Ingredient substitutions
A good substitute keeps the dish working; a bad one quietly ruins it. This table is honest about which is which. Where the result changes, we say so.
| If you don't have | Use | How well it works |
|---|---|---|
| Buttermilk, 250 ml | 230 ml milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar, rest 10 min; or 150 g plain yogurt + 100 ml milk | Very good for pancakes, cakes and marinades |
| Sour cream | Full-fat Greek yogurt or crème fraîche | Very good; yogurt is tangier and may split if boiled |
| Crème fraîche | Sour cream (don't boil) or mascarpone thinned with a little lemon | Good |
| Heavy cream, for sauces | Crème fraîche (holds up to boiling) | Good; 75 g butter + 175 ml milk works in baking but won't whip |
| Heavy cream, for whipping | None | Nothing else whips the same way. Chilled coconut cream is the closest |
| Unsalted butter | Salted butter, minus about 1.5 g salt per 100 g | Good |
| Butter, in cooking | Olive or neutral oil | Fine for sautéing and roasting; loses the flavor |
| Butter, in baking | Neutral oil (use 80% of the weight) | Only in cakes and muffins; not in pastry, cookies or shortbread |
| 1 egg, in baking | 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, rest 5 min | Fair in muffins and pancakes; poor in cakes that rely on egg for rise |
| Self-raising flour, 100 g | 100 g all-purpose flour + 1 tsp baking powder + pinch of salt | Very good |
| Bread flour | All-purpose flour | Good; bread will be slightly less chewy |
| Cake flour, 100 g | 85 g all-purpose flour + 15 g cornstarch | Good |
| Baking powder, 1 tsp | ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar | Good |
| Baking soda | No real substitute; use 3× the amount of baking powder | Fair; changes taste and browning |
| Instant yeast, 7 g | 9 g active dry yeast (proof in warm liquid) or 20 g fresh yeast | Very good |
| Cornstarch, as a thickener | 2× the amount of all-purpose flour, simmered 2+ minutes | Good; sauce is less glossy |
| Fresh herbs, 1 tbsp | 1 tsp dried | Fine in long-cooked dishes; poor as a garnish or in fresh sauces |
| Fresh garlic, 1 clove | ¼ tsp garlic powder | Fair; flatter flavor |
| Shallot | ⅓ small onion + tiny piece of garlic | Good |
| Lemon juice | White wine vinegar or lime juice | Good in dressings; lemon has a unique aroma in baking |
| Wine, in cooking | Stock + 1 tsp vinegar per 100 ml | Good |
| Mirin | Dry sherry or white wine + ½ tsp sugar per tbsp | Good |
| Fish sauce | Soy sauce + a mashed anchovy, or soy sauce alone | Fair |
| Soy sauce (gluten-free) | Tamari | Very good |
| Miso | No real substitute; soy sauce for saltiness and depth | Fair |
| Gochujang | Sriracha + a little miso + sugar | Fair |
| Tahini | Smooth unsweetened peanut or cashew butter | Fair; different taste |
| Pine nuts (for pesto) | Walnuts, almonds or sunflower seeds | Good |
| Parmesan | Grana Padano, Pecorino (saltier), aged Gouda | Very good |
| Gruyère | Comté, Emmental, Jarlsberg, aged cheddar | Very good |
| Feta | Queso fresco, ricotta salata | Good |
| Guanciale | Pancetta or thick-cut unsmoked bacon | Good |
| Stock | Water + a little soy sauce, miso or stock concentrate | Fair; homemade or good store-bought is better |
| Canned tomatoes, 400 g | 500 g very ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped | Good in summer only |
| Tomato paste, 1 tbsp | 3 tbsp tomato passata, reduced | Fair |
| Brown sugar, 100 g | 95 g white sugar + 1½ tsp molasses or black treacle (1 tbsp for dark brown) | Very good |
| Honey | Maple syrup or golden syrup | Good; flavor changes |
| Powdered sugar | Granulated sugar blitzed in a blender with 1 tsp cornstarch per 100 g | Good |
| Vanilla pod | 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp paste | Good |
| Chocolate, bittersweet, 30 g | 10 g cocoa + 8 g butter + 12 g sugar | Fair; for baking only |
| Breadcrumbs | Panko, crushed crackers or rolled oats | Good |
| Arborio rice | Carnaroli or Vialone Nano | Excellent; Carnaroli is often better |
| Basmati rice | Jasmine or another long-grain rice | Good; jasmine is softer and stickier |
Things with no good substitute. Yeast in bread; eggs in custards, meringues and soufflés; gelatin in panna cotta (agar works but sets firmer and needs boiling); wheat flour in yeasted bread (gluten-free bread needs its own recipe). In these cases it's better to cook something else.