Ingredient Substitutes

If you need a milk substitute for baking, plain unsweetened plant milk is usually the easiest answer. For most cakes, muffins and quick breads, use the same amount of soy, oat or almond milk as the dairy milk in the recipe. Soy milk is the closest all-around match to dairy milk, especially when protein and

If you need a cornstarch substitute for thickening a sauce or gravy, the best choices are all-purpose flour, a beurre manie of butter and flour, or another starch like arrowroot, tapioca or potato starch. Which one to reach for depends on whether the sauce needs to stay clear, whether it’s acidic or dairy-based, and how

If you need a sour cream substitute for baking, the best choice is plain full-fat Greek yogurt, swapped in 1:1. Buttermilk, crème fraîche and cottage cheese blended smooth all work too, depending on whether your batter needs to stay thick or can afford to run a little thinner. Quick answer For every 1 cup of

If you need a heavy cream substitute for pasta, the best choices are half-and-half, evaporated milk, milk with butter, or a milk-based white sauce. Greek yogurt and cream cheese can also work, but they change the flavour and need a little more care. Quick answer For every 1 cup of heavy cream in a pasta

You’re halfway through measuring ingredients when you discover the carton of buttermilk you thought was in the fridge is empty. Fortunately, you probably don’t need to abandon the recipe. A good buttermilk substitute may already be sitting in your fridge or pantry. Several common ingredients can replace buttermilk in cakes, muffins, pancakes, biscuits, and quick

No eggs? Start by figuring out what the egg is doing in the recipe. You reach for the egg carton halfway through baking and find it empty. Fortunately, a good egg substitute for baking may already be in your kitchen—but the best replacement depends on what you’re making. Eggs can bind ingredients, add moisture, provide

Out of butter? The best replacement depends on your cookies. You’ve mixed the flour, found the chocolate chips, and preheated the oven. Then you open the fridge. No butter. The good news is that several ingredients can serve as a butter substitute for cookies. The less-good news is that they don’t all make the same