Using Beets for Color in Baked Goods

Beets in baked goods can be finicky. Many a baker has tried their hand at beets, hoping for that vibrant hue in their baked goods, only to be disappointed by the color baking out and leaving an unexciting brown.

If you’re reading this wondering what you are doing wrong, don’t feel bad. It’s what beets like to do. It’s a natural chemical reaction that can be difficult to offset. It’s taken me years, but only after I finally came to terms with beets losing their color, did I actually have success in them keeping their color.

I’m happy to share some insight with you, although I won’t claim it to be 100% foolproof. I feel I’ve finally made friends with beet color in baking, and hope you too have better success.

Take a good look at the photos in this post, as these will show you what to expect. Beets just work better in some things than others. Bread seems to have the best success, since the extra hydration from beets is more easily offset in bread than in cakes or other bakes where extra moisture can lead to heaviness or gumminess.

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Adding Beets for Color

This post is not a precise recipe, but will help you figure out how to add beets to your bakes to get optimal color, as well as some troubleshooting tips.

How Much Beet to Use?

For bread recipes, I find the best success with using up to 50% of the flour weight in beets. This means for a bread recipe that uses 500g (about 4 cups of flour), I would use up to 200-250g of beets (1-2 beets, depending on size).

Roast Beets

For optimal color, roast beets in their skins. Boiling beets, using beet powder, or other preparations don’t seem to work as well.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 205°C.

2. Wash beets, leaving on skins, and wrap in tinfoil.

3. Bake for about 1 hour or until tender when a fork or knife is inserted into beet. Baking time will depend on size of beets.

4. Allow to cool enough to handle, then remove skins, roots, and any stem stumps. Skins should slide off fairly easily.

Purée Beets

Once beets are roasted, cooled, and skins removed, they need to be puréed.

There are a number of ways to do this:

1. Place the beets and some of the liquid from the recipe into a bowl and blending with an immersion blender until smooth.

   You also don’t have to use some of the liquid from the recipe with the beets, but I find it’s easier and quicker to get the beets smooth and also easier to scrape out.

2. Place the beets and some of the liquid from the recipe into a blender and blend until smooth. This works best if you have a nice, high-powered blender.

Once beets are puréed, add something acidic to help maintain the color when baked. 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar should do the trick. You can also use citric acid, about 1/2 teaspoon.

*What does “liquid from the recipe” mean? It means using any liquid (water, milk, etc) from the recipe you’re using to help blend up the beets before adding to the recipe.

Let’s say you have a sandwich bread recipe that calls for 1 cup of water. You have 2 roasted beets you want to add to make a beautifully colored sandwich bread. You could take 1/2 cup of water from the 1 cup called for to help purée your beets. Then you can add the puréed beets into the recipe and add more of the remaining 1 cup water as needed. Beets add moisture so you may not want to add all of the called for water.

Adjust Liquid As Necessary

As mentioned, beets add moisture to a recipe, so you may want to hold back some of the liquid from the recipe. Another option when making bread is to simply add more flour. I’ve seen people do both. I’ve tried both also, and they both work. Just be wary of using a LOT of beets, then having to add a ton more flour. This can start to upset the balance of the recipe. Use your beet judgement. Excuse me. I meant “best” judgment.

Bake!

The only thing left to do now is finish the recipe, enjoy playing with the brilliantly colored dough or batter, and bake.

Troubleshooting a Brown Beet Bake

Why did my beet bake still turn brown?

As easy as it might seem, some beet bakes still turn brown despite our best efforts. If it was easy, or if there was a foolproof method, there wouldn’t be so many brown beet baked goods. That doesn’t mean we give up. We keep trying, experimenting.

If your bake still turned brown, try the following:

• Make sure you used enough beets. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. Beets turn doughs/batters brilliant colors with very little added, but more is needed to KEEP the color.

• Make sure to use an acid, or maybe try more acid if you already did. Vinegar, lemon juice, ascorbic acid.

• I’ve read fresh beets produce a better red. I haven’t tried fresh and old beets side by side to see any difference, nor do I always know how “fresh” the beets I have are. I can say that the same batch of beets can still produce different results, even if they’re all the same “age.”

• Make sure you are using a regular oven setting and not convection. I’ve had the same batch of dough turn different colors simply because one was baked on the convection setting.

• Check the kind of recipe you’re making. If it’s cake, cupcakes, cookies, or similar, those can be a lot harder to get color with, and even then it’s usually more pink or pinkish brown at best. Bread is the easiest to get deep color with. Keep expectations reasonable.

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My Quest for Natural Red

Over a decade ago I set out to achieve a naturally colored Red Velvet Cake. Red Velvet was having a moment and it bothered me to no end since Red Velvet as we know it now is essentially just a barely chocolate cake with a whole bottle of red artificial food dye dumped in. And if you know me, you know I’ve never liked artificial food coloring. I felt people were being duped. So, I set out to bake a natural Red Velvet Cake, so at least if you were going to eat a somewhat chocolate cake, it didn’t have to be with artificial coloring in it. I had looked up the origin of Red Velvet, discovering that it did not originally include artificial coloring, its more subtle red color owing to a chemical reaction in the cake from vinegar, baking soda, and buttermilk. Following this cue, I tried all the tricks I could to get the cake to keep its color, along with the help of beets. No amount of acidity seemed to help the vibrant color stay. It always baked out, leaving a pinkish hue at best. After awhile I gave it up, one can only eat so many beet cakes, you know, and anyway, I didn’t see anyone else having much success, even those who confidently had beet cake recipes published.

Fast forward to earlier this year, when my algorithms on Facebook had been completely taken over by sourdough groups even though I never joined nor even looked them up, but there they were. Doing their thing, reeling me into their sourdough troubleshooting.

I happened to see a post where beets for color came up. Inevitably, several shared how beets naturally lose their color, yet one commenter shared a photo of her bread colored with beets. It was the most vibrant, fuschia dough I had ever seen that baked into a still impressively colorful, braided Challah. She did it, and she seemed to know what she was talking about. She wasn’t sharing her photo as a first time, proud accomplishment but rather, almost in defiance of the others saying it can’t be done. It can be done, and she does it.

I made it my new goal to see if I could get my bread to look like that.

A Fresh Attempt with Beets

Feeling freshly inspired and challenged, I grabbed the last beets from my mom’s garden. Going off of the little information that had been shared about using beets successfully, I set out with more hope about beets than I had in a long time.

Beets in a Sourdough Boule

I decided to use the beets first in a loaf of classic sourdough bread. The dough was beautiful, yes, but the color all but baked out. I felt the familiar pang of disappointment. I probably did not use enough beets. You can almost tell by the color of the dough. While bright, it’s not quite vibrant enough to keep a deeper color when baked.

Beet Sourdough Boule before baking

Sourdough Beet boule baked

Crumb shot of sourdough beet bread

Beets in Sourdough Challah

Knowing it can be done, I tried again, this time with Challah. The original commenter had done challah, King Arthur also has a beet Challah recipe posted, and I make Challah often. Seemed a fitting recipe to adjust. I used my dear friend’s recipe, while referencing King Arthur’s. I doubled my recipe to make a large braided Valentine’s heart. I still think I needed more beets.

Again, the dough was vibrant and beautiful, but an interesting change in color occurred during the final proof. You can see in the photos how the newly braided bread is a nice magenta, then after it has risen it has lightened in color. I do not know why. Once baked, the bread retained some color. I used beet powder for the finishing glaze so the contrast makes the bread look less colorful, than it really was, actually.

Better, but not there yet.

Challah Dough

Challah Beet Dough, weighed, shaped into balls, awaiting rolling and stuffing with chocolate

Beet challah dough braided into a heart, ready for the second rise

Beet Challah Dough fully proofed, ready for baking

Beet Challah Heart baked

Beet Challah Heart finished with a beet glaze and sliced almonds

Beet Challah Heart finished with a beet glaze and sliced almonds

Beets in Nutella Twists

My third attempt with this batch of beets I just went wild and added twice the amount of beets as I had added in the other recipes, since that was what I had left. I really think that did the trick.

I was starting to think there was something in my environment or my beets were not fresh enough…but the attempt I expected the least out of, turned out quite nice. Convection bake doesn’t work well for bread in general but I tried it with one batch and it actually affected the color, also.

My theory thus stands, it doesn’t take that many beets to get a rich color, but it takes a good amount of beets to keep the color through baking.

Beet Brioche dough rolled out

beet brioche dough filled with nutella and shaped into various knots

Beets are persnickety, but they can be done!

Happy baking, and good luck!

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Why You Should Use a Baking Scale

Last Updated July 21, 2024

I am a full and happy convert to baking with a kitchen scale.

The Art of French Pastry: A Cookbook

By Pfeiffer, Jacquy, Shulman, Martha Rose

I grew up with measuring cups and spoons, and it wasn’t until I started going back and forth between Italy and Michigan that I started to get interested in weighing, rather than measuring by volume. Or perhaps it was when my mom, my brother and I started to get serious about our pour over coffee method, which requires a scale. Or maybe, when I started my first sourdough starter back in 2017. Or even, when I baked my way through Jacquey Pfieffer’s “The Art of French Pastry”. It’s been such a blissful blur of weighing ingredients, I can’t even remember which was the first reason I got a kitchen scale!

