When you’re in a pinch and missing a staple ingredient, consider using a suitable substitution. Depending on what you’re making, many recipes are made just as good, if not better, with alternative ingredients. You might even discover you like your stand-in ingredient more than the called-for item. For your convenience, we’ve made this substitution list easily printable, so you can hang it inside your pantry, cabinet or on your refrigerator for quick and easy reference!
To print, click here.
| INGREDIENT | AMOUNT | SUBSTITUTE |
|---|---|---|
| BAKING POWDER | 1 t | ¼ t baking soda and ½ t cream of tartar |
| BAKING SODA | 1 t | 4 t baking powder |
| BREAD CRUMBS | 1 c | 1 crushed cracker |
| 2 oz dried bread (~2 c cubed) to make your own | ||
| BUTTER (FOR BAKING) | 1 c | ½ c Greek yogurt |
| ½ c sour cream | ||
| ½ c nut butter and ½ c oil (½ c coconut or vegetable) | ||
| ¾ c olive oil | ||
| 1 c beans, pureed | ||
| 1 c avocado, pureed | ||
| 1 c applesauce or ½ c applesauce and ½ c oil | ||
| 1 c pumpkin, pureed | ||
| BUTTERMILK | 1 c | 1 c whole milk (or 2% or heavy cream) and 1 T lemon juice or distilled white vinegar |
| COCONUT MILK | 1 c | 1 c whole or 2% milk |
| COCONUT OIL | 1 c | 1 c other oil, such as vegetable or olive |
| CORNSTARCH | 1 T | 3 T flour |
| 2 T arrowroot or tapioca flour or rice flour | ||
| EGGS | 1 egg | 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce |
| 1/4 c mashed banana | ||
| 1 T ground flaxseeds and 3 T water | ||
| 3 T aquafaba (chickpea water) | ||
| FLOUR, ALL-PURPOSE (FOR THICKENING) | 1 T | 1 ½ t cornstarch, arrowroot starch, potato starch, or rice starch |
| 1 T granular tapioca or 1 T quick-cooking tapioca | ||
| FLOUR, ALL-PURPOSE | 1 c | 1 c and 2 T cake flour |
| 1 c rolled oats, crushed or processed until fine | ||
| 1 c rye or rice flour | ||
| Note: Substitutes for white flours added to most baked goods will result in a reduced volume and a heavier product. Substitute no more than ¼ of white flour in a cake. In other recipes, substitute whole wheat flour for ¼ to ½ of white flour. | ||
| FLOUR, SELF-RISING | 1 c | 1 c minus 2 t all-purpose flour, 1 ½ t baking powder, and ½ t salt |
| HEAVY CREAM | 1 c | 1 c evaporated milk |
| ½ c whole milk and ½ plain Greek yogurt | ||
| ¾ c milk and ⅓ c melted butter | ||
| HONEY | 1 c | 1-1/4 c sugar and ¼ c water |
| KETCHUP | 1 c | 1 c tomato sauce, ¼ c brown sugar, and 2 T vinegar |
| MAYONNAISE (FOR SALAD DRESSING) | 1 c | 1 c sour cream |
| 1 c plain yogurt | ||
| 1 c cottage cheese, pureed in a blender | ||
| 1 egg yolk, 1-1/2 t lemon juice, 1 t white vinegar, 1/4 t mustard, 1/2 t salt, 3/4 c canola oil | ||
| MILK, SKIM | 1 c | 4-5 T non-fat dry milk powder and enough water to make 1 c, or follow the package directions |
| ½ c evaporated milk and ½ c water | ||
| Note: Non-dairy milks can also stand in for cows’ milk, such as soy, almond or coconut milk | ||
| MILK, WHOLE | 1 c | 1 c reconstituted non-fat dry milk (add 2 T butter or margarine, if desired) |
| ½ cup evaporated milk and ½ cup water | ||
| 4 T whole dry milk and 1 c water, or follow the package directions | ||
| Note: Non-dairy milks can also stand in for cows’ milk, such as soy, almond or coconut milk | ||
| TOMATO SAUCE | 1 c | ½ c tomato paste and ½ c water |
| SOUR CREAM, CULTURED | 1 c | 1 c plain yogurt |
| ¾ c milk, ¾ t lemon juice, and 1/3 c butter or margarine | ||
| SUGAR, BROWN | 1 c firmly packed | 1 c granulated sugar and 1-2 T molasses for light (or up to ¼ c for dark) |
| SUGAR, GRANULATED | 1 c | 1 c powdered sugar |
| 1 c brown sugar, firmly packed | ||
| ¾ c honey (decrease liquid called for in the recipe by ¼ c; for each cup of honey in baked goods, add ½ t soda) | ||
| 1 1/3 c molasses (Decrease liquid called for in the recipe by 1/3 c) | ||
| 1 ½ c corn syrup (Decrease liquid called for in the recipe by ¼ c) | ||
| VEGETABLE OIL (FOR BAKING) | 1 c | 1 c applesauce |
| 1 c fruit puree | ||
| VINEGAR, APPLE CIDER | 1 T | 1 T lemon juice and 1 T lime juice |
| 2 T white wine | ||
| VINEGAR, WHITE | 1 T | 1 T of any of the following: lemon juice, lime juice, cider vinegar or malt vinegar |
| WHIPPED CREAM | 1 c | 1 c heavy cream, 1 T sugar, 1 t vanilla, whipped together |
| YOGURT, PLAIN | 1 c | 1 c buttermilk |
| 1 c cottage cheese, blended until smooth | ||
| 1 c sour cream |
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