Amazing Ingredient Swaps to Try Right Now!
Running low on ingredients? No need to run to the store! Try these food swaps and get cooking!
We are all in the same boat, at home, running low on the ingredients we normally use and unable to leave the house. Most home-cooked recipe will have ingredient swaps from eggs and types of flour, to oils and nut butter. This post is here to help you in any way that I can and if I haven’t covered something and you need help, please just message me on either Instagram or Facebook. I’m always happy to help and have a chat.
What can I use instead of regular flour?
One of the biggest questions is ‘what can I substitute plain flour with? or What can I use instead of self raising flour?. If you have gone to the shop and realized there is no flour on the shelves. If you are using plain flour and you want a recipe to rise, all you need is baking powder – generally, 1 cup of flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder will make muffins for example rise.
If you do not have plain flour and you only have self-raising flour, just leave out the baking powder. Its called self-raising, because, well it rises without adding anything in!
If you have wholemeal flour and you still want to make muffins or bread, you need baking soda. Baking soda needs an acid to rise, so you need something like buttermilk, Yogurt or even just use milk with a little lemon juice in it! Super easy!
What can I use instead of eggs?
The second most asked question is ‘how do I replace eggs in a recipe’. Its super easy!
1 egg = 1 tablespoon of either chia seed or ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons of hot water.
and voila egg! Now you won’t be able to make omelettes with this but it does work with muffins, pancakes and cakes.
What oil can I use instead of….
What can I use instead of Rapeseed Oil?
I normally use rapeseed oil for muffins or frying, if you don’t have rapeseed oil, you can also use sunflower, vegetable oil or coconut oil for frying or roasting your vegetables. It’s not as healthy but it works. You can also use butter in your muffins and cakes. It makes them taste SO nice although good in small quantities.
What can I use instead of Olive Oil?
I use olive oil for hummus, salad dressing, you can also use rapeseed oil. If you are making hummus you can also add in more tahini and a little water to thin it out slightly. Totally works plus, its a bit healthier too 🙂
What can I use instead of Beans (Pulses)
Kidney Beans Swap & Chickpea Substitution
If you are making chili and you don’t have kidney beans, simply take a tin of baked beans, pour into a sieve, rinse under a tap and use them instead! Super handy. You can also use these washed beans in hummus. Bean hummus is amazing! Seriously you have to try this!
Help I don’t have rice?
Don’t despair! Swap rice for couscous or quinoa! Quinoa contains all the essential amino acids, plus it is a great source of protein. Both are really inexpensive and you probably have them in your cupboard already. Curry and Quinoa is AMAZING!
Ingredient swap for fresh or tinned tomato
Tinned Tomato Swap
If a recipe calls for tinned tomatoes, you can use fresh tomatoes and tomato puree. Add some water and voila – pasta sauce.
Fresh Tomato Swap
If a recipe for pasta sauce calls for fresh tomatoes, you can use tinned tomatoes and tomato puree!
HELP, I don’t have Tomato Paste
Use a tin of tomatoes, leave the lid off the pot and let the sauce simmer and thicken all by itself. You can also add a teaspoon of cornflour too!
Sugar Swaps
What can you use if you don’t have maple syrup? Well, if your baby is over the age of 1, you can use honey (not for babies under 1). You can also use a fresh really sweet fruit mashed, like banana or mango for example. One tablespoon of sugar in a recipe = 1 small mashed banana. You can also use coconut sugar, or regular sugar because needs must.
What can I use instead of peanut butter?
Are you looking for an ingredient swap for peanut butter? You can literally swap with any other type of nut butter; cashew butter, almond butter (yum!), hazelnut butter. You can also make a sunflower butter which is super inexpensive and also unreal! Get the recipe here. You can also use tahini either dark or light, but to be honest I prefer light.
Writen by Aileen Cox Blundell - number one bestselling author, award winning blogger and Mum of 3 kiddies who all eat their veggies.
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