Are you missing something? Use this table if you don’t have the required ingredients. That’s the great thing about cooking, it’s not an exact science.
| ITEM | AMOUNT | SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| Allspice | 1 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves |
| Arrowroot, as thickener | 1 teaspoon | 1 tablespoon flour; or 1 teaspoon cornstarch |
| Baking powder | 1 teaspoon | 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar |
| Baking soda | 1 teaspoon | 4 teaspoons baking powder; or 1 teaspoon potassium bicarbonate and 1/3 teaspoon salt |
| Bread crumbs | 1 cup | 1 cup cracker crumbs; or 1 cup matzo meal; or 1 cup ground oats |
| Brown sugar | 1 cup | 1 tablespoon of molasses plus granulated sugar to equal 1 cup |
| Butter, salted | 1 cup | 1 cup margarine; or 1 cup shortening plus 1/2 teaspoon salt; or 7/8 cup vegetable oil plus 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| Butter, unsalted | 1 cup | 1 cup shortening; or 7/8 cup vegetable oil |
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup; or 1 cup plain yogurt |
| Chocolate, unsweetened | 1 ounce | 3 tablespoons cocoa plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or shortening or vegetable oil) |
| Cracker crumbs | 3/4 cup | 1 cup dry bread crumbs; or 1 tablespoon quick-cooking oats (for thickening) |
| Cream, heavy | 1 cup | 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup melted butter (this will not whip) |
| Cream, light | 1 cup | 7/8 cup milk plus 3 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter |
| Cream, sour | 1 cup | 7/8 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt plus 3 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter |
| Cream, whipping | 1 cup | 2/3 cup well-chilled evaporated milk, whipped; or 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder whipped with 1 cup ice water |
| Egg | 1 whole (3 tablespoons) | 2 yolks plus 1 tablespoon cold water; or 3 tablespoons vegetable oil plus 1 tablespoon water (for baking); or 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (for cakes); or 2 1/2 tablespoons of powdered egg substitute plus 2 1/2 tablespoons water, or 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute; or half a banana mashed with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder |
| Egg white | 1 white | 2 tablespoons meringue powder plus 3 tablespoons water, combined |
| Flour, all-purpose | 1 cup | 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons cake flour (not advised for cookies or quick breads); or 1 cup self-rising flour (omit baking powder and salt from recipe) Reader suggestion: 5/8 cup potato flour; or 1–1/4 cups rye flour or coarsely ground whole-grain flour; or 1 cup cornmeal |
| Flour, cake | 1 cup | 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons cornstarch |
| Flour, self-rising | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1–1/2 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/4 teaspoon salt |
| Garlic | 1 small clove | 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or dried minced garlic |
| Herbs, dried | 1/2 to 1 teaspoon | 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, minced and packed |
| Honey | 1 cup | 1–1/4 cups sugar plus 1/2 cup liquid called for in recipe (such as water or oil); or 1 cup pure maple syrup |
| Ketchup | 1 cup | 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1/4 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon salt plus pinch of ground cloves combined; or 1 cup chili sauce |
| Lemon juice | 1 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon vinegar |
| Lemon, juice and rind | 1 lemon | 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice and 1 teaspoon dried grated rind |
| Lemon rind, grated | 1 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract |
| Mayonnaise | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt; or 1 cup cottage cheese (pureed) |
| Milk, skim | 1 cup | 1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk plus 3/4 cup water |
| Milk, to sour | 1 cup | 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice plus milk to equal 1 cup. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. |
| Milk, whole | 1 cup | 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water; or 3/4 cup 2 percent milk plus 1/4 cup half-and-half |
| Molasses | 1 cup | 1 cup honey or dark corn syrup |
| Mustard, dry | 1 teaspoon | 1 tablespoon prepared mustard less 1 teaspoon liquid from recipe |
| Oat bran | 1 cup | 1 cup wheat bran or rice bran or wheat germ |
| Oats, old-fashioned | 1 cup | 1 cup steel-cut Irish or Scotch oats |
| Oil, for baking | 1/2 cup | ½ cup applesauce (keeps baked goods moist, but with less fat) |
| Onion, chopped | 1 small | 1 tablespoon dried minced onion; or 1 teaspoon onion powder; or 1/4 cup frozen chopped onion |
| Quinoa | 1 cup | 1 cup millet or couscous (whole wheat cooks faster) or bulgur |
| Sugar, dark-brown | 1 cup | 1 cup light-brown sugar, packed; or 1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 to 3 tablespoons molasses |
| Sugar, granulated | 1 cup | 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar; or 1–3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar (makes baked goods less crisp); or 1 cup superfine sugar |
| Sugar, light-brown | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 to 2 tablespoons molasses; or 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar |
| Sweetened condensed milk | 1 can (14 oz.) | 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1-1/4 cup granulated sugar. Combine and heat until sugar dissolves. |
| Tomatoes, canned | 1 cup | 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water; or 1–1/3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes, simmered |
| Tomato juice | 1 cup | 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water plus dash each salt and sugar; or 1/4 cup tomato paste plus 3/4 cup water plus salt and sugar, to taste |
| Tomato ketchup | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves |
| Tomato puree | 1 cup | 1/2 cup tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water |
| Tomato soup | 1 can (10–3/4 oz.) | 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1/4 cup water |
| Vanilla bean | 1-inch bean | 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or substitute bourbon, rum, or whiskey, using two times the amount of vanilla called for in the recipe. |
| Vinegar | 1 teaspoon | 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice; or 2 teaspoons white wine |
| Vinegar, apple cider | — | malt, white wine, or rice vinegar |
| Vinegar, balsamic | 1 tablespoon | 1 tablespoon red- or white-wine vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar |
| Vinegar, red-wine | — | white-wine, sherry, champagne, or balsamic vinegar. |
| Vinegar, rice | — | apple-cider, champagne, or white-wine vinegar |
| Vinegar, white-wine | — | apple-cider, champagne, fruit (raspberry), rice, or red-wine vinegar |