Eggs – 1 egg can be replaced with: vinegar & baking soda (1 tsp of baking soda & 1 tbsp vinegar combined), ¼ cup of applesauce, yogurt or mashed bananas.  Any of these substitutions may slightly change the texture or taste, but should not significantly affect the recipe.

Sugar – 1 cup of sugar can be replaced with: honey & maple syrup (3/4 total of any combination of honey and/or maple syrup).  Reduce the other liquids in your recipe by 3 TBSP.  You can also replace regular sugar with powdered sugar or brown sugar in an equal amount.

Flour – Flour can be replaced with items such as: quick-cooking tapioca, corn flour, bread crumbs, rolled oats or corn meal.  Please refer to the fact sheet linked at the bottom of the page for exact substitution ratios.

Yeast –  Because yeast is a live organism, it is very difficult to truly substitute.  You can substitute equal parts of lemon juice and baking soda for yeast. So for example, if a recipe calls for 1 tsp of yeast, you can add ½ tsp of lemon juice and ½ tsp of baking soda.  Keep in mind that the dough will not need to sit to raise as long and the texture may be different. 

Vegetable Oil – If you’ve run out of vegetable oil, you can substitute cup for cup: applesauce, ripe, mashed bananas, plain yogurt or melted butter. 

Heavy Cream – If you come across a recipe needing heavy cream, you can make your own at home using milk and butter.  For 1 cup of heavy cream, you will need ¾ cup of milk and 1/3 cup of butter.  Melt the butter, add the milk and then stir together.  If you use a low fat or non-fat milk, your mixture will likely be a bit thinner.  Add a tablespoon of flour to help thicken it up.  You can use this substitution for baking, as well as in sauce, soup and casserole recipes.