The power of ingredient substitution

This ingredient substitution guide covers the single most useful skill for cooking without a recipe. It allows you to use whatever you have on hand, saving money and time by avoiding unnecessary trips to the grocery store. For those of us like me who have trouble with meal planning, it’s indispensable. This is also a handy skill for making swaps, trying to eat healthier, losing weight, or cooking for family or friends with allergies or different dietary needs.

The key: Understanding the ingredient’s role

As you read any recipe, think about what roles the different ingredients play. Is this a protein, fat, or binder? What does it do in the recipe? Are there other ingredients I know of that could perform the same function?

Before substituting, ask: “What is this ingredient doing in the recipe? Is it a fat, a binder, a liquid, or a seasoning?” You must understand the ingredient’s function to make an appropriate swap.

Functional swaps: Ingredients that affect structure

Solid Fats

Functional Role: Moisture, Texture, Flavor, and sometimes Structure.

Examples & Swaps: Butter, Shortening, Margarine, and Refined Coconut Oil.

Ratio & Notes: (Swap 1:1) Check for room temperature consistency if fat is used for structure in the recipe, such as in pie crusts or no-bake cookies. Never use a “spreadable” margarine in no-bake cookies. Keep in mind that unrefined coconut oil has a strong coconut taste.

Liquid Oils

Functional Role: Moisture, Texture, and Flavor.

Examples & Swaps: Light olive oil, Vegetable oil, Canola oil, Grapeseed oil, Avocado oil.

Ratio & Notes: (Swap 1:1) Any neutral-tasting oil is a safe swap, unless you are after a more robust flavor. Note that sesame oil is usually used in small amounts as a flavor in Asian cooking.

Frying Oil

Functional Role: Deep frying.

Examples & Swaps: Canola and Vegetable oil.

Ratio & Notes: (Use just enough oil to cover whatever you plan to deep-fry.) Oils for frying must have a high smoke point, and it takes a lot of oil to fry things, so it helps if it’s cheap. Avocado oil has a high smoke point too, but it’s expensive.

General Liquids

Functional Role: Add moisture, flavor, sometimes is the base of a recipe.

Examples & Swaps: Water, Milk, Juice, Stock/broth, Plant milk.

Ratio & Notes: (Swap 1:1) Flavor will be affected; consider sweetness/saltiness. Check for baking soda in the recipe, and if present, see Acidic Liquids below.

Acidic Liquids

Functional Role: Activates the baking soda in a recipe.

Examples & Swaps: Buttermilk, Yogurt, Sour cream, (Milk+1Tbsp acid per cup) Sourdough starter discard, both fed/active and unfed/inactive discard are acidic and will work.

Ratio & Notes: below (Swap 1:1 If using sourdough discard, remember to also subtract the same volume of flour from the recipe, see my full guide here.) If baking soda is used in the recipe, and you choose to use a non-acidic liquid, make sure to replace the soda with powder, see Leavening Agents below.

Binder

Functional Role: Provides structure and volume.

Examples & Swaps: Egg, Flax/Chia Gel, Mashed Banana/Applesauce, Commercial Egg Replacer.

Ratio & Notes:

Flax/Chia ratio: Mix 1 Tbsp ground seed + 3 Tbsp liquid = 1 egg. Wait 5-10 min until it thickens into a gel before adding to your recipe.

Reduce other liquids if using 1/4 cup mashed banana/applesauce per egg.

Follow directions on commercial egg replacer.

Leavening Agents

Functional Role: Gives lift, creates carbon dioxide gas, and affects color, flavor, and texture of the final product.

Examples & Swaps: Baking Soda & Baking Powder.

Ratio & Notes:

Ratio: Baking soda to powder is 1:3. (You can also make your own baking powder with 1 part baking soda and 2 parts cream of tartar.)

Baking Soda needs acid to react; Baking Powder has acid built-in.

