Zero Waste Baking Supplies

I’m an avid baker. I mean, I love to cook too but the sweet tooth in me loves whipping up delectable desserts to be indulged or served to guests. But sometimes the amount of single-use supplies used in baking can be wasteful.

Throughout the years, I have been using zero waste baking supplies without realizing. I bought them because they seemed more convenient for my needs. I will admit, I don’t have a perfect zero waste lifestyle, I do sometimes bust out the parchment paper to line the cake pan or paper liners when I need to make three-dozen cupcakes.

Here, I’ll be sharing some zero waste supplies that I regularly use when baking and hopefully these will guide you to swap out those single-use items.

Replace Pastry/Piping Bag for a Dessert Decorator

I found this Dessert Decorator over a decade ago at HomeSense and thought it was a pretty cool multi-use gadget without knowing how extremely useful it was. And to be honest, I have actually never used a piping bag to decorate cakes or pipe meringue cookies for macarons. Okay, maybe once but it was messy because the tip popped off of the bag. AND not only does this particular Dessert Decorator pipe out designs and such but the other end is a powered sugar shaker!

The only “negative” thing about the dessert decorator is that it can only fill a certain amount, so you may need to pause and refill the filling compared to a piping bag where you can pour all the content in.

Replace Parchment Paper for a Silicone Mat

When I first saw the Silpat Silicone Mat I thought it was super unique and useful (keep in mind, this was before silicone mats existed in every other kitchen supply store). I love that it’s easy to release whatever was made and nothing sticks onto it.

The downside of a silicone mat is that there is a slight difference in texture – the moisture from the mat makes whatever you’re baking a softer texture. So if you want to make crunchy, crumbly cookies, that won’t likely happen. Thus, I use parchment paper for certain baking either because I don’t want the soft texture or if I want to line a cake pan – parchment paper is my only option.

Replace Cupcake/Muffin Paper Liners for Silicone Baking Moulds

Similar to the silicone mats, Silicone Baking Moulds make taking out cupcakes and muffins easy – it pretty much pops out, there’s no need to grease the liners. Silicone Baking Moulds are sturdy enough to hold its shape, meaning muffin pans are not necessarily needed – but definitely place them on a baking sheet. Best part of these silicone moulds are that they come in different shapes and sizes. They’re also great to use for making jello.

The only downside would be the difference in texture. Don’t worry, it won’t change the taste or texture but the bottom will have a bit of a shine, rubbery-like coating, unless you grease them.

Replace Resealable Plastic Bags for Reusable Silicone Bags

I do try my best to reuse resealable bags (Ziplock), but one plastic zipper bag can be used so many times until it has to be thrown out. Reusable silicone bags are great for storing everything you would normally store in a plastic zipper bag but it can be washed and reused without the wear and tear. I love using these silicone bags to freeze pizza dough, cookie dough and fruits. They’re also great to pack your baked goods in and take it to-go.

The only problem I can think of with reusable silicone bags is it needs to be washed and the cost of one bag. Unless there’s a endless supply, you can’t simply grab a bag from a box.

What are your thoughts on these baking supplies? Do you use zero waste products when baking? Feel free to share any other zero waste baking supplies that were not mentioned.