We’ve all been there. We go to the kitchen to make a quick batch of cookies to cure that sweet tooth, start pulling ingredients just to discover we are missing a vital ingredient. Don’t worry, chances are that you can easily substitute that missing ingredient for something else you have on hand. So before you pick up your keys and run out to the store, check out our handy list of the 50 most common baking substitutions.
| Ingredient | Quantity | Substitution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-Purpose Flour | 1 cup | 1 cup bread flour or 1 1/3 cup cake flour or 1 cup self-rising flour* | *With self-rising flour make sure to omit any baking powder and salt from your recipe. |
| Almond Meal | 1 cup | 1 cup almonds + 1 tbsp granulated sugar | Blend well until mixture is finely ground. Sugar helps prevent clumping but you can also toast the almonds, let cool, then blend to help remove excess moisture. |
| Almond Paste | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp cornstarch or 1 tbsp potato starch or 2 tbsp all-purpose flour | |
| Baking Powder | 1 tsp | 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar | Acid activates the baking soda to create leavening so it needs to be used immediately. |
| Baking Soda | 1 tsp | 4 tsp baking powder/ omit salt in recipe | Baking powder is a leavening agent as well, reduction of salt helps reduce bitter taste the extra baking powder could cause. |
| Bread Crumbs | 1 cup | 1 cup crushed cereal like corn flakes or 1 cup ground rolled oats or 1 cup crushed potato chips or 1 cup crushed cracker crumbs | |
| Bread Flour | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour | |
| Brown Sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated sugar +1 tbsp molasses | Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses. Mix well before using. You can also interchange light and dark brown sugar in recipes, but the dark brown sugar will have a more distinct flavor. |
| Butter | 1 cup | 1 cup shortening or 1 cup vegetable oil or 1 cup margarine | For salted butter add 1/2 tsp salt with substitution, for unsalted butter subtract 1/2 tsp salt from the recipe. |
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 cup milk (minus 1 tbsp) + 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice | If mixing milk with vinegar/lemon juice, stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using. Make sure to use a plain vinegar like white or cider to avoid conflicting flavors in your recipe. Do not use Greek yogurt as a substitute. |
| Cake Flour | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour (minus 2 tbsp) + 2 tbsp cornstarch. | |
| Cocoa Powder | 3 tbsp | 1 oz unsweetened chocolate – (minus) 1 tbsp reduce fat | This will work in your chocolate recipes as long as you stick with the 1 tbsp reduction in fat in the recipe, otherwise your product could become too wet. |
| Coffee | 1/4 cup | 2 tbsp instant espresso powder + 3 tbsp hot water | This substitution works well when a recipe calls for strong brewed coffee/ |
| Cornstarch | 1 tbsp | 1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour | |
| Cream | 1 cup | 1 cup whole milk + 1 tbsp melted butter | |
| Creme Fraiche | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream or 1 cup mascarpone cheese or 1 cup whipping cream + 1 tbsp yogurt | |
| Cream of Tartar | 1 tsp | 1 tsp white vinegar or 1 tsp lemon juice | |
| Currants | 1 cup | 1 cup raisins or 1 cup chopped dates or 1 cup dried fruit | For dried fruit, chop as necessary and try to stay within the same flavor profile such as cherries, blueberries, or cranberries. This also works for substituting raisins in a recipe. |
| Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder | 3 tbsp | 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder + 1/8 tsp baking soda | |
| Egg (Whole) | 1 large | 1/2 mashed banana + 1/2 tsp baking powder or 1/4 cup pureed silken tofu or 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water (let sit 5 minutes) or 3 tbsp mayonnaise or 1/4 cup applesauce | This can not be used in recipes where egg whites are whipped. |
| Evaporated Milk | 1 cup | 1 cup half & half or 1 cup light cream or 1 cup heavy whipping cream | |
| Ghee | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp clarified butter or 1 tbsp vegetable oil | |
| Ginger Root | 1 tbsp | 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger + 1/2 tsp lemon juice or 1 tbsp candied ginger | With candied ginger, rinse off sugar and chop finely. |
| Granulated Sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup brown sugar or 1 cup caster sugar | While you can interchange the two, brown sugar is moister, so you may need to slightly reduce the liquid in the recipe if using a large amount. |
| Half & Half | 1 cup | 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup whole milk | |
| Heavy Cream | 1 cup | 3/4 cup whole milk or half & half + 1/4 cup unsalted butter | Melt butter and slowly whisk whole milk/half & half until fully incorporated. |
