Bake up a masterpiece! This handy chart helps you make effective substitutions for common baking ingredients for when you’re out of flour, butter, eggs, and more.
| If You’re Out Of | Amount | Use This Substitute (One option per line) |
|---|---|---|
| Allspice | 1 tsp. | 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. ground cloves |
| Apple pie spice | 1 tsp. | 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. cardamom |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp. | 1/3 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar |
| 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 cup molasses (decrease liquid amount in recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons) | ||
| Broth, beef or chicken | 1 cup | 1 bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup boiling water |
| 1 envelope powdered broth base, dissolved in 1 cup boiling water | ||
| Butter | 1 cup | 7/8 to 1 cup hydrogenated fat and 1/2 tsp. salt |
| 7/8 cup lard, plus 1/2 tsp. salt | ||
| 1 cup margarine | ||
| 1 cup applesauce | ||
| 1 cup avocado | ||
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt |
| 1 cup whole or skim milk, plus 1 tbsp. lemon juice or white vinegar | ||
| 1 cup milk, plus 1 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar | ||
| Chives, finely chopped | 2 tsp. | 2 tsp. green onion tops, finely chopped |
| Chocolate chips, semi-sweet | 6 oz. pkg. | 2 squares unsweetened chocolate, 2 tbsp. shortening, and 1/2 cup sugar |
| Chocolate, unsweetened | 1 oz. or square | 3 tbsp. cocoa, plus 1 tbsp. butter or margarine |
| Coconut cream | 1 cup | 1 cup heavy or whipping cream |
| Coconut milk | 1 cup | 1 cup whole or 2% milk |
| Corn syrup | 1 cup | 1 cup honey |
| 1 cup maple-flavored syrup | ||
| Cornstarch (for thickening) | 1 tbsp. | 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour |
| 4 tsp. instant tapioca | ||
| Cream, heavy | 1 cup | 3/4 cup milk and 1/3 cup butter or margarine (for use in cooking or baking) |
| (36% to 40% fat) | 1 cup evaporated skim milk | |
| Cream, light | 1 cup | 3/4 cup milk and 3 tbsp. butter or margarine (for use in cooking or baking) |
| (18% to 20% fat) | 1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted | |
| Cream, whipped | 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed | |
| Egg, whole, uncooked | 1 large | 2 tbsp. arrowroot, mixed with 3 tbsp. of water |
| (3 tbsp.) | 2 1/2 tbsp. sifted, dry whole egg powder and 2 1/2 tbsp. lukewarm water | |
| 2 yolks and 1 tbsp. water (in cookies) | ||
| 2 yolks (in custards, cream fillings, or similar mixture) | ||
| Flour, all-purpose (for thickening) | 1 tbsp. | 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch, arrowroot starch, potato starch, or rice starch |
| 1 tbsp. granular tapioca | ||
| 1 tbsp. waxy rice flour | ||
| 2 tbsp. brown flour | ||
| 1 1/2 tbsp. whole wheat flour | ||
| Flour, all-purpose | 1 cup sifted | 1 cup and 2 tbsp. cake flour |
| 1 cup rolled oats, crushed | ||
| 1/2 cup cornmeal | ||
| 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs | ||
| 3/4 cup whole wheat flour or bran flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour | ||
| Flour, self-rising | 1 cup | 1 cup, minus 2 tsp. all-purpose flour, plus 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt |
| Garlic | 1 clove, small | 1/8 tsp. garlic powder |
| 1/2 to 1 tsp. garlic salt (reduce amount of salt called for in recipe) | ||
| Garlic salt | 1 tsp. | 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, plus 7/8 tsp. salt |
| Honey | 1 cup | 1 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water |
| Ketchup | 1 cup | 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 tbsp. vinegar (for use in cooking) |
| Milk, evaporated (whole or skim) | 1 cup | 1 cup whole milk |
| 1 cup regular whipping or heavy cream | ||
| Milk, sweetened condensed | 1 can (about 1 1/3 cup) | 1/3 cup and 2 tbsp. evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, and 3 tbsp. butter or margarine. Heat until sugar and butter are dissolved. |
| Milk, whole | 1 cup | 1 cup reconstituted non-fat dry milk (Optional: add 2 tbsp. butter or margarine.) |
| 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/2 cup water | ||
| 1 cup almond, hemp, or soy milk | ||
| 1 cup fruit juice or 1 cup potato water (for use in baking) | ||
| Peppermint, dried | 1 tbsp. | 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped |
| Pumpkin pie spice | 1 tsp. | 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. allspice, and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg |
| Shortening, melted | 1 cup | 1 cup cooking oil (Substitute only if a recipe calls for melted shortening.) |
| Shortening, solid (used in baking) | 1 cup | 1 cup butter |
| 1 cup margarine | ||
| Sour cream, cultured | 1 cup | 3/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk and 1/3 cup butter or margarine |
| 1 cup plain yogurt | ||
| 3/4 cup milk, 3/4 tsp. lemon juice, and 1/3 cup butter or margarine | ||
| Spearmint, dried | 1 tbsp. | 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped |
| Sugar, brown | 1 cup firmly packed | 1 cup granulated sugar |
| 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup | ||
| Sugar, granulated | 1 cup | 1 cup honey (Decrease liquid called for in recipe by ¼ cup.) |
| 1 1/3 cups molasses (Decrease liquid in recipe by 1/3 cup.) | ||
| 1 1/2 cups corn syrup (Decrease liquid called for in the recipe by 1/4 cup.) | ||
| Sugar, powdered | 1 cup | Blend 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp. cornstarch until a fine powder. |
| Tapioca, granular | 1 tbsp. | 2 tbsp. pearl tapioca |
| Worcestershire sauce | 1 tsp. | 1 tsp. bottled steak sauce |
| Yogurt, plain | 1 cup | 1 cup buttermilk |
| 1 cup cottage cheese, blended until smooth | ||
| 1 cup sour cream |
Note: Substitutes for white flours added to most baked goods will result in reduced volume and a heavier product. Substitute no more than 1/4 of the amount of white flour called for in a cake recipe to ensure success. In other recipes, you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1/4 to 1/2 of the amount of white flour called for.
Is there a printable version? I’d like to keep this handy while I’m cooking.