Grab a Jar of Applesauce, Ditch the Butter and Eggs, and Bake Up These Healthy Recipes

POPSUGAR Photography | Jenny Sugar
POPSUGAR Photography | Jenny Sugar

It happens to the best of us: you forgot about that jar of applesauce you opened a month ago to make those pumpkin quinoa muffins. You cautiously open the jar, the fuzziness staring back at you, and you once again feel defeated. Because let's face it: this isn't the first time your $3.99 jar of organic applesauce went straight to the recycle bin.

Not anymore. The insanity ends now. This won't stop you from buying another jar. Oh no. Now that you have these four recipes all in one place, you can confidently go through that jar (within 10 or so days). Here are four recipes that use up 24 ounces of applesauce, which is the size of a typical jar. And as a bonus, we've included a single recipe that uses the entire jar in one go! Make a new healthy recipe every few days, and you can lose the guilt about wasting money and food.

RELATED: How to Substitute Applesauce For Butter and Eggs

No-Bake Carrot Cake Protein Balls
POPSUGAR Photography | Jenny Sugar

No-Bake Carrot Cake Protein Balls

Have your (carrot) cake and eat it too, but without all the calories and fat found in a traditional sugary slice. These no-bake protein balls are sweet, nutty, and soft, and they're cake-like without a drop of flour. This recipe calls for half a cup of applesauce.

Vegan Banana Apple Chunk Bread
POPSUGAR Photography | Jenny Sugar

Vegan Banana Apple Chunk Bread

As soon as you bite into the soft and juicy chunks of cooked apples, you'll want to purposely let a bunch of bananas get overripe just so you can bake a loaf of this warm and comforting banana bread. Made with less sugar than a traditional loaf, it's still so naturally sweet from the bananas, apples, and applesauce that it's perfect for a healthy breakfast. This recipe will use up one cup of applesauce.

Coconut-Blueberry Cookie Bars
POPSUGAR Photography | Lizzie Fuhr

Coconut-Blueberry Cookie Bars

Bake up a batch of these Paleo-friendly coconut-blueberry cookie bars that offer nearly 20 percent of your recommended fiber for the day. This recipe calls for one cup of applesauce.

Apple Pie Muffins
POPSUGAR Photography | Jenny Sugar

Apple Pie Muffins

Craving apple pie but don't want to indulge in a 411-calorie buttery piece? Here's a dairy-free muffin recipe with much less fat since it uses half a cup of applesauce.

Fruit Leathers
POPSUGAR Photography | Jenny Sugar

Fruit Leathers

If you don't want to bother with baking all those recipes, use up an entire jar making this homemade batch of apple fruit leather.