Baking Substitution Chart: Swaps, Amounts and Adjustments

If you are missing an ingredient mid-recipe, the chart below gives the usual swap and the amount to use for baking powder, baking soda, eggs, flour, sugar, butter, buttermilk and milk. Most figures come from US university extension services, and each table row says what to adjust besides the ingredient itself. Swaps are rarely perfect, so the sections after the chart explain what usually changes in the finished bake.

TL;DR

• Baking powder: for 1 teaspoon, use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. Use it right away.
• Eggs: for 1 egg, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 cup mashed banana, 3 tablespoons aquafaba, or 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water.
• Buttermilk: for 1 cup, use 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar, left to stand about 5 minutes.
• Change one ingredient at a time. Honey, molasses and other liquid sweeteners also change the liquid and leavening.
• Scale and convert the result with the recipe scale calculator and the grams to cups converter.

Table of Contents

• The quick chart: most common baking swaps
• Why a swap is not a one-to-one trade
• Leavening: baking powder and baking soda
• Eggs: what to use and how much
• Flour swaps
• Sugar and sweeteners
• Butter, oil and shortening
• Buttermilk, milk and yogurt
• Making a substitution that works
• Regional names and measures
• Do the math in your browser
• FAQ
• Sources

The quick chart: most common baking swaps

The amounts below are per the quantity in the first column. The source for each row is linked in the section where we discuss it, and the full list is under Sources.

Why a swap is not a one-to-one trade

Every ingredient in a recipe does more than one job. Eggs bind, add moisture and help with rise. Butter adds flavor, tenderness and fat. Buttermilk adds acid that reacts with baking soda. When you replace one, you also replace the jobs it did, which is why the chart includes an “adjust” column.

NDSU Extension states that substituting an ingredient may alter a product’s taste, color, moisture content or texture, and it suggests using substitutions for unexpected situations rather than as a routine. That is a reasonable frame: a swap gets you a good bake when the shop is closed, but the original recipe remains the benchmark.

Leavening: baking powder and baking soda

Leavening is where swaps most often go wrong, because the two products work differently. Baking soda needs an acid in the batter to react. Baking powder already contains its own acid.

Replacing baking powder

Colorado State University Extension lists several options for 1 teaspoon of double-acting baking powder in its ingredient substitutions table:

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch.
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup buttermilk, sour milk or yogurt, with the recipe’s liquid decreased by 1/2 cup.
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, with sweet milk added to make 1/2 cup, and the recipe’s liquid decreased by 1/2 cup.
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/4 cup molasses, with the recipe’s liquid decreased by 1 to 2 tablespoons.

The cornstarch in the first option keeps the dry mix from clumping. King Arthur Baking gives a similar formula and also notes that 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar works for 1 teaspoon of baking powder. America’s Test Kitchen’s version of the baking soda and cream of tartar swap carries the instruction to use it right away, so mix it just before the batter goes in the oven rather than ahead of time.

Replacing baking soda

The usual rule is three times as much baking powder. Food Network gives it as 3 teaspoons of baking powder for each teaspoon of baking soda, and warns that cookies may come out with small texture changes and a slightly different flavor. The Conversation points out that this ratio is not a precise conversion, because it ignores the acid already built into baking powder, which can shift the acid-base balance and lead to a dense bake.

In practice: treat the baking soda swap as a rescue for cookies, pancakes and quick breads, not for a recipe that depends on a specific rise.

Check freshness first

Before you swap anything, confirm the leavener you do have is active. Simply Recipes notes that baking soda and baking powder lose effectiveness over time, and that a wrong or expired leavener can give dense, flat bakes or an odd taste or color. A “failed” substitution is sometimes just old powder.

Eggs: what to use and how much

There is no single egg replacement, because it depends on what the egg was doing. Use a binder for cookies and brownies, moisture for muffins, and an aerated option when the egg gave lift.

N.C. Cooperative Extension splits the choices by function: for leavening, 1 egg equals 1 1/2 tablespoons water, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon baking powder; for binding, 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water, left for 5 minutes; for moisture, 1/4 cup mashed banana or fruit puree.

