Basic Ingredient Substitutions (2024)

FAQs

What are the most common food substitutions in recipes? ›

A quick note on substitutions, though: Using what you have is about managing your expectations. A cake made with bread flour because that's what you have on hand will still be a cake, but it won't look or taste the same as if you had the original specified ingredient.

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.

For example, if a recipe calls for one cup oil, use ½ cup applesauce and ½ cup oil. Bananas: As a substitute for oil (vegetable or other) called for in a baking recipe, swap in mashed bananas for half the oil called for. Pureed or baby-food pears: This convenient product also makes a good substitute for oil in baking.

Yogurt is your best substitute for sour cream. Whether you're baking or making a dip or sauce, yogurt is a 1:1 sub. That means if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt.

Can you substitute evaporated milk for heavy cream? ›

Evaporated milk can be used as a substitute in recipes in which heavy cream is used as a liquid ingredient, such as in baked goods, but it doesn't whip well. Substitute the heavy cream in your recipes with an equal amount of evaporated milk.

Substitute with 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, potato starch, rice starch or arrowroot starch; or 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca. All-purpose flour, 1 cup sifted. Substitute with 1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons; or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour.

For basic baked goods like sugar cookies or pound cake, using maple syrup or honey instead of sugar lends the finished product a little extra flavor. You'll need a little less of these sweeteners for your recipe—just ¾ cup of maple syrup or honey replaces a full cup of granulated sugar.

If you find your fridge empty in the butter department or can't tolerate dairy, you can swap it completely with these butter replacements. For 1 cup unsalted butter, substitute 1 cup shortening, ⅞ cup (that's 14 Tbsp. or ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp.) vegetable oil, or ⅞ cup lard.

Examples of substitution in a Sentence

I'd prefer rice with my steak instead of potatoes, but the menu says “no substitutions.” Substitution of applesauce for oil is one way of reducing the fat in recipes. The cookbook has a long list of substitutions for ingredients that may be hard to find.

You can use baking powder to replace cream of tartar in recipes that also contain baking soda. Substitute 1.5 teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder for 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) of cream of tartar.

In general, you can substitute Crisco shortening for butter or margarine in equal amounts (1 cup Crisco shortening = 1 cup butter or margarine). Not only does Crisco shortening have 50% less saturated fat than butter and 0g trans fat per serving, it gives you higher, lighter-textured baked goods.