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    Home » All Recipes

    List of Cooking and Baking Ingredient Substitutions

    Updated: Sep 25, 2024 · Published: Aug 3, 2020 · by Jan Nunes

    Vertical image of a red and white graphic listing the most common ingredients and their substitutions: self rising flour, unsweetened chocolate, buttermilk, pumpkin spice, and apple pie spice.
    A pink and white graphic listing the most common ingredients and their substitutions: self rising flour, unsweetened chocolate, buttermilk, pumpkin spice, and apple pie spice.
    Vertical image of cooking tools and ingredients on a plaid towel and wooden cutting board. Clockwise from top right: flour,milk, a ballon whisk, eggs in a clear glass bowl.
    Vertical image of a red and white graphic listing the most common ingredients and their substitutions: self rising flour, unsweetened chocolate, buttermilk, pumpkin spice, and apple pie spice.

    These cooking and baking ingredients have commonly used substitutions that really work well in recipes. Find substitutions for spices, dairy, leavenings, flours, and more!

    Eggs, milk, and a whisk on a wooden board splashed with flour with text overlay.

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    I think we have all been there, ready to make a delicious dish or treat only to find we are missing a couple of ingredients and don't have time to make a trip to the grocery store.

    Although not every ingredient can be substituted, there are some ingredients and dishes where it really won't change the taste and visual appeal, if you have to "make do".

    Jump to:
    • Common Cooking and Baking Ingredient Substitutions
    • Allspice - 1 teaspoon
    • Apple Pie Spice - 1 teaspoon
    • Arrowroot - 1 Tablespoon
    • Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
    • Bread Crumbs, Dry - 1 Cup
    • Bread Crumbs, Soft - ¾ Cup
    • Butter - 1 Cup
    • Cajun Spice - 1 Tablespoon
    • Chili Sauce - 1 Cup
    • Chocolate, Unsweetened - 1 Ounce (1 Square)
    • Cream of Mushroom Soup - 1 Can, 10.75 Ounces, Condensed
    • Cooking Spray
    • Cornmeal, Self-Rising - 1 Cup
    • Egg, Whole - 1
    • Egg, Whole - 1
    • Flour, All-Purpose - 1 Cup
    • Flour, Cake - 1 Cup
    • Flour, Pastry - 1 Cup
    • Flour, Self-Rising - 1 Cup
    • Gelatin - 4 Leaves or Sheets
    • Heavy Cream - 1 Cup
    • Honey - 1 Cup
    • Italian Seasoning - 2 Tablespoons
    • Maple Syrup - 1 Cup
    • Mayonnaise - 1 Cup (for use in salads and salad dressings)
    • Milk, Buttermilk, or Sour Milk - 1 Cup
    • Milk, Fresh Whole - 1 Cup
    • Molasses - 1 Cup
    • Mustard, Dijon - 1 Tablespoon
    • Rice - 1 Cup Regular, Uncooked
    • Ricotta Cheese - 1 Cup
    • Sour Cream - 1 Cup
    • Treacle - 1 Cup
    • Vanilla Extract - 1 Teaspoon
    • White Vinegar - ½ Cup
    • Yeast - 1 Cake
    • More Helpful Posts
    • 💬 Comments

    It is always best to use what you have on hand and one or two cooking and baking ingredient substitutions are generally okay.

    But substituting more than two ingredients in a recipe may change the taste and appeal of a dish, especially if the substituted ingredients are important enough to be called out in the name of a recipe.

    I have often swapped cocoa powder for unsweetened chocolate and made my own spice mixes and been successful. But, I would never substitute anything for the rice in Paella since that ingredient is essential for that dish.

    Scroll or Search to Find a Substitution

    You can use the menu above, scroll through this list of cooking and baking ingredient substitutions, or use the find option for your operating system. On Windows and MAC, these are the keys "ctrl" + f or "cmd" + f, respectively. On mobile devices running Safari, you will tap the action box (box with an arrow up), swipe up, and choose "Find on Page".

    If there is a substitution that you need and you do not see it on this list, please let me know!