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with measuring cups and spoons, it is an inexact science. You cannot measure exactly with a measuring cup. If you measure 1 cup of flour, then measure another, and another, each cup measured in the measuring cup would have a different weight. One might weigh 138g. The next 118g. The next 127g. But you wouldn’t know that unless you were using a scale in the first place. You would only know that, say, your cookie dough turns out a bit differently each time.

The more comfortable you are in the kitchen and know how a recipe should look and feel, the easier it will be to use measuring cups and spoons and make adjustments accordingly. This lends better when you’ve spent time making the same recipes over and over again, or are luckily enough to have a mom or mentor in the kitchen with you, to guide you. It’s a bit harder when you’re learning on your own how to bake and cook. Knowing how recipes should turn out is an invaluable skill to have no matter how you measure, but using a scale will help you get those correct, consistent results that will be harder to achieve when using cups. In short, using a scale helps to take the guesswork out.

At least for an American, where measuring cups and spoons reign supreme in the land of baking, it may seem more approachable to use measuring cups and spoons rather than a scale. That’s probably what you grew up with, or what most bloggers use. The irony is that the scale is more precise, which will give you more consistent results and end in less frustration. It may feel like a leap of numbers and math, but investing in learning to use a kitchen scale is very rewarding and worth it. I have yet to meet someone who switched over and regretted it. On the contrary, they usually sing their scale’s praises and wonder how they ever baked without it.

Not convinced yet? Here are some of my top arguments to get you to try a scale. :)

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Less dishes

Yes, you heard me. Less dishes! Since everything is weighed right in the bowl or baking vessel, you don’t have to wash measuring cups and other utensils needed.

Faster

When you use less dishes and everything can go straight into the bowl or pan it needs to, it’s more efficient and thus quicker.

More Precise

This point has already been pretty well covered above, but it’s the top point chefs and bakers usually give for using a kitchen scale. More precision, more consistent results, happier bakers.

Opens up the world of baking beyond America

If you know how to use a kitchen scale and how to bake with cups and measuring spoons, much more of the baking world opens up to you. Not only will European (including French and Italian!) recipes come within reach, but also things like sourdough. French cuisine, especially if you want to get into the precise and technical world of french pastry, will be much easier if you use a kitchen scale. Sourdough is very impractical when you don’t use a scale. There are already so many variables in sourdough you wouldn’t want to throw yet another variable in by trying to measure by volume.

If you think of measuring by weight as a different language, then any recipe from Europe or beyond would have to be “translated” into measuring with cups and spoons. You would only have access to the recipes that someone took the time to “translate”. Instead, learn the language, and you can make any recipe you want, no having to wait for someone to translate it for you or simply not make it because you don’t have a scale or don’t know how to measure by weight.

Easier to scale recipes up and down and customize

While most recipes are easily scaled up or down by halving, doubling, quadrupling, etc., what happens when you want to customize the recipe more?

If a muffin recipe makes 8, and you want an even 12 muffins instead, you need to multiply the recipe by 150% or 1.5. That’s much trickier when working with cups, teaspoons, and their fractions. If this muffin recipe calls for 1/3 cup oil, do you want to multiply that by 1 1/2? It’s much nicer to multiply 75g oil x 1.5 = 113g. Multiplying numbers is easier than multiplying fractions. I heart kitchen scales!

Easier to Bake with Children

Honestly, I initially had this as a con, but even as I was writing it out I realized it largely depends on personal preference and age of children.

Using a scale allows a child to happily scoop away, while the scale is still telling you precisely how much has been put in. Older children can watch for the number they’re aiming for. A 2 year old might not comprehend the idea of scooping in 240g of flour, but an 8 year old could! In fact, some kids might find aiming for a number on a scale easier than trying to figure out cups and fractions. With younger children, you might decide that pre-measuring (in a separate bowl on the scale) is easier, before letting them add that ingredient to the main bowl, to avoid adding too much of an ingredient that then becomes difficult to remove the excess. This does negate the “no extra dishes” pro of using a scale, but hey, isn’t having kids just all about cleaning up extra messes anyway?? Haha.

Measuring with cups requires being careful not to pack the flour in and measuring to precise lines, among other things. With all the scooping, spilling, playing that is potentially going on with the budding cooks, it’s easy to lose track of what has been put in the bowl, or just how much flour was packed into that measuring cup. For younger children, I like to measure out ingredients for them, and just let them dump and help with mixing.

Either way, baking requires basic math skills and is good for practice! In the end, you’re spending quality time with the kids in your life, they’re learning important skills, and even if what you’re making doesn’t turn out perfectly, they’re generally proud as a peach of their lumpy, misshapen cookies. :)

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Ok, but what are the cons?

We’ve covered some pretty big pros to using a kitchen scale, what about the cons? Honestly, I’ve come across very few, but it’s fair to talk about the potential drawbacks.

