Occasionally, every cook finds themselves in a situation where they are missing an ingredient for a recipe. This chart contains some helpful substitutes that come pretty close to their real equivalents.

 

For 1 Cup You Can Substitute
butter 1 cup margarine OR 7/8 cup vegetable oil, lard, or vegetable shortening
buttermilk 1 tablespoon lemon juice OR vinegar plus enough milk to equal 1 cup (let stand 5 minutes) OR 1 cup milk plus 1 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar OR 1 cup plain yogurt
cake flour 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
confectioners’ (powdered or 10x) sugar 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
corn syrup 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 1/3 cup water OR honey OR 1 cup treacle syrup
cottage cheese 1 cup ricotta
crème fraîche 1/2 cup each sour cream and heavy cream
dark corn syrup 3/4 light corn syrup plus 1/4 cup light molasses
granulated sugar 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar OR 1 cup packed brown sugar OR 1 cup superfine sugar
half-and-half 1/2 cup light cream plus 1/2 cup whole milk or 1 1/2 tablespoon melted butter plus enough whole milk to equal 1 cup
heavy cream 3/4 cup whole milk plus 1/3 cup melted butter
honey 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup water
light brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon molasses OR 1/2 cup packed brown sugar plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar
light cream 3 tablespoons melted butter plus enough whole milk to equal 1 cup/td>
mascarpone 1 cup regular cream cheese
molasses 3/4 cup dark-brown sugar plus 1/4 cup water
nonfat milk 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk plus 3/4 cup water
self-rising flour 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt
sifted all-purpose flour 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons unsifted all-purposed flour
sifted cake flour 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons unsifted cake flour
sour cream 1 cup plain yogurt OR 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus enough evaporated whole milk to equal 1 cup
whipped heavy cream 3/4 cup ice-cold evaporated milk OR 4 ounces frozen whipping dessert topping OR 1 1/4 ounce package dessert topping mix, prepared
whole milk 1 cup nonfat milk plus 2 tablespoons melted butter OR margarine OR 1/2 cup evaporated whole milk plus 1/2 cup powdered whole milk OR 1 cup soy milk
whole-wheat flour 1/8 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons wheat germ
yogurt 1 cup buttermilk OR 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For 1 Teaspoon You Can Substitute
baking powder, double acting 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar OR 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup buttermilk OR sour milk (reduce liquid in recipe by 1/2 cup) OR 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 3/8 cup molasses (reduce liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup, adjust sweetener) OR 1 1/2 teaspoon phosphate or tartrate baking powder
lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
vanilla extract 1-inch piece vanilla bean
Ingredient You Can Substitute
1/4 ounce envelope active dry yeast 1 scant tablespoon active dry yeast OR 1 (0.06-ounce) cake compressed fresh yeast
1 ounce semisweet chocolate 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 ounce (square) unsweetened chocolate 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine
3 ounces milk chocolate 2 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate plus 1 ounce whole milk powder plus 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips Rounded 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 3 tablespoons melted butter OR margarine
1 egg white, large 2 tablespoons thawed frozen egg white OR 1 tablespoon powdered egg white plus 2 tablespoons water
1 whole egg, large 2 egg yolks plus 1 tablespoon cold water or 3 1/2 tablespoons thawed frozen egg OR egg substitute OR 2 1/2 tablespoons each powdered egg white plus 2 tablespoons water