Ingredient substitutions from extension charts
Substitutions for common missing ingredients from three extension charts, the rows they agree on first and the amounts they differ on side by side. A substitute can change the texture and flavor of the result. Filter by kind.
The charts' own warning. NDSU's chart says each ingredient in a recipe has a function, that a substitution may alter the taste, color, moisture content or texture of the product, and that substitutions are for unexpected situations only. K-State's says a substitute may alter flavor, color, texture or volume but still result in an acceptable product. NMSU's separates equivalents, another form of the same ingredient (garlic powder for a clove), which change the dish very little, from swaps that stand in for what an ingredient does (yogurt for sour cream), which can change flavor, color or texture.
Baking shows the change most, because leavening, flour and sugar do chemical and structural work. Utah State Extension's list explains one case: baking soda releases the gas that makes a product rise only when an acid ingredient, such as buttermilk, yogurt or molasses, is there to react with it. Try a swap first in a dish where a change in texture would not spoil the meal, and write the result on the recipe. Leftovers and using it up covers when to reach for a substitution in a use-it-up meal (when an ingredient is missing).
For a food allergy, a substitution does not make a recipe allergy-safe. Every other ingredient, and the full label of every product used, still has to be checked; the person's allergist and the full ingredient label decide what they can eat (allergies). For a medical diet, a swap such as honey or corn syrup for sugar changes what is in the dish, so ask the doctor or registered dietitian who made the plan. These charts are about cooking results; they say nothing about what anyone should eat.
Substitutions by kind
Rows the charts agree on come first, then rows where they give different amounts, shown side by side. "All four" means NDSU FN198, NMSU E-131, K-State L730 and Utah State's list; a row a chart leaves out is not counted against it. Measures: Tbsp is tablespoon, tsp is teaspoon; 1 cup is about 240 mL, 1 Tbsp 15 mL, 1 tsp 5 mL (NIST's kitchen approximations; unit converter).
| Missing | Use instead | Charts | Notes, or where they differ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buttermilk or sour milk, 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt | All four | Agree |
| Buttermilk or sour milk, 1 cup | 1 cup milk plus 1 3/4 tsp cream of tartar | All four | Agree |
| Sour cream, 1 cup | 1 cup plain yogurt | All four | NDSU: in cooking, stir 1 Tbsp cornstarch into each cup to keep it from separating |
| Heavy cream (36 to 40 percent fat), 1 cup, for cooking and baking | 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter or margarine | All four | For use in cooking and baking, in the charts' words |
| Half-and-half, 1 cup | 1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted | All four | Agree |
| Plain yogurt, 1 cup | 1 cup buttermilk | NMSU, K-State | Agree |
| Baking powder, 1 tsp | 1/4 tsp baking soda plus 1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk | All four | NDSU, NMSU, K-State: decrease the recipe's liquid by 1/2 cup. NDSU also allows yogurt; Utah State says fully soured milk |
| Baking powder, 1 tsp | 1/4 tsp baking soda plus 1/4 to 1/2 cup molasses | NDSU, Utah State | NDSU: decrease the recipe's liquid by 1 to 2 Tbsp |
| Cornstarch for thickening, 1 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour | All four | Agree |
| All-purpose flour for thickening, 1 Tbsp | 1/2 Tbsp (1 1/2 tsp) cornstarch, potato starch, rice starch or arrowroot starch | All four | Agree |
| Cake flour, 1 cup sifted | 1 cup less 2 Tbsp sifted all-purpose flour | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | Agree |
| All-purpose flour, 1 cup sifted | 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp cake flour; or 1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour less 2 Tbsp | All four | NDSU writes the first as 1 1/8 cups cake flour |
| Self-rising flour, 1 cup | 1 cup less 2 tsp all-purpose flour, plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | Agree |
| White flour, part | Whole wheat flour for 1/4 to 1/2 of the white flour | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | NDSU, NMSU and K-State note that specialty flours in yeast bread give a smaller, heavier loaf |
| Brown sugar, 1 cup firmly packed | 1 cup granulated sugar | All four | Agree |
| Brown sugar, 1 cup firmly packed | 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses | NDSU, K-State | Agree |
| Honey, 1 cup | 1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid | All four | NDSU, NMSU, K-State: the liquid the recipe calls for; Utah State: water |
| Corn syrup, 1 cup | 1 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid | All four | NDSU, NMSU, K-State: the liquid the recipe calls for; Utah State: water |
| Garlic, 1 small clove | 1/8 tsp garlic powder | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | NDSU also gives 1/4 tsp instant minced garlic; K-State also gives 1/2 to 1 tsp garlic salt, with less salt elsewhere in the recipe |
