You normally use parchment paper to keep your cookies from sticking to the cookie sheet, but you opened the box and realized you don’t have enough on hand! What are you going to do?
Not to worry! There are many substitutes for parchment paper.
Many of the items listed below are things you probably already have in your pantry. So, read on to see our favorite parchment paper substitutes.
What Can You Use in Place of Parchment Paper?
- Aluminum Foil
- Wax Paper
- Silicone Baking Pad
- Cooking Spray
- Butter
- Nonstick Cookware
1. Aluminum Foil
A great substitute for parchment paper is aluminum foil because it can be used for lining pans. You can encapsulate your food to keep it moist while cooking.
While parchment paper is commonly used for wrapping food in a “packet” to trap moisture and heat, you can wrap food in aluminum foil to achieve similar results.
You can cook meat until tender or make perfectly steamed vegetables by using this method.
If you’re baking cookies or something that doesn’t need to be wrapped, it’s important to thoroughly grease it before using it as a pan liner. Not doing so will result in your food sticking to the aluminum.
And aluminum foil can conduct or reflect heat to cause your food to cook much faster. So, if you are using it as a substitute for parchment paper, you may need to shorten your baking time or lower your temperature to avoid burning your food.
There are some key differences you should be aware of, so here is an in-depth comparison of parchment paper vs aluminum foil.
2. Wax Paper
Wax paper and parchment paper look and feel similar. Wax paper is coated in wax, while parchment paper is coated in silicone. This may not seem like much of a difference, but it is a significant difference.
Parchment paper can withstand heat up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit while most wax papers should not go in the oven.
In fact, wax paper can’t withstand much heat at all, so it’s better to use it for storing and freezing food, no-bake recipes, or rolling dough on.
Overall, wax paper is a good substitute for parchment paper as long as there isn’t any heat involved.
3. Silicone Baking Pad
A silicone baking pad is a nonstick mat made from food-grade silicone. It is very similar to parchment paper, except silicone pads are reusable and may lessen your environmental impact.
You can purchase silicone pads in many different shapes and sizes to suit your needs.
Silicone pads are a great substitute for parchment paper because they produce very similar outcomes. They’re both nonstick, can withstand high heat, are versatile, reusable, and can be easily wiped off/cleaned.
Silicone pads are sticky, so they stay in place once you place them on your baking pan. There’s no need to apply any type of grease to your pad.
Silicone pads can do just about anything parchment paper can do in your oven. You can use silicone pads to roast veggies, make crispy bacon, pizza, and bake cookies. The possibilities are endless!
4. Cooking Spray
Cooking spray is applied to a pan to give it a nonstick, lubricated surface. Though it isn’t very similar to parchment paper, it can prevent your food from sticking to your pan and ruining your baked goods.
There are a variety of different cooking sprays to choose from. You can get canola oil spray, olive oil spray, avocado oil spray, coconut oil spray, vegetable oil spray, and many more.
But before you grab any cooking spray off the grocery shelf, check the ingredients to make sure that it only contains what you want. Some sprays may contain flour which is important if you need to avoid certain ingredients, like gluten, in your food.
Cooking spray is a good alternative to parchment paper because it can withstand high heat, is non-toxic, and can provide a nonstick surface with little to clean up and nothing to toss in the trash afterward.
5. Butter
Greasing your pan with butter can keep your food from sticking and make your food extra flavorful! This is an old-school approach, and many chefs still use this method for many dishes and recipes.
This method can be used in place of parchment paper for certain situations. For foods that already have plenty of fat, such as cookies, this method might change the results of your baking efforts.
However, you can use butter in place of parchment paper for foods like cake or brownies. If you want extra protection from sticking, you can dust flour over the butter.
If you are making a chocolate dessert, you could even sprinkle cocoa powder over the butter instead of flour.
6. Nonstick Cookware
In general, nonstick cookware is easy to use. Simply grease lightly and place your food on the pan and start cooking! If nothing gets burnt on the bottom, cleanup is a breeze!
It’s important to remember that nonstick cookware that is designed for the top of the stove is often not safe to put in the oven! So, you will need to check the manufacturer’s limitations and recommendations.
Although nonstick pans are good for many things, you shouldn’t rely on them completely for things that need to come out of the oven perfectly shaped.
Even with a dedicated nonstick baking pan, you may be disappointed to see your Bundt cake come out of the pan with chunks missing, so you may need to lean on combining nonstick cookware with the greasing methods mentioned above.
Final Thoughts
Parchment paper is popular due to its nonstick and grease-resistant properties. It cooks food evenly and makes cleaning up a breeze. It’s not the only one!
Aluminum foil, wax paper, silicone baking pads, nonstick pans, cooking spray, and butter are all great substitutes and will give similar outcomes that parchment paper would provide.