The University of Minnesota Extension list of egg alternatives for baking includes aquafaba, chia, flax, nut butter, mashed banana, soy flour with water, carbonated water and applesauce. It also states that egg substitutes do not work well in recipes calling for more than three eggs. Cleveland Clinic adds options such as Greek yogurt, silken tofu at 1/4 cup, and 3 tablespoons of nut butter.

Food and Wine gives the aquafaba ratios: 3 tablespoons for a whole egg, 2 tablespoons for a white and 1 tablespoon for a yolk, and says chickpea aquafaba is the best choice because it has the right starch and little flavor.

If you have egg powder or a carton substitute rather than a plant swap, NDSU lists amounts for one whole egg (3 tablespoons): 1/4 cup egg substitute, or 2 1/2 tablespoons dry whole egg powder plus 2 1/2 tablespoons lukewarm water.

One safety note that sits with the baking step: University of Minnesota Extension says baked goods made without eggs still need to reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Food Network also warns that egg swaps are the most likely to change texture and even cooking times, so check doneness a few minutes early.

Flour swaps

Flour swaps are mostly about protein content: cake flour is lower, bread flour is higher.

• Cake flour: America’s Test Kitchen lists 7/8 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch for 1 cup of cake flour, while Colorado State lists 7/8 cup all-purpose flour alone. The cornstarch version is the closer match to a lower-protein flour, because it dilutes the gluten-forming protein. Sift the mixture a few times.
• Bread flour: 1 cup all-purpose flour works, with the result that bread and pizza crusts may have slightly less chew.
• All-purpose flour from other flours: NDSU gives per-cup amounts, such as 3/4 cup rice flour, 1 1/4 cups rye flour or 1 1/2 cups oat flour for 1 cup of sifted all-purpose flour. It notes these flours need more leavening, adding 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of flour.

Flour is also the ingredient where cups mislead the most, since a packed cup weighs noticeably more than a spooned one. If a recipe from another source lists grams, the cups to grams page shows the figure for a spooned cup of flour, and the grams to cups converter handles other ingredients.

Sugar and sweeteners

Sugar is both a sweetener and a source of moisture and browning, so liquid sweeteners need two adjustments.

Brown sugar. America’s Test Kitchen lists 1 cup of granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon of molasses for light brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of molasses for dark brown. Mix thoroughly so the molasses is evenly distributed.

Honey for sugar. Colorado State lists 13/16 cup honey for 1 cup of granulated sugar, with the recipe’s liquid reduced by 3 tablespoons. In the other direction, 1 cup of honey becomes 1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup recipe liquid. Molasses is bigger: for 1 cup it lists 3/4 cup sugar, 5 more tablespoons of liquid, 1/2 teaspoon less baking soda and 2 teaspoons of baking powder (all in the extension table).

That last example shows why a sweetener swap is not a simple trade: sugar, liquid and leavening all move together. If you also need to shrink or enlarge the recipe, do the substitution first and scale afterward with the recipe scale calculator, or the fraction calculator if you want exact fractions of a teaspoon.

Butter, oil and shortening

Colorado State lists 1 cup of margarine, or 7/8 cup of oil plus 1/2 teaspoon of salt, for 1 cup of butter, and 1 cup of cooking oil for 1 cup of melted shortening (see the extension table). Betty Crocker adds that solid substitutes such as vegetable shortening or softened coconut oil go in at 1 cup, and liquid oils for melted butter. It also says that butter adds flavor and tenderness, so swapping it can give slightly denser results.

Match the state of the fat. Recipes that cream butter with sugar rely on a solid fat to hold air, so an oil is a poor fit there. Recipes that call for melted butter, such as brownies or many muffins, accept oil more easily.

Buttermilk, milk and yogurt

Buttermilk is the easiest swap in the chart. Colorado State gives 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of sweet milk plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice, left to stand 5 minutes. Plain yogurt at 1 cup also works, and so does 1 cup of milk with 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 teaspoons of cream of tartar. Food Network uses a slightly different version, 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar, which in practice is the same idea.

For whole milk, the extension table lists 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water. The acid in a buttermilk swap matters because it activates baking soda, so when a recipe calls for buttermilk and soda, use the soured milk rather than plain milk.

Making a substitution that works

The extension and baking sources agree on a few habits.

