You are halfway through a recipe and you are missing one ingredient. Before you head to the store, check whether a simple swap will do. Canada's Food Guide notes that knowing how to make recipe substitutions helps you use the foods you already have, which also helps cut waste and save money.
Set your expectations
Substitutions rarely give an identical result. Cooking is forgiving, so soups, stews, sauces, and stir-fries tolerate swaps well. Baking is more sensitive because eggs, fat, and flour all affect the texture. Food writers also point out that some swaps work in some recipes but not others. For example, egg replacements can work in a carrot cake but not in angel food cake or egg-based custards, which depend on the eggs.
Common swaps
- Buttermilk: Add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to enough milk to make one cup, stir, and let it stand for about five minutes. Thinned plain yogurt can also work, though the flavour will be slightly different.
- Egg (in baking): One commonly suggested swap is about one tablespoon of ground flax or chia seeds mixed with three tablespoons of water per egg, left to thicken. Mashed banana or applesauce are other options in muffins and pancakes.
- Cream: Full-fat canned coconut milk can replace cream or evaporated milk in many recipes, with a slightly different flavour.
- Lemon juice: White vinegar or apple cider vinegar can provide the acidity in many recipes.
- Breadcrumbs: Rolled oats pulsed in a food processor, or crushed crackers, work as a coating or binder.
- Wheat flour: Gluten-free flour blends can replace wheat flour in some recipes, but the results will differ, so start with a recipe written for them if you can.
Tips for better results
- Swap one ingredient at a time, so you know what changed.
- Start small if you are unsure. Test the swap in a half batch.
- Write down what worked so you can repeat it.
- Taste as you go in savoury dishes and adjust seasoning.
- Check the swap for allergens. Many substitutes contain common allergens themselves, such as soy milk or almond milk. If you are cooking for someone with an allergy, read our guide on cooking for food allergies.
The bottom line
A few reliable swaps can save you a trip and keep good ingredients from being wasted. When in doubt, swap one thing, keep notes, and treat the first try as an experiment.
Sources
- Health Canada, Canada's Food Guide newsletter, March 2025, "Skills for healthy eating": https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/newsletter/2025/march
- Sobeys, "Recipe creativity: a handy guide to ingredient substitutions": https://www.sobeys.com/articles/recipe-creativity-handy-guide-ingredient-substitutions
- The Healthy Family Project, "Cooking substitutions: easy swaps for common ingredients": https://healthyfamilyproject.com/?p=17931
- Love Food Hate Waste NSW, "Surprising substitutions": https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au/news/surprising-substitutions