| Onion, 1 small | 1 tsp onion powder; or 1 to 2 Tbsp instant minced onion | NDSU, K-State | NDSU says minced onion, K-State instant minced. NMSU: rehydrate 1 Tbsp instant minced onion |
| Fresh herbs, 1 Tbsp finely cut | 1 tsp dried herbs | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | NDSU also gives 1/2 tsp ground herbs |
| Dried parsley, 1 tsp | 3 tsp (1 Tbsp) fresh parsley, chopped | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | Agree |
| Dried green bell pepper, 1 Tbsp | 3 Tbsp fresh green pepper, chopped | NMSU, K-State | NDSU's row for this gives parsley by mistake and is not used (differences) |
| Allspice, 1 tsp | 1/2 tsp cinnamon plus 1/2 tsp ground cloves | All four | Agree |
| Pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp | 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice and 1/8 tsp nutmeg | All four | Agree |
| Dry mustard, 1 tsp | 1 Tbsp prepared mustard | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | Agree |
| Lemon juice, 1 tsp | 1/2 tsp vinegar | All four | Agree |
| Bay leaf, 1 whole | 1/4 tsp crushed bay leaf | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | NDSU says "cracked" |
| Tomato juice, 1 cup | 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | Agree |
| Ketchup, 1 cup, for cooking | 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp vinegar | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | For use in cooking |
| Tomato soup, one 10 3/4-oz can | 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1/4 cup water | NDSU, K-State | Agree |
| Fresh tomatoes, 2 cups chopped | One 16-oz can of tomatoes | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | NMSU: you may need to drain it |
| Buttermilk or sour milk, 1 cup | Lemon juice or vinegar with milk, left to stand | All four | Differ. NDSU, NMSU, K-State: 1 cup less 1 Tbsp milk plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar, stand 5 to 10 minutes. Utah State: 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice plus milk to make 1 cup, stand 5 minutes |
| Sour cream, 1 cup | Sour milk or buttermilk plus 1/3 cup butter or margarine | All four | Differ. NDSU, Utah State: 7/8 cup sour milk or buttermilk. NMSU, K-State: 3/4 cup |
| Whole milk, 1 cup | Evaporated milk plus water | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | Differ. NDSU, K-State: 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water. NMSU prints 3/4 cup of each, which makes 1 1/2 cups; we list the 1/2 and 1/2 version |
| Half-and-half, 1 cup | 7/8 cup milk plus butter or margarine | All four | Differ. NDSU, NMSU, K-State: 1/2 Tbsp butter. Utah State: 3 Tbsp |
| Baking powder, 1 tsp | Baking soda plus cream of tartar | All four | Differ. NDSU, K-State, Utah State: 1/4 tsp baking soda plus 5/8 tsp cream of tartar. NMSU: 1/3 tsp baking soda plus 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (NDSU lists this too) |
| Baking powder, 1 tsp | 1/4 tsp baking soda plus vinegar or lemon juice, with milk to make 1/2 cup | All four | Differ. NDSU, NMSU, Utah State: 1/2 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice. K-State: 1/2 tsp. All but Utah State: decrease the recipe's liquid by 1/2 cup |
| Cornstarch for thickening, 1 Tbsp | Tapioca | All four | Differ. NDSU: 4 to 6 tsp quick-cooking tapioca. NMSU, K-State, Utah State: 2 Tbsp granular tapioca |
| All-purpose flour for thickening, 1 Tbsp | Tapioca | All four | Differ. NDSU: 1 Tbsp granular tapioca or 2 to 3 tsp quick-cooking. NMSU, K-State: 1 Tbsp granular. Utah State: 1 Tbsp quick-cooking, and K-State's tapioca row also equates 1 Tbsp quick-cooking with 1 Tbsp flour |
| Arrowroot starch | 1 Tbsp flour, or 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch | NDSU, NMSU, K-State | Differ. NDSU: for 1 tsp arrowroot. NMSU, K-State: for 1 1/2 tsp arrowroot, which matches every chart's flour row |
| Granulated sugar, 1 cup | Honey, with less liquid | All four | Differ. NDSU, NMSU, K-State: 1 cup honey, decrease the liquid by 1/4 cup. Utah State: 3/4 cup honey, decrease the liquid by 1/4 cup. NDSU and Utah State: in baked goods add 1/2 tsp baking soda per cup of honey; NDSU also lowers the oven 25 degrees |
| Granulated sugar, 1 cup | Corn syrup, with less liquid | All four | Differ. NDSU: 2 cups corn syrup, reduce the liquid by 1/4 cup, and replace no more than half the sugar this way. NMSU, Utah State: 1 cup corn syrup, decrease the liquid by 1/4 cup. K-State: 3/4 cup, decrease the liquid by 1/4 cup, no more than half the sugar |
| Tomato sauce | Tomato paste plus water | NDSU, K-State | Differ. NDSU: one 6-oz can of paste plus 1 cup water for a 15-oz can of sauce. K-State: 3/4 cup paste plus 1 cup water for 2 cups of sauce |
Sources, all fetched 2026-10-16: NDSU Extension, Ingredient Substitutions (FN198), reviewed January 2023; NMSU Guide E-131, In a Pinch: Ingredient Substitutions, revised May 2016, adapted from University of Missouri Extension; K-State Research and Extension, Ingredient Substitutions (L730), June 2012; and Utah State University Extension's List of Ingredient Substitutions for Cooking and Baking, an archived page with no date, named here but not linked.
