Low Fat Cooking Tips
Read these 83 Low Fat Cooking Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Recipe tips and hundreds of other topics.
Grease vs. Parchment Paper
Instead of greasing or oiling pans for baking, use parchment paper. Your food won't stick and there's no mess and unwanted fat or calories.
Alternatives to Cooking with Butter
Butter can be eliminated from some recipes. When browning onions, hamburger, etc., you can spray your skillet with non-stick spray or use chicken or beef broth instead of butter. When baking, you can use reduced-calorie margarine instead of butter, but the texture will not always come out right. You've got to experiment a little. Non-fat margarines currently on the market do not bake well at all. Just remember...with baked goods, it's not always the calorie content per cookie or piece of cake, it's how many you eat! Remembering that has helped me maintain my weight better than any reduced calorie diet.
Cutting Fat Out of Cheesy Recipes
For recipes that call for cheddar cheese, there are low-fat and non-fat varieties available. The low-fat varieties work well in recipes. However, the non-fat cheeses usually do not melt very well and aren't great for cooking.
Vegetables Add Flavor Not Fat
Roasting meat and especially vegetables, brings out wonderful flavor without adding fat or calories.
Skim Fat Off
It's easy to get almost all the fat out of stocks or soups by simply chilling them until the fat solidifys. Then simply skim it off the top.
Low Fat Sauteing
Instead of using fats and oils to saute, use defatted or low sodium chicken broth.
Lower Fat Cereal
Another way to keep pounds off is to use skim milk
and omit the sugar in your cereal. Its hard at first not but if you read the ingredients on the box, most cereals are made with sugar, and we don't need the extra pounds.
Low Fat Meatloaf
When making your meatloaf, make sure to place it on a rack. If you don't have a rack, scrunch aluminum foil and place at the bottom of your pan to help fat drain away from your meatloaf.
Low Fat Veal Piccata
1 pound veal, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp flour
Vegetable cooking spray
1-1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Cut veal slices into serving sized pieces, then dredge each piece with flour.
Coat skillet with vegetable oil spray and add veal. Cook over high heat until veal is lightly browned on both sides. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until slightly browned. Squeeze lemon over veal in pan; then add wine.
Stir all ingredients, and cook for one more minute.
Arrange veal on a serving platter and garnish with parsley.
Yogurt vs. Mayo
Substitute half plain yogurt for mayonnaise in dishes like tuna, chicken or egg salad.
Alternative to Bacon
If you've never tried turkey bacon, you're missing out! Regular bacon is made entirely of fat, with no nutritional value whatsoever. Turkey bacon is not a pork product, it is made from turkey meat. Turkey bacon contains little fat (it is usually about 97 percent fat free). It still doesn't have a lot of nutritional value, but it is relatively low in fat and will give you a little protein. It tastes considerably different from regular bacon, but it is very good!
Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry
Slice beef finely and brown in some peanut oil. Add a jar of plum sauce and then add a whole LOT of stirfry vegetables. My supermarket sells snap frozen packets of these which include water chestnuts, snow peas, beans, mini corn etc etc. I usually supplement the frozen veggies with a thinly sliced red bell pepper and some beans or something. Finally, add some stirfry noodles and serve when the whole lot has heated through. It`s very simple, quick, healthy, and yummy.
Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash is great for any diet that you're on. It's also really easy to make. Cut it in half horizontally, scoop out the seeds, put saran wrap over it, then place it face down in a microwave safe dish with a little water. Microwave it for about 15 minutes. Use a fork to scrape out the "noodles." Substitute it for any noodle recipe!
Olive Oil Uses
Use olive oil to fry scrambled eggs, omelets or fried eggs. Use instead of margarine or butter for healthier eggs!
Cutting Cholesterol
Cut down on cholesterol by using more vegetables and less poultry or meats in soups, stews and casseroles.
Fat Free Chocolate Cake
6 egg whites, beaten until stiff
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 egg whites
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together sugar, cocoa, oil and the 2 unbeaten egg whites. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour into a greased and floured springform pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until top begins to crack and sides have pulled away from the pan.
Dust cooled cake with powdered sugar.
Low Fat meatloaf
If you are trying to cut the fat in your diet, but still crave comfort foods...this tip is for you. Prepare your meatloaf with a mixture of ground turkey and lean ground beef. Before you put the meatloaf into the loaf pan, lay two slices of bread on the bottom of the pan. The bread will act like a sponge and absorb any excess grease.
Low Fat Soup
To remove as much fat as possible from soup, I drop in some ice cubes. The fat clings to the ice, then just spoon the cubes out before they're melted. Or if you have time, refrigerate your soup, then skim off fat on top.
Lower Fat in Canned Tuna
To remove oils or salty liquids, drain tuna, then add water to the can, drain again to rinse. This also works for salmon and sardines.
Vegetable Oil Substitute
Substituting half applesauce for vegetable oil in baking reduces the fat content.
Low Fat Steak
To have the lowest amount of fat in your steak, choose the meat carefully and trim all visible fat.
Removing Fat
Remove fat from soups and stews by wrapping ice cubes in cheesecloth or paper towel and skim over the top of the pot.
Fat will also cling to lettuce leaves.
Polyunsaturated Fats
Polyunsaturated fats tend to lower blood cholesterol levels. They are usually liquid at room temperature. Fats such as sunflower oil, corn oil, and soft margarines have large amounts of polyunsaturated fats.
Better Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is high in fat. To reduce the fat and still retain the peanutty taste, mix a little peanut butter with carrots. 1/2 C peanut butter to 1 cup carrots, sliced and cooked. Raisins can be added as an option.
Low Fat Broccoli Salad
3-3/4 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup red onions, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
2 Tbsp imitation bacon pieces
2/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 Tbsp skim milk
1 Tbsp vinegar
In large bowl, combine broccoli, red onions, raisins, walnuts and bacon pieces. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, skim milk and vinegar; whisk, and then add to the broccoli mixture. Mix gently to combine. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Gently stir again just before serving.
Low Fat Creamy Spinach Soup
1 (10-1/2 ounce) can reduced fat, reduced sodium
condensed cream of chicken soup
2 green onions, sliced
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of pepper
4 cups cleaned & drained spinach leaves, stems removed
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skim milk
Combine soup, green onion, nutmeg, and pepper in a blender. Add spinach leaves, a few at a time, while blending until mixture is nearly smooth. Pour into a medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Diabetic Chocolate Cake
Cake:
1-1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 cup cocoa
Sweetener equal to 2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg substitute
Frosting:
1 (8-ounce) fat free cream cheese
Sweet One to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine cake flour, cocoa, sweetener, baking soda and salt in a bowl; mix well. Mix in water, white vinegar, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg substitute. Beat to mix ingredients. Pour into a greased 9" square baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Mix together fat-free cream cheese with desired amount of sweetener, and spread over cake.
Tips to cut the fat from your cooking
Cut back on the amount of Cheddar cheese a recipe calls for, and add a bit of lower-fat Parmesan cheese
for flavor.
Remove the skin from chicken, it reduces the fat substantially.
When possible, substitute beans for red meat in a recipe.
Prepare mashed potatoes with low-fat chicken broth instead of cream and butter.
Choose Canadian Bacon instead of regular strip bacon.
Low Fat Baking
Place a rack in the bottom of your pan so the meat or poultry doesn't sit in its own fat drippings. For basting, use fat-free liquids like wine, lemon juice, or soy sauce.
Low Fat Mashed Potatoes
Use chicken stock instead of butter or milk when whipping up mashed potatoes.
Evaporated Skim Milk
Evaporated skim milk is very low in fat, yet rich in taste and texture. Use it in place of whole milk or cream in cooking.
Low Fat Substitute
You can substitute applesauce for half the amount of vegetable oil called for in a baking recipe.
Bran Muffins
2 cups Bran Chex cereal
1 cup milk
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Coat muffin cups with nonstick vegetable spray or shortening. Mix together Chex, milk, brown sugar, egg and oil. Let stand 10 minutes; stir. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add bran mixture all at once. Stir only until moistened. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Low Fat Pretzel Cookies
12 ounce bag of pretzels
1/4 cup fat free margarine
1/4 cup plus 1-1/3 Tbsp plain nonfat yogurt
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Place pretzels into a food processor, and process until pretzels are in crumbs.
