You’re halfway through a recipe when you find the carton is empty, the block of butter is gone, or the buttermilk you were sure you had never existed. Most of the time you don’t need to abandon the recipe — the Ingredient Substitute Finder can help you figure out what the missing ingredient was actually doing and what else can do that job.
Below are quick answers to the substitutions people ask about most. Each one gives you a real starting amount, not a vague “just use applesauce.”
How the Ingredient Substitute Finder Works
If you’d rather not read a whole page, the Ingredient Substitute Finder asks what ingredient you need to replace, what you’re making, how much your recipe calls for and whether you have any dietary requirements. It then recommends suitable substitutes and shows you how much to use.
You can also tell the Ingredient Substitute Finder which alternatives you already have in your kitchen and choose US or metric measurements.
Ingredient Substitute Finder
Find the best substitute for your recipe based on what you're making, dietary needs, what you already have, and the units your recipe uses.
Match my recipe uses the same type of measurement as the ingredient amount you entered. Choose US or Metric if you want the substitute shown in a different measurement system.
Common Ingredient Substitute Finder Questions
The Ingredient Substitute Finder can answer many common substitution questions automatically, but these quick answers explain some of the replacements home cooks ask about most often.
What can I use instead of one egg in baking?
A common starting point is 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water, left to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens. Ground chia seed works at the same ratio. This suits cookies, brownies, muffins and quick breads, where the egg is mainly binding things together.
It won’t work for anything that needs to be light and airy. King Arthur Baking is direct about this: flax and chia don’t aerate, so they’re a poor choice for delicate cakes.
What can I use instead of butter?
It depends on how the butter is used. Vegan butter sticks, margarine, coconut oil and shortening all substitute 1:1 for butter in most baking, with some difference in flavour and texture.
Liquid oil is different — use about ⅝ cup of oil for every 1 cup of butter, because butter is roughly 16–18% water. Oil also can’t be creamed with sugar, so it won’t build the same airy structure in creamed cookies and butter cakes.
How do I make buttermilk if I don’t have any?
Put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup, top up with milk to make 1 cup, and leave it 5 to 15 minutes until it looks slightly thickened and curdled.
That version leavens correctly but tastes flat in recipes where buttermilk is the main flavour, like plain pancakes or biscuits. King Arthur’s testing found the closest substitute was Greek yogurt thinned with milk, roughly 1 part yogurt to 2 parts milk.
What can I use instead of heavy cream?
These are two different problems, and it’s worth being clear which one you have.
- For cooking and baking: about ⅓ cup melted butter plus ¾ cup milk replaces 1 cup of heavy cream. Illinois Extension notes plainly that this is for baking only — it will not whip.
- For whipping: chill a can of full-fat coconut milk, skim off only the thick top layer, and whip it with cold beaters. Expect it to be less lofty and less stable than real whipped cream, with a mild coconut flavour.
Can I swap baking soda and baking powder?
Not one for one. Baking soda needs an acid already in the recipe to react. Baking powder already contains its own acid.
- To replace baking soda with baking powder, use three times as much baking powder.
- To replace 1 teaspoon of baking powder, mix ¼ teaspoon baking soda + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar + ¼ teaspoon cornstarch.
Swapping them at equal amounts usually goes wrong. Baking soda without enough acid leaves an unreacted, faintly soapy or metallic taste.
How do I make self-rising flour?
Whisk 1½ teaspoons of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of salt into 1 cup (120g) of all-purpose flour. That’s King Arthur Baking’s formula, and it doubles as a useful sanity check — if a scaled-up recipe ends up with far more than 1½ teaspoons of baking powder per cup of flour, something has gone wrong in the maths.
What can I use instead of fish sauce?
America’s Test Kitchen developed a vegetarian version that works as a 1:1 substitute: simmer 3 cups water, ¼ oz dried sliced shiitake mushrooms, 3 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons soy sauce until reduced by half, then strain. It keeps in the fridge for about three weeks. Note that it contains soy and wheat unless you use tamari.
What can I use instead of gelatin?
Agar agar, at roughly ¾ teaspoon of agar flakes for every 1 teaspoon of gelatin, per cup of liquid. It needs soaking for about 10 minutes and then boiling for 10 minutes to dissolve properly.
Agar behaves differently from gelatin and isn’t a perfect one-for-one replacement in every recipe. It generally produces a firmer, more brittle set, while gelatin gives a softer, more elastic texture. Agar can work in both fruit- and dairy-based mixtures, but recipes such as panna cotta and mousse are usually better made from a recipe specifically developed for agar rather than simply swapping it for gelatin.
When the Ingredient Substitute Finder May Not Be Enough
The Ingredient Substitute Finder is designed to recommend practical replacements, but some recipes depend on an ingredient so completely that substituting it doesn’t produce a slightly different result — it produces a failure.
Eggs are the usual example, because they can provide structure, binding, moisture and lift all at once.
Soufflés, quiches, custard pies, sponge cakes, chiffon and angel food cakes, and anything asking you to beat eggs to the ribbon stage or fold in stiff whites all fall into this category. If you need one of those without eggs, you’re better off finding a recipe built that way from the start than converting one that wasn’t.
Ingredient Substitute Finder Guides
For more detailed explanations, measurements and recipe-specific advice, explore these Kitchen Answers substitution guides:
- Egg Substitutes for Baking — what the egg is doing, and which replacement suits which bake
- Butter Substitutes for Cookies — why it matters whether the butter is creamed or melted
- How to Use the Best Buttermilk Substitutes for Baking— practical buttermilk replacements and how they affect baking
- Best Heavy Cream Substitute for Pasta and Sauces — substitutes for creamy pasta and sauces, with amounts and differences explained
More ingredient substitution guides are being added, including options for vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free and other dietary needs.
Sources & further reading
- King Arthur Baking — A guide for substituting eggs
- King Arthur Baking — Buttermilk substitutes, tested
- King Arthur Baking — Baking soda vs. baking powder
- University of Illinois Extension — Recipe substitutions
- Utah State University Extension — Ingredient substitutions (FN255)
- America’s Test Kitchen — Substituting agar agar for gelatin