100+ Recipe Ingredient Substitutions – Oh no, I’m out of corn syrup!

WHAT RECIPE INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS CAN YOU MAKE FOR CORN SYRUP?

We’ve all been there.  You’re watching the Food Network and get inspired to try Giada’s heavenly Toffee Bars, but don’t have any corn syrup.  Darn!  What to do?  

You could… run to the store… OR try to stop thinking about those rich, sticky Toffee bars… NAH!

Just open your pantry door and take a peek at the handy-dandy COMPREHENSIVE RECIPE INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS LIST you printed out instead!

HAVE YOU GONE PALEO OR GLUTEN-FREE?  I’ve got some great recipe ingredient substitutions for you too at the end of this post!

No matter what kind of diet you’re on, or recipe you’re making, there’s most likely a “work-around” tip that can save the day.

I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the substitutions you can make in these different ingredient categories:

• Baking
• Fats
• Sugars
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Alcohol
• Vegetables used as flavorings
• Spices and Herbs
• Condiments
• Miscellaneous
• Paleo
• Gluten-Free

You’ll want to make sure you DOWNLOAD AND PRINT the FREE PDF to keep handy for when you run out of …

(details are at the bottom of this post)

ARE ALL RECIPE INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS INTERCHANGEABLE?

I’m so glad you asked! No, they really aren’t.

For example, if you want to replace an egg in a brownie recipe, you could use 1/2 a banana or 1/4 cup applesauce.

But, if you need that egg for a savory dish, you might try pureed tofu + flour instead.  It really depends on the specific use of the ingredient as to which recipe ingredient substitution you should use.  I’ve made some notations for you where appropriate.

WE’LL START WITH SOME BAKING SUBSTITUTIONS – For when you need a chocolate fix!

When you make a recipe ingredient substitution in baking, many times you’ll notice a slight change in texture, density or crumb.  But don’t fret, you didn’t do anything wrong.

Making substitutions means that you can still make the recipe, not that it will turn out exactly as originally written.  With the proper mindset going into preparing the recipe, you’ll be a very happy camper as you’re munching those yummy Toffee bars! 

 

RECIPE INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS – “Oh no, the recipe calls for an egg!”

Obviously, all of the following recipe ingredient substitutions are meant to be used in recipes.  And really, most of these egg substitutes only work in baked goods.  If you want scrambled eggs or an omelet, use liquid or powdered eggs!

WHEN YOU NEED HALF-A-CUP OF SOUR CREAM – No worries!

As it turns out, dairy products have lots of excellent ingredient swaps that are just as good in a recipe as the intended ingredient.

And that’s great news for those of us who are known to wake up with a ravenous desire for chocolate chip-sour cream muffins!  Just because you don’t have sour cream, don’t let that stop you. 

Now you’ll have a handy reference to get those muffins in the oven in no time flat.

RECIPE INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS FOR FATS – For cooking & baking

When it comes to fat replacements, there are some common sense swaps when it comes to cooking with oils.  It isn’t such a stretch to imagine swapping out shortening for vegetable oil.

But when it comes to baking, that’s where these recipe ingredient substitutions become a “little bit of genius”!

Who knew that pureed prunes can be used instead of vegetable oil in brownies or dark cakes?

WHAT ABOUT SWAPS FOR BROWN SUGAR OR HONEY?

There are lots of different variations to swap out one sweetener for another.  It’s likely you’ll have one of the substitutes sitting in your pantry, so it’s really just a matter of proportions.

Follow the ratios as indicated below, and you’re good to go.

WHEN YOU NEED TO ADD A LITTLE “FLAVOR” TO YOUR RECIPE

Since there are so many ways to add layers of flavors to your recipes, it’s great to know some creative swaps. 

If you need rum for a recipe, no worries.  Use some rum extract and water.  Run out of Tabasco sauce? Combine cayenne and a little vinegar!

 These recipe ingredient substitutions will save the day more times than you could ever imagine.  There’s 5 pages of fabulous swaps, and they’re all broken down into categories for your convenience.

 

PALEO DIET RECIPE INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

The basic PALEO DIET FOOD LIST calls for skipping grains (both refined and whole), legumes, packaged snacks, dairy, and sugar in favor of vegetables, fruit, meat, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, fats, and oils.  

So here’s a list of some great substitutions you can use to make your recipes “Paleo Diet” compliant:

• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs = 1 cup of almond flour (baking or breading purposes)
• 1 cup of flour = 1 cup of pureed black beans (brownies)
• Instead of white bread, substitute corn tortillas for sandwiches
• Pasta – steam spaghetti squash
• Couscous – choose quinoa
• Butter – sub in coconut oil in the same amounts
• Eggs – 1/4 cup pureed tofu + 2 tsp. almond flour
• Flour for thickening purposes – use tapioca starch in the same ratios
• Soy sauce – use the same amount of Tamari sauce

GLUTEN-FREE SWAPS FOR A HEALTHY BALANCED DIET

A balanced Gluten-Free diet is no different from an otherwise healthy diet, except for the fact that it doesn’t contain gluten.

Plan on eating a balance of lean protein, healthy fats, fresh fruits and veggies.  But you’ll need to be careful about which grains you keep in your diet.

You can still enjoy corn, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, arrowroot, as well as flours made from nuts and seeds like almond and coconut flour.

Here’s some creative recipe ingredient substitutions to help keep your gluten restricted diet on track:

• Soy Sauce – Coconut Aminos 
• Granulated Sugar – Coconut Sugar or Powdered Maple Sugar
• Bread Crumbs – Ground flaxseeds
• Milk – Substitute almond or coconut milk in cereal and smoothies
• AP Flour – Substitute 1/2  coconut flour and 1/2 ground almond meal in baked goods
• Heavy cream – Coconut cream scooped from the top of a chilled can makes a great substitute
• Rice – Use a food processor to make cauliflower “rice” (pulse 3-4 times)
• Pasta – Make “spiralized” vegetable noodles from zucchini, carrots and beets
• Vegetable oil – Use coconut oil in the same ratios
• Margarine – Use clarified butter that has had the milk solids removed after melting and chilling
• Peanut butter – Sunflower or almond butters taste very similar 
• Milk Chocolate – Sub in 75% or more dark chocolate instead

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT YOUR COPY TO HAVE HANDY WHEN YOU RUN OUT OF…

Just download the FREE PDF, print and keep your 10 PAGE COMPREHENSIVE INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTION LIST handy in a kitchen drawer!

The FREE PDF is available in the IFAFL Email Subscribers Resource Library.

IFAFL subscribers have exclusive access to the Email Subscribers Resource Library.  It contains all the FREE DOWNLOADABLE PDF’S featured in our posts.  My email subscribers receive the current library password in each email I send.

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