Ingredient Substitutions
(FN198 Reviewed Jan. 2023)Have you ever been all set to prepare a food and suddenly discovered you were missing a certain ingredient? Sometimes it is inconvenient to go to the store to purchase the necessary ingredient. It may be more convenient to try a substitute from supplies available in your kitchen.
Original Authors: Nancy Brockel Kaufman (former), Food and Nutrition Specialist; Pat Beck (former), Nutrition Specialist
The following chart gives substitutes that may be used to achieve a product that is similar to the original. There are, however, a number of factors to consider when substituting ingredients. Each ingredient in a recipe has a specific function. Substitution of one ingredient for another may alter the taste, color, moisture content or texture of the product. For this reason, it is suggested that ingredient substitution be used in unexpected situations only.
If you don’t have the food listed in the “ingredient” column, try one of the alternatives listed in the “substitutes” column.
Ingredient |
Amount |
Substitutes |
---|---|---|
Allspice |
1 teaspoon |
|
Apple pie spice |
1 teaspoon |
|
Arrowroot starch |
1 teaspoon |
|
Baking powder |
1 teaspoon |
|
Bay leaf |
1 whole |
|
Beau monde seasoning |
1 teaspoon |
|
Beef stock base, instant |
2 teaspoons |
|
Beef stock base, instant |
4 teaspoons dissolved in 1¼ cups water |
|
Bread crumbs, dry |
1/3 cup |
|
Bread crumbs, soft |
3/4 cup |
|
Broth, beef or chicken |
1 cup |
|
Butter |
1 cup |
|
Carob powder |
If recipe calls for 3 tablespoons carob powder plus 2 tablespoons water |
|
Catsup |
1 cup |
|
Chicken stock base, instant |
1½ teaspoons |
|
Chicken stock base, instant |
1 tablespoon dissolved in 1 cup water |
|
Chili sauce |
1 cup |
|
Chives, finely chopped |
2 teaspoons |
|
Chocolate chips, semisweet |
1 ounce |
|
Chocolate, semisweet |
1-2/3 ounces |
|
Chocolate, semisweet pieces, melted |
6 ounce package |
|
Chocolate, unsweetened |
1 ounce or square |
|
Cocoa |
¼ cup or 4 tablespoons |
|
Coconut |
1 tablespoon grated, dry |
|
Coconut Cream |
1 cup |
|
Coconut Milk |
1 cup |
|
Corn Syrup |
1 cup |
|
Cornstarch (for thickening) |
1 tablespoon |
|
Cracker crumbs |
¾ cup |
|
Cream cheese |
|
|
Cream, half-and-half |
1 cup |
|
Cream, heavy (36 to 40% fat) |
1 cup |
|
Cream, light (18 to 20% fat) |
1 cup |
|
Cream, sour (See Sour cream, cultured) |
1 cup |
|
Cream, whipped |
1 cup |
|
Cream, whipping |
1 cup |
|
Cream of tartar |
½ teaspoon |
|
Dill plant, fresh or dried |
3 heads |
|
Egg |
1 whole (3 tablespoons) |
|
Egg substitute |
1 egg |
|
|
||
Egg white |
1 white (2 tablespoons) |
|
Egg yolk |
1 yolk (1½ tablespoons) |
|
Extracts (example: mint extract) |
1 teaspoon ¼ teaspoon |
|
Flavor-based oil (example: oil of peppermint) |
¼ teaspoon 2 drops |
|
Flour, all-purpose (for thickening) |
1 tablespoon |
|
Flour, all-purpose (Note: Speciality flours added to yeast bread recipes will result in a reduced volume and a heavier product) |
1 cup sifted |
The following flours require more leavening than wheat flour, so add 2½ teaspoons baking powder per cup of flour. An even lighter product results when buttermilk plus ½ teaspoon baking soda is substituted for each cup of milk in the recipe:
|
Flour, all-purpose — continued |
1 cup sifted |
|
Flour, cake |
1 cup sifted |
|
Flour, pastry |
1 cup |
|
Flour, self-rising |
1 cup |
|
Flour, whole wheat |
1 cup |
|
Garlic |
1 clove, small |
|
Garlic salt |
¾ teaspoon |
|
Gelatine, flavored |
3-ounce package |
|
Ginger |
1/8 teaspoon, powdered |
|
Herbs, dried |
1 teaspoon |
|
Herbs, fresh |
1 tablespoon, finely cut |
|
Honey |
1 cup |
|
Horseradish |
1 tablespoon, fresh |
|
Lemon |
