How to make your baked goods healthier

Healthy eating used to be more about what you didn’t eat than what you did, but a growing understanding of nutrition means many consumers are ditching restrictive diets for more balanced forms of eating and treating.

According to Bakels Global Trends, 73 per cent of shoppers are looking for healthier cake options, so finding a balance between health and indulgence is key to keeping your baked goods offer relevant and appealing. Not sure where to start? Here are three ways you can make your baked goods range healthier to maximise sales:

1. Add

For consumers who look at their diet holistically, adding in beneficial ingredients can be as important as taking things out. For example, added fibre, protein, fruit and veg contribute to balanced macros and nutrient goals, making treating more accessible.

Try:

  • Reducing sugar content in bakes by adding in sweet fruit like pineapple, apples and even carrots
  • Increasing fibre by switching to wholemeal flour, or add protein and flavour with almond flour
  • Adding in extra nutrients with nuts, seeds and berries

2. Remove / replace

For those with stricter dietary requirements like reducing cholesterol or eating with a gluten intolerance, removing ingredients may be necessary to allow them to continue to treat themselves without guilt or risk.

In these cases, it’s important to consider the eating experience, so if you’re removing something integral to the recipe, like butter, it’s important to add in an alternative that brings something to the table, whether that’s in texture or flavour or both.

Try:

  • Reducing sugar content in bakes by adding in sweet fruit like pineapple, apples and even carrots
  • Reducing saturated fat by replacing butter with yoghurt
  • Replacing wheat flour with almond or polenta flour to remove gluten

3. Resize

While a huge slab of cake is sure to put off calorie counters, bite-sized treats mean consumers can still enjoy the tastes they love without compromise.

Tiny treats have been a staple of retailers like M&S for years, with smaller bites now popping up in high street coffee chains. According to Mondelez International, 86 per cent of consumers want smaller treat options, so downsizing your most popular bakes could be a winning sales formula.

Try:

  • Downsizing your most popular cakes and bakes into calorie-controlled pieces
  • Stocking whole traybakes that can be portioned into smaller serving sizes
  • Serving up retail selection packs of smaller treats for shoppers to enjoy throughout the week
At Queensland Bakery, we offer individually wrapped bars and snacks and we’re looking into creating portion-controlled products at less than 100 calories a serving to promote responsible treating. We’re also exploring how we can reduce sugar, fat and salt from our treats. Get in touch now to find out how we can work with you to make your baked goods healthier.