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EmailThe following is a list of substitutions for common cooking ingredients.
| ITEM | AMOUNT | SUBSTITUTION |
|---|---|---|
| Allspice | 1 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves |
| Arrowroot, as thickener | 1–1/2 teaspoons | 1 tablespoon flour |
| Baking powder | 1 teaspoon | 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar |
| Bread crumbs, dry | 1/4 cup | 1 slice bread |
| Bread crumbs, soft | 1/2 cup | 1 slice bread |
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt |
| Chocolate, unsweetened | 1 ounce | 3 tablespoons cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter or fat |
| Cracker crumbs | 3/4 cup | 1 cup dry bread crumbs |
| 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 butter |
| Cream, sour | 1 cup | 7/8 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt plus 3 tablespoons melted 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 |
| Flour, all-purpose | 1 cup | 1–1/8 cups cake flour; or 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 |
| Flour, self-rising | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1–1/4 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/4 teaspoon salt |
| Garlic | 1 small clove | 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or instant 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 |
| Lemon juice | 1 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon vinegar |
| Lemon, juice and rind | 1 | 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice and 1 teaspoon dried grated rind |
| Lemon rind, grated | 1 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract |
| Milk, skim | 1 cup | 1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk plus 3/4 cup water |
| Milk, sour | 1 cup | 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. |
| Milk, whole | 1 cup | 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water; or 1 cup skim milk plus 2 teaspoons melted butter |
| Mustard, prepared | 1 tablespoon | 1 teaspoon dry or powdered mustard |
| Onion, chopped | 1 small | 1 tablespoon instant minced onion; or 1 teaspoon onion powder; or 1/4 cup frozen chopped onion |
| Sugar, granulated | 1 cup | 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar; or 1–3/4 cups confectioners' sugar (do not substitute in baking); or 1/2 cup honey; or 1 cup superfine sugar; or 1–1/2 cups corn syrup; or 2/3 cup maple syrup (for last two, reduce liquid in recipe by 25 percent) |
| 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 | 1-inch bean | 1 teaspoon vanilla extract |
| Yeast | 1 cake (3/5 oz.) | 1 package active dry yeast |
| Yogurt, plain | 1 cup | 1 cup buttermilk |
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