How many times has this happened to you? You plan on baking and get started and have 1/2 of your ingredients poured into a bowl when you realize that you are missing one thing! Or, you see a recipe and wish that you could substitute something to make it healthier? Do you know what you can use in place of oil or butter? I’m here to help!
I’ve put together this list of baking substitutions, filled with ideas passed along to me from both my mother and grandmother. I can’t tell you how many times this has helped save me a trip the grocery store (or a text to my husband asking him to swing by there on his way home from work).
You should check out all of the amazing recipes we have right here on Penny Pinchin’ Mom! And, if you don’t have something on hand, check out this list below!
BAKING SUBSTITUTIONS
| All Spice | 1 teaspoon | ½ teaspoon cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon ginger + ¼ teaspoon cloves |
| Baking Mix | 1 cup | ¼ teaspoon baking soda + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar or ¼ teaspoon baking soda + ½ cup buttermilk |
| Beer | 1 teaspoon | 1 cup of non-alcoholic beer or 1 cup chicken broth |
| Bread Crumbs | 1 cup | 1 cup cracker crumbs or 1 cup ground oats |
| Broth | 1 cup | 1 bouillon cub + 1 cup boiling water or 1 tablespoon soy sauce + water to make 1 cup or 1 cup vegetable broth |
| Brown Sugar | 1 cup (packed) | 1 cup white sugar + ¼ cup molasses (decrease liquids in recipe by ¼ cup) or 1 cup white sugar or 1 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar |
| Butter (salted) | 1 cup | 1 cup margarine or 1 cup shortening + ½ teaspoon salt or 7/8 cup vegetable oil + ½ teaspoon salt or 7/8 cup lard plus ½ teaspoon salt |
| Butter (unsalted) | 1 cup | 1 cup shortening or 7/8 cup vegetable oil or 7/8 cup lard |
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 cup yogurt or 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar + milk to equal 1 cup |
| Chocolate (semi-sweet) | 1 once | 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate + 4 teaspoons sugar or 1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips plus 1 teaspoon shortening |
| Cocoa | ¼ cup | 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate |
| Corn Syrup | 1 cup | 1 ¼ cup white sugar + 1/3 cup water or 1 cup honey |
| Cracker crumbs | 1 cup | 1 cup bread crumbs or 1 cup ground oats |
| Cream | 1 cup | 7/8 cup milk + 1 tablespoon butter |
| Cream (Heavy) | 1 cup | 1 cup evaporated milk or ¾ cup milk + 1/3 cup butter |
| Cream (Light) | 1 cup | 1 cup evaporated milk or ¾ cup milk plus 3 tablespoons butter |
| Cream (Whipped) | 1 cup | 1 cup frozen whipped topping |
| Cream of Tatar | 1 teaspoon | 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar |
| Egg | 1 whole | ½ banana mashed with ½ teaspoon baking powder |
| Evaporated Milk | 1 cup | 1 cup light cream |
| Fats (for baking) | 1 cup | 1 cup applesauce or 1 cup fruit puree |
| Flour (cake) | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour less 2 tablespoons |
| Flour (self-rising) | 1 cup | 7/8 cup all-purpose flour + 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder + ½ teaspoon salt |
| Garlic | 1 clove | 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder |
| Hazelnuts | 1 cup | 1 cup macadamia or almonds |
| Herbs (fresh) | 1 tablespoon chopped | 1 teaspoon dried |
| Honey | 1 cup | 1 ¼ cup white sugar + 1/3 cup water or 1 cup corn syrup |
| Ketchup | 1 cup | 1 cup tomato sauce + 1 teaspoon vinegar + 1 teaspoon sugar |
| Lemon Juice | 1 teaspoon | ½ teaspoon vinegar or 1 teaspoon white wine or 1 teaspoon lime juice |
| Lemon Zest | 1 teaspoon | ½ teaspoon lemon extract or 2 tablespoons lemon juice |
| Lime Juice | 1 teaspoon | 1 teaspoon vinegar or 1 teaspoon white wine or 1 teaspoon lemon juice |
| Margarine | 1 cup | 1 cup shortening + ½ teaspoon salt or 1 cup butter or 7/8 cup vegetable oil + ½ teaspoon salt |
| Mayonnaise | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream or 1 cup plain yogurt |
| Milk (whole) | 1 cup | 1 cup water or juice or ¼ cup dry milk powder + 1 cup water or 2/3 cup evaporated milk + 1/3 cup water or 1 cup soy milk or 1 cup rice milk |
| Molasses | 1 cup | ¾ cup brown sugar + 1 teaspoon cream of tartar |
| Mustard | 1 tablespoon | 1 tablespoon dried mustard + 1 teaspoon water + 1 teaspoon vinegar + 1 teaspoon sugar |
| Orange Juice | 1 tablespoon | 1 tablespoon other citrus juice |
| Raisins | 1 cup | 1 cup dried cranberries or 1 cup pitted, chopped prunes |
| Semi-Sweet Chips | 1 cup | 1 cup chocolate candies or 1 cup peanut butter or other flavored chips or 1 cup chopped nuts or 1 cup dried fruit |
| Shortening | 1 cup | 1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine less ½ teaspoon of salt from the recipe |
| Sour Cream | 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar + enough cream to make 1 cup or ¾ cup buttermilk mixed with 1/3 cup butter |
| Sour Milk | 1 cup | 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice mixed with enough milk to make 1 cup (allow to thicken for 5 minutes) |
| Sweetened Condensed Milk | 1 can (14 oz.) | ¾ cup white sugar mixed with ½ cup water + 1 1/8 cups powdered milk (boil and cook until thickened — about 20 min) |
| Vegetable Oil (baking) | 1 cup | 1 cup applesauce or 1 cup fruit puree |
| Vegetable Oil (frying) | 1 cup | 1 cup lard or 1 cup vegetable shortening |
| Vinegar | 1 teaspoon | 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice or 2 teaspoons white wine |
| White Sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup brown sugar or 1 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar or ¾ cup honey or ¾ corn syrup |
| Yogurt | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream or 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup sour milk |
Rather than bookmark this page and visit it each time you bake, you can get a copy of our handy forms to print and keep in your recipe book or on the side of your fridge.
