From apple pies to blueberry muffins, fruit has long been a mainstay ingredient in a wide variety of baked goods. A more recent trend, however, is challenging fruit’s supremacy in the pastry world: vegetables. No longer being confined to a side role in meals, vegetables represent a health-conscious and creative way to deliver exciting flavor and nutritional value to breads, cakes, brownies, and much more. What was once a rarity has now become a staple in bakeries, home pantries, and grocery stores.
New Ways of Using Vegetables
While the use of vegetables as ingredients in baked goods isn’t really new, there has been a renewed interest in recent years. This comes at the same time as a surge in the availability of vegetarian and vegan options in restaurants and stores. In addition to renewed interest, however, both the kinds of vegetables used and the way they’re used has gone through a reimagining. Below are some examples of new ways vegetables are used in baked goods:
- Adding variety: Some veggies, like carrots or sweet potatoes, have been used in baked goods for a long time–and they’re not likely to lose their popularity any time soon. But the menu of options has only gotten broader, now including other vegetables like zucchini, spinach, eggplant, and corn. And even though they aren’t technically vegetables, legumes like chickpeas and black beans are also used.
- Improving health: Apart from flavor and texture reasons, a big draw of using vegetables is the boost of nutrients they bring. And with Americans becoming more health-conscious in the last few years, using vegetables in a baked good is an easy way to get more of the nutrients our bodies need.
- Substitutions: Another popular way to use vegetables is as a substitution for a less healthy or less desirable ingredient; veggies can also be a substitute for those who have food allergies or intolerances. Dehydrated cauliflower, for instance, can be used as a low-carb substitute for flour in pizza crusts.
- Mixing savory and sweet: Traditionally most baked goods have been sweet treats, but contemporary bakers are more willing to blur the line between sweet and savory. This might involve using traditionally savory vegetables like tomatoes or bell peppers in sweet contexts, creating more complex flavor profiles.
- Visual appeal: The explosion of social media use has put a far greater emphasis on the visual appeal of even the simplest of foods. There are a number of natural vegetable ingredients that can be used to add color and enhance the visual appeal of baked goods without artificial food coloring.
- Sustainability: A truly new development in food manufacturing is concerns about sustainability in light of climate change. Baked goods and other foods that highlight vegetables are now being promoted for things like reducing food waste or supporting sustainable eating practices.
Popular Vegetables in Baking
From a practical baking perspective, vegetables can be a valuable additive because of how they introduce moisture and natural sweetness to baked goods. This also allows for a reduction in less healthy ingredients like fat and sugar. The key to their popularity is often their ability to complement or enhance flavors without overpowering the overall taste of the dish. Of course some vegetables seem to especially work well in baked goods:
- Carrots: Carrots are of course the star of carrot cake, but they also shine in muffins, breads, and cookies. They are valued both for their natural sweetness and the moisture they add to a recipe.
- Zucchini: Especially when grated, zucchini can also add moisture to baked goods without imparting a strong flavor. In addition to classic zucchini bread, it works well in cakes and muffins.
- Pumpkin: Technically a fruit from the squash family, pumpkin is an ingredient equally comfortable in sweet or savory settings. Pumpkin is famously essential in Autumn baking treats like pie, bread, cheesecake, and cookies.
- Sweet potatoes: In recent years, sweet potatoes have gained popularity as an alternative to pumpkin for similar kinds of dishes. Sweet potatoes are prized for their rich, sweet flavor and vibrant orange color.
- Beets: Beets are a versatile ingredient that can be used as a natural coloring agent in baked goods. They have become particularly useful in chocolate and red velvet cakes and cupcakes because of their deep red color and added moisture.
- Spinach: Using spinach in baking is one of the newer trends, largely because of the nutritional benefits it brings in the form of vitamins and minerals like iron and potassium.
- Butternut squash: Butternut squash has become a popular stand-in for pumpkin in bread and muffin recipes. In addition to providing a slightly sweeter, nuttier flavor, butternut squash often results in a creamier texture.
- Cauliflower: Cauliflower is now one of the go-to ingredients for gluten-free and low-carb recipes, and it can be used as a base in pizza and pie crusts, cakes, and crackers.
- Sweet corn: Cornmeal has been used to make cornbread by Native Americans for thousands of years, but it can also be made into flour and used in any recipe that calls for flour.
- Parsnips: A cousin of the carrot, parsnips can be used to make quick breads and spiced cakes. They have also long been used as a natural sweetener.
- Cucumber: Cucumbers have a lot of water content, and so they are similar to zucchini and other vegetables used to add moisture to cakes and cupcakes.
Vegetable Ingredients from Silva
In the last few years, health-conscious consumers have spurred this new interest in using vegetables in baked goods. Food manufacturers have responded in kind by offering new, more nutritious products. At Silva, we are proud to provide high quality vegetable ingredients that can take a baked good and make it healthier and more delicious. We are also passionate about product innovation and keeping tabs on the latest trends. If you’d like to learn more about our offerings and how we can help you deliver your next great product to your customers, please contact us today.