Substitutions for Cooking & Baking

Author: Heather Pratt

Substitutions for Cooking & Baking

Food allergies and sensitivities and special diets can make cooking tricky, especially when it comes to replacing off-limit ingredients with safe ones. Below you’ll find several suggestions for how to modify your favorite recipes with allergen-free alternatives that actually taste great. There are many products available that help make this task easy, and below are some suggestions, but don’t hesitate to ask for employee recommendations when shopping in our stores. And remember, if you have multiple food sensitivities or allergies, be sure to read the entire label of any food, even the ones listed here, before using it. Note: Unless otherwise noted, each ingredient can be substituted one for one.

Click below to jump to each section:

Substitutions For Corn
Substitutions For Dairy
Substitutions For Eggs
Substitutions For Gluten
Substitutions For Grains
Substitutions For Nuts
Substitutions For Sugar
Substitutions For Miscellaneous Ingredients
Additional Resources

Substitutions for Corn

If your recipe calls for…	Try this instead…	Things to be aware of…
Baking Powder	Whisk together 1 part baking soda and 2 parts cream of tartar.	Add 1 part arrowroot or potato starch if you plan to store it for later use.
Corn Starch	Arrowroot Powder
	Tapioca Powder
Corn Syrup	Honey
	Brown Rice Syrup
	Dissolve 1 cup of granulated sugar in ¼ cup of hot water for each cup of corn syrup
Polenta	Bring 1 cup of rinsed millet and 3 cups of broth or water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Use as you would polenta.

Substitutions for Dairy

If your recipe calls for…	Try this instead…	Things to be aware of…
Butter	Unrefined Coconut Oil	May impart a slight coconutty taste to your cooking and baking
	Palm Oil/Shortening	Unrefined palm oil has a very distinct red color owing to its high level of beneficial carotenes, but it gives a yellow hue to the foods cooked with it.
	Olive Oil or Macadamia Nut Oil
	Non-hydrogenated butter substitute such as Earth Balance^® Spreads
Buttermilk	Combine one cup of your favorite unsweetened, plain nondairy milk with 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before using.
Cheese	There are many non-dairy cheese substitutes. Shreds and blocks available. Daiya brand is a popular choice.	Some cheese alternatives still contain dairy in the form of casein or whey, so be sure to read the entire label when trying new products.
	GoVeggie!^® Dairy Free Parmesan Grated Topping
	Crumbled Tofu	Makes a good replacement for ricotta cheese
	Nutritional Yeast	Sprinkled on top of or into dishes, it adds a mild ‘cheesy’ flavor.
Cream	Plain, full-fat canned coconut milk
	Dairy-free creamers such as SoDelicious^® Coconut or Almond Creamers and Silk^® Soy or Almond Creamers
Cream Cheese	Daiya Cream Cheese Style Spreads, GoVeggie!^® Classic Plain Cream Cheese or Tofutti^® Non-Hydrogenated Better Than Cream Cheese
Evaporated Milk	Simmer 3 cups of unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk over medium-low heat until the volume is reduced to 1 cup.
Milk	There are many dairy-free milk alternatives including almond, soy, rice, coconut, flax, hemp and cashew milks.	Some are flavored and sweetened and some are not; experiment to find your favorites.
	Low-Sodium Broths	This substitution works well in mashed potatoes and some casseroles. Note that the end product will be flavorful, but not creamy.
Sour Cream	Mix one cup of well mashed ripe avocado with 1 Tbsp of lemon or lime juice and a pinch of salt.
	Dairy-free sour cream is made by several brands including Tofutti^® Non-Hydrogenated Better Than Sour Cream and Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet^® Sour Cream
Sweetened Condensed Milk	Simmer 3 cups of unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk and ½ cup of sugar over medium-low heat until the volume is reduced to 1 cup.
Whipped Cream	Refrigerate one can of full fat coconut milk (without any gums listed as ingredients) for at least 8 hours. Open the can and carefully scoop out the solid coconut cream into a chilled bowl. (Save the remaining coconut water for another use.) Whip the coconut cream until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and sweetener to taste; whip again briefly before using.	To eliminate the step of refrigerating and separating the coconut cream from the water, start with Native Forest^® or Thai Kitchen^® pure, unsweetened coconut cream available from
	Soyatoo!^® Soy or Rice Whipped Creams (in ready to eat spray cans or in boxes you can whip yourself.) So Delicious^® CocoWhip Original and CocoWhip Light
Yogurt	So Delicious^® Coconut Milk, Almond Milk or Greek Style Yogurts, Whole Soy & Co^® Soy Milk Yogurts, Silk^® Soy Milk Yogurts
	Unsweetened applesauce, fruit purée, sweet potato or winter squash purée can substitute for yogurt in baking.	Match the puree to the flavor of your baked good.

Substitutions for Eggs

If your recipe calls for…	Try this instead…	Things to be aware of…
Eggs in baking	½ tsp baking powder, 1 Tbsp vinegar, and 1 Tbsp liquid
	1 Tbsp ground flax or chia seeds soaked in 3 Tbsp warm water for 10 minutes
	Soften 1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin in 1 Tbsp cold water, add 2 Tbsp boiling water and stir well. Cool and beat until frothy.
	¼ cup unsweetened applesauce and ½ tsp baking powder
	3 Tbsp mashed or pureed fruit plus ¼ tsp baking soda
	¼ cup plain yogurt (dairy-free yogurt works too)
	¼ cup pureed tofu
	Ener-G^® Egg Replacer^™ Bob’s Red Mill^® Vegetarian Egg Replacer
Eggs for dredging	¼ cup milk or unsweetened, plain non-dairy alternative milk
	Light coating of mustard or egg-free mayonnaise
	Melted butter or olive oil	Works best for breading foods that will be baked in the oven
Eggs in quiche or scrambles	Pureed or crumbled silken tofu (¼ cup equals one egg). Add a little turmeric for coloring.	Note that baking/cooking times may need to be adjusted.
Mayonnaise	Follow Your Heart^® Vegenaise^®, Earth Balance^® Mindful Mayo^® or Just Mayo^™

