Do you ever start to prepare a recipe only to discover you are missing “just one ingredient?” It’s usually the crucial ingredient too. When that happens, you have two choices. Get dressed, get in the car, and drive to the store. This choice stinks because you’ll probably come out with a cart full of groceries instead of the one item you planned to purchase. Or, instead, you can use this handy common baking ingredient substitution guide to make your own substitute for that crucial ingredient. Would you rather take a trip to the store or stay at home? The choice is simple. Stay home. Get ready to start cooking!
Common Ingredients Substitution Guide:
Dairy Product Substitutions:
Out of Dairy Products? We’ve got the scoop.
1. Out of buttermilk? Try this instead. To Make One Cup: In a medium bowl, add 1 cup of regular milk (can be whole, 2%, or skim) and either 1 tablespoon of lemon juice OR 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Stir the mixture together and let sit for five minutes. Use the mixture as you would buttermilk in your baking.
2. Out of half-and-half? To Make one cup: In a small bowl, blend 7 ounces of whole milk mixed with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Use in baking and sauces.
3. Out of heavy cream? To Make 1 cup: In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. Use in baking and sauces.
4. Need light cream? For each cup needed: In a small bowl, blend 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup melted butter.
5. Out of Sour Cream? For each cup needed, substitute one cup of whole fat Greek Yogurt.
6. Don’t have unsalted butter? Use one of the following options for each cup of butter needed:
- 7 ounces of vegetable oil (for unsalted butter)
- 7 ounces of vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of salt (for salted butter)
- 1 cup avocado
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup applesauce (unsweetened applesauce is best if used in baking)
7. Need eggs? There are lots of substitutions here! You can use any of the following to replace one egg: (you can double or triple the recipe if more eggs are needed.)
- 1/2 mashed banana-1 egg
- 1/4 cup applesauce= 1 egg (unsweetened applesauce is best)
- 1 tablespoon ground flax plus 3 tablespoons of water. Stir this together until the mixture has thickened.
- 1/4 cup pureed silken tofu
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (This only works if you use regular mayonnaise and not light mayonnaise. )
Dairy Product Substitutions Chart:
| Dairy Product | Ingredients Needed To Make 1 cup | Use For: |
| Buttermilk | 1 cup regular milk + 1 tablespoon of lemon juice | cooking or baking |
| Buttermilk | 1 cup regular milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar | cooking or baking |
| Heavy Cream | 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/3 cup melted butter | baking, sauces |
| Light Cream | 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup melted butter | baking, sauces |
| Half-and-half | 7 ounces whole milk +1 tablespoon butter | baking, sauces |
| Sour Cream | 1 cup Greek Yogurt | baking |
Butter Substitutions Chart:
| Butter Substitute | Ingredients for 1 cup | Use For |
| unsalted butter | 7 ounces vegetable oil | baking |
| salted butter | 7 ounces vegetable oil + 1 teaspoon salt | baking |
| unsalted butter | 1 cup avocado | baking |
| unsalted butter | 1 cup shortening | baking, filling, frosting |
| unsalted butter | 1 cup unsweetened applesauce | baking |
Egg Substitutions Chart:
| Instead of | Equals One Egg | Use For |
| Egg | 1/4 cup pureed silken tofu | baking |
| Egg | 1/2 mashed banana | baking |
| Egg | 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce | baking |
| Egg | 3 tablespoons mayonnaise REGULAR only, not light | baking |
| Egg | 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoons water (mix until thickened) | baking |
Substitutions for Flour:
8. Out of self-rising flour? To make one cup: In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
9. Don’t have cake flour and don’t want to buy a box for one recipe? Here’s the recipe to use for each cup of cake flour needed: Just fill a cup with all-purpose flour and then remove 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix well. Tip: Don’t pack the flour when filling the cup.
Flour Substitution Table:
| To Make: | Makes 1 cup | Use For: |
| Self-Rising Flour | 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt | any recipe calling for self-rising flour |
| Cake Flour | 1 cup all-purpose flour, minus two tablespoons of flour + replaced with 2 tablespoons cornstarch | baking |
Sugar Substitutions:
10. Confectioner’s sugar is easy to make. For each cup needed, mix 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Place the ingredients in a blender and pulse until the sugar is the consistency you prefer-usually around five to ten seconds.
11. Brown sugar is a little trickier because you need molasses. Mix 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of molasses until the mixture is no longer lumpy. You can place it in the blender if you like. This mixture makes light brown sugar. If you need dark brown sugar, add two tablespoons of molasses.
11. Corn syrup is a snap. Mix together one cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water until the sugar is dissolved.
Sugar Substitution Chart:
| To Make | Use these ingredients to make 1 cup | Use in |
| Confectioner’s Sugar (also called powdered sugar) | 1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cornstarch blend until smooth | baking |
| Light Brown Sugar | 1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses blended until smooth | baking |
| Dark Brown Sugar | 1 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons molasses blended until smooth | baking |
| Corn Syrup | 1 cup sugar + 1/3 cup water, blended until sugar is dissolved | baking, sauces, candy making |
I hope this substitution list helps you find the ingredient you are looking for and saves you from making a trip to the store. Feel free to bookmark the page and refer to it whenever you need to find common baking ingredient substitutions. What are you baking this week?
This is a very useful guideline for bakers! I am going to bookmark this page for later!
This is really useful guide as everybody into baking goodies nowadays. This is very important I am going to pin it for later.
This is super helpful. I’d love to have a PDF version of all of these substitutions.
I love butter milk. It’s been a while since I drank this. Never knew there was vinegar in it.
This is a really great list to have around. You never know when a diet is going to call for these changes.
I’m going to have to save this. I love that you did this. I was just thinking the other day what I could substitute certain things for.
Such a great and helpful list. I’m definitely saving this because I might need it in the future.
It’s funny I desperately needed this over the weekend! I will make sure that it’s close by next time thanks!
This is such a great reference guide! Super helpful tips for substitutions.
This substitutions guide is so useful . I am often looking for substitutions info!
We substituted some ingredients that we have from the pantry since the lockdown. Thank you for this list. 🙂
Oh wow! These are definitely such helpful kitchen tips! Sometimes when this situation happens, I just force myself to go out and buy that ingredient. Good thing you shared this.
This is so helpful, especially since it is tough to get to the grocery store now!
Thanks for sharing these recipes. I typically never purchase buttermilk since I’ve tried making it at home.
Thank you! I will keep this in mind for sure. I have no idea what to do if I’m missing something.
Ooh, this is really helpful. Lots of times I shy away from spontaneous baking projects because I’m worried I’ll have to jump through a lot of hoops to get through the ingredients.
I needed this post right now! I ran out of a few ingredients for my latest recipe and since I don’t want to go into the stores right now, substitutions are in order. Thanks for this post!
I use applesauce as a substitute fairly often. I al always interested in new things I can use.
Girl! This is a great article. I am always googling how to do substitutes. I am pinning this for later.