Are you looking for common ways to substitute for ingredients? If you are, then you’re in the right place. Here, we’re sharing 47 common cooking ingredients and substitutes for each.
Plus, the easy to download printable chart that outlines all the common and not so common cooking substitutes that you can frame and display in your kitchen for style and connivence. You can click the image to download it or keep reading if this information sounds good to you.
When it comes to cooking, it is so easy to run out of important ingredients without noticing. If you’re not out of eggs, then it’s heavy cream, or milk or god forbid sugar. With this list or the very handy Digital Ingredient Substitution Printable (With 47 Emergency Substitutes), we’ve compressed all of this useful information into a printable form that you can display in your kitchen as well as a simple table that you can bookmark for quick access.
Best Substitutes For Ingredients
Food |
Amount |
Substitute |
| Milk | 1 cup | ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water |
| Heavy cream | 1 cup | ⅔ cup whole milk + ⅓ cup melted butter |
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar |
| Sour cream | 1 cup | 1 cup greek yogurt |
| Half and half | 1 cup | ½ cup milk + ½ cup heavy cream |
| Mayo | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream |
| Butter | 1 cup | 1 cup applesauce, 1 cup mashed avocado or 1 cup vegetable oil |
| Shortening | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp coconut oil or 1 tbsp margarine |
| Soy sauce | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp tamari, 1 tbsp liquid aminos or 1 tbsp fish sauce |
| Red wine | 1 cup | 1 cup red wine vinegar |
| White wine | 1 cup | 1 cup white wine vinegar |
| All purpose flour | 1 cup | 1 cup cake flour, 1 cup pastry flour or 1 cup bread flour |
| Self-rising flour | 1 cup | 1 cup all purpose + 2 tsp baking powder + ½ tsp salt |
| Sugar | 1 cup | ¾ tsp stevia powder, 1 cup coconut sugar or 1 cup honey |
| Brown sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated white sugar or 1 cup coconut sugar |
| Honey | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp corn syrup or 1 tbsp agave nectar |
| Sea salt | 1 tsp | 1 tsp kosher salt or 1 tsp table salt |
| Black pepper | 1 tsp | 1 tsp white pepper or 1 tsp papaya seeds |
| Baking soda | 1 tsp | 1 tbsp baking powder |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar |
| Vegetable oil (for baking) | 1 cup | 1 cup applesauce, 1 cup mashed banana or 1 cup butter |
| Vegetable oil (for cooking) | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp mayo |
| Eggs | 1 whole | 2 tbsp powdered egg or 1 tbsp flaxseed soaked in 3 tbsp water |
| Corn syrup | 1 cup | 1 cup golden syrup or 1 cup agave nectar |
| Maple syrup | 1 cup | 1 cup honey or 1 cup brown sugar syrup |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp | 1 tsp of vanilla paste or 1 tsp almond extract |
| White vinegar | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice |
| Red wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | 1 ½ tsp red wine + 1 ½ tsp white vinegar |
| White wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | 1 ½ tsp white wine + 1 ½ tsp white vinegar |
| Balsamic vinegar | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp ACV + ½ tsp sugar |
| Apple cider vinegar | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice |
| Beer | 1 cup | 1 cup ginger ale, 1 cup root beer or 1 cup broth |
| Semi sweet chocolate | 1 oz | 1 oz unsweetened chocolate + 1 tbsp sugar |
| Unsweetened chocolate | 1 oz | 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa + 1 tbsp shortening, melted |
| Cocoa powder (cocoa) | ½ cup | 2 oz unsweetened chocolate |
| Ketchup | 1 cup | 5 oz tomato paste + 1 tbsp vinegar + 1 tbsp sugar + ½ tsp salt |
| Mustard | ¼ cup | ¼ cup mayo |
| Bread crumbs | 1 cup | 1 cup pulverized oats or 1 cup crushed cornflakes |
| Parmesan cheese | 1 cup, grated | 1 cup grated Romano cheese or 1 cup grated Asiago cheese |
| Shredded cheddar | 1 cup | 1 cup shredded American cheese or 1 cup Colby cheese |
| Garlic | 1 clove | ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp garlic flakes or 1 tsp granulated garlic |
| Ginger | 1 tbsp, minced | ¾ tsp ginger powder |
| Broth | 1 cup |
1 cup vegetable, chicken or beef stock, or 1 tsp chicken bullion granules + 1 cup hot water
|
| Lemon juice | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp lime juice or 1 tbsp vinegar |
| Yogurt | ½ cup | ½ cup sour cream |
| Yeast | 1 tsp | 1 tsp baking powder or ½ cup sourdough starter |
This table outlining the easy ways to substitute for ingredients is quite helpful as it gives you quick access to over 40 food substitutes for common ingredients. However, for even more convenience, consider gifting yourself the printable version of this table which you can print, frame and display in your kitchen so you never have to worry about finding good substitutes again!
Click the image below to get the printable sheet, then download it and print it and start using it whenever you cook!