Having to convert recipes to grams

The single biggest drawback to switching to using a scale, is that you may have to convert all or most recipes you use from cups to grams.

The exception to this would be if you use a lot of online recipes on blogs, often the recipes are written on printable “recipe cards” which can be converted from cups to grams with the click of a button. Despite these wonderful internet things I’ve found too many errors for comfort so I still convert all my recipes manually. Often the errors come into play with unsual ingredients or measurements, or those subtleties in a recipe measurement that an auto translate just doesn’t pick up on. I have many ingredient weights memorized (is my geek showing?) so I often catch these errors by simply scanning converted recipes on these recipe cards.

Converting your own recipes can be a daunting task, but if you give yourself just an extra 5-10 minutes before making each recipe to convert the measurements, it’s really quite manageable. That way you’re doing just a recipe at a time, one a day or however often you bake or cook, and it’s not overwhelming at all.

In fact, I’ve done half of the work for you by creating this master list of ingredient weight conversions. All weight measurements on that list have been duly researched and checked for accuracy. All the recipes on Jennyblogs have been converted using this list. While some ingredients may inevitably vary (1 cup of raisins may differ in weight from another cup of raisins, for example), usually the ones that do vary are the ones least likely to mess up a recipe. (Having a few extra raisins in a raisin bread recipe will not ruin your bread).

Scale turns off mid-measure

If you have a kitchen scale that turns off automatically, beware. This is a big con, but also an avoidable one. Simply don’t let it stay on too long before adding something new.

Despite best intentions, it probably will happen to you at some point, if not frequently. (This has happened to me more times than I should admit. I should know to tap the scale first or turn it off and on again before continuing! Alas.)

What do you do if/when your scale turns off on you?

• If you only have one thing in your bowl, it’s no big deal: simply take it out and start over.

• If you have other ingredients in the bowl, that’s where it gets tricky and you’ll have to guess how much was in there, or do some math. To figure out exactly how much you have in there, place a new clean bowl on the scale, tare so it reads 0, then transfer your bowl of ingredients to the new bowl. Add up the weight of the ingredients you have in the bowl, then subtract that number from the number on the scale. What’s left is the mystery weight of the ingredient you half measured before your scale turned off. Clear as mud? Here’s an example:

  Let’s say you’re making muffins, and you measure into the bowl 150g of sugar, 150g brown sugar, and now you’re adding 56g of oil into the bowl. The scale turns off mid measure and you didn’t see how much oil you had measured. Take the bowl off the scale. Place a new bowl on the scale, and tare so the scale reads 0. Now pour the bowl of ingredients into the new bowl and note the number. Let’s say it says 338g. You know you have 150g + 150g = 300g of other ingredients in the bowl, so you must have 338g - 300g = 38g of oil in the bowl. You need to add 56g - 38g = 18g more oil to your bowl!

My Weigh KD-8000 Digital Food Scale, Stainless Steel, Silver Buy on Amazon

Now, all of this is easily avoided completely by simply investing in a scale that has the option to STAY ON until you turn it off. I’ve dealt with the auto-off for years and just recently upgraded to this larger capacity scale. The auto-off can be turned off and it is WONDERFUL. Of course, now I have to remember to turn it off when I’m done! It takes up a bit more space than a flat scale, but it feels like the professional scales that I would often use in the commercial pasta kitchen in Italy.

Baking with others

This is a very, very minor thing. At this point. I’m just trying to find some negatives.

One of the small cons I’ve found is that it’s trickier to bake with others. If you and a friend are baking together and you have a newfound love of using a kitchen scale but they prefer cups and measuring spoons, well, what do you do?

You’d either have to teach them how to use a kitchen scale or go back to using measuring cups and spoons. Neither is a big deal, but if you don’t want to take extra time, using cups and spoons would probably be the way to go.

On the flip side, knowing how to use a kitchen scale would make baking with a European friend much easier, since you already know their baking “language.”

I guess that’s all I can come up with for now for cons…do you have any?

Hopefully this has given you plenty of food for thought, and will lure you to try baking with a kitchen scale, mwahaha!

Alright, I want to use a kitchen scale! Now what?

If you decide you want to start using a kitchen scale and would like help converting some recipes from cups to grams, you can use this master list of Baking Measurement Conversions I’ve compiled over the last years as I’ve been converting and creating new recipes. All the recipes on Jennyblogs uses this list for absolute consistency!

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Baking Measurement Conversions

Last Updated February 17, 2025

Here is a master list for converting recipes from volume (cups) to weight (grams) and vice versa.

Whether you’re looking to convert just one recipe or would like to convert multiple, this handy list is my go-to, tried and true list for common baking ingredients conversions.

