The Extra Addition You Need When Substituting Silken Tofu For Banana
Bananas are a versatile ingredient that lends their creamy sweetness to a number of recipes. Bananas thicken smoothies and are delicious with breakfast options like oatmeal and pancakes. Folding the sweet fruit into the dough for cookies or banana bread, or the batter for classic banana muffins can yield fluffy, delicious treats. The possibilities are endless, but if you don't have bananas on hand and are in need of an alternative, silken tofu can come to the rescue. Before you begin to stir tofu into your recipes, however, you'll need to consider the overall flavor of your intended dishes.
Regardless of whether you're putting together mousse or smoothies, you'll need to compensate for a key difference in the taste if you're leaving bananas out of the equation and using tofu instead. When swapping out bananas and adding silken tofu, you may need to include another sweet ingredient to make up for the banana's absence, particularly for recipes that lean on the sweeter side.
A spoonful of sweetness
Bananas are naturally sweet and offer a flavorful addition to many recipes, whereas silken tofu delivers a much more neutral taste. Honey, agave syrup, sugar, or your favorite sugar substitute can offer a touch of sweetness to desserts and snacks made with silken tofu, or if you're planning to whip up a recipe that you'd prefer to be less sweet, silken tofu can help you put together savory menu items easily. Since tofu can be kept in your freezer and stay usable for up to six months, you may want to pick up a package to store for your next banana-free emergency.
Can't get your hands on silken tofu? Reach for applesauce, mashed sweet potatoes, avocado, or chia seeds instead to still achieve the intended texture and flavor profile of your recipes. Since the texture of these ingredients can lend a similar chew to dishes, home cooks without bananas in their kitchens won't have to forgo some of the more delicious banana-focused recipes you typically toss the fruit into.