Often times I get to cooking and find that I have run out of an ingredient. Well, rather than scratch the whole project, I will refer to my Cooking Ingredient Substitution List and have found that it is next to impossible to tell that something was changed. Take a look at what I find works:
| Ingredient | Substitution |
| 1 teaspoon baking powder | ¼ teaspoon baking soda plus ½ cup buttermilk or ¼ teaspoon baking soda plus 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar |
| 1 cup sifted cake flour | 7/8 cup sifted all-purpose flour or 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 1-2 tablespoons |
| 1 cup self-rising flour | 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour plus 1½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt |
| 1 cup all-purpose flour | 1 cup whole wheat flour |
| 1 cup honey | 1 to 1¼ cups sugar plus ¼ cup liquid |
| 2 large eggs | 3 small eggs |
| 1 medium egg | 2 egg yolks plus 1 tablespoon water (for baking) -or- 2 egg yolks (in custards or cream fillings) |
| 1 cup sweetened condensed milk | 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry milk powder plus ½ cup warm water plus ¾ cup sugar and dissolve |
| 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate | 1 square or 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon butter or margarine |
| 6 squares or 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted | 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted |
| 1 tablespoon cornstarch (as thickening) | 2 tablespoons flour or 2 teaspoons quick tapioca or 2 egg yolks |
| 1 teaspoon lemon juice | ½ teaspoon white vinegar |
| 1 tablespoon fresh herbs | ½ to 1 teaspoon dried herbs |
| 1 small garlic clove | 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder |
| 1 pound fresh mushrooms | 3 ounces dried or 6 ounces canned |
| 1 cup whipping cream, whipped | 2 cups thawed whipped topping |
| 1 cup whipping cream as liquid | 1/3 cup melted butter plus ¾ cup milk |
| 1 cup heavy cream as liquid | 1 cup evaporated milk |
| 1 cup light cream | 3 tablespoons melted butter plus ¾ cup milk |
| 1 cup ricotta cheese | 1 cup cottage cheese, liquid drained |
| 1 cup buttermilk | 1 cup plain yogurt, stirred, or 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or white vinegar) stirred into milk to make 1 cup; let stand 5 minutes to make soured milk for baking only (never use sour milk that’s been in the fridge too long; it’s actually spoiled) |
| 1 cup whole milk | 2 teaspoons melted butter plus 1 cup fat-free milk (or water) or equal parts evaporated milk and water or 1 cup nonfat dry milk plus 2 teaspoons melted butter |
| 1 cup sour cream | 3 tablespoons melted butter stirred into 7/8 cup buttermilk, soured milk or plain yogurt -or- 1 cup plain yogurt (but it will taste less rich from the missing fat) |
| 1 cup wine | 13 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar or a little less than 1 cup apple juice plus lemon juice |
| 1/2 cup dry red wine | 2 tablespoons sherry or port wine |
| 1 /4 cup rum | 1 teaspoon rum extract plus liquid to make ¼ cup |
| 1 teaspoon vanilla extract | 1 inch vanilla bean, split and simmered in liquid of recipe |
| 1 cup bread crumbs | ¾ cup cracker crumbs -or- 3 to 4 slices bread, torn and blenderized |
| Pecans | walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts |
| Chunky peanut butter | creamy peanut butter (or grind roasted peanuts in a blender with a little peanut oil) |
| 1 cup butter | 1 cup margarine or 7/8 cup vegetable oil or 7/8 cup butter-flavored shortening |
| 1 pound lard | 2 cups shortening |
| 1 cup sugar | 1 cup honey plus a pinch of baking soda -or- (in baking) 7/8cup honey plus a pinch of baking soda -or- (in main dishes) 3/4 cup honey |
| 1 cup brown sugar | 1 cup white sugar plus 2 tablespoons molasses |
| 1 cup molasses (in baking) | 1 cup sugar (replace baking soda in recipe with baking powder) |
| 3/4 cup real maple syrup | 3/4 cup maple flavored syrup, corn syrup or 1 cup sugar and increase liquid in recipe by 3 tablespoons |
| 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice | 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg plus 1/4 teaspoon ginger plus 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon |
| 1 pound tomatoes | 3 medium or 3/4 cup sauce (6 ounces) or 1/4 cup paste (2 ounces) |
| 8 ounces tomato juice | 2/3 cups water plus 1/3 cup tomato paste |
| 2 cups tomato juice | 2 1/2 cups water plus 6 ounces tomato paste plus 3/4 teaspoons salt and a dash of sugar |
| 1 large marshmallow | 10 mini marshmallows (dust off cornstarch) |
| 1 cup granulated sugar | 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar for uses other than baking |
| 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger | 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons minced crystalized |
| 1 head fresh dill | 2 teaspoons dill seed |
| 1 tablespoon grated fresh horseradish | 2 tablespoons bottled horseradish |
| 1 teaspoon dry mustard | 1 tablespoon prepared mustard or 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed |
| 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter | 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar |
Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Pamela Rose Williams, Founder of Christianity Every Day, is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She and her husband, Dr. Michael L. Williams have served in Christian ministry since 2001. She has Master of Ministry in Biblical Counseling and Bachelor’s in Christian Education degrees. Most of her time is spent as a professional editor and writer, working with many Christian authors and artists. She also uses her extensive experience in information technology providing Christ-centered teaching tools and resources for people all over the world. To learn more about Pamela visit her About page.
