Sooner or later, it happens to us all… We’ve got our menu planned for the day and suddenly we realize that we don’t have one of the key ingredients the recipe author suggests. Or, we would like to substitute something with lower carb or lower fat content. What to do?

Check through this list. Chances are you’ll find something that is a suitable substitution, but won’t yield a dish totally different from what you expected in the first place.

Bacon – Lean Canadian bacon or ham can make a reasonable substitute and yields lower fat and fewer calories.

Baking Powder – Combine 1 1/2  teaspoons Cream of Tartar with 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda. [Yields 1 tablespoon equivalent]

Balsamic Vinegar – Substitute cooking sherry or cider vinegar.

Basil - Oregano

Bread Crumbs – Approximately 3/4 cup of cracker crumbs can replace 1 cup of bread crumbs.

Brown Sugar – Use 1 cup granulated sugar or 2 cups of powdered sugar to equate to 1 cup packed brown sugar.

Buttermilk – Low-fat plain yogurt can be substituted in equal amounts. Or, mix 1 cup of skim or low-fat milk with 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Cayenne Pepper – 3-4 drops of hot sauce is equivalent to about 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.

Chives - Green onion tops

Cilantro - Parsley

Cornstarch – Substitute 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for 1 tablespoon cornstarch.

Dill - Tarragon

Garlic – 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder equates to roughly 1 medium clove, chopped.

Herbs, Fresh – 1 teaspoon dried herbs = 1 tablespoon fresh [If your dried herbs are more than a year old, add a bit more.]

Honey - 3/4 cup sugar + 1 cup liquid = 1 cup

Lemon Juice – 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar can be substituted for roughly 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

Molasses - 1 cup honey = approximately 1 cup molasses.

Mustard Powder – Use 2 teaspoons of table mustard to equate to approximately 1 teaspoon of powder.

Mushrooms, Fresh – Use 1 can (4 Oz.) mushrooms, drained for 1 cup of fresh mushrooms, cooked and sliced.

Oregano - Marjoram

Parsley - Chervil, cilantro

Poultry Seasoning – Mix dried thyme with dried sage, approximately 1 to 3 ratio.

Raisins – Substitute equal amount of dried, chopped prunes, dates or cranberries.

Rosemary - Thyme

Sage - Marjoram, rosemary

Sweetener – Honey makes a good substitution, e.g. 3/4 cup of honey can replace 1 cup of sugar in many recipes. Regular granulated sugar and brown sugar can be substituted for one another, generally.

Tarragon - Chervil, parsley

Thyme - Marjoram, oregano, rosemary

Tomato Juice – Combine 1/2 cup of tomato sauce with 1/2 cup of water to yield about 1 cup of tomato juice.

Tomato Sauce - Combine 3/8 cup of tomato paste with 1/2 cup water.

Vanilla Bean - 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract for each whole bean.

Vinegar - 1 tablespoon of lemon juice equates to roughly 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar.

Yogurt – 1 cup of sour cream will give the equivalent of roughly 1 cup of plain yogurt.

More Substitutions - Miscellaneous Foods