Each ingredient has been cross-checked from multiple conversion sites for accuracy, and then tested in my own kitchen multiple times for accuracy. All recipes that have been developed or converted on Jenny Blogs use this master list. As recipes continue to be added, more ingredients will be added to this list.

This list goes beyond ingredients, it can be a quick reference for pan sizes from inches to centimeters, and temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius, and vice versa.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Pan Sizes

9x13 inch rectangle = 23x33 centimeter

8x8 inch square = 20x20 centimeter

9x5 inch bread pan = 23x13 centimeter

8 inch round = 20 centimeter

9 inch round = 23 centimeter

10 inch round = 25 centimeter

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Temperature

110°F = 43°C

165°F = 74°C

185°F = 85°C

190°F = 88°C

205°F = 96°C

210°F = 99°C

250°F = 121°C

300°F = 149°C

325°F = 163°C

350°F = 177°C

375°F = 190°C

400°F = 205°C

425°F = 218°C

450°F = 232°C

500°F = 260°C

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Ingredients

In alphabetical order

*some ingredients may have slight variability in their weight. An example of this would be nuts, where 1 cup of nuts can vary slightly when weighed. When there is variability, this list does its best to find the median weight.

Almonds, whole, 1 cup = 140g

Almonds, sliced, 1 cup = 84g

Applesauce, 1 cup = 250g

Banana, 1 cup mashed = 300g (about 3 bananas)

Baking powder, 1 tsp = 5g (4.6g)

Baking powder, 1 Tbsp = 14g

Baking soda, 1 tsp = 5g (4.6g)

Baking soda, 1 Tbsp = 14g

Beef Broth, 1 cup = 237g

Blackberries, 1 cup = 145g

Breadcrumbs, 1 cup = 100g

Butter, 1 stick = 4oz = 113g

Butter, 1 Tbsp = 14g

Buttermilk, 1 cup = 240g

Caramel Sauce, 1 cup = 300g

Cashews, whole, 1 cup = 150g

Cheese, crumbly soft (feta, Gorgonzola, etc), 1 cup = 6 oz = 170g

Cheese, semi-soft (cheddar, colby jack, etc), shredded, 1 cup = 4oz = 113g

Cheese, hard (parmesan, asiago, romano etc) grated, 1 cup = 3-3.5oz = 85-100g

Cheese, ricotta, 1 cup = 250g

Cherries, dried, 1 cup = 120g

Chia seeds, 1 cup = 160g

Chia seeds, 1 Tbsp = 12g

Chicken broth, 1 cup = 237g

Chocolate, 1 oz = 30g

Chocolate, 6 oz/1 cup = 175g

Chocolate Chips, regular and mini, 1 cup = 170g

Cinnamon, 1 tsp = 2.3g

Cocoa, 1 Tbsp = 6-7g

Cocoa, 1 cup = 100g

Coconut, flaked, 1 cup = 80g (varies, roughly the same for unsweetened and sweetened)