1 teaspoon juice 1 medium |
|
Lemon peel, dried |
1 teaspoon |
|
Macaroni (4 cups cooked) |
2 cups, uncooked |
|
Maple sugar |
½ cup |
|
Maple sugar (grated and packed) |
1 tablespoon |
|
Marshmallows, miniature |
1 cup |
|
Mayonnaise (for use in salads and salad dressings) |
1 cup |
|
Milk, buttermilk |
1 cup |
|
Milk, buttermilk or sour |
1 cup |
|
Milk, evaporated (whole or skim) |
If recipe calls for ½ cup plus ½ cup water |
|
Milk, evaporated |
1 can (about 12 ounces) |
|
Milk, skim |
1 cup ¼ cup 1/3 cup |
|
Milk, sweetened condensed |
1 can (about 1-1/3 cup) 1 cup |
|
Milk, sweetened condensed |
To make about 1¼ cups in blender |
|
Milk, whole |
1 cup |
|
Molasses |
1 cup |
|
Mushrooms |
1 pound fresh |
|
Mushrooms, powdered |
1 tablespoon |
|
Mustard, dry |
1 teaspoon |
|
Oil, flavor-based (example: oil of peppermint) |
|
|
Onion |
1 small |
|
Orange |
1 medium |
|
Orange peel, dried |
1 tablespoon 2 teaspoons |
|
Orange peel, fresh |
1 medium |
|
Parsley, dried |
1 teaspoon |
|
Peppers, green bell |
1 tablespoon, dried |
|
Peppers, red bell |
1 tablespoon, dried |
|
Peppermint extract |
1 tablespoon |
|
Pimiento |
2 tablespoons chopped |
|
Pumpkin pie spice |
1 teaspoon |
|
Rennet |
1 tablet |
|
Rice |
1 cup regular, uncooked (3 cups cooked) 1 cup cooked |
|
Rum |
¼ cup |
|
Shortening, melted |
1 cup |
|
Shortening, solid (used in baking) |
1 cup |
|
Shrimp, fresh |
1 cup cleaned, cooked |
|
Sour cream, cultured |
1 cup |
|
Spearmint, extract |
1 tablespoon |
|
Sugar, brown |
1 cup, firmly packed |
|
Sugar, confectioners’ or powdered |
1 cup |
|
Sugar, white |
1 teaspoon 1 cup |
|
Sugar, white — continued |
about 2 tablespoons per cup of honey. Chill before shaping and baking. Half of the sugar in cakes, cookies and brownies can be replaced with honey. Two-thirds of the sugar can be replaced in fruit bars, but replace no more than a third of the sugar in ginger snaps with honey. When making cakes or cookies, first mix honey with the fat or the liquid, then mix with other ingredients. If this is not done, a soggy layer may form on top of the baked product.) |
|
Sugar, white |
|
|
Tapioca, granular |
1 tablespoon 2 teaspoons |
|
Tomato juice |
1 cup |
|
Tomatoes, fresh |
2 cups, chopped |
|
Tomato sauce |
15-ounce can |
|
Tomatoes, chopped |
16-ounce can |
|
Tomato soup |
10¾-ounce can |
|
Vanilla extract |
1 teaspoon |
|
Wine |
1 cup |
|
Worcestershire sauce |
1 teaspoon |
|
Yeast, active dry |
1 tablespoon |
|
Yogurt, plain |
1 cup |
|
The NDSU Extension Service does not endorse commercial products or companies even though reference may be made to trade name, trademarks or service names.
Measuring Up
General
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
4 tablespooons = 1/4 cup
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon = 1/3 cup
16 tablespoons = 1 cup
2 cups = 1 pint
2 pints = 1 quart
Butter
½ ounce (1/8 stick) = 1 tablespoon
1 ounce (1/4 stick) = 2 tablespoons
2 ounces (1/2 stick) = 4 tablespoons
4 ounces (1 stick) = 1/2 cup
16 ounces (4 sticks) = 2 cups
Chocolate
12-ounce morsels = 1 cup melted chocolate
12-ounce morsels = 2 cups whole morsels
Cream
1 cup heavy cream = 2 cups whipped cream
Eggs
8-10 whites, large = 1 cup egg whites
12-14 yolks, large = 1 cup egg yolks
Flour
1 pound = 4 cups
Fruit
1 medium lemon = 3 tablespoons juice + 1 tablespoon grated rind
1 medium orange = 1/3 to 1/2 cup juice + 2 tablespoons grated rind
1 pound apples = 3 medium whole or 3 cups sliced
1 pound bananas = 3 medium whole or 1½ cups mashed
Nutmeats
4½ ounces nuts, chopped = 1 cup
Popcorn
¼ cup kernels = 8 cups popped
Sugar
1 pound brown sugar = 2¼ cups
1 pound confectioners’ = 4½ cups sifted
January 2018