Ingredient Substitutes

Ingredient Substitutes

If you have read the background of this site, you will appreciate why ingredient substitutes are so important to me.

Dairy

  • Buttermilk. For each 237ml (1 cup) of Buttermilk required, measure out 222ml (1 cup - 1 tablespoon) of Milk. Then add 15ml (1 tablespoon) of Lemon Juice or Vinegar. Allow this to stand for about five minutes before use. If a recipe calls for Buttermilk, do not use plain Milk—the extra acid is import in interacting with Baking Powder.
  • Condensed Sweetened Milk. Heat 1 unit of sugar and 3 units of milk (e.g., 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup milk) until sugar disolves. The milk can be any kind of milk, not necessarily cow's milk. Reduce heat and simmer on low without stirring until slightly thickened and volume is reduced by about 60%. Scoop off any sugar crystals from around the edges. Optionally stir in a pinch of Baking Soda. Chill until ready to use.
  • Evaporated Milk, or "Unsweetened Condensed Milk". This is the same as Condensed Milk, but without added sugar.
  • Mascarpone Cheese. This is very similar to Cream Cheese. However, it comes from pampered cows, and it's' made from cream instead of milk so it is richer and has a higher fat content. You can make something close to the real thing by mixing 227 grams (8 ounces) of softened Cream Cheese with 28.4 grams (2 tablespoons) of softened, unsalted butter, and 60ml (1/4 cup) of Heavy Cream.

Herbs and Spices

  • Chili Powder. This spice blend consists of Paprika, Oregano, Cumin, Onion Powder, and Cayenne, so you can just make your own Chili Powder if you have these other ingredients.
  • Dry vs. Fresh Herbs and Spices. The general rule is 1-to-3, so use 1 teaspoon of dried vs. 1 tablespoon of fresh.
  • Fresh Garlic. The generally suggested rule is to substitute 1/8 teaspoon of Garlic Powder, or 1/4 teaspoon of Granulated Garlic, for each clove of fresh Garlic. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt per clove, but you should then also reduce the salt in your recipe by 3/8 teaspoon per substitute clove.
  • Marjoram. Oregano is very close. Since Oregano has a stronger flavor, though, you may want to use 2/3 as much.

Miscellaneous

  • Baking Powder. This contains both an acid and a base. The simplest alternative is to replace each 5 grams (1 teaspoon) of baking powder with 1 gram (1/4 teaspoon) baking soda and 2.5ml (1/2 teaspoon) vinegar.
  • Brown Sugar. Mix 201 grams (1 cup) of granulated sugar with 15ml (1 tablespoon) molasses to make "light" brown sugar, or 30ml (2 tablespoons) molasses to make "dark" brown sugar. Making your own brown sugar in general solves the problem where your packaged brown sugar turns into a brick while sitting in your cabinet.
  • Confectioner's / Powdered Sugar. Grind up some granulated sugar in your blender, food processor, or coffee grinder and you have "Powdered Sugar".
  • Cornstarch. There are a number of substitutes for Cornstarch when you need it as a thickener. These include Arrowroot, Tapioca, Potato Starch, and others. But Flour is certainly the easiest. Subsbitute 2 units of Flour for each unit of Cornstarch.
  • Cream of Tartar. This is that oddball ingredient that you need to prevent your meringue from collapsing. As an alternative, substitute 2 units of White Vinegar for each unit of Cream of Tartar. I've gotten away with Apple Vinegar, too.
  • Lemon Juice. If the purpose of the Lemon Juice is really to add acidity and not just lemon flavor, you can use about 1/2 as much Vinegar.
  • Red Pepper Flakes. This consists of the ground flesh and seeds of various kinds of spicy peppers, but usually it is mostly Cayenne Pepper. You can substitute Red Pepper Flakes with 1/2 to 3/4 the same amounnt of straight Cayenne Pepper. You can also use most hot sauces, but each one is different, so start with a few drops and taste it until you get the desired spiciness.
  • Vanilla Essence. You can subsitute, 1-to-1, Vanilla Extract for Vanilla Essence ("Vanilla Oil" in Japan) in most recipes. The main flavor comes from the vanillin molecule, which is easy to manufacture, and Vanilla Extract is therefore a cheaper alternative. However, if you have a recipe where the vanilla flavor is key, such as Custard Cream, you may want to double-up the amount of Vanilla Extract.
  • Sour Cream. There are a number of substitutes including:
    • Greek Yogurt (1-to-1).
    • Cottage Cheese. For 1 cup of Sour Cream substitute 1 cup Cottage Cheese, 6 ml (4 tablespoons) milk, and 10 ml (2 teaspoons)Lemon Juice.
    • Crème Fraîche. This is nearly identical to Sour Cream, so substitute 1-to-1.
    • Buttermilk. Can be substituted 1-to-1 in baked recipes, but not for other uses such as for a topping.
  • Vinegar. In many baking recipes you can use Lemon Juice instead of Vineger, but you'll want to add an additional 50% because the Lemon Juice is less acidic. For other cooking recipes you can substitute with double the amount of Lemon Juice.
  • Yogurt. For most baking recipes you can substitute Sour cream, Greek Yogurt, or Buttermilk.