Cornmeal, 1 cup = 120g

Cornstarch, 1 tsp = 2.5g

Cornstarch, 1 Tbsp = 7.5g

Cornstarch, 1 cup = 120g

Corn syrup, 1 cup = 328g

Corn syrup, 1 Tbsp = 20g

Cranberries, dried, 1 cup = 140g

Cranberries, fresh, 1 cup = 110g

Cream Cheese, 1 cup = 8oz = 225g

Cream Cheese, 3oz = 85g

Cream, heavy whipping, 1 Tbsp = 15g

Cream, heavy whipping, 1 cup = 237g

Dates, pitted, 1 cup = 160g

Date, deglet, 1 = about 10g

Date, Medjool, 1 = 24g

Dried fruit, 1 cup = 190g

Evaporated Milk, 1 cup = 262g

Flaxmeal, 1 cup = 180g

Flour, all-purpose, 1 cup = 120g

Flour, all-purpose, 1 Tbsp = 8g

Flour, bread, 1 cup = 120g

Flour, oat, 1 cup = 100g

Flour, whole wheat, 1 cup = 128g

Flour, cake, 1 cup = 110g

Graham Crackers, crumbs, 1 cup = 85g

Graham Cracker, 1 sheet = 15g

Honey, 1 Tbsp = 21g

Honey, 1/4 cup = 85g

Hummus, 1 cup = 245g

Ketchup, 1 Tbsp = 15g

Lemon Juice, 1 Tbsp = 14g

Lemon Juice, 1 cup = 237g

Lemon/lime zest, 1 Tbsp = 6g

Lentils, dry, 1 cup = 210g

Maple Syrup, 1 Tbsp = 20g

Maple Syrup, 1 cup = 322g

Marshmallow Fluff, 1 cup = 85g

Marshmallows, mini, 1 cup = 2 oz, 57g

Mascarpone, 1 cup/8oz = 225g

Mayonnaise, 1 cup = 230g

Milk, 1 cup = 237g

Milk, Coconut, 1 cup = 237g

Molasses, 1 Tbsp = 21g

Nutella, 1 Tbsp = 19g

Nutella, 1 cup = 296g

Nutter Butter, 1 cookie = 14g

Oat Bran, 1 cup = 80g

Oats, quick, 1 cup = 90g

Oats, rolled, 1 cup = 80g

Oil, 1 Tbsp = 14g

Oil, 1 cup = 224g

Oil, coconut, 1 cup = 220g

Olives, kalamata, 1 cup = 180g

Orzo, 1 cup uncooked = 210g

Peanut Butter, 1 Tbsp = 16g

Peanut Butter, 1 cup = approx 260g

Peanuts, 1 cup = 155g

Pecans, chopped, 1 cup = 125g

Pickle Relish, Sweet, 1 Tbsp = 15g

Pistachios, shelled, 1 cup = 125g

Pumpkin Puree, canned, 1 cup = 240g

Pumpkin Puree, 1 15oz can = 425g

Quinoa, 1 cup cooked = 185g

Raisins, 1 cup = 150g

Red Pepper Flakes, 1 Tbsp = 5-6g

Rice, uncooked, 1 cup = 185g

Rice Krispies, Cereal, 1 cup = 28g

Salt, 1 tsp = 5g

Sour cream, 1 cup = 245g

Sourdough discard, 1 cup = 250g

Sourdough starter, active, 1 cup = 227g

Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp = 17g

Soy Sauce, 1 cup = 265g

Spinach, 1 cup raw = 30g

Spinach, 1 cup raw, chopped, = 45g

Sugar, brown, 1 cup = 200g

Sugar, powdered/confectioner’s, 1 cup = 125g

Sugar, white, 1 cup = 200g

Sugar, white, 1 Tbsp = 12.5g

Toffee Bits (Heath), 1 cup = 170g

Tomatoes, cherry, 1 cup = 150g

Tomato Paste, 1 Tbsp = 16g

Vanilla, 1 tsp = 5g

Vegetable Broth, 1 cup = 237g

Vinegar, 1 cup = 238g

Walnuts, chopped, 1 cup = 125g

Water, 1 cup = 237g

Wheat Germ, 1 cup = 100g

Xylitol, 1 Tbsp = 15g

Yeast, 1 tsp = 3g

Yeast, 2 1/4 tsp = 7g

Yogurt, 1 cup = 245g

Zucchini, 1 cup grated = 100g 

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Ingredient Substitutions

In light of the recent Ingredient Substitutions in Italy post, I realized I could easily write another master list for common and easy ingredient substitutions, more geared for cooking and baking in the USA.

I know that I am often making one or a couple modifications or substitutions in a recipe each time I’m in the kitchen. It’s part of the beauty of baking and cooking. Sometimes it comes out of necessity, other times it’s simply a desire to. Maybe I don’t have buttermilk, but I know I can use sour milk. A cookie recipe might call for butter, but maybe I’ll use oil instead if I forgot to soften butter or don’t feel like creaming it. A lot of these I do without thinking, others I’m always having to look up to remember the quantity or ratio.

Here is an ingredient substitution list I’ve been working on, although far from comprehensive, these are some of the ones I find myself needing to do most often, or a few that saved me just once or twice in a pinch that I have never forgotten and am forever grateful for!

New York Times has an interesting list of ingredients substitutes, cuts of meat, herbs and their classes by taste and how to properly substitute them. Different kinds of substitutions, equally interesting!

I will continue to add to this list as I think of and learn new ones!

Use discretion when making substitutions. The kitchen is a wonderful place for experiments, but not all recipes can handle substitutions.

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Better than Bouillon Premium Roasted Beef and Roasted Chicken Base, 8 oz Jars (Pack of 2)

1. Baking Soda - you can use baking powder.

   Baking powder isn’t as powerful as baking soda, so it’s recommended to use 3x the amount. For example, for 1 tsp of baking soda, add instead 3 tsp of baking powder. In higher amounts this can lead to an unusual, bitter taste from the baking powder, just so you know.

2. Broth - use bouillon cubes, powdered broth, or even just water, if the recipe calls for small amounts like 1/4 or 1/2 cup of broth. Reference the package or container for appropriate amount of bouillon or powdered broth to use.

   Using powdered broth comes in handy so you don’t have to open a container of liquid broth and have the rest go to waste. Bouillon cubes you generally need to make at least 1 cup of broth per cube. I love powdered broth as a sub for small amounts of broth, as it is customizable. Just be wary, many powdered broths and bouillon cubes contain sketchy ingredients, including monosodium glutamate. Similar to real broth, both of these substitutes can be very high in sodium, so I usually suggest not adding in any extra salt to the recipe until you’ve tasted it with all broth or broth substitutes added in.

