Let’s face it – we’ve all been there and started a recipe to find you are missing an ingredient. It’s annoying when it happens. Or perhaps you simply don’t want to buy an ingredient you don’t frequently cook with.
Rather than driving to the supermarket, you may find you can easily substitute the ingredient with something you already have!
Your Guide to Ingredient Substitutions
| Ingredient | Quantity | Substitution |
| Allspice | 1 teaspoon | ½ teaspoon cinnamon + 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg + 1⁄4 teaspoon ground clove |
| Apple cider vinegar | same quantity | Lemon juice or white wine vinegar |
| Baking powder | 1 teaspoon | 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar |
| Basil | 1 tablespoon fresh | Tarragon, oregano or thyme. For 1 tablespoon fresh, use 1 teaspoon for dried. |
| Breadcrumbs | 1 cup | 1 cup crushed crackers, crushed pretzels or crushed potato chips. If used to crumb the outside of meat or vegetables, grind slices of bread or cornflakes in food processor. |
| Brown sugar | 1 cup | 1 tablespoon light molasses + enough sugar to fill a dry measuring cup; or 1 cup raw sugar |
| Butter | 1 cup | For baking, 3⁄4 cup neutral oil (eg. canola or avocado oil) |
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice and fill measuring up to 1 cup with room temperature whole or 2% fat milk, let stand for 5min before using; or 1 cup plain yoghurt |
| Cardamon | same quantity | Cinnamon |
| Coriander (Cilantro) | same quantity fresh | Parsley |
| Coriander | same quantity ground or seeds | Cumin ground or seeds |
| Cottage cheese | Same quantity | Ricotta |
| Cream (heavy) | 1 cup | 3⁄4 cup milk + 1⁄3 cup butter or margarine |
| Cream of tartar | ½ teaspoon | ½ teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice |
| Creme fraiche | Same quantity | Sour cream or Greek yoghurt |
| Cumin | Same quantity ground | Taco seasoning, chilli powder or ground coriander |
| Egg | 1 egg | Mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water, set aside for 10 minutes or until thick. Use to bind savoury dishes such as meatballs or in baking. |
| Fish sauce | Same quantity | Soy sauce |
| Garam marsala | 1 teaspoon | ¾ teaspoon ground cumin + ¼ teaspoon allspice |
| Garlic | 1 fresh clove | 1 teaspoon garlic salt; or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder |
| Ginger | 1 tablespoon fresh | ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger powder; or 1 tablespoon rinsed and finely chopped candied ginger |
| Honey | 1 cup for baking or cooking | 1 1⁄4 cups granulated sugar + 1⁄4 cup of liquid appropriate for the recipe |
| Icing sugar | 1 cup | 1 cup granulated sugar blended in food processor until powdery |
| Italian seasoning | 1 tablespoon | ½ teaspoon dried oregano + ½ teaspoon dried marjoram + ½ teaspoon dried basil + ¼ teaspoon dried sage |
| Lemon juice | Same quantity | Lime juice |
| Majoram | 1 tablespoon dried | ½ teaspoon dried oregano |
| Maple syrup | 1 cup | 1 cup honey; or 1 cup brown sugar + 1 cup water, heat over medium heat until sugar dissolved for 1-2 minutes, cool before using. |
| Milk | Same quantity | Yogurt or sour cream thinned with water to a pourable consistency. |
| Molasses | 1 cup | ¾ cup granulated sugar with ¼ cup hot water |
| Nutmeg | 1 teaspoon ground | ½ teaspoon cinnamon or ground cloves |
| Onion powder | 1 teaspoon | ¼ cup finely diced onion |
| Oyster sauce | 1 tablespoon | ½ tablespoon soy sauce; or 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce |
| Passata | Same quantity | Canned tomatoes pureed in a blender; or equal parts tomato paste and water combined. |
| Red wine vinegar | 1 tablespoon | Apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar |
| Rosemary | Same quantity | Thyme. For 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, use 1 teaspoon dry herbs. |
| Self raising flour | 1 cup | 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1½ teaspoons baking powder + ¼ teaspoon salt |
| Sesame oil | 1 cup | Toast ¼ cup white sesame seeds and let sit in 1 cup neutral oil (vegetable or grapeseed) for 2 hours, strain before using. Refrigerate for up to 1 week. |
| Shallots | Same quantity | White from spring onion, or red onion |
| Sour cream | Same quantity | Plain yogurt, Greek yogurt or creme fraiche |
| Stock | 1 cup | 1 teaspoon stock powder + 1 cup warm water |
| Sweetened condensed milk | 400g can | 3⁄4 cup white sugar + ½ cup water + 1⅛ cups dry powdered milk, bring to a boil and cook stirring frequently until thickened for about 20 minutes |
| Thyme | Same quantity | Basil, marjoram, oregano or rosemary. For 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, use 1 teaspoon dry herbs. |
| Vegetable oil | Same quantity | Canola, olive oil or avocado oil |
| White wine | Same quantity | Broth or stock |
| Yoghurt | Same quantity Greek or plain | Sour cream or creme fraiche |