Use these easy creative cooking substitutions and equivalents in cooking and baking in place of ingredients that you don’t happen to have on hand!
Cooking Substitutions And Equivalents
When you run out of something, use these creative substitutions in cooking and baking in place of ingredients that you do not have. The following cooking substitutions can be made in a pinch to approximate the same flavor and consistency in your recipes.
Cheese
- Cream cheese = cottage cheese blended smooth with butter or milk
- Romano = Parmesan
- Ricotta = cottage cheese
Eggs
- 1 Tbsp. soy flour and 1 Tbsp. water
- 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed and 1 Tbsp. water
- 1/2 banana (batters, breads, brownies)
- 1/4 cup applesauce (batters, breads, brownies)
- 1 egg = 1/4 cup pureed tofu + 1 tbsp flour (for vegans)
- 1 egg = 1/4 cup yogurt (brownies)
- 1 egg = 1/2 cup buttermilk (cakes)
- 1 egg = 3 tbsp pureed fruit (cakes)
- 2 eggs = 1 tbsp white vinegar and 1 tbsp water + 1 tsp baking powder. (stir well – use when cake calls for more than one egg)
- 1 egg = 1/4 cup vegetable oil (cookies)
- 1 egg = 1 tbsp cornstarch + tbsp water (cookies)
Flour
- 1 cup sifted cake flour = 1 cup less 2 Tbsp. sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch = 2 Tbsp. flour for thickening sauces and gravies
Dairy Substitutes Milk / Cream
- 1 cup milk = 1/3 cup dry milk plus 1 cup water or 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup; Let stand 5 minutes.
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half = 7/8 cup whole milk plus 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 cup light cream = 7/8 cup whole milk plus 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 cup sour cream (for baking) = 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup sour milk = 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup
- 1 cup whole milk = 1 cup skim milk plus 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese = 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese or 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 cup cream cheese = 1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
You can make EASY and delicious meals at home in less time than eating out! You’ll save a ton of money on food and your family will thank you!
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Sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar = 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar or 1 cup packed light brown sugar or 3/4 cup honey
- 1 cup powdered or confectioners sugar = 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar = 1 cup sugar plus 2 Tbsp. molasses
- 1 cup honey = 3/4 cup sugar + 1/4 cup liquid
- 1 cup corn syrup = 1 1/4 cup white sugar + 1/3 cup of water
Fat/Oil Substitutions
- 1 cup butter or oil = 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (cakes, muffins, cookies)
- 1/4 cup oil = 1/4 cup applesauce (cakes)
- 2 tbsp butter = 2 tbsp mashed avocado (sandwiches)
Baking Cooking Substitutions
- 1 cup butter = 7/8 cup vegetable oil + 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup self raising flour = 7/8 cup all-purpose flour = 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cake flour = 1 cup all purpose flour less 2 tbsp
- 1 cup of cake flour = 2 tbsp cornstarch and all purpose flour to fill one cup
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast = 1 Tbsp. bulk yeast or 1/2 cake compressed yeast
- 1 tsp. baking powder = 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar plus 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice = 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar
- 1 cup butter = 1 cup margarine OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup unsalted butter = 1 cup shortening
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch = 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dark corn syrup = 3/4 cup light corn syrup plus 1/4 cup light molasses
- 1 cup corn syrup = 1 1/4 cup sugar + 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup cocoa = 1 oz square of unsweetened chocolate
- 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate = 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 Tbsp. butter, margarine or shortening
- 1 chocolate square = 3-4 Tbsp. cocoa + 1 Tbsp. butter or shortening
- 1 tsp cream of tartar = 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
- 1 tbsp tapioca = 1 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tsp arrowroot = 1 tbsp flour or 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp lemon zest = 1/2 tsp lemon extract
Miscellaneous Cooking Substitutions
- 1 cup chopped apples = 1 cup chopped pears plus 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs = 3/4 cup cracker crumbs or 1 cup cornflake crumbs
- 1 chopped onion = 1 Tbsp. instant minced
- 1 clove garlic = 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 cup tomato sauce = 3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard = 1 tsp. dry mustard plus 1 Tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. dried herbs = 1 Tbsp. fresh herbs
- 1 tbsp chives = 1 tbsp green onions
- 1 cup of beer = 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1 cup ketchup = 1 cup tomato sauce + 1 tsp vinegar + 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup mayonnaise = 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup Soy sauce = 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce + 1 tbsp water
Healthy Substitutions
If you’re trying to make your food more healthy, try these healthy substitutions. In each case, you can use the substitution in place of the original when cooking.
