10 Eco-Conscious Swaps to Help Cut Back on Baking Waste

Let’s be real: There’s more to an eco-conscious kitchen than organic produce and free-range eggs. (Though don’t get me wrong, those are super crucial, too.) It’s also important to think about your tools—especially when it comes to those baking accessories. I might’ve spent my teenage years mastering the almighty cookie cake—just ask my friends!— but it wasn’t until I recently bought a stand mixer and upped my baking cadence that I noticed how much waste making something sweet and delicious creates. As someone who tries to shop sustainably, the thought of a trash can stuffed with superfluous parchment paper and muffin liners is, well, a bummer. (If you clicked on this story, I have a feeling you’re right there with me.)

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. With a few eco-friendly swaps, it’s possible to have your cake, eat it, and not stress over your carbon footprint. To enhance your time in the kitchen, here are 10 sustainable essentials for every phase of your bake.

1. Silpat Silicone Nonstick Baking Mat, $32+

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Any avid baker will tell you they go through a lot of parchment paper. Prevent a trash pileup by picking up these silicone baking mats. Not only do they provide a great layer between your Snickerdoodles and the baking sheet, they can also be thrown in the dishwasher after each use.

2. Iris Hantverk Birch Cake Tester, $19

Toothpicks might be your go-to way to check your brownie batch’s doneness, but this Iris Hantverk cake tester is a suitable, reusable alternative. (Psst! The birch handle will score major compliments if you’re baking with guests.)

3. Five Two Batter Up Silicone Baking Cups (Set of 12), $13 $10

If your eco-friendly heart breaks whenever you throw away a paper cupcake liner, our silicone cups are here to save the day. These ultra-thin, food-safe cups even have a discreet pull tab so you can easily remove them from your baking tin.

4. Compostable Pastry Bags, $20

Decorating sugar cookies or piping a single-tiered cake is all confectionary fun—until you realize just how many pastry bags you’ve gone through. Williams Sonoma’s bags aren’t reusable, but they can be composted so you can rest easy knowing you’re disposing of them responsibly.

5. Stasher Stand-Up Trio Bundle, $74

One of the best parts about baking is sharing the final product with others; however, those disposable plastic containers you store them in aren’t doing Mother Nature any favors. The solution: Stasher’s Stand-Up bag, a reusable option that can hold scones, biscotti, and beyond. (These silicone bags are not cheap, so just be sure you get them back later.)

6. Bee’s Wrap Reusable Food Wraps, $18+

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Speaking of food storage, you can’t ignore the buzz around Bee’s Wrap. Made with organic cotton, this reusable alternative to traditional cling wrap can be used with everything from fresh pizza dough to leftovers.

7. Dot and Army Bread Bag & Bowl Cover Set, $28

If you’re still on the sourdough bandwagon, keep your bread as fresh as possible with Dot and Army’s cute chambray linen bread bag. There’s even a bowl cover for your rising dough!

8. Vtopmart Airtight Food Storage Containers Set with Lids, $39 $29

Did you know some grocery stores sell dry ingredients like flour and brown sugar in bulk? Thanks to this set of airtight food storage containers, you can reduce your waste at the supermarket and in your space.

9. Lasenersm Dough Scraper Duo, $6

It’s easy to think of waste as discarded packaging, but food waste is a problem, too. The good news is this flexible dough scraper will make sure no bits of your recipe go to waste.

10. Bamboozle Bamboo Compost Bin, $40

Don’t worry: If you don’t end up using all of your ingredients, you can pay it forward by composting your scraps. That way, those leftover chocolate chips and egg shells can be repurposed as fertilizer.