Substitutions for Gluten

If your recipe calls for…	Try this instead…	Things to be aware of…
Breadcrumbs	Pulse 4 pieces of your favorite gluten-free bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 325⁰ for 15-20 minutes stirring once. Allow to cool completely before storing.
	Crushed potato chips Crushed GF flake cereal Ground GF Oats
	Ian’s^® Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
Couscous	Lundberg^® Brown Rice Couscous	Available in Organic Plain Original and Mediterranean Curry
Farina Hot Cereal	Bob’s Red Mill^® Creamy Brown Rice Farina
	Ancient Harvest^™ Quinoa Hot Cereal Flakes
	Pocono Cream of Buckwheat Cereal
Flour for baking	There are many excellent products available, including Bob’s Red Mill^® Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour and Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, King Arthur Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour, and Pamela’s^® All Purpose Flour Artisan Blend	Note that if your mix does not contain xanthan gum, you may choose to add a small amount to improve the overall texture and elasticity of your baked goods.
Flour for coating	Most any gluten-free flour or gluten-free flour blend can be used.
Flour for thickening soups/stews	Rice or sorghum flour can be used like regular flour for making a roux or thickening soups and stews
	Potato Starch	Add at the very end of cooking and do not boil.
	Corn Starch, Arrowroot, or Tapioca Flour/Starch	Use 1-2 Tbsp to thicken 1 cup of liquid and mix well with a small amount of water before adding near the end of cooking.
Soy Sauce	Gluten Free Tamari
	Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos
Whole wheat, rye, spelt or barley grains (for pilafs, grain salad or added to soups)	Quinoa, rice, wild rice, millet, or buckwheat	The textures will not be exactly the same and you will need to adjust the water to grain ratio according to which grain you choose.

Substitutions for Grains

If your recipe calls for…	Try this instead…	Things to be aware of…
Grain flour for baking	Coconut Flour	For more information on baking with grain-free flours check out Our article on Grain Free Flours Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam
	Nut Meals/Flours (such as almond and hazelnut) Note that nut meals tend to be coarser than nut flours
	Tapioca Flour
	Arrowroot Flour
	Dowd & Rogers Gluten Free Italian Chestnut Flour
Flour or breadcrumbs for coating	Nut meal/flour and/or unsweetened shredded coconut
Flour for thickening	Potato Flakes	Add at the end of cooking to thicken soups or stews. They also make an excellent replacement for breadcrumbs in meatloaves and meatballs
	Arrowroot or Tapioca Starch/Flour	Use 1-2 Tbsp to thicken 1 cup of liquid and mix well with a small amount of water before adding near the end of cooking.

Substitutions for Nuts

If your recipe calls for…	Try this instead…	Things to be aware of…
Peanut Butter	Sunflower butter	When baked with sunflower butter, the end product may turn a subtle green color due to a reaction between the chlorophyll in the sunflower seeds and the baking powder/soda. The taste is not affected.
	Other nut or seed butter such as almond, cashew, or sesame (a.k.a. tahini)
	Soy Nut Butter
Chopped Nuts	Toasted shredded coconut
	Sunflower, pumpkin or sesame seeds
	Old fashioned oats	Makes a good breading or topping
	Crushed Potato Chips	Makes a good breading or topping

Substitutions for Sugar

If your recipe calls for…	Try this instead…	Things to be aware of…
Sugar, brown	½ cup date sugar and ½ cup honey to replace 1 cup
	¾ cup honey to replace 1 cup
	Coconut sugar
Sugar, Powdered	Pulse your favorite natural granulated sweetener in a blender, coffee mill or food processor until finely powdered
Sugar, white	Agave	Reduce total liquid in recipe by 25-35%
	Coconut Sugar
	Brown Rice Syrup - Use 1½ cups to replace 1 cup of sugar	Reduce total liquids by 3 tbsp
	Date Sugar	Does not readily dissolve in baked goods
	Honey – Use ⅔ cup for each cup of sugar	Reduce liquid by ¼ cup and oven temperature by 25⁰
	Maple Syrup – Use ½-¾ cup to replace one cup	Reduce liquid by ¼ cup
	Molasses – Use ½-¾ cup to replace 1 cup sugar	Reduce liquid by ¼ cup. Molasses has a strong flavor and is probably best mixed with other sweeteners.
	Rapunzel Organic Whole Cane Sugar	Very minimally processed granulated sugar. Lends a slight tan hue to baked goods due to the high mineral content
	Stevia	See our article on Stevia for information on substituting

Substitutions for Miscellaneous Ingredients

If your recipe calls for…	Try this instead…	Things to be aware of…
Cocoa powder	Carob powder
Chocolate	Mix 3 tbsp carob powder, 1 tbsp coconut oil and1 tbsp water together to replace 1 ounce
Shortening (in baking)	Spectrum^® Organic All Vegetable Shortening
	Butter
	Palm Oil	Unrefined palm oil has a very distinct red color owing to its high level of beneficial carotenes. It gives a yellow hue to the foods cooked with it.
Vinegar	Lemon Juice	This works best for replacing white wine or apple cider vinegar and in dressings or recipes that call for small amounts
Worcestershire sauce	Use ¼ cup gluten-free tamari to replace 3 tbsp
	Annie’s^® Organic Vegan Worcestershire Sauce	This product is not gluten-free

Additional Resources:

Substituting Ingredients by Becky Sue Epstein
Bake Deliciously by Jean Duane

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