Ingredient Substitutes

Out of butter, milk, chocolate or some other ingredient that a recipe calls for? No worries. You can still make it—if you have a substitute on hand.

Below are over 35 replacements for common recipe ingredients from allspice to white wine, arranged in alphabetical order.

Pumpkin Spice Mix

No need to buy pumpkin pie spice. You can make your own by the teaspoon. Simply combine ½ tsp. ground cinnamon with ¼ tsp. ground allspice, ¼ tsp. ground ginger and 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg.

Apple Pie Spice Mix

To make 1 tsp. apple pie spice, combine ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg and 1/8 tsp. ground allspice. Then add either a dash of ground ginger or a dash of ground cloves.

Allspice

Ground cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg may be substituted for allspice.

Baking Powder

To replace 1 tsp. baking powder, add ¼ tsp. baking soda to ½ tsp. cream of tartar.

Bread Crumbs (Dry)

Substitute ¾ soft bread crumbs, ¼ C. crushed cornflakes or ¼ cracker crumbs for ¼ C. dry bread crumbs.

Brown Sugar

Brown and white sugar can be used interchangeably in equivalent amounts. However, if you want that brown sugar taste but only have white sugar on hand, you can approximate it by adding 2 Tbsp. molasses for every ½ cup.

Buttermilk

Add 1 Tbsp. vinegar, lemon juice or 1 ¾ Tbsp. cream of tartar to 1 C. milk.

Butter or Margarine

Add ½ tsp. salt to lard or Crisco.

Cardamom

Ground ginger may be used in place of ground cardamom.

Chocolate (Semisweet)

To substitute 1 oz. semisweet chocolate, add 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar to 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate. Or, mix 2 tsp. shortening, 2 tsp. granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder.

Chocolate (Sweet)

Three Tbsp. shortening, ¼ C. unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/3 C. granulated sugar can be used in place of 4 oz. of sweet baking chocolate.

Chocolate (Unsweetened)

Three to 4 Tbsp. cocoa plus ½ Tbsp. oil, rendered fat or butter may be substituted for a 1-oz. square of chocolate.

Cinnamon

Out of cinnamon? Use allspice or nutmeg instead.

Cloves

In lieu of cloves, try allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg.

Corn Syrup

For a substitute for 1 C. corn syrup, mix 1 C. granulated sugar with ¼ C. water.

Cornstarch

Two Tbsp. flour can be used as a thickening agent in place of 1 Tbsp. cornstarch.

Cracker Crumbs

In meatloaf and other dishes, one cup of bread crumbs can replace ¾ C. cracker crumbs.

Cumin

Chili powder is a good substitute for cumin in Indian and Mexican dishes.

Curry

To make a substitute for ground curry, mix equal amounts of any or all of the following ground spices: cumin, coriander, ginger, pepper (red and black) and turmeric.

Flour (All-Purpose Flour)

Add flour to up to ½ C. bran, corn meal or whole-wheat flour.

Flour (Cake Flour)

For every 1 C. cake flour, substitute 7/8 C. all-purpose flour (1 C. less 2 Tbsp.).

Flour (Self-Rising)

One C. all-purpose flour with 1 tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. baking soda and ½ tsp. salt will replace 1 C. self-rising flour.

Ginger

Ground allspice, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg may be used in place of ground ginger.

Half and Half

As a substitute for 1 C. half and half or light cream, melt 1 Tbsp. butter the add whole milk to make 1 C.

Herbs (Dried)

If you're out of an individual dried herb, you can replace it with fines herbes in gravies, soups, stuffing and other savory dishes.

Herbs (Fresh)

One tsp. dried replaces 1 Tbsp. fresh herbs.

Ketchup

Although it wouldn't taste good on french fries, 1 C. tomato sauce mixed with ½ C. sugar and 2 Tbsp. vinegar replaces 1 C. ketchup in recipes like barbecue sauce and meatloaf.

Marshmallow

Ten miniature marshmallows replaces 1 large marshmallow (and vice versa).

Molasses

Honey, in equal parts, is a good substitute for molasses.

Mustard (Prepared)

In cooking (not as a condiment), 1 tsp. dry mustard may be substituted for 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard.

Onion (Fresh)

One Tbsp. dried onion can be used in lieu of one small fresh one.

Cajun Spice Mix

To make 1 Tbsp. Cajun spice mix, combine half teaspoons of black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, red pepper and white pepper.

Poultry Seasoning Mix

Mix ¾ tsp. dried sage with ¼ tsp. marjoram or thyme for a teaspoon of poultry seasoning.

Paprika

Cayenne pepper (used sparingly) is a good substitute for both Spanish and Hungarian paprika.

Powdered Sugar

One cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 tsp. cornstarch replaces 1 cup powdered sugar.

Sour Cream

One cup of thick sour cream can be replaced with 1 C. plain yogurt, or 1/3 C. butter mixed with 2/3 C. milk. To replace one cup of thin sour cream, mix 3 Tbsp. butter with 3/4 C. milk.

Sugar (Granulated)

For 1 C. granulated sugar, substitute 2 C. powdered or use brown sugar.

Tomato Juice

Substitute ½ C. tomato sauce mixed with ½ C. water for 1 C. tomato juice.

Tomato Sauce

Add 3/4 C. tomato paste to 1 C. water as a replacement to make a substitute for 2 C. tomato sauce.

Whole Milk

To replace 1 C. whole milk, add ½ C. water to ½ C. evaporated milk. Or, mix 1 C. sour milk or buttermilk with ½ tsp. baking soda.

Vinegar (Balsamic)

Mix ½ tsp. sugar with 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or cider vinegar to replace 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar.

Wine (Red)

In place of red wine in savory dishes, an equal amount of beef broth or chicken broth may be substituted. In sweets, cranberry juice is a good substitute.

Wine (White)

In savory dishes, use chicken broth in place of white wine. In dessert dishes, white grape juice or apple juice are good replacements.