Simple food substitutions help you finish recipes

Discover on-hand substitutes you can use to make recipes today!

Have you ever wanted to make a special meal or have the urge to bake something, but you don’t have all of the ingredients? A lot of people do, as evidenced by phone calls I receive. I recently had a call asking if molasses could be substituted for honey in a bread recipe. The answer is “yes!”

Because it takes less time and money to use the ingredients we have on hand, here is a handy list of substitutions you can use on a daily basis:

  • Baking powder – 1 tsp = ¼ t. baking soda plus ½ tsp. cream of tartar
  • Barbeque sauce – 1 cup = 1 cup katsup plus 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  • Cake flour – 1 cup = 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • Compressed yeast – 1 cake = 1 envelope active dry yeast
  • Dry bread crumbs – equal substitution with cracker crumbs, oatmeal crushed potato chips
  • Garlic – 1 clove = 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
  • Lemon juice – 1 tsp. = ¼ tsp cider vinegar
  • Lemon zest – 1 tsp. = ½ tsp. lemon extract
  • Molasses – equal substitution wih dark corn syrup, honey, maple syrup or ¾ cup brown sugar dissolved in ¼ s. water
  • Mushrooms – ½ pound = 6-oz. can drained
  • Mustard – 1 Tbsp. = ½ tsp. ground mustard plus 2 tsp. vinegar
  • Raisins – equal substitution with any chopped dry fruit
  • Stone ground cornmeal – equal substitution with milled cornmeal, grits or polenta
  • Tartar sauce – ¾ cup = ½ cup mayonnaise plus ¼ cup pickle relish
  • Yogurt – equal substitution with sour cream or buttermilk

Many cookbooks have substiutions listed in them. You may be surprised what you can do without having to go to a store for ingredients!

If you want a quick link, check these out:
Baking Ingredient Subsitution Table
USDA Ingredient Subsitutions

Happy cooking!

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