   A new one I’ve found, is this Better Than Bouillon. They have many different flavors, some are organic. You can find better prices at Costco but here is an idea on Amazon:

3. Brown sugar - for every 1 cup of brown sugar, take 1 cup white granulated sugar and blend with 1 Tbsp of molasses. A food processor works well, if not mix well by hand.

4. Butter - use oil, coconut oil, margarine, shortening, or lard.

   Oil: for every 1 cup of butter, add 3/4 cup of oil. Some say to use 7/8 cup of oil, but I will tell you that I grew up replacing 1 cup of butter with 3/4 cup of oil. It’s an easier amount to work with and works well!

   Coconut oil: use an equal amount (1:1 ratio)

   Margarine: use an equal amount (1:1 ratio)

   Shortening: use an equal amount (1:1 ratio)

   Lard: use 7/8 cup lard for every 1 cup of butter

   You can sub applesauce for butter in baked goods, see “oil” below.

5. Buttermilk - for every 1 cup of buttermilk, add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or any kind of baking vinegar (apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, etc.) to a measuring cup and fill to the 1 cup measure line with regular milk.

6. Cake flour - Take 1 cup of flour, remove 2 Tbsp of flour and add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch.

7. Canned Green Chilies - use a fresh pepper instead.

   I like to sub 1-2 jalapeño or other spicy peppers for 1 can. Fresh tastes better, too! Canned chilies aren’t usually too spicy, so you‘ll want to remove the seeds from fresh hot peppers to reduce the spiciness.

8. Cream cheese - mascarpone can be a good sub for cream cheese in equal amounts.

9. Corn syrup - depending on the recipe, you can use honey or water and sugar.

   Use an equal amount of honey for corn syrup. For sugar/water substitute, use 4 parts sugar and 1 part sugar. Meaning, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of corn syrup, use 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water.

10. Eggs - you can use a flax egg or chia egg.

    Mix together 1 Tbsp flaxmeal or chia seeds with 3 Tbsp water. Mix well, and let sit in fridge until thickened and gloopy, about 15 minutes. This will replace 1 large egg.

11. Flour, self-rising - for every 1 cup of self-rising flour use 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp baking soda.

12. Garlic - garlic granules or powder can be substituted for fresh garlic, or vice versa. 1/8 tsp of garlic POWDER or 1/4 tsp of garlic GRANULES is supposed to be equivalent to 1 clove of garlic.

13. Ginger - Fresh ginger and ground ginger can be swapped out for one another.

    There is no hard and fast rule for the amount, unfortunately. You can use as little as 1/4 tsp ground ginger for every 1 Tbsp of fresh grated ginger, or as much as 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger for every 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger called for.

14. Herbs - You can swap out fresh herbs for dried herbs, or vice versa. The general rule of thumb is to use 3x the amount of fresh as dried, as dried is usually stronger. i.e. if a recipe calls for 1/2 tsp dried thyme, you could use 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme. Or if a recipe calls for 1 Tbsp (3 tsp) fresh oregano, you could swap out for 1 tsp dried oregano. I personally don’t think all herbs are equal when fresh or dried, one of the biggest being basil. I don’t think that dried basil should be substituted for fresh. If a recipe calls for dried basil, that’s fine, but I think the taste between fresh and dried are very distinct.

15. Honey - use equal amounts of maple syrup, agave nectar, or even sugar, brown sugar, etc.

16. Maple Syrup - use equal amounts of honey, agave nectar, sugar, brown sugar, etc.

17. Mayonnaise - use equal amounts of plain yogurt or sour cream.

18. Oil - use butter or any of the fats above under butter, or applesauce.

    • Butter: When subbing oil for butter it’s a bit more straightforward, oil is oil and doesn’t need to be whipped. When subbing butter for oil, if you’re making cookies, cake, quick breads, in most cases you’ll want to cream the butter until light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes). Not to say you can’t make a delicious chocolate chip cookie with melted butter, you absolutely can, but it will be different than a cookie made with creamed butter.

      or

    • Applesauce: This can be a cheaper and healthier alternative to oil. Since even unsweetened applesauce is naturally sweet, you can also reduce sugar in recipes when using this substitution. This substitution does take a bit of experimenting, especially if swapping out for larger quantities of oil, and doesn’t suit all recipes.

19. Onion - shallots, green onions, and leeks can all be interchanged for one another.

    You can also use about 1 Tbsp onion powder for every 1 cup diced onion, this can be adjusted according to taste.

20. Peanut Butter - yes, you CAN use natural peanut butter!

    Many desserts that call for peanut butter specify to use creamy, not natural, peanut butter, since natural peanut butter has a tendency to separate. But you know what? I have yet to find a pie, cookie, or other peanut butter dessert where I couldn’t use natural peanut butter. Do be mindful of over-stirring/beating, as this is what can often get you into trouble with the peanut butter separating.