Where the charts differ Go deeper
The four sources agree on most rows, and most of them descend from the same older material: NMSU's guide says it was adapted from the University of Missouri, and NMSU's and K-State's charts share most of their wording. Where they differ, the difference is usually an amount, and none of the four explains its figure. Neither amount is shown to be the right one; try one, note the result, and adjust.
- Tapioca. For 1 Tbsp cornstarch, NDSU gives 4 to 6 tsp quick-cooking tapioca; NMSU, K-State and Utah State give 2 Tbsp granular tapioca. Granular and quick-cooking tapioca are different products, and NDSU's flour row lists both with different amounts (1 Tbsp granular, 2 to 3 tsp quick-cooking), so read the package before you use either row.
- Arrowroot. NDSU's arrowroot row says 1 tsp arrowroot equals 1 Tbsp flour or 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch; NMSU and K-State say 1 1/2 tsp arrowroot. NDSU's own flour row gives 1/2 Tbsp (1 1/2 tsp) arrowroot for 1 Tbsp flour, which agrees with the other two, so the table uses 1 1/2 tsp in its agreeing row and shows NDSU's arrowroot figure as a difference.
- Sour cream from sour milk and butter. NDSU and Utah State use 7/8 cup sour milk or buttermilk with 1/3 cup butter; NMSU and K-State use 3/4 cup. NDSU's chart also has a separate "Cream, sour" row with 7/8 cup sour milk and 3 Tbsp butter, so its two rows give different butter amounts. Plain yogurt, which all four list, avoids the question.
- Buttermilk standing time. 5 to 10 minutes in NDSU, NMSU and K-State; 5 minutes in Utah State.
- Baking powder from soda and acid. NDSU, K-State and Utah State list 1/4 tsp soda with 5/8 tsp cream of tartar first; NMSU lists 1/3 tsp soda with 1/2 tsp cream of tartar first, and NDSU lists both. For the milk-and-vinegar version, K-State prints 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar where the other three print 1/2 Tbsp.
- Whole milk. NMSU prints 3/4 cup evaporated milk with 3/4 cup water for 1 cup of whole milk, which totals 1 1/2 cups. NDSU and K-State give 1/2 cup of each, and the table uses that.
- Half-and-half. NDSU, NMSU and K-State use 7/8 cup milk with 1/2 Tbsp butter; Utah State uses 3 Tbsp butter.
- Sugar swaps. For 1 cup sugar, Utah State gives 3/4 cup honey, the others 1 cup. For corn syrup, the amounts run from 3/4 cup (K-State) to 2 cups (NDSU), and NDSU and K-State limit corn syrup to half the recipe's sugar.
- Tomato sauce. NDSU gives a 6-oz can of tomato paste plus 1 cup water for a 15-oz can of sauce; K-State gives 3/4 cup paste plus 1 cup water for 2 cups. The two are written for different amounts of sauce, so compare them only after converting to the same measure.
- NDSU's green pepper row. NDSU's chart lists "Peppers, green bell, 1 tablespoon, dried" with "3 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped", the same substitute as its dried parsley row above it. That reads as an error carried from the parsley row. NMSU and K-State give 3 Tbsp fresh green pepper, chopped, and the table uses theirs.
- Dates. NDSU FN198 was reviewed in January 2023, NMSU E-131 revised in May 2016, K-State L730 published in June 2012, and Utah State's list sits in its archive with no date. Tapioca, minced garlic and minced onion are sold in more than one form, so the package of what you have says how its maker means it to be used. Product-specific