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When you run out of something, what do you do? The solution is to substitute an ingredient called for in a recipe with another one. Here, you can find ingredient substitution charts and information for use in your recipes. Making one thing into another is never 100 percent, but in a pinch, however, it's helpful to know how to come close to an orginal ingredient, although sometimes it doesn't work. If you have any baking or recipe questions, please post them in our Forum, where they will be answered shortly.
SARAH SAYS: I've compiled a quick list of possible baking ingredient substitutions that are commonly asked about. For more extensive information, click on the categories in the substitution menu to the left.
|GENERAL - MEASURING INGREDIENTS BY VOLUME|
MORE: HOW TO MEASURING TECHNIQUES
|1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 3 teaspoons (tsp)|
1/16 cup = 1 tablespoon
1/8 cup = 2 tablespoons
1/6 cup = 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons
1/3 cup = 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
3/8 cup = 6 tablespoons
1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons
2/3 cup = 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
3/4 cup = 12 tablespoons
1 cup = 48 teaspoons
1 cup = 16 tablespoons
8 fluid ounces (fl oz) = 1 cup
1 pint (pt) = 2 cups
1 quart (qt) = 2 pints
4 cups = 1 quart
1 gallon (gal) = 4 quarts
16 ounces (oz) = 1 pound (lb)
1 milliliter (ml) = 1 cubic centimeter (cc)
1 inch (in) = 2.54 centimeters (cm)
|-Measure dry ingredients in dry measuring cups|
-Measure liquid ingredients in liquid measuring cups
-Weigh ingredients using a kitchen scale
Allspice (1 tsp.)
= 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Baking Powder (1 tsp.)
There is no substitution for DOUBLE-ACTING BAKING POWDER
Substitutes are NOT reliable.
There is no good substitute.
|Butter or Margarine||2 cups (4 sticks) = 1 pound or 16 ounces |
1 cup (2 sticks) = 1/2 pound or 8 ounces
1/2 cup (1 stick) = 1/4 pound = 8 tablespoons = 4 ounces = 113 grams
1/3 cup = 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) = 4 tablespoons = 2 ounces
1/8 cup (1/4 stick) = 2 tablespoons = 1 ounce
1/8 stick = 1 tablespoon = 1/2 ounce
1 cup butter = 1 cup margarine = 1 cup regular or butter flavored shortening (packed)
1 pound unsalted butter = 1 pound salted butter (remove 1 teaspoon salt from the recipe)
Buttermilk (1 cup)
Real fresh buttermilk works the best
Cake flour, bleached (1 cup)
1 cup (preferably) bleached all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons, and then add in 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Combine.
Bleached cake flour works the best.
1 package (12 ounces) chocolate chips = 2 cups
Can use chopped chocolate
|Citrus Peel||Lemon: One lemon yields approximately 1 tablespoon of zest. |
Lime: A yield of a lime is hard to predict because the thickness of the skin varies so much. Key limes, because of their thin skins, do not zest well. Use a regular lime, instead.
Orange: One large orange yields approximately 2 tablespoons of zest.
Tangerine: 2 - 3 tablespoons tangerine zest obtained from 12 - 13 tangerines
|Cream of Tartar||In general, for each 1 large egg white, use 1/8 teaspoon cream
of tartar or 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon
distilled white vinegar. |
Up to 1 teaspoon cream of tartar per 1 cup egg whites
NOTE: Pasteurized egg whites NEED cream of tartar or lemon juice added so you can be able to beat to a stiff meringue. You will need double the amount. For example, for cream of tartar for pasteurized eggs: for 1 pasteurized egg white use 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar.
|Flour, Self-rising||For each cup of cake or all-purpose flour, add 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.|
|Salt||1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt = roughly 1 1/4 teaspoons Morton's kosher salt = roughly 1 3/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt|
-For 1 packed tablespoon cake yeast use 2 teaspoons instant yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry