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List of Cooking and Baking Ingredient Substitutions

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

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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".

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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
  • 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
  • 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.

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.