Flavor/Color Note: Soda creates a richer brown color and a distinct “tangy” flavor due to its alkalinity. Powder creates a lighter color and a neutral flavor.

Yeast

Functional Role: Creates structure and rise.

Examples & Swaps: Commercial Yeast & Active Sourdough starter.

Ratio & Notes: (1/2 cup sourdough is equal to 1 packet active dry yeast; remember to adjust for sourdough equaling 1:1 parts flour and water.) Sourdough takes a lot longer to rise than traditional yeast, and times vary greatly, mainly affected by temperature.

Sweeteners

Functional Role: Provides sweetness and caramelization, crystallization in candy, spreading and browning in cookies, and can be moist or dry.

Examples & Swaps: Granulated sugar, Brown sugar, Honey, Maple syrup, Molasses.

Ratio & Notes: Swapping a Dry sweetener (Sugar,) for a Wet sweetener (Honey, Maple Syrup) requires adjusting the other liquids and/or flours to maintain moisture balance.

Rule for Sugar: You rarely need the full amount of sugar unless making candy or specific texture cookies (chewy/crispy); you can almost always reduce it by 10-25%. The full amount is mainly critical for crystallization (candy) or affecting spread and texture (cookies). I often cut my sugar back by half the first time or second time I try a recipe to see if I can get away with it.

Thickening Agents

Functional Role: Thickens liquids and helps them “set.”

Examples & Swaps:

• Cornstarch, Tapioca starch, Arrowroot powder, Flour, Roux, Potato starch, and Rice flour.
• Kosher gelatin, Clearjel, Instant-Clearjel, Agar-agar, Fruit pectin, Xanthan gum, and other “gums”.

Ratio & Notes: ( Make sure to look up the directions for your chosen thickening agent.) As these can be somewhat difficult to swap because they vary so much from one another, in requirements and cooking process. For example, Instant Clearjel is usually mixed with sugar to prevent clumping and doesn’t require cooking to activate, whereas regular Clearjel requires heat to activate.

Yeast and Gluten-Free Flours: A Structural Challenge

Yeast, whether active dry or in a sourdough starter, works perfectly well in gluten-free flours—it still eats sugar and produces gas! However, when substituting wheat flour for a gluten-free blend, the resulting baked good will not rise like a traditional loaf. You’ll end up with a loaf of hard crackers instead of bread. This is because GF flours lack the elastic gluten network needed to trap the gas bubbles.

The Fix: When baking GF yeasted products, you must add a structural binder (like xanthan gum, psyllium husk powder, or sometimes extra eggs) to mimic the gluten’s elasticity and hold the bread’s shape. Simply swapping the flour 1:1 won’t work for yeast breads.

Flexible Swaps: Ingredients for Bulk, Flavor, and Texture

These ingredients are the easiest to swap based on personal preference and availability.

• Vegetables: Swap based on similar moisture and density, like carrots for turnips or spinach for kale.
• Fruits: Swap based on size and moisture content; berries are usually interchangeable.
• Grains: swap for other grains, adjust cook times, and keep different textures in mind. I like swapping out different grains for hot breakfast cereal.
• Legumes (Beans/Lentils): CRUCIAL: Always look up and adjust cook times accordingly. Different varieties cook times vary wildly.
• Nuts and seeds are usually interchangeable.
• Seasonings & flavors: spices, herbs, extracts, are usually interchangeable based on taste.
• Add-ins: candies and dried fruits can be swapped or left out based on taste or availability.
• Vinegars: in vinaigrette dressings are fun to experiment with, you can also swap them for lemon or lime juice

The Secret to Confidence

Understanding the different roles ingredients play in recipes and being able to make appropriate swaps is a foundational secret to freedom and confidence in the kitchen. As you experiment and apply these principles, your confidence will grow steadily. This functional knowledge empowers you to adapt any recipe, save money, and confidently cook for any preference or dietary need.

For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Ecclesiastes 2:21