Cooking Ingredients Substitutions

A Collection of Baking & Cooking Ingredient Substitutions

Cooking can sometimes feel like a science, especially when getting the correct measurements for your ingredients. Whether following a recipe from another country, trying to scale a dish for more guests, or switching between measurement systems, knowing how to convert ingredients accurately is essential. Ingredient conversions help bridge the gap between various units like cups, ounces, grams, and milliliters, making it easier to follow recipes no matter where they come from.

For home cooks and professionals alike, ingredient conversions ensure consistency in taste, texture, and presentation. For example, flour measured by volume can vary greatly depending on how it’s scooped, whereas weighing it provides more precision. Likewise, converting liquids or adjusting ingredients for dietary preferences often requires a bit of math to get the ratios right.

This guide will cover common ingredient conversions, helping you easily switch between metric and imperial measurements and giving tips for converting tricky ingredients like flour, sugar, and butter. Whether you're using a recipe from abroad or want to perfect your measurements, understanding ingredient conversions will make your cooking more reliable and enjoyable. Say goodbye to guessing, and cook with confidence!

Why Substitute Ingredients?

The most obvious reason is the one above. You don't have a particular ingredient and you don't feel like running out to the store to get it.

Another may be food allergies. You might be allergic to an ingredient in a recipe and need to find something to replace it with. For example, if you are allergic to milk, you could try substituting coconut milk. Instead of peanuts, how about almonds or cashews?

Then their are dietary restrictions. I am trying to cut down on foods high in cholesterol after my heart surgery so I sometimes substitute egg whites for whole eggs in my morning omelets. Or I substitute fat free milk for whole milk or cream in my coffee.

Then there's taste. So many of my favorite Italian recipes call for prosciutto or pancetta to make the dish taste better. Yes, it does taste better but I don't often have prosciutto or pancetta in my refrigerator but I usually have some bacon.

So not only are there a lots of great food ingredient substitutions, there are also many reasons for trying them.

Baking Ingredient Substitutes

Ingredient	Substitute	Formula
Baking Powder	Baking Soda & Cream of Tartar	¼ teaspoon baking soda + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar for 1 teaspoon baking powder
Brown Sugar	Sugar & Molasses
Chocolate - semisweet	Unsweetened Chocolate & Sugar	1 oz. unsweetened chocolate + 4 tea sugar
Chocolate - unsweetened	Unsweetened Cocoa & Shortening	3 tbl unsweetened cocoa + 1 tbl shortening
Cream of Tartar	Lemon Juice & White Vinegar
Fats for Baking	Applesauce or Fruit Puree
Mayonnaise	Yogurt or Sour Cream
Oil	Applesauce
Pastry Flour	Cake Flour & All Purpose Flour
Pastry Flour	All Purpose Flour & Cornstarch	Combine 1 tbl cornstarch + 1 cup flour

Cooking Ingredient Substitutes

Ingredient	Substitue	Formula
Anise	Fennel Seeds or Anise Extract
Bread Crumbs	Crushed Crackers
Butter	Vegetable Shortening
Butter Milk	Lemon Juice & Milk
Butter Milk	White Vinegar & Milk
Chicken Broth	Bouillon Cube
Chili Paste	Sriracha Chili Sauce
Cinnamon	Nutmeg or All Spice	equal amounts
Cream Cheese	Cottage Cheese	1 cup pureed cottage cheese
Garlic	Don't Know Any	Ideas?
Ginger	Allspice, Cinnamon, Mace, Nutmeg	equal amounts
Crème Fraiche	Heavy Cream & Plain Yogurt	1 cup heavy cream + 1 tbl plain yogurt
Green Onion	Onion, Leek or Shallot	equal amounts
Half and Half	Milk & Butter	1 tbl butter + ⅞ cup milk
Heavy Cream	Milk & Butter	¾ cup milk + ⅓ cup butter
Heavy Cream	Evaporated Milk & Butter	1 cup evaporated milk + ⅓ cup butter
Kale	Spinach, Collard Greens	equal amounts
Lemon Grass	Lemon Zest	1 lemon = 2 stalks lemon grass
Mascarpone Cheese	Cream Cheese & Whipping Cream	8 oz softened cream cheese + ¼ cup whipping cream
Milk	Dairy-Free Milk	equal amounts
Molasses	Dark Corn Syrup & Brown Sugar	¾ cup brown sugar + 1 cup dark corn syrup yields 1 cup molasses
Onion	Shallot, Leek, Green Onion	equal amounts
Panko	Bread Crumbs
Parmesan Cheese	Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano
Pepitas	Sunflower Seeds	shells removed
Raisins	Dried Currents or Dried Cranberries	equal amounts
Saffron	Turmeric	equal amounts
Salami	Pepperoni	equal amounts
Shallot	Onion, Leek, Green Onion	equal amounts
Spinach	Kale, Collard Greens	equal amounts
Sour Cream	Yogurt	equal amounts
Soy Sauce	Worcestershire Sauce & Water	¼ cup Worcestershire sauce + tbl water
Sugar	Agave Nectar, Honey, Maple Syrup
Tomato Paste	Tomato Puree	1 tbl paste to 3 tbl puree
Tomato Sauce	Tomato Paste & Water	equal parts tomato paste & water
Tomato Sauce	Red Peppers and Eggplant Spread	Zergut Mild Ajvar
Ricotta Cheese	Dry Cottage Cheese	equal amounts
Vinegar	Lemon Juice	both acidic

 

Other Important Ingredient Conversions

BEAN CONVERSIONS	INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
HERB CONVERSIONS	MUSHROOM CONVERSIONS
GRAIN CONVERSIONS	PASTA/RICE CONVERSIONS
INGREDIENT CONVERSIONS	TOMATO CONVERSIONS