- Bacon = Smoke flavoring, ham, Canadian bacon or bacon bits
- Bread crumbs = French bread, dried and crushed Butter, margarine or shortening in baking
- Butter, margarine or shortening in baking = Applesauce
- Cream cheese = Neufchatel or low fat cream cheese
- Canned Condensed Soup = White sauce made with skim milk
- Cream of Chicken Soup = 1 ¼ cups white sauce + 1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon
- Cream of Mushroom Soup = 1 cup white sauce + 1 can drained mushrooms
- Egg (one) = 2 egg whites
- Ground beef = Ground turkey
- Heavy cream, for whipping = Evaporated milk, freeze 30 minutes, add ½ tsp. vanilla, whip
- Heavy cream, in sauces and soups = Evaporated milk
- Ricotta cheese = low-fat cottage cheese, pureed
- Sour cream = Yogurt
- Whole milk = Skim milk
- White flour = ½ white and ½ wheat or all wheat
- White flour, for thickening = 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- White rice = Brown rice
for substituting for eggs in baking add 1/4 cup of the liquid for every egg you don’t use.
2 eggs and 1 cup apple juice would be
0 eggs 1 and 1/2 cups of juice.
You can sustitute 1 1/2 tablespoon of mayo for one egg,sometimes I add just a little more,just because,if it’s a cake it makes it really moist.I learned this from my late,most beloved grandmother,she was great at being frugal.,and everything else.
i would love to have this list for all times. How can i get it (i don’t have a printer)
You could go to the library and print it off there. We do have this list in our cookbook https://shop.livingonadime.com/ too plus many other things like this in there if you want to order it.
Take a picture with your phone. I do this & it gives me access even when camping & if you happen to be somewhere to print you can from your phone. Also you can e mail to office stores ie staples, officmax & they will print for you. Yes there’s a fee but all you have to do is pick it up. I do this when traveling so I don’t have to bring mg printer
Eggs are non-existent in grocery stores and I’m getting low. This list came out just in time! Thank you so much.
I meant- Just in time again!!
So glad Chris. Actually one thing too is that if you don’t have all the ingredients for something you may have to change what you are making. For example if you don’t have bread or eggs we have a bread recipe that doesn’t call for eggs so you could make a recipe like that or make biscuits instead. If you don’t have noodles than don’t make noodle dishes and use potatoes or rice for your starch. One thing too if you are making chicken noodle soup and you have no noodles you can leave the noodles out all together or you could use rice instead. If you don’t have eggs for breakfast you may have to eat oatmeal or cereal for a few weeks. Hope this helps
Spring is the time when chickens lay at their peak capacity and eggs are usually priced at their lowest.
Hang in there. Unless we manage to eat all the hens first, there should be plenty of eggs before long.
Yes also if you are having a hard time finding eggs go at a different time of day to the store and try a couple of different stores. My neighbor and I went to the same store – She could find nothing, I went an hour later and they had everything completely stocked.
Thank you SO much for this list of substitutions, especially for the herbs and spices, and the cream soup substitutions, especially during the Covid-19 crisis. Thanks, again! :-D
If you don’t have something for a recipe Google substitutions for _________. I do this all the time from spices to meats. I’m pretty amazed at some suggestions but it always has worked so far
When there are great prices on meat, pressure can. Save the fat and render. Use in baking cakes, browning veggies, making casserole dishes. Save scraps of veggies and make veggie stock and can.
Be prepared to flexible and content when substituting ingredients. The mouth feel may be different and the taste a far cry from what you are used to, but be very, very thankful for the delicious meal prepared by a loved one. See it as an adventure.
What do you use the freeze dried tomato, dry whole eggs and dried butter?
I’ve been looking though the cookbooks.
Can you please provide me with examples and I can look up the recipes. You mentioned it in your last video.
Thanks!
Lily I would use the tomato in the same cooked recipes (stews, soups, casseroles) that you would use regular tomatoes. You just need to rehydrate them. The eggs and butter I use in all the recipes for baking that calls for butter like cakes, cookies, breads etc. Usually there are instructions on them that tell you how to add the water to them for reconstitution (like adding a couple of tablespoons of water to make up for liquid)to use in the recipe.