Ingredient Substitutions: Tested Swaps With Exact Ratios

These ingredient substitutions cover more than 60 pantry staples, from buttermilk and eggs to mirin, tahini and saffron. Type the ingredient you are missing, enter how much your recipe calls for, and the finder lists tested swaps with exact amounts, best first. Tap a dietary filter to see only vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free or egg-free options.

How to choose the right substitute

Every ingredient does a job in a recipe. Before you swap, ask what that job is, then pick a substitute that does the same thing.

• Structure: eggs and flour hold baked goods together.
• Moisture and fat: butter, oil, cream and yogurt keep food tender.
• Acid: buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar and wine add brightness and react with baking soda.
• Leavening: baking powder and baking soda make cakes and quick breads rise.
• Flavor: fish sauce, miso, sumac and fresh herbs add a taste that is hard to copy exactly.

The finder ranks swaps by how closely they match the original. Each card shows what the substitute is best for and what will change in the finished dish, so you know what to expect.

Substituting in baking vs. cooking

Baking

Baking is chemistry, so measure substitutes carefully and change one ingredient at a time. Leaveners, flour and eggs affect rise and texture the most. If a recipe uses more than two eggs, an egg substitute is likely to change the result.

Cooking

Soups, sauces, stir-fries and braises are forgiving. Add a substitute a little at a time and taste as you go, especially salty swaps like soy sauce, fish sauce and miso.

Dairy substitutions

• Buttermilk: milk and lemon juice, 1 tbsp lemon juice plus milk to make 1 cup.
• Heavy cream: milk and melted butter, ¾ cup milk + ¼ cup melted butter per cup.
• Sour cream: plain Greek yogurt, 1:1.
• Crème fraîche: sour cream, 1:1.
• Butter: plant-based butter sticks, 1:1.

Full-fat coconut cream is the best dairy-free swap for heavy cream and whips well when chilled. For more ideas, browse our quick and easy recipes, many of which need only a few pantry staples.

Egg substitutes

• Eggs: flax egg, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg.

Aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, whips like egg whites for meringues. Applesauce and mashed banana add moisture to muffins and brownies but make them denser.

Leaveners, flour and thickeners

• Baking powder: baking soda and cream of tartar, ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per tsp.
• Baking soda: baking powder, 3 tsp baking powder per tsp.
• Self-rising flour: all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt, 1 cup flour + 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt.
• Cake flour: all-purpose flour and cornstarch, 1 cup minus 2 tbsp flour + 2 tbsp cornstarch.
• Cornstarch: arrowroot, 2 tsp per tbsp.

Baking powder and baking soda are not a 1:1 swap. Baking soda is about three times stronger and needs an acid to work, which is why the finder adds cream of tartar or lemon juice to it.

Japanese and Asian pantry swaps

• Mirin: sake and sugar, 1 tbsp sake + 1 tsp sugar.
• Sake: dry sherry, 1:1.
• Rice vinegar: apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp + pinch of sugar.
• Fish sauce: soy sauce and lime, 1 tbsp soy sauce + ½ tsp lime juice.
• Soy sauce: tamari, 1:1.

Tamari is the easiest gluten-free swap for soy sauce. Try these swaps in our Japanese recipes.

Middle Eastern spices and staples

• Tahini: sunflower seed butter, 1:1.
• Sumac: lemon zest and salt, 1 tsp lemon zest + pinch of salt.
• Za'atar: homemade za'atar, 1 tsp thyme + 1 tsp sesame seeds + ½ tsp sumac + ½ tsp oregano + pinch of salt.
• Pomegranate molasses: balsamic glaze, 1:1.

Find dishes to use them in among our Middle Eastern recipes and Greek recipes.

Cooking without wine

• Dry white wine: broth and white wine vinegar, 1 cup broth + 1 tbsp white wine vinegar.
• Dry red wine: beef broth and red wine vinegar, 1 cup broth + 1 tbsp red wine vinegar.
• Dry sherry: Shaoxing wine, 1:1.

Wine adds acidity and depth to pan sauces, risotto and braises. Broth with a splash of vinegar gives the same balance without alcohol. See it in action in our French and Italian recipes.

Fresh herbs, aromatics and spices

• Fresh herbs: dried herbs, 1 tsp dried per tbsp fresh.
• Shallots: yellow onion and garlic, ½ small onion + a little garlic per shallot.
• Fresh garlic: jarred minced garlic, ½ tsp per clove.
• Saffron: turmeric and sweet paprika, ⅛ tsp turmeric + ⅛ tsp paprika per ¼ tsp threads.

Saffron substitutes give rice and paella the golden color, but nothing copies its floral flavor exactly. Try a Spanish recipe when you have the real thing.

Dietary swaps

Use the filter chips above the results to show only swaps that fit your diet. Vegan swaps are also dairy-free and egg-free. Always check the labels on packaged ingredients such as soy sauce, broth and Worcestershire sauce, since recipes vary by brand.

Need more help in the kitchen? Read our cooking guides or bake something from our easy desserts.