Useful Cooking Measurement Substitutions
Use substitutions in emergency situations, and keep in mind they may not perform like the original ingredient.
| If This is Called For | Use This Instead |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar | 1/4 cup white vinegar |
| 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar | 1 Tbsp cider vinegar |
| 1 cup beer | 1 cup beef broth, or apple cider |
| 1/4 cup bread crumbs, dry | 1/4 cup finely crushed cracker crumbs or corn flakes |
| 1 cup brown sugar, packed | 1 cup granulated sugar + 2 Tbsp molasses or dark corn syrup |
| 1 cup corn syrup, light | 1 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup water |
| 1 cup corn syrup, dark | 1 cup light corn syrup
or 3/4 cup light corn syrup + 1/4 cup molasses or 1 cup maple-flavored syrup |
| 1 Tbsp cornstarch | 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
or 1 Tbsp potato or rice starch or 1 Tbsp arrowroot or 4 tsp. instant tapioca |
| 1 cup cream, half and half | 7/8 cup whole milk + 2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter |
| 1 cup cream, heavy | 2/3 cup whole milk + 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter creme fresh 1 cup sour cream
or 1 cup whipping cream + 1 Tbsp buttermilk or yogurt or 1/2 cup whipping cream + 1/2 cup sour cream or 1 cup mascarpone cheese |
| 1 cup Cream, light
(18% to 20% fat) |
3/4 cup milk and 3 tbsp butter or margarine (for use in cooking or baking)
OR 1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted |
| Cream, whipped | Chill a 13-oz can of evaporated milk until ice crystals form. Add 1 tsp lemon juice. Whip until stiff. |
| 1 cup currants | 1 cup raisins
or 1 cup chopped dates or 1 cup other dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries, cherries) |
| 1 cup flour, all-purpose | 1 cup + 2 Tbsp cake flour |
| 1 cup flour, cake | 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour |
| 1 cup flour, self rising | 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. salt |
| Note: Substitutes for white flours added to most baked goods will result in a reduced volume and a heavier product. Substitute no more than 1/4 of white flour in a cake to ensure success. In other recipes you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1/4 to 1/2 of white flour. | |
| 1 clove garlic, finely chopped | 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
or 1/4 tsp. instant minced garlic |
| 1 tsp Garlic salt | 1/8 tsp garlic powder plus 7/8 tsp salt |
| 1 Tbsp ginger root, grated | 1 Tbsp candied ginger; rinsed and finely chopped
or 1 1/2 tsp. dry ground ginger + 1/2 tsp. lemon juice |
| 1 Tbsp herbs, fresh chopped | 1 tsp. of the same dry herb |
| 1 cup honey | 3/4 cup dark corn syrup + 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
or 3/4 cup maple syrup + 1/2 cup granulated white sugar or 3/4 cup light molasses + 1/2 cup granulated white sugar or 1 1/4 cup sugar + 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar + 1/4 cup liquid called for in recipe |
| 1 cup Ketchup | 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 tbsp vinegar (for use in cooking) |
| 1 Tbsp lemon juice | 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice, lime juice or white vinegar |
| 1 tsp lemon zest | 1 tsp. lime or orange zest
or 1/2 tsp. lemon extract |
| 1 Tbsp lime juice | 1 Tbsp lemon or orange juice |
| 1 tsp lime zest | 1 tsp. lemon or orange zest |
| 1 cup Marshmallows, miniature | 8-10 regular |
| 1 cup milk, nonfat | 1/3 cup powdered milk + 3/4 cup water |
| 1 cup milk, whole | 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water
or 1 cup skim milk + 1 Tbsp melted butter |
| 1 cup molasses | 1 cup honey, dark corn syrup or maple syrup
or 3/4 cup brown sugar heated to dissolve in 1/4 cup liquid |
| 1 Tbsp mustard, yellow | 1 tsp. ground mustard |
| 1 cup oil | 1 cup melted butter, margarine, or shortening depending on the recipe |
| 1 small Onion, fresh | rehydrate 1 tbsp instant minced onion |
| 1 cup orange juice | 1 cup reconstituted frozen concentrate |
| 1 tsp orange zest | 1 tsp. lemon or lime zest
or 1 tsp. finely chopped candied orange peel |
| 1 tsp poultry seasoning | 1/2 tsp. ground sage + 1/4 tsp. ground thyme + 1/4 tsp. ground rosemary |
| 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice | 1/2 tsp. cinnamon + 1/4 tsp. ginger + 1/8 tsp. nutmeg + 1/8 tsp. cloves |
| 1 cup shortening | 1 cup butter or margarine. Do not substitute oil for shortening |
| 1 cup sour cream | 1 cup plain yogurt |
| 1 cup sugar, light brown | 1/2 cup dark brown sugar + 1/2 cup white sugar |
| 1 cup sugar, white | 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar |
| 1 cup tomato juice | 1/2 cup tomato sauce + 1/2 cup water |
| 1/2 cup tomato paste | 1 cup tomato sauce cooked until reduced by 1/2 |
| 2 cup tomato sauce | 3/4 cup tomato paste + 1 cup water |
| 1 cup tomatoes, canned | 1 1/3 cup fresh cut-up tomatoes; simmered 10 minutes |
| 1 cup treacle | 1 cup corn syrup (light or dark) or light molasses |
| 1/4 cup white vinegar | 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
or 1/3 cup lemon juice |
| 1 cup wine, red | 1 cup apple cider, beef broth, tomato juice or water |
| 1 cup wine, white | 1 cup white grape juice, apple juice, chicken broth or water |
| 1 cup yogurt, plain | 1 cup sour cream, buttermilk, or creme fresh
or 1 cup heavy whipping cream + 1 Tbsp lemon juice |
| 1 Tbsp arrowroot | 1 Tbsp cornstarch, potato starch, or rice starch
or 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour |
| 1 tsp baking powder | 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar + 1/4 tsp. baking soda + 1/4 tsp. cornstarch |
| 1/2 tsp baking soda | 2 tsp. baking powder (must replace the acidic liquid in recipe with non-acidic liquid) |
| 1 cup butter | 7/8 cup vegetable oil |
| 1 cup buttermilk | 1 cup plain yogurt
or 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice and enough milk to equal 1 cup; let stand for a few minutes |
| 4 oz chocolate, unsweetened | 12 Tbsp cocoa powder + 4 Tbsp butter |
| 4 oz chocolate, semi-sweet | 2 oz unsweetened chocolate + 4 Tbsp sugar |
| 4 oz chocolate, sweet | 1/4 cup cocoa powder + 1/3 cup sugar + 3 Tbsp shortening |
| chocolate chips | chop a bar of chocolate into small chunks |
| 1/2 tsp cream of tartar | 1/2 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice |
| 1 cup Milk | 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water
or 1 cup reconstituted dry milk + 2 tsp margarine or butter |
| 1 cup Buttermilk | 1 TBL vinegar + 1 cup sweet milk,
or 1/4 cup butter + 3/4 cup milk |
| 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch | 1 TBL all-purpose flour |
| 1 cup Honey | 1 1/4c sugar + 1/4 cup water or other liquid |
| 1 tsp Allspice | 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground cloves |
| 1 tsp Apple pie spice | 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp cardamom |
| 1 whole Bay leaf | 1/4 tsp crushed |
| 2 tsp Chives, finely chopped | 2 tsp green onion tops, finely chopped |
| 1/4 cup or 4 tbsp Cocoa | 1 oz (square) unsweetened chocolate (Decrease fat called for in recipe by 1/2 tbsp.) |
| 1 cup Coconut cream | 1 cup whipping cream |
| 1 dozen ears Corn | 2 1/2 cup cooked corn |
| 1 cup Cornmeal, self-rising | 7/8 cup plain, 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt |
| 3/4 cup Cracker crumbs | 1 cup dry bread crumbs |
| 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce | 1 tsp bottled steak sauce |
How to substitute Crisco for butter or margarine
| ¼ cup butter or margarine | ¼ cup Crisco + 1 ½ tsp water |
| 1/3 cup butter or margarine | 1/3 cup Crisco + 2 tsp water |
| ½ cup butter or margarine | ½ cup Crisco + 1 TBL water |
| 2/3 cup butter or margarine | 2/3 cup Crisco + 4 tsp water |
| ¾ cup butter or margarine | ¾ cup Crisco + 1 TBL + 1 ½ tsp water |
| 1 cup butter or margarine | 1 cup Crisco + 2 TBL water |