Choose Substitutes Wisely
There are many reasons to use substitutes in baking. Health concerns, dietary restrictions, and allergies, just to name a few. There are also environmental concerns and ethical reasons to consider. And hey, sometimes you are just out of milk! Whatever your motivation is to use a substitute, having access to a master list is important. Which is why we have compiled a list of the most common and essential baking ingredients. So don’t sweat it, just substitute it.
It is important to use your judgment as to the taste variations that will apply. For instance, olive oil is a great substitute for butter. But is probably not the butter substitute you want to go with when making a sweet baked good.
Butter
- 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt = 1 cup butter
- 1 cup nut butter = 1 cup butter (use skinless unsalted nuts to create a paste with a food processer or blender)
- 1 avocado = 3/4 cup of butter
- ¾ cup of olive oil = 1 cup butter
- 1-to-1 substitutes for butter
- Black beans
- Coconut oil
- Applesauce
- Pumpkin puree
Eggs
For every 1 egg substitute…
- 5 ¼ Tbl of unsweetened applesauce
- 5 ¼ Tbl of banana
- 5 ¼ Tbl of avocado
- 5 ¼ Tbl of pumpkin puree
- 4 Tbl of plain yogurt
- 4 Tbl of buttermilk
- 4 Tbl of silken tofu
- 1 Tbl of ground flax or chia seeds + 3 Tbl water
Baking Soda
The simplest substitute for baking soda is baking powder. Simply use 3x the amount of baking powder that you would baking soda. (i.e.1 tsp Baking Soda = 3 tsp Baking Powder)
You can also substitute ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar + 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for 1 tsp of baking soda.
Baking Powder
Simple substitutes for 1 tsp baking powder:
- 1 tsp of baking soda + 2 ½ tsp of vinegar
- 1 tsp of baking soda + ½ tsp of lemon juice
These less common baking powder substitutes are usually more effective but take a little extra judgement when adding into your batter. You will want to make adjustments to the amount of wet ingredients going into you batter in order to achieve a good consistency.
- ½ cup of yogurt + 1tsp baking soda
- ½ cup of molasses + 1tsp baking soda
- ½ cup of buttermilk + 1tsp baking soda
Milk
For every 1 cup of milk substitute…
- 1 cup of plain yogurt
- ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
- 1 cup of coconut milk
- 1 cup of water + 1½ tsp of butter
Have to Have Flour
One thing you may notice missing from the list is flour. Unfortunately, there is no good substitute for flour (besides other variations of flour). We at Good Measures know how important it is to keep the house stocked with baking’s #1 ingredient. Which is why buying a box of our pre-measured pouches is the perfect answer for always having fresh flour in the pantry.