How to use the baking substitutions finder
- Choose what is missing in Ingredient you are out of. The list has 15 ingredients, from egg, butter and baking powder to honey and yeast.
- Type how much the recipe calls for in the box beside it. Its label changes, for example Number of eggs or Cups of butter. Decimals work, so 0.5 is half.
- Under Show, press All swaps, Vegan, Dairy-free or Gluten-free to narrow the list.
- Read the amounts in bold, then the note under each swap about where it works best.
Where the amounts come from
Each swap is written for a standard amount, such as 1 egg or 1 cup of butter. The tool multiplies it by your amount and rounds to measuring spoon and cup fractions, writing "about" when rounding moves a figure by more than 3 percent. The ratios follow Utah State University Extension and Illinois Extension for eggs, butter, buttermilk, baking powder, sour cream, cake flour, honey, cornstarch and yeast, the Hershey's Kitchens FAQ for cocoa and chocolate, Red Star Yeast for instant yeast and the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association for maple syrup. Where sources differ, the tool uses the university figure.
Worked example with the default egg
On load the ingredient is Egg and the amount is 1, so the heading reads "9 swaps for 1 egg". The first three swaps are ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, ¼ cup mashed ripe banana and 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water. Change Number of eggs to 3 and every amount triples: ¾ cup applesauce, ¾ cup banana and 3 tbsp flaxseed mixed with 9 tbsp water. Press Vegan and the heading becomes "6 swaps for 3 eggs (vegan)".
Limits and edge cases
- A swap is a substitute, not a clone. An egg binds, adds moisture and traps air, and each swap covers only some of those jobs. Cakes built on three or more eggs, meringues and custards rarely work.
- Amounts must be above 0 and at most 100.
- For whole wheat, King Arthur suggests replacing up to half of the white flour by volume in yeast recipes.
- The Vegan, Dairy-free and Gluten-free tags describe the swap, not a brand. Read labels on margarine, baking powder, extracts and flour blends if you have an allergy or celiac disease.
- Homemade baking powder works as soon as it gets wet, so bake right away. Amounts are US cups and spoons, so test a small batch when it matters.
Changing the oven too? See the oven temperature converter. To resize a recipe, use the recipe scaler.
Baking substitutions FAQ
What can I use instead of an egg in baking?
For one egg, use ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe banana, or 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water and left for 5 minutes. They work best in recipes that use one or two eggs.
How do I make buttermilk at home?
Put 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup, add milk up to the 1 cup line, stir, and let it stand 5 minutes. Plain yogurt or kefir also swap one for one.
What can I use instead of baking powder?
For each 1 tsp, mix ¼ tsp baking soda with ⅝ tsp cream of tartar and bake right away. Without cream of tartar, use ¼ tsp baking soda with ½ cup buttermilk in place of ½ cup of the recipe's liquid.
Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda?
Yes, use about three times as much: 3 tsp (1 tbsp) of baking powder for 1 tsp of baking soda. Too much can taste bitter.
What can I substitute for butter in baking?
Use 1 cup of stick margarine for 1 cup of butter, or ⅞ cup of vegetable oil in cakes, muffins and quick breads. Oil is a poor swap in pastry and creamed cookies.
Sources: Utah State University Extension, Illinois Extension, Hershey's, Red Star Yeast, Vermont Maple Sugar Makers, King Arthur Baking.