Missing an Ingredient? How to Substitute It

The onions are sizzling. You reach for the shallots. There are no shallots.

This happens to every cook, every week. The good news: most missing ingredients have a stand-in already in your kitchen. You just need to know what the missing one was doing in the recipe.

The Short Answer

To substitute an ingredient mid-recipe, figure out its job (flavor, acid, fat, binding, rising, or thickening), then swap in something you have that does the same job. No shallots? Use a smaller amount of onion plus a little garlic. No buttermilk? Stir a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into a cup of milk and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. In cooking, most swaps are forgiving. In baking, stick to tested swaps, because chemistry is less flexible than taste.

How to Choose a Substitute in 4 Steps

1. Ask what the ingredient does. Is it there for flavor (herbs, garlic), sourness (lemon, vinegar), richness (cream, butter), structure (eggs, flour), or rise (baking powder)?
2. Look for something in the same family. Citrus for citrus. Onion family for onion family. A soft cheese for a soft cheese. Our post on why the best cooks break the rules explains this "swap within a category" idea.
3. Start with less. Strong swaps like dried herbs or garlic can overpower a dish. Add some, taste, add more.
4. Write it down. If the swap worked, note it on the recipe. If it didn't, you'll know next time.

Common Ingredient Substitutes Chart

These are well-known kitchen swaps. Results can differ a little in flavor or texture from the original.

A note on that last one: milk-based swaps won't whip, so they don't work for whipped cream.

When Not to Substitute

• Baking with leaveners. Baking soda and baking powder aren't the same thing. Swapping one for the other without adjusting can make a cake flat or bitter.
• Bread flour and yeast doughs. You can often use all-purpose flour, but expect a softer, less chewy result.
• The star of the dish. A lemon tart without lemon is a different dessert. If the missing ingredient is in the name, consider making something else tonight.
• Food allergies. If you're swapping because someone has an allergy, read our guide on adapting recipes for food allergies. Allergy swaps need more care than a pantry swap.

Doing It With Aldenté

When you're mid-recipe with hot oil in the pan, you don't want to search a chart. In Aldenté, on iPhone and iPad, every recipe has a chef chat.

1. Open the recipe you're cooking. (Save it first from TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, or a website, or add it by typing, talking, or photos.)
2. Tap Ask next to the servings and say what's missing: "I'm out of shallots," "no buttermilk, what now?"
3. Get an answer for that recipe. The chef knows the dish you're making, so the swap fits it. You can type or talk.
4. Ask follow-ups. "Will it change the cooking time?" "The sauce looks too thin." The same chat handles rescue questions too.

If you've told your chef about an allergy, it remembers, so swaps keep it in mind. Chef chat with Sage plus one chef you pick is free. Premium ($7.99/mo or $47.99/yr) adds all seven chefs, each with a different cooking style. Meet them in our guide to the Aldenté chefs.

Honest limits: the chef's answer is advice from a cook, not a tested recipe. Taste as you go, and for baking, stick to well-known swaps. Aldenté is iPhone and iPad only.

Get Aldenté free on the App Store

Doing It Without an App

Screenshot the chart above, or print it and tape it inside a cabinet door. Keep a few backup ingredients on hand that cover lots of swaps: lemons, white vinegar, plain yogurt, broth, all-purpose flour, and dried herbs. With those, most "I'm out of" moments have an answer.

And if you're stuck staring into the fridge before you've even started, try our guide on what to cook when you have no idea.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of buttermilk?

Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of milk and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens slightly. Plain yogurt thinned with a little milk also works in most baking recipes.

What's a good substitute for shallots?

Use a smaller amount of yellow or red onion, plus a little minced garlic. Shallots are milder and sweeter than onions, so start with less onion than the shallot amount and taste.

How do I substitute dried herbs for fresh?

Use about one third as much. One tablespoon of fresh herbs is about one teaspoon of dried. Add dried herbs earlier in cooking so they have time to soften and release flavor.

Can I substitute baking soda for baking powder?

Not one for one. Baking soda is much stronger and needs an acid to work. To replace 1 teaspoon of baking powder, use ¼ teaspoon baking soda plus ½ teaspoon cream of tartar.

What can I use instead of eggs in baking?

For binding in muffins and quick breads, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let it rest 5 minutes. It works less well in recipes where eggs do most of the work, like soufflés or custards.

Is there an app that tells you what to substitute?

Yes. In Aldenté, every saved recipe has a chef chat. Tap Ask, say what you're missing, and the chef suggests a swap that fits that recipe. It's free on iPhone and iPad with Sage plus one chef you pick.

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Running out of something isn't a reason to stop cooking. Swap it, taste it, and write down what worked.