Does your recipe call for whole milk when you just don’t have any left? Rather than ruining another recipe because of that one crucial missing ingredient, or running out to the store again, you might be able to fix it with ingredients you already have. This useful guide to simple substitutions has tips and suggestions about how to replace the usual missing suspects successfully!
Allspice – 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.
Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon
1/3 tsp. baking soda plus 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar or
1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup yogurt or buttermilk (decrease liquid in recipe by 1/2 cup)
Bread Crumbs (Dry) – 1 cup
3 slices of bread, crumbled.
Butter – 1 cup
1 cup of regular margarine or
1 cup of vegetable shortening (for baking) or
1 cup of oil (but only if melted butter is called for)
Buttermilk – 1 cup
1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar plus enough regular milk to make 1 cup (let sit for 5 minutes)
Cream / Half and Half – 1 cup
7/8th of a cup of whole milk plus 1/2 tablespoon of butter or
3 tablespoons of oil, plus enough milk for 1 cup or1 cup of evaporated milk
Cocoa – 1/4th cup
1 ounce (square) chocolate (decrease butter/oil in recipe by 1/2 a tablespoon)
Condensed Milk – 1 cup
Heat 1/3 cup of evaporated milk, 3/4 cup of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of butter until dissolved.
Cornstarch (for thickening) – 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons of flour (must cook for at least 3 minutes longer to thicken)
Egg – 1 whole egg
1/4th cup of egg beaters or
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (for baking batters only)
Flour (All-Purpose) – 1 cup1/2 cup whole wheat flour plus 1/2 cup of all purpose flour (don’t substitute more than 1/2 the flour)
The following alternatives require more leavening, so add 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of flour. Also recommended, use buttermilk and 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda instead of milk to decrease heaviness.
3/4 cup rice flour or
1 1/2 cups of oat flour or
1 1/4 cups of rye flour or
5/8 cup of potato starch flour or
1 cup rolled oats or
1 cup fine cornmeal
Sugar (Powdered) – 1 cup
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
Sugar (White) – 1 cup
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar or
1 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar (not for baking) or
3/4 cup maple syrup (reduce liquid in recipe by 3 tablespoons)
Whole Milk – 1 cup1 cup buttermilk plus 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (if baking, reduce baking powder by 2 teaspoons) or
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk , 7/8 cup of water, and 2 teaspoons of butter
Plain Yogurt – 1 cup
1 cup buttermilk or
1 cup cottage cheese (blended smooth) or
1 cup sour cream