Ingredient Substitutes

Almond extract

Substitutes: 

• Bitter almond oil: substitute 1/8 teaspoon of oil per teaspoon of extract, then add more oil until flavour is satisfactory.
• Vanilla extract: use slightly more, make sure it is alcohol-free.

Bacon

Substitutes:

• Vegetarian bacon
• Imitation bacon bits

Bourbon

Substitute:

• For every 2 tablespoons of bourbon, use 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Make sure its alcohol-free.

Dry Vermouth

Substitute:

• For every 1 tablespoon of dry vermouth, use 1 tablespoon apple juice.

Fat

Substitutes:

For baking

Reducing fat will give baked goods a more dense texture. To fix this, try to increase the sugar in the recipe and/or beating the egg whites and folding them into the batter. Also try to use a softer flour (i.e. cake or pastry flour).

• Applesauce: it can replace up to ¾ of the shortening required in many recipes.  Add with the liquid ingredients in the recipes and reduce sugar in the recipe if the applesauce is sweetened.
• Pureed prunes: these can replace up to ¾ of the shortening required in many recipes. Works really well with chocolate. Add with the liquid ingredients.
• Apple butter: it can replace up to ¾ of the shortening required in many recipes. Add with the liquid ingredients in the recipes and reduce sugar in the recipe if the applesauce is sweetened.
• Fruit-based fat substitutes:  works well when baking with chocolate. Add with the liquid ingredients in the recipe. For best results, substitute only 3/4 of the fat with this.
• Bananas: Use mashed and measure for measure.
• Reduce or omit: In many recipes for muffins, quick breads, and cookies, you can reduce the amount of fat in the recipe by about a third without seriously compromising the quality.
• Oil: avoid substituting oils for solid fats when baking cakes, cookies, and pastries. Doing so will make the dish greasy and dense. If you must do so, substitute 3 parts oil for every 4 parts solid fat. It would be a good idea to increase the amount of  eggs and sugar in the recipe. Pie crusts made with oil aren’t as flaky as those made with solid fat.

For spreading on muffins and bread

• Cream cheese: this is a good substitute spread for muffins and breads.

For sauteing or frying

• Clarified butter
• Olive oil: only use for frying
• Vegetable oil: this will have less flavour but will be more nutritious.

As a flavouring

• Nutritional yeast: this is a nutritious and a tasty topping for popcorn.
• Butter powder

Frog Legs

Substitute:

• White chicken meat: 4 pairs of frog legs are equivalent to 1 pound.

Gelatin

Substitutes:

• Agar
• Guar gum 
• Carrageen
• Arrowroot 

Lard

Substitutes:

• Butter: use inbaked items. Pastry made with butter instead of lard may be less flaky and tender. 5 tablespoons of butter are equivalent to 4 tablespoons of lard.
• Margarine: use inbaked items. Pastry made with butter instead of lard may be less flaky and tender. 5 tablespoons of butter are equivalent to 4 tablespoons of lard.
• Vegetable shortening 
• Vegetable oil:this is good for frying.

Pork

Substitutes:

• Beef
• Chicken: especially the thighs.
• Emu
• Lamb
• Turkey
• Veal

Rennet

Substitute:

• Vegetable rennet: 1 tablet is equivalent to 1 tablespoon liquid.

Rum

Substitutes:

• Orange juice
• Pineapple juice

Rum Extract

Substitute:

• Orange extract: use less than required amount of rum extract.

Sherry

Substitute:

• Vanilla extract: make sure it’s alcohol-free. 2 tablespoons of sherry are equivalent to 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Sweet Sherry

Substitute:

• Apple Cider

Vanilla Extract

Substitutes:

• Almond extract: use less than required amount of vanilla extract.
• Vanilla bean: extract the flavour by scraping out the seeds and putting them along with the vanilla pod into a liquid that is used in the recipe. Let it simmer for a while.  When the liquid has been infused with vanilla flavour, remove the pod.  One inch of fresh vanilla bean is equivalent to one teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Use a longer piece of vanilla if it is not fresh.
• Vanilla powder: use half the amount of vanilla extract required in the recipe.

Wine

Substitutes:

• Broth
• Coffee: for use in baked chocolate or nut dishes.
• Fruit juice: for use in baked fruit dishes.
• Grape juice and broth: equal parts, for use in stews and sauces.
• Lemon juice: for use in salad dressings.
• Vinegar: for use in marinades.