1. Change one thing at a time. The Bake School’s Janice Lawandi recommends one substitution per recipe for bakers without years of experience. N.C. Cooperative Extension suggests no more than 2 to 3 swaps at once.
2. Watch the liquid. Applesauce and honey add moisture, so N.C. Cooperative Extension advises reducing other liquids slightly. The chart rows with an “adjust” note show where this matters most.
3. Expect flavor changes. Olive oil or Greek yogurt may slightly alter flavor, according to the same N.C. extension guide, so choose a swap that suits the recipe’s flavor.
4. Try a small batch first when the recipe is for guests. A half batch of cookies tells you more than a guess.
5. Write it down. Note the swap and what you saw. Next time you will know whether to change the amount.

A worked example

Say a recipe for 12 muffins wants 1 cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon baking soda, and you have only milk and lemon juice. Use 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice, stand it 5 minutes, and use the soda as written. For a half batch, halve every amount (1/2 cup buttermilk substitute is 7 tablespoons milk plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice minus half of one tablespoon, so it is easier to work in teaspoons: 1/2 cup is 24 teaspoons, minus 1.5 teaspoons of milk plus 1.5 teaspoons of lemon juice). The fraction calculator and the ratio calculator take this kind of arithmetic out of your head.

Regional names and measures

A chart written for US kitchens can mislead when your recipe came from another country. A few common pairs from a US and UK ingredient comparison:

The pattern: first match the name, then check the unit. US recipes use cups and tablespoons by volume, and many other countries use grams. Our unit converter covers volume, mass and temperature, so oven temperatures in Celsius or Fahrenheit are easy to translate.

Baking is also a good way to practice measuring and fractions with kids, and what children learn from cooking includes the counting and measuring skills these tables rely on.

Do the math in your browser

Substitutions often come with awkward amounts: 7/8 of a cup, 13/16 of a cup, half of a tablespoon. GizmoBench has browser-based tools for this, and they run without an account or installation. The recipe scale calculator resizes every ingredient at once, the grams to cups converter moves between weight and volume by ingredient, and the percentage calculator helps with baker’s percentages. You can browse the rest of the everyday set on the everyday tools page.

FAQ

Can I use baking powder instead of baking soda?

Yes, in many recipes. Use 3 teaspoons of baking powder for each teaspoon of baking soda. The result may taste or feel slightly different, and it is less reliable in recipes that depend on acidic ingredients and a particular rise.

What is the easiest egg substitute?

For muffins, quick breads and denser cakes, 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana per egg is the simplest, since most kitchens have one. For binding in cookies, use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water, left for 5 minutes.

How do I make buttermilk without buttermilk?

Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into a measuring cup, add milk to reach 1 cup (the extension table uses 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon of milk), and let it stand about 5 minutes. Plain yogurt at 1 cup also works.

Can I swap several ingredients in the same recipe?

It is better not to. Extension guidance suggests limiting a recipe to 2 to 3 swaps, and a beginner is better served by changing one ingredient at a time, because each swap can shift moisture, rise or flavor.

Do substitutions change baking time?

Sometimes. Egg swaps in particular can change texture and cooking time, so start checking for doneness a few minutes early. Bakes made without eggs should still reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

Sources

• Ingredient Substitutions, Colorado State University Extension
• Ingredient Substitutions, NDSU Agriculture
• Egg substitutions for baking, University of Minnesota Extension
• Baking Substitutions That Work, N.C. Cooperative Extension
• 16 Excellent Egg Substitutes, Cleveland Clinic
• 24 Substitutions for Common Ingredients, America’s Test Kitchen
• Ingredient Substitution Guide, Food Network
• Can You Use Baking Powder Instead of Baking Soda? Food Network
• Baking soda vs. baking powder substitutions, King Arthur Baking
• Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder, Simply Recipes
• What’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda, The Conversation
• How to Cook with Aquafaba, Food and Wine
• Common Cooking and Baking Substitutions, Betty Crocker
• A guide to baking substitutions, The Bake School
• UK vs US Baking Ingredients, Bonni Bakery

Recommended

• Cups to Grams: 1 Cup of Flour Is 125 g Spooned
• Grams to Cups Converter (and Cups to Grams) by Ingredient