Extended Substitution Charts

Extended Ingredient Substitution Charts
Click the links below to access substitution charts for each type of ingredient:

Protein Substitutions – Containing meats, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, dairy, protein powder, soy products and other vegetarian protein sources.

Carbohydrate Substitutions – Containing fruit, juices, vegetables, hummus, salsa, grains, breads and cereals.

Assorted Mixed Proteins/Carbs/Fats Substitutions – Containing ingredients which fall into more than one category, including beans, milk, yogurt, tempeh and soups.

Fat Substitutions – Containing oils, butters, nuts, seeds, mayonnaise, and salad dressing.

You may also be interested in the Freebies

You can also get a printer-friendly version of all of the charts together.

How to Substitute Ingredient Quantities

Each of the ingredient portions listed in the charts is equivalent to any one of the other ingredient portions of the same type (e.g. any protein ingredient portion is equal to any other protein ingredient portion). To substitute an ingredient for another ingredient, follow these instructions:

1. Take the ingredient quantity in the recipe that you want to replace.
2. Divide that quantity by the portion quantity for that ingredient found in this chart.
3. The result is the number of portions you need to fill with a new ingredient, so find the ingredient you want to use on the chart.
4. Take the result and multiply it by the portion for the ingredient you want to use. That’s the amount you need to use in the recipe.

This sounds complicated, but it’s really quite simple. An example should help you understand if you’re confused:

Suppose you have a recipe that calls for 5 oz of beef, but you want to use chicken instead. Step 1: the ingredient quantity you want to replace is 5. Step 2: the portion quantity for beef is 1 oz. 5 divided by 1 equals 5. Step 3: The ingredient you want to use is chicken breast, skinless. Step 4: The portion amount for chicken, skinless is 1 oz. 5 (our original result) times 1 equals 5. So you need to use 5 ounces of chicken in the recipe.

Of course, you could have figured that out just by looking at it, since 1 oz of chicken is equal to 1 oz of beef, so the amounts are instantly replaceable. But what happens when that isn’t the case? Here is an example that is a little tougher:

Suppose you have a recipe that calls for 4 1/2 cups of broccoli, but you want to use green peppers instead. Step 1: the ingredient quantity you want to replace is 4 1/2 cups. Step 2: the portion quantity for broccoli is 3 cups. 4 1/2 divided by 3 equals 1 1/2 (on a calculator, 4.5 / 3 = 1.5). Step 3: The ingredient you want to use is peppers (bell or cubanelle). Step 4: The portion amount for peppers on the chart is 2 whole peppers. 1 1/2 (our original result) times 2 equals 3. So you need to use 3 peppers in the recipe.

If you are still confused and you think a portion calculator on the website would help, leave a comment below and ask for it. If you’re having trouble and you think that would help, we would be happy to create one.

Protein Substitution Charts

Each of the ingredient portions listed here is equivalent to any other ingredient portion listed here.

Carbohydrate Substitution Chart

Each of the ingredient portions listed here is equivalent to any other ingredient portion listed here.

Mixed Protein/Carb/Fats Substitution Chart

In contrast to the other substitution charts, not all of these portions are precisely equivalent to each other. Ingredients that belong in the mixed category contain either protein and carbohydrates, or protein and carbohydrates and fats. Ingredients in the Mixed Protein/Carbohydrate category can be interchanged with each other. Ingredients in the Mixed Protein/Carbohydrate/Fat can be interchanged with other. (Note that this also means that one portion of a Mixed Protein/Carbohydrate ingredient can be substituted for one each of a pure Protein and a pure Carbohydrate ingredient, but you probably won’t do much of that.)

Fats Substitution Chart

Each of the ingredient portions listed here is equivalent to any other ingredient portion listed here.

The Freebie List

Freebies are ingredients that you can use that aren’t counted as portions, either because they have no nutrition value or because the amounts used are so small that they’re not worth counting. Use common sense when deciding whether or not something counts as a freebie. Here are some examples:

• Salt and pepper
• Herbs, spices and seasonings (not including sugar)
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce (low amounts)
• Lemon/lime juice (low amounts – lemonade doesn’t count)
• Hot sauce
• Salsa (low amounts)
• Bouillion cubes, soup mix, packaged spice mixes (watch the fat content on these)

Basically, things that are used for flavor instead of nutrition are typically freebies. Of course, the ultimate freebie is water. Go ahead, have as much as you like.