21. Salt - No, there’s no substitute for salt really, but have you ever wondered why some recipes specify what kind of salt? For example, if a recipe calls for kosher salt? Why? Can’t you just use table salt?

    Yes, of course you can. But it’s also handy to know that 1 tsp of different kinds of salt will lend different levels of salt to your dish. 1 tsp of Kosher salt is not quite as salty as 1 tsp of table salt, but it’s saltier than 1 tsp coarse sea salt. Why? Different kinds of salt pack into measuring spoons differently. More tiny grains of table salt fit into a teaspoon than coarser kosher or sea salt. So if you’re using table salt instead of kosher salt, you will want to use less, especially in larger quantities.

    If all of that sounded like mumbo jumbo to you, that’s ok. Here’s a cheat sheet for swapping out salts, but you’ll probably only notice in larger quantities. Salt is personal, anyway. When in doubt, start with less. You can always taste and add more as needed, but you can’t un-salt a dish.

    1 tsp of table salt = 1 tsp fine sea salt = 1 1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt = 2 tsp of fine kosher salt

22. Sour cream - use an equal amount of plain yogurt!

    It’s also a healthier alternative.

23. Tomatoes - Fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes can often be interchanged in cooking. For example, if a soup calls for a 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, you could use instead 3 ripe medium tomatoes. You will probably need to adjust the cooking time to allow more time for the fresh tomatoes to break down. Similarly, you can use a can of tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes, where appropriate.

24. Tomatoes (canned varieties) - Have you ever felt confused by the seemingly myriad varieties of canned tomatoes, and wondered what the difference is? I certainly have. There is diced, crushed, whole, plum, San Marzano, tomato paste, passata, fire roasted, tomato sauce, prepared sauces, etc. etc. But can you use them interchangeably? Easy answer is yes, but it helps to be familiar with their forms and what your actual preferences are for eating tomatoes in a recipe.

    For example, if you’re making a tomato sauce for pasta, and the recipe calls for crushed tomatoes, you can absolutely sub in diced tomatoes instead. If, however, you don’t want chunks of tomatoes in your sauce, and you know that diced tomatoes are bigger chunks than crushed, then you can choose to blend your sauce in a blender or use an immersion blender to get your smooth, not chunky, pasta sauce.

    That said, here is a quick cheat sheet for canned tomatoes and their consistencies, from smoothest to chunkiest:

    • Passata di pomodoro - a tomato purée, the smoothest of canned tomatoes. I have a harder time finding this in the States, but it is one of the more plentiful tomato products you can find in an Italian grocery store, as it is so often used in their cooking. I also enjoy paying .70cents for it in Italy vs $4 in the States. :)

    • Tomato sauce - another smooth purée, but often with a few added ingredients, such as basil, salt, garlic. Depending on your recipe, these may already be ingredients called for (since they so often go with tomatoes) and may not matter. Just pay attention to the salt, since tomato sauce often does have some salt and the recipe could end up saltier than anticipated.

    • Tomato paste - smooth, thick, tomato concentrate. Water can be added to reconstitute it, other times recipes call for tomato paste as is to be added. This adds richness to the tomato flavor of the recipe, even if fresh or canned tomatoes are already called for.

    • Crushed tomatoes - a little chunkier, maybe “lumpier” than passata, but still quite smooth. Once in a recipe I don’t usually notice any tomato “chunks.”

    • Diced tomatoes - Still saucy, but now with chunks of tomatoes. Maybe one of the most common types of canned tomatoes I see called for in US recipes.

    • Whole tomatoes - well, they’re whole! Usually peeled. You can slice or dice them for sauces, soups, etc., or add them to a blender or blend with an immersion blender for a smooth sauce.

    • Whole plum tomatoes - this is a kind of tomato. They’re medium, oblong, with a rich, juicy flavor great for making sauces. Some well-known varieties include Roma and San Marzano.

    • San Marzano tomatoes - these are a prized, production protected, type of Italian plum tomato. They can be found in the various forms, passata, crushed, whole, etc. You can often find them imported in cans straight from the Campania region of Italy, from where they originally hail. This makes them pricey, but you can also find them in American plant nurseries or in seed form to grow yourself.

    • Fire roasted tomatoes - tomatoes with a distinct smoky flavor, usually in diced form. Really delicious in soups, especially Mexican inspired ones such as enchilada or tortilla soup.

    • Tomatoes with green chilies - diced tomatoes with diced green chilies, for when you want both in a recipe. I rarely buy this since I like to have cans of green chilies on hand, or I just use a fresh pepper, such as jalapeño, instead.
      

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