Tag Archives: onion

15 Helpful Pantry Substitutes / Swaps (when you don’t have what the recipe calls for when baking)

Here are some simple swaps you can use when you run out of a specific recipe ingredient while baking. Remember that you are not only substituting the chemical components of the item in your baking, but also moisture content in some cases (like with eggs.) When in a pinch, try pulling from these as staples in your kitchen:

IngredientAmountSubstitute
baking powder, double acting1 tsp1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 1/4 tsp cornstarch
brown sugar1 cup1 cup granulated sugar
butter1 cup7/8 cup high-temp tolerant oil (like ghee, unrefined or virgin avocado oil, grape seed)12 along with 1/2 tsp of finely crushed salt
buttermilk1 cupTake out 1 TBSP milk and add 1 TBSP of vinegar (or lemon juice). Let stand 5 minutes.
chocolate, unsweetened1 ounce3 TBSP cocoa with 1 TBSP butter or vegetable oil.
cornstarch1 TBSP2 TBSP all-purpose flour
egg1 large1/4 cup (57g) of carbonated water, 2 tablespoons water + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil3 (or) 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1 TBSP vinegar + 1 TBSP liquid.
garlic1 small clove1/8 tsp powder or minced garlic
lemon zest (freshly grated from lemon peel)1 tsp1/2 tsp lemon extract
milk, skim1 cup1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk plus 7/8 cup of water
milk, whole1 cup1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk plus 1/2 cup of water. (Can substitute 1 cup fruit juice in baking.)
onion1 small1 to 2 TBSP freeze dried minced onion or 1 tsp onion powder
white flour, all-purpose self rising1 cup1 cup all purpose flour plus 1 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt
wine, red or whiteanyequal amount of red or white vinegar, grape juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, ginger juice, lemon juice, or apple juice.4
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Want to dive deeper? King Arthur has this fantastic review with pics as well as Kitchn where they rated and ranked how they felt the substitutes performed in a basic muffin recipe. I encourage you to check those out if you want to learn more on how these substitutions can effect the baking without an actual egg.

Happy baking!

Erin

PS: Don’t forget that to grow your health gardening, you can grow your own garlic, onions and heritage wheat. These typically are started in the fall, so now is a great time to plan these wonderful staples for your pantry.