbs is also going to be at serious risk for liver damage from fructose. Exactly the population that should not be eating it, which is why the manufacturers of so many foodlike products aimed at the diabetic population have switched from using fructose to using sucralose as their primary sweetener. Even if the thought gives you the horrors, learn from their experience and see if you can find a sweetener that doesn’t have that effect. :)
I understand there is a faux honey available that is basically a xylitol liquid. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’d choose it over honey or agave *unless* the amount of honey was really small (and I will always choose honey over agave–I won’t touch the latter).
no agave says
Right on the money. The glycemic index is helpful, but it is not the end-all be-all solution. Fructose is no good, and breaks down more slowly, therefore doesn’t raise blood sugar as quickly. If you want a fatty liver, use a low glycemic sugar. If you want a healthy sweetener, use one that has no glycemic effect AND that has no calories.
Cindy says
In Elena’s chocolate cake recipe I substitute the agave for stevia mixed with coconut milk to make up the liquid. Works great and would probably be great in the pumpkin cake receipe too.
Susan Plocher says
I don’t know enough about these types of ingredients to feel comfortable just free-for-all substituting. I don’t understand how they all work together and with the expense of the ingredients, making too many experiment mistakes can be really costly. So that is why I come to people who have the experience I lack. I’m wondering how you know how much stevia to exchange for the honey/agave. 5 drops is a serving of stevia, but I have no idea how it relates to palm sugar/agave/honey. I like the idea of making up the volume with yogurt or coconut milk. Thanks for that!
brite says
I’m loving the new recipes- thanks for all your hard work!
Kassi says
I think you have a new recipe book in your future that is more Paleo or Paleo friendly. I hope so and if so, I can’t wait to buy it! Best wishes for a happy holiday and good health to you and your family!
bridget {bake at 350} says
Great advice! I can’t wait to start playing around with ingredients…and mainly trying all of your recipes!