In a large bowl, combine margarine, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla and mix well. Add pretzel crumbs and mix well.
Use your hands to shape cookies from dough using about 2 Tbsp dough for each one. They are ready to eat at this point, no baking necessary.
Recipes with Milk
A quick change to a recipe to make it lower in fat is to use skim milk instead of whole milk.
Vegetable Dips
Use plain yogurt instead of sour cream for vegetable dips. Great taste, less calories and fat.
Egg White Substitution
2 egg whites can be substituted for 1 whole egg in most recipes to make recipe lower in fat.
Frozen Smoothy
Use frozen fruit rather than ice cubes when making smoothies. This allows for a thicker texture without watering down the final product.
Thickening Soup
Use pureed cooked vegetables to thicken sauces and soups rather than the more traditional high fat alternatives.
Low Fat Meatloaf
For a lower-fat meatloaf, use very lean meat and substitute nonfat frozen egg product for eggs (1/4 cup = 1 egg).
Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats have been shown to decrease cholesterol levels. They can be liquid or solid at room temperature, and can be from plant or animal sources. Olive, peanut, and canola oils are high in this fat.
Low Fat Chicken Skewers
2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger
8 ounces skinless boneless chicken, cut into 16 cubes
3-4 green bell peppers, cut into squares
2 scallions, trimmed, cut crossways
In a small bowl combine soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Add the chicken cubes to mixture, stir to coat. Marinate for 1 hour.
Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water. Pre-heat broiler. On each skewer put 2 chicken cubes, 2 bell pepper cubes, and 1 scallion slice. Wrap the end of the skewers with aluminum foil. Position as close as possible to the heat and broil for 2 minutes. Turn, and broil for another 2 minutes. Serve with rice.
Low Fat Brownie Dessert
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp cornstarch
dash of salt
1-1/4 cups skim milk, heated
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, 3 Tbsp cocoa, baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup milk, vanilla, and corn syrup. Spray an 8" square pan with cooking spray and pour the batter into it.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, 4 Tbsp cocoa, cornstarch, and a dash of salt. Mix well. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over batter. Pour hot milk over the top of the dry mixture. Do not stir!!! Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Low Fat Raspberry Bars
Crust...
Butter flavored cooking spray
25 fat free wheat crackers
2 reduced fat vanilla sandwich cookies
1 Tbsp fat free margarine
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
3/4 cups powdered sugar
Topping...
8 ounces plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp coconut extract
dash of salt
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp flaked coconut
Spray an 8" square baking pan with cooking spray. Blend crackers and cookies in a food processor to make crumbs. In a medium size bowl, combine margarine, jam, and the 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Stir crumbs into jam mixture and mix well. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan.
In a bowl, combine the first 5 topping ingredients and mix well. Pour topping over crust. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Chill at least 3 hours.
Healthy Meatloaf
Add finely chopped vegetables, (mushrooms are my favorite,) to your favorite meatloaf recipe. For an even healthier meatloaf, substitute lean ground turkey for part or all of the ground beef, and you'll have a wonderful, low fat, juicy meatloaf.
Casserole Toppings
Top casseroles with whole-wheat bread crumbs or wheat germ instead of buttered crumbs.
Herbs for Low Fat
Herbs can add alot of flavor to lowfat foods. Use them both in your cooking and instead of the salt shaker at the table.
Low Fat Banana Bread
4 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp Canola oil
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1/2 Cup Pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and egg and blend until well mixed. Add oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Stir in flour, raisins and nuts until just mixed.
Pour batter into a 9" loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour.
Low Fat Lemon Cake
Cake...
Butter flavored cooking spray
8 ounces plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 egg whites
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
rind from half a lemon, grated
3 cups flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Icing...
1 Tbsp fat-free margarine
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
rind from a half lemon, grated
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp skim milk
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
For cake, combine yogurt, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, egg whites, lemon juice, and lemon rind; mix well. In another bowl, combine flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well.
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix well. Pour batter into a bundt pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for about 80 minutes.