| Honey | 1 cup | 1 cup corn syrup or 1 cup molasses or 1 cup maple syrup or 1 cup agave nectar | Keep in mind when picking a substitute the flavor profile of the change. Molasses will have a larger flavor impact than agave nectar on the end result. |
| Iodized Salt | 1/2 tsp | 3/4 tsp kosher salt | |
| Kosher Salt | 1/2 tsp | 1/4 tsp iodized salt | |
| Lemon Juice | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp cider vinegar or 1 tbsp lime juice | |
| Lemon Zest | 1 tsp | 1 tsp any citrus zest or 1/2 tsp lemon extract | You can use other citrus you have on hand like lime, orange, or grapefruit. |
| Maple Syrup | 1 cup | 1 tsp vanilla or maple extract + 1 cup light corn syrup or 1 cup agave or 1 cup honey | While you don’t have to add the extract, it helps compensate for the lack of maple flavor you will be missing. |
| Mascarpone Cheese | 16 oz | 12 oz cream cheese + 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream or 1/4 cup sour cream | Bring cream cheese up to room temperature then mix in heavy whipping cream or sour cream until fully incorporated. |
| Molasses | 1 cup | 1 cup dark corn syrup or 1 cup maple syrup or 1 cup honey or 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar | Molasses adds flavor, sweetness, and moisture to baking recipes. When substituting, keep in mind that the flavor will be milder without molasses so don’t use in recipes where molasses is the main ingredient. |
| Pastry Flour | 2 cups | 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour + 2/3 cup cake flour | |
| Powdered Sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated sugar blended well | This works but sparingly because you’ll never be able to get the true texture of powdered sugar, creating a grainy texture to your baking. Not recommended to use in icing since you’ll get a rough texture. |
| Pumpkin Pie Spice | 1 tsp | 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ground ginger + 1/8 tsp ground allspice + 1/8 ground nutmeg | Mix well before using. |
| Rice Flour | 1 cup | 1 cup cake flour or 1 cup pastry flour | |
| Self-Rising Flour | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp salt | |
| Semi-Sweet Chocolate | 1 oz | 1 oz unsweetened chocolate + 1/2 tsp granulated sugar or 3 tbsp cocoa powder + 3 tbsp granulated sugar + 1 tbsp melted butter | With either substitution, make sure to mix well until the sugar is fully dissolved. |
| Skim Milk | 1 cup | 1/2 cup evaporated skim milk + 1/2 cup water | |
| Sour Cream | 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 cup creme fraiche | |
| Unsweetened Chocolate | 1 oz | 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tbsp unsalted butter or 1 tbsp vegetable oil or 1 tbsp shortening | You can use this substitution as long as you mix the cocoa powder with 1 tbsp of one of the listed fats. |
| Vanilla Bean | 1 pod | 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract | |
| Vanilla Extract | 1 tsp | 1 tsp bourbon or 1 tsp rum or 1/2 vanilla bean | |
| Vegetable Oil | 1 cup | 1 cup melted butter or 1 cup coconut oil or 1 cup melted shortening or 1 cup applesauce | You want to keep the state of the fat consistent in the recipe to reduce a taste/texture difference. Applesauce or fruit puree are good replacements for reducing fat in a recipe but the texture will be different than if you used vegetable oil. |
| Vegetable Shortening | 1 cup | 1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine | |
| Whole Milk | 1 cup | 1 cup skim milk + 1 tbsp melted butter or 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water | |
| Yeast (Active Dry) | 1/4 oz | 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp rapid rise yeast | 1/4 oz is equal to 1 envelope of yeast if baking with portioned yeast. |
| Yogurt | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream |
While you may not have the exact ingredients for the baking recipe you are trying to make, you can always try out these handy substitutions to help finish the recipe without having to stop to go to the store. Keep in mind that some substitutions may change the texture of your final product and some substitutions may work better certain recipes like cookies vs. breads. Experiment with these substitutions to see what you like the best and don’t forget to leave a comment to let us know what you think!
References:
- Baking Basics: Common Baking Substitutions. (2016, November 30). Retrieved from https://www.browneyedbaker.com/common-baking-substitutions/
- Baking Ingredient Substitution Table. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.joyofbaking.com/IngredientSubstitution.html
- Malloy, C., & Malloy, C. (2020, March 10). No, You Don’t Have to Knead (or Proof) Irish Soda Bread-Here’s What You Should Know Before You Bake. Retrieved from https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/baking/irish-soda-bread
- The Only List of Baking Substitutions You’ll Ever Need. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/baking-guide/baking-substitutions
- The Ultimate Guide to Baking Substitutions. (2020, March 21). Retrieved from https://bromabakery.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-baking-substitutions/