I hate it when I am in the middle of a recipe and suddenly realize, I am out of an ingredient, argh, now to find a substitution or alternative ingredient. I hope you find this Ingredient Substitution Chart handy. Print out this free printable and put inside a cupboard or pantry for easy referencing.
Please keep in mind, that when making substitutions it can change the outcome of the recipe. Some substitutions will not be noticeable; like using cracker crumbs in place of bread crumbs; egg substitutes, you might notice a difference.
Print this FREE Ingredient Substitution Chart
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COMMON BAKING INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
BAKING POWDER SUBSTITUTE
For one teaspoon replace with ½ teaspoon cream of tartar plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
BAKING SODA SUBSTITUTE
2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder, plus replace acidic liquid ingredient in recipe with non-acidic liquid. Note: this is not ideal! Equivalent to 1 teaspoon.
BUTTERMILK SUBSTITUTE
For 1 cup buttermilk replace with 1 cup plain yogurt, or my favorite; 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup. Stir and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
BUTTER SUBSTITUTE
Replace with โ
cup vegetable oil plus ½ teaspoon salt (omit salt for unsalted butter); or use coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce but do not substitute with whipped butter or margarine. Makes 1 cup.
LIGHT BROWN SUGAR SUBSTITUTE
1 cup dark brown sugar or 2 tablespoons molasses plus 1 cup granulated sugar or ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar plus ½ cup granulated white sugar, makes 1 cup.
DARK BROWN SUGAR SUBSTITUTE
1 cup light brown sugar or ¼ cup molasses plus 1 cup granulated sugar or 1 tablespoon molasses plus 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, makes 1 cup.
BREAD FLOUR SUBSTITUTE
1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon wheat gluten, though my hunch is you also may not have on hand. So in a pinch, I use regular all-purpose flour, cup-for-cup, your end results won’t be quite the same, but should get close to desired result. Makes 1 cup.
CAKE FLOUR SUBSTITUTE
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Makes 1 cup.
COCOA POWDER SUBSTITUTE
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped superfine or melted. Makes ¼ cup.
CORN SYRUP SUBSTITUTE
1 cup sugar dissolved in ¼ cup warm water OR 1 cup honey.
CREAM OF TARTAR SUBSTITUTE
½ teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice = ½ teaspoon cream of tartar.
EGG SUBSTITUTE
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup mashed banana (I have used this in my Gluten Free Coffee Cake to make it gluten and egg free for a friend with allergies, works great!)
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water, stir to combine, and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken. Note: Depending on what you are putting this in, ground flax can taste a bit fishy, but this small amount should be okay.
HALF AND HALF SUBSTITUTE
1 ½ tablespoons butter plus enough milk to equal one cup. Softened butter or melted and cooled. Equals 1 cup half and half.
HEAVY CREAM SUBSTITUTE
¾ cup milk (higher fat the better) plus ⅓ cup butter, softened. Or 1 cup evaporated milk or shelf stable whipping cream (available at Trader Joe’s – this stuff has saved my bacon numerous times. Note: Other than the shelf stable whipping cream, other substitutes will not whip into whipped cream; use milk or evaporated milk only in recipes that incorporate cream into the batter, sauce or mixture.
SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK SUBSTITUTE
¾ cup white sugar plus ½ cup water, plus 1 ⅛ cups dry powdered milk; bring to a boil, stirring until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool; makes equivalent to 1-14 oz can.
Print the Ingredient Substitution Chart Click Download button below.
COMMON COOKING INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
BREAD CRUMBS SUBSTITUTE
- ¾ cup soft bread crumbs
- ¼ cup cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup crushed cornflakes
- ⅔ cup regular rolled oats
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BEEF OR CHICKEN BROTH SUBSTITUTE
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 bouillon cube (or 1 teaspoon granules or soup base), plus 1 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons water
CREAM BASED SOUP SUBSTITUTE
1 tablespoon flour, 3 tablespoons butter, ½ cup chicken broth, ½ cup milk. Melt butter, whisk flour until bubbly, slowly add broth and milk whisking until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 1 can worth.
GARLIC CLOVE SUBSTITUTE
½ teaspoon minced garlic or ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 cube Dorot Frozen Garlic. I love this last one, you need this in your freezer, 1 cube equals one clove of garlic. I purchase mine from Trader Joe’s. Equals 1 clove.
GINGER ROOT SUBSTITUTE
¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ground ginger is much more concentrated in flavor than fresh. Or sub with 1 cube Dorot Frozen Fresh Ginger (also at Trader Joe’s). Equals 1 tablespoon.
FRESH HERBS SUBSTITUTES
If a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, substitute 1 teaspoon dried of the same herb. Generally speaking you replace fresh with dried in a 3:1 ratio. There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon. Dried herbs are more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, which is why you need less.
HONEY SUBSTITUTE
1 ¼ cups white sugar plus ⅓ cup water, stir to dissolve. Makes 1 cup.
KETCHUP SUBSTITUTE
1 cup tomato sauce plus 1 tablespoon sugar, plus one teaspoon vinegar. Mix together, makes 1 cup.
LEMON JUICE SUBSTITUTES
1 teaspoon lime juice, or ½ teaspoon vinegar; or 1 teaspoon white wine. Equals 1 teaspoon.
MAYONNAISE SUBSTITUTES
1 cup plain yogurt; or 1 cup sour cream.
MILK SUBSTITUTES
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 cup water or juice
- ¼ cup dry powdered milk, plus 1 cup water
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk plus ⅓ cup water
SOUR CREAM SUBSTITUTES
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ¾ cup buttermilk, plus ⅓ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar, plus ¾ cup and 3 tablespoons cream, mix.
SOY SAUCE SUBSTITUTES
½ cup coconut aminos or liquid aminos (such as Bragg’s) or ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, plus 1 tablespoon water.
TOMATO SAUCE SUBSTITUTE
¾ cup tomato paste, 1 cup water; mix to combine. Makes equivalent of 2 cups of sauce.
VINEGAR (BALSAMIC) SUBSTITUTE
1 tablespoon cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, plus ½ teaspoon sugar. Makes 1 tablespoon.
Print the Ingredient Substitution Chart
Click Download button below.
If you are looking for a substitute that is not on this list, email me or add a comment below. I will do my best to get back with a possible solution. Happy cooking and baking!
Philomena Fernandes
What can molasses be substituted with?
Kathleen Pope
These are the best substitutes, but they will give a different flavor profile depending on what you are making.
Honey
Maple syrup
Dark corn syrup
Sorghum syrup
Golden syrup
Brown sugar
Black treacle
Simple syrup
Jennifer Stewart
Definitely printing this out and taping to the inside of my cabinet! These are all the substitutions I need and am always looking for!
Kathleen
Fabulous Jennifer, I love hearing this, I really did it for myself, as I was always looking up one substitution or another!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
This is such a great resource Kathleen! Thank you for sharing!
Kathleen
Thank you my friend, Happy Easter!!