Let cake cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan. Remove cake from pan and cool in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before icing.
For icing, combine ingredients and mix well. Pour over cake.
Low Fat Banana Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup fat free margarine
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/8 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl cream sugars, margarine, vanilla and egg whites.
In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, and cinnamon. Stir into the creamed mixture. Add the mashed bananas, rolled oats and chocolate chips, mix until well blended.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Low Fat Eggnog
1 cup sugar
4 egg whites
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
4 cups skim milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 cup brandy or rum
Nutmeg
Combine sugar, egg whites, water and cream of tartar in
a large non-aluminum metal bowl; whisk to blend.
Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, taking care that the bowl does not touch the water. Beat with an electric mixer on medium about 10 minutes, until mixture registers 140 degrees on a candy thermometer and is very thick and fluffy.
Continue to beat for 3 more minutes; remove from heat and beat until mixture has cooled slightly.
Pour milk and vanilla into another large bowl. Add egg white mixture and brandy or rum; combine gently with a whisk. Refrigerate until well chilled. If mixture separates, whisk to blend. Top with nutmeg before serving.
Blue Cheese
While it is a high fat food, blue cheese has such a concentrated flavor that you use just a tiny amount to add a lot of flavor to otherwise bland dishes.
Saute in Stock
Sauté in a small amount of stock instead of butter or oil to save fat and calories.
Low-Fat ground beef
When you cook ground beef or ground sausage, after you have cooked the meat, place it in a colander, and rinse under warm water. It doesn't effect the taste, and removes the excess fat.
Low Fat Oatmeal Cookies
6 Tbsp Margarine, softened
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Beat in brown sugar. In another bowl, mix together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to wet mixture, then mix in the raisins.
Drop 2 Tbsp of dough for each cookie onto a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Bulgar (Cracked Wheat)
Bulgur or cracked wheat is available in most supermarkets or health food stores. It has a nutty flavor and is an excellent substitute for rice.
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature. These have been shown to increase blood cholesterol levels. They are primarily found in animal products such as butter, milk, cream, and lard. Some plant foods, such as palm oil, coconut oil, vegetable shortening, and some peanut butters have large amounts of these fats
Low Fat Dip
Fresh vegetables
1 cup 2% cottage cheese
1 packet ranch style dressing mix
Place cottage cheese in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the packet of ranch dressing mix, and blend until well combined. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, and serve with fresh vegetables.
Quick and Easy Fish Tip
Your doctor has recommended you start a heart healthy diet including more fish. One quick and easy way to prepare fish is to microwave it with a tablespoon of seasoned oil or butter, and onion slices on top. Place a cover over the dish and cook for two minutes. Let it set two minutes and cook it for two minutes more.
This makes a low fat recipe that is juicer than broiling.
Low Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix sugars, margarine, vanilla and egg white. Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonful about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Healthy French Fries
Oven fry your frozen french fries in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to one large flat pan or cookie sheet (with sides.) Coat the fries with the oil. (Placing them in a large zipper bag with the oil will work great!) Spread out on the pan. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, then put fries on bottom rack. After bottom of fries are brown, broil until the tops are brown.
Low Fat Carrot Muffins
2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup whole wheat flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup applesauce
3 egg whites
2 cups carrots, shredded
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place paper baking cups into muffin pan and set aside. In large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir. In another bowl, combine orange juice, applesauce and egg whites; mix well. Pour juice mixture into flour mixture and mix well. Add carrot and raisins. Stir until raisins and carrots are completely incorporated. Fill paper baking cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Low Fat Butterscotch Bars
Butter-flavored cooking spray
3 cups flour
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup fat free margarine
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup fat free butterscotch sundae topping
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Spray a 13x9" baking pan with butter flavored cooking
spray. Combine 3 cups flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, mix well. Add brown sugar, vanilla, margarine, and milk. Mix until crumbly and moistened. Remove 1 cup of the crumb mixture and set aside. Press the rest of the mixture evenly into the pan.
In a small bowl, combine butterscotch topping and 3 Tbsp of flour, mix well. Spread butterscotch mixture evenly over crumb mixture in pan. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over the butterscotch mixture. Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees.
