Whether you forgot something at the grocery store or can’t find what you’re looking for when you go, there will come a time when you do not have an ingredient for a recipe you’re ready to cook.
Our test cooks have developed thousands of recipes and tested countless ingredients over the years. If you need a substitution, one of us has probably tried it.
So we scoured our archives for relevant substitutions you might be looking for someday. Here’s what we came up with—and please note that in some cases we offer more than one option for a substitution so that you can make the most of the ingredients that you do have.
Dairy
| Ingredient | Quantity | Substitute |
|---|---|---|
Whole milk | 1 cup | ⅝ cup skim milk + ⅜ cup half-and-half |
Whole milk | 1 cup | ⅔ cup 1 percent low-fat milk + ⅓ cup half-and-half |
Whole milk | 1 cup | ¾ cup 2 percent low-fat milk + ¼ cup half-and-half |
Whole milk | 1 cup | ⅞ cup skim milk + ⅛ cup heavy cream |
Half-and-half | 1 cup | ¾ cup whole milk + ¼ cup heavy cream |
Half-and-half | 1 cup | ⅔ cup skim or low-fat milk + ⅓ cup heavy cream |
Heavy cream | 1 cup | 1 cup evaporated milk*Not suitable for whipping or baking, but fine for soups and sauces. |
Sour cream | 1 cup | 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt*Nonfat and low-fat yogurts are too lean to replace sour cream. |
Plain yogurt | 1 cup | 1 cup sour cream |
Buttermilk | 1 cup | ½ cup plain whole milk or low-fat yogurt + ½ cup water |
Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 cup whole milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice or distilled white vinegar |
Buttermilk | 1 cup | ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt + ⅔ cup water |
Dry Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity | Substitute |
|---|---|---|
Cake flour | 1 cup | ⅞ cup all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons cornstarch |
Bread flour | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour *Bread and pizza crusts may bake up with slightly less chew. |
Baking powder | 1 teaspoon | ¼ teaspoons baking soda + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar *Use right away. |
Light brown sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses*Pulse the molasses in a food process along with the sugar or add the molasses to the other wet ingredients. |
Dark brown sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons molasses |
Confectioners’ sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ground in blender*Works well for dusting over cakes, less so in frostings and glazes. |
Table salt | 1 teaspoon | 1½ teaspoons Morton Kosher Salt or 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt |
Wine
| Ingredient | Quantity | Substitute |
|---|---|---|
Wine/vermouth | ½ cup | ½ cup broth + 1 teaspoon wine vinegar |
Wine/vermouth | ½ cup | ½ cup broth + 1 teaspoon lemon juice |
Chocolate
| Ingredient | Quantity | Substitute |
|---|---|---|
Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate | 1 ounce | ⅔ ounce unsweetened chocolate + 2 teaspoons sugar |
Unsweetened chocolate | 1 ounce | 3 tablespoons cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil |
Unsweetened chocolate | 1 ounce | 1½ ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate*Remove 1 tablespoon sugar from recipe. |
Chocolate chips | Note: Chocolate chips have added stabilizers to help them hold their shape when baked into cookies. As a result, we don't recommend using them in chocolate sauces or puddings, but they do produce acceptable results when substituted for bittersweet or semisweet chocolate in a simple brownie recipe. |
Eggs
| Large | Jumbo | Extra-Large | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2 | 1½ | 2 | 2 |
3 | 2½ | 2½ | 3½ |
4 | 3 | 3½ | 4½ |
5 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
6 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
*For half an egg, whisk together the yolk and white and use half the liquid.
Miscellaneous
| Ingredient | Quantity | Substitute |
|---|---|---|
Apple cider | 1 cup | ¾ cup apple juice + ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce |
Mirin | ¼ cup | ¼ cup sweet sherry |
Soy sauce | ¼ cup | ¼ cup tamari |
Fresh herbs | 1 teaspoon | ⅓ teaspoon dried herb counterpart*We do not recommend substituting the dried version of delicate herbs such as parsley, cilantro, tarragon, dill, and chives. |
Anchovy | 2 filets (1 teaspoon) | 1 tablespoon finely minced canned water-packed tuna |
Tamarind juice concentrate | 2 tablespoons | 1 tablespoon lime juice + 1 tablespoon water |
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