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Home › Chart guides › Baking Substitutions Chart
Out of baking powder, buttermilk or cake flour halfway through a recipe? These are the standard swaps for leavening, flour and thickeners, dairy, sugars and syrups, chocolate and eggs, and spice blends, as published by North Dakota State University Extension.
This chart is printed as a poster and art print by our print partners, who make and ship each order. See the poster page.
Out of an ingredient? Swaps that work in most recipes.
| If the recipe needs | Use instead |
|---|---|
| 1 tsp baking powder | 1/4 tsp baking soda + 5/8 tsp cream of tartar |
| 1/2 tsp cream of tartar | 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar |
| 1 packet dry yeast (1/4 oz) | 2 1/4 tsp active dry or instant yeast |
| If the recipe needs | Use instead |
|---|---|
| 1 cup cake flour | 1 cup minus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour |
| 1 cup self-rising flour | 1 cup minus 2 tsp all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt |
| 1 cup pastry flour | 7/8 cup all-purpose flour |
| 1 tbsp cornstarch (to thicken) | 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, or 4-6 tsp quick-cooking tapioca |
| If the recipe needs | Use instead |
|---|---|
| 1 cup buttermilk | 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar + milk to make 1 cup; stand 5-10 minutes. Or 1 cup plain yogurt |
| 1 cup whole milk | 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water |
| 1 cup heavy cream (cooking and baking) | 3/4 cup milk + 1/3 cup butter |
| 1 cup half-and-half | 7/8 cup whole milk + 1/2 tbsp butter |
| 1 cup sour cream | 7/8 cup buttermilk or sour milk + 1/3 cup butter |
| 1 cup butter | 7/8 cup oil + 1/2 tsp salt, or 1 cup margarine |
| If the recipe needs | Use instead |
|---|---|
| 1 cup brown sugar (packed) | 1 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup molasses |
| 1 cup powdered sugar | 3/4 cup granulated sugar |
| 1 cup honey | 1 1/4 cups sugar + 1/4 cup of the recipe's liquid |
| 1 cup corn syrup | 1 cup sugar + 1/4 cup of the recipe's liquid |
| If the recipe needs | Use instead |
|---|---|
| 1 oz unsweetened chocolate | 3 tbsp cocoa powder + 1 tbsp butter |
| 1 2/3 oz semisweet chocolate | 1 oz unsweetened chocolate + 4 tsp sugar |
| 1 whole egg | 2 egg whites, or 1/4 cup liquid egg substitute |
| 1 egg (cookies and cakes only) | 2 tbsp water + 1/2 tsp baking powder |
| If the recipe needs | Use instead |
|---|---|
| 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice | 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ginger + 1/8 tsp allspice + 1/8 tsp nutmeg |
| 1 tsp apple pie spice | 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg + 1/8 tsp cardamom |
| 1 tsp allspice | 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tsp ground cloves |
Substitutes can change taste, colour and texture a little; save them for when you really have run out.
Substitutions follow North Dakota State University Extension, Ingredient Substitutions (FN198); a 1/4 oz yeast packet holds 2 1/4 tsp.
Decorative kitchen reference. Follow your own recipe.