    Common Cooking and Baking Ingredient Substitutions

    Allspice - 1 teaspoon

    • ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon plus ½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves

    Apple Pie Spice - 1 teaspoon

    • ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg, ⅛ Teaspoon Ground Allspice, and Either ⅛ Teaspoon Ground Ginger, Cardamom, or Cloves

    Arrowroot - 1 Tablespoon

    • 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch or
    • 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour (to thicken) or
    • 1 Tablespoon Tapioca Flour or
    • 2 ¼ Teaspoons of Either Potato Flour or Rice Flour

    Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon

    • ¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda plus ½ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

    Bread Crumbs, Dry - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup Crushed Cracker Crumbs or
    • 1 Cup Matzo Meal or
    • 1 Cup Crushed Cornflakes or
    • 1 Cup Ground Oats or
    • 1 Cup Crushed Potato Chips

    Bread Crumbs, Soft - ¾ Cup

    • 1 Slice of Fresh Sandwich Bread (and yes! You can use the end!)

    Butter - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup Shortening (Hydrogenated Fat) and ½ Teaspoon Salt or
    • ⅞ Cup Lard plus ¼ Teaspoon salt or
    • 1 Cup Margarine (not soft spread) or
    • ⅞ Cup Oil plus ¼ Teaspoon salt

    To reduce fat and calories use applesauce or prune puree for half of the butter in the recipe.

    Cajun Spice - 1 Tablespoon

    • ½ Teaspoon White Pepper, ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ Teaspoon Onion Powder, ½ Teaspoon Ground Red Pepper, ½ Teaspoon Sweet Paprika, and ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

    Chili Sauce - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup Tomato Sauce, ¼ Cup Brown Sugar, 2 Tablespoons Vinegar, ¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon, a Dash of Ground Cloves, and a Dash of Ground Allspice

    Chocolate, Unsweetened - 1 Ounce (1 Square)

    • 3 Tablespoons Cocoa plus 1 Tablespoon Shortening or Butter

    Cream of Mushroom Soup - 1 Can, 10.75 Ounces, Condensed

    • Cream of Celery, Cream of Chicken, or Golden Mushroom Soup

    Cooking Spray

    Use a small piece of paper towel or parchment paper to spread these cooking spray substitutions over the surface of the pan and use just enough to cover the surface.

    • Cooking Oil
    • Butter
    • Lard

    Cornmeal, Self-Rising - 1 Cup

    • ⅞ Cup Plain Cornmeal, 1-½ Tablespoons Baking Powder, and ½ Teaspoon Salt

    Egg, Whole - 1

    • 2 Egg Yolks plus 1 Tablespoon of Water (For Cookies, Breads, and Cakes)

    Egg, Whole - 1

    • 2 Egg Yolks (For Custards, Puddings, and Rich Sauces)

    Flour, All-Purpose - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Cake or Pastry Flour or
    • ½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour plus ½ Cup All Purpose Flour or
    • 1 Cup Rice Flour or
    • ½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour plus ½ Cup All Purpose Flour

    Flour, Cake - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour Minus 2 Tablespoons, Double-Sifted

    Flour, Pastry - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup Bread Flour Minus 2 Tablespoons

    Flour, Self-Rising - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup minus 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour, plus 1-½ Teaspoons Baking Powder and ½ Teaspoon Salt

    Gelatin - 4 Leaves or Sheets

    • 1 Envelope Powdered Gelatin (¼ ounce)

    Heavy Cream - 1 Cup

    • ¾ Cup Half-and-Half plus ¼ Cup Melted Unsalted Butter or
    • ⅔ Cup Whole milk plus ⅓ Cup Butter or
    • ⅔ Cup Almond or Oat Milk plus ⅓ Cup of Cooking Oil 
    • 1 Cup Half-and-Half (will be less rich)

    Special Note: Do not use any substitute if the heavy cream must be whipped.

    Honey - 1 Cup

    • ¾ Cup Sugar plus ¼ Cup Water

    Italian Seasoning - 2 Tablespoons

    • Combine 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil, 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano, 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley, ½ Teaspoon Dried Rosemary, and ½ Teaspoon Thyme

    Maple Syrup - 1 Cup

    • ½ Cup White Granulated Sugar, plus ½ Cup of Water, plus 1 Teaspoon Maple Extract, Boiled Together
    • 1 Cup Honey
    • ½ Cup Molasses plus ½ Cup Water
    • 1 Cup Simple Brown Sugar Syrup
    • 1 Cup Brown Rice Syrup
    • 1 Cup Corn Syrup
    • 1 Cup Golden Syrup
    • 1 Cup Agave Nectar

    Mayonnaise - 1 Cup (for use in salads and salad dressings)

    • ½ Cup Yogurt and ½ Cup Mayonnaise or
    • 1 Cup Yogurt or
    • 1 Cup Salad Dressing or
    • 1 Cup Sour Cream or
    • 1 Cup Cottage Cheese Pureed in a Blender or Food Processor

    Milk, Buttermilk, or Sour Milk - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup Fresh Milk plus 1 Tablespoon of White or Rice Wine Vinegar or Lemon Juice or
    • 1 Cup Whole Milk plus 1-½ Teaspoons Cream of Tartar or
    • 1 Cup Mild-Flavored Soy Milk, plus 1 Tablespoon Vinegar (White or Rice Wine) or lemon juice (let stand 5 minutes before using) or
    • 1 Cup Plain or Low-Fat Yogurt or
    • 1 Cup Sour Cream or
    • 1 Cup Water plus ¼ Cup Buttermilk Powder

    Milk, Fresh Whole - 1 Cup

    • ½ Canned Evaporated Milk plus ½ Cup Water

    Molasses - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup Honey

    Mustard, Dijon - 1 Tablespoon

    • 1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard Mixed with 1 Teaspoon Water, 1 Teaspoon White Wine Vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise, and a Pinch of Sugar

    Rice - 1 Cup Regular, Uncooked

    • 1 Cup Uncooked Converted Rice or
    • 1 Cup Uncooked Brown Rice or
    • 1 Cup Uncooked Wild Rice or
    • 1 Cup Bulgur Wheat or Pearl Barley, Cooked

    Ricotta Cheese - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup Cottage Cheese

    Sour Cream - 1 Cup

    • ¾ Cup Sour Milk and ⅓ Cup Butter or Margarine or
    • ¾ Cup Buttermilk and ⅓ Cup Butter or Margarine or
    • Blend Until Smooth: ⅓ Cup Buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, and 1 Cup Cottage Cheese or
    • 1 Cup Plain Yogurt or
    • ¾ Cup Whole Milk, ¾ Teaspoon Lemon Juice, and ⅓ Cup Butter or Margarine

    Treacle - 1 Cup

    • 1 Cup Light or Dark Brown Sugar or
    • 1 Cup Molasses

    Vanilla Extract - 1 Teaspoon

    • ½ Vanilla Bean, Seeds Only or
    • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Instant Pudding 

    White Vinegar - ½ Cup

    • ½ Cup Rice Vinegar
    • ½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar or
    • ½ Cup Malt Vinegar or
    • ½ Cup Lemon Juice or
    • ½ Cup Lime Juice

    SPECIAL NOTE: If canning and preserving do not substitute anything for white vinegar.

    Yeast - 1 Cake

    • 1 Envelope, Active Dry Yeast

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    About Jan Nunes

    Jan is the creator and owner of Encharted Cook. Her cooking and baking journey began more than 50 years ago and she specializes in showing how recipes and ingredients can work together and why. At Encharted Cook you can rely on proven recipes and take your cooking and baking up to the next level.

    Jan Nunes

    Hey There!

    Welcome to Encharted Cook! I'm Jan, a seasoned cook with recipe charts, pro tips, and ideas to help you make delicious dinners. Over the years I've learned that many recipes are related... and if you learn to make one delicious dish, you can make many more!

    more about Jan

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