Basic Ingredient Substitutions

Missing a certain ingredient? Check out these basic ingredient substitutions to see if you are able to substitute with other ingredients found in your kitchen. Your final product made with the substituted ingredient may differ slightly from the original food, but it will still be acceptable in flavor, texture and appearance.


Ingredient	Amount	Substitutes
Allspice	1 teaspoon	½ teaspoon cinnamon plus ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Apple Pie Spice	1 teaspoon	½ teaspoon cinnamon plus ¼ teaspoon nutmeg plus 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
Baking Powder, double-acting	1 teaspoon	¼ teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Barbeque Sauce	1 cup	¾ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons mustard and 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Butter	1 cup	1 cup margarine (regular) 1 cup vegetable shortening (for baking) An equal amount of oil can be substituted for a similar portion of melted butter if the recipe specifies using melted butter.
Buttermilk	1 cup	1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough regular milk to make 1 cup (allow to stand 5 minutes)
Chili Sauce	1 cup	1 cup tomato sauce, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, dash of ground cloves and dash of allspice
Chocolate, unsweetened	1 ounce	3 tablespoons cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter or regular margarine or vegetable oil
Cornstarch (for thickening)	1 tablespoon	2 tablespoons flour
Cream, whipping	1 cup unwhipped	2 cups whipped cream
Egg	1 whole egg	¼ cup egg substitute; check label for specific directions Reconstituted powdered eggs; follow package directions 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (suitable for use in cake batter) ½ teaspoon baking powder plus 1 tablespoon vinegar plus 1 tablespoon liquid (for baking use only)
Flour, all-purpose white flour	1 cup	½ cup whole wheat flour plus ½ cup all-purpose flour
Flour, cake	1 cup	1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Flour, self-rising	1 cup	1 cup minus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour plus 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt
Garlic	1 small clove	1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Herbs, fresh	1 tablespoon, finely cut	1 teaspoon dried leaf herbs ½ teaspoon ground dried herbs
Ketchup (for use in cooking)	1 cup	1 cup tomato sauce, ½ cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons vinegar
Lemon Zest (fresh grated lemon peel)	1 teaspoon	½ teaspoon lemon extract
Marshmallows, miniature	1 cup	10 large marshmallows
Mayonnaise (for use in salads and salad dressings)	1 cup	1 cup sour cream 1 cup yogurt 1 cup cottage cheese pureed in a blender Use any of the above for part of the mayonnaise
Mustard, dry (in cooked mixtures)	1 teaspoon	1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Onion	1 small or ¼ cup chopped, fresh onion	1 tablespoon instant minced onion; check label for specific directions
Pasta (substituting one for another)	4 cups (cooked)	The National Pasta Association suggests these substitution ratios: 8 ounces of uncooked elbow macaroni, medium shells, rotini, twists, spirals, wagon wheels, bow ties, mostaccioli, penne, radiatore, rigatoni, spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, vermicelli and fettuccine all produce about 4 cups cooked pasta Use about twice as much uncooked egg noodles to provide 4 cups cooked pasta. Approximately 8 ounces uncooked egg noodles equal 2 ½ cups cooked noodles.
Pumpkin Pie Spice	1 teaspoon	½ teaspoon cinnamon plus ¼ ground teaspoon ginger plus 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice plus 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Rice	Any amount	Most rice products will substitute for each other on a fairly equal basis in recipes, but the cooking time and amount of liquid will vary. Learn more about cooking rice.
Rum	Any amount	1 part rum extract plus 3 parts water. For example: for ¼ cup rum, substitute 1 tablespoon rum extract plus 3 tablespoons water.
Sugar, Confectioners' or Powdered	1 cup	1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch; process in a food processor using the metal blade attachment until it's well blended and powdery.
Tomato Juice	1 cup	1 ½ cup tomato sauce plus ½ cup water
Tomato Soup	10 ¾ ounce can	1 cup tomato sauce plus ¼ cup water
Wine, red	Any amount	The same amount of grape juice or cranberry juice
Wine, white	Any amount	The same amount of apple juice or white grape juice
Yeast, compressed	2/3 oz	1 package (¼ ounce) active dry yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast