Mushrooms are culinary vegetables that can add flavor and texture to your meals. Numerous recipes require mushrooms, but these edible fungi are either loved or hated, and substitutes can come in handy.

Mushrooms can be substituted with a variety of plants and non-meat-based options. Some options may change your recipe and others, may have little impact on your meal. Mushrooms can be substituted with zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, eggplant, garbanzo beans, potatoes, tofu, onions, cilantro, tempeh, or vegan meat.  read more

Shallots are a type of onion that is called for often in culinary dishes. The shallot can add flavor and sweetness to your meal but can be challenging to find. This small, bulbous root vegetable is an ingredient often called for in French cooking.

Shallots can be substituted with a variety of vegetables. Other varieties of onions and garlic are a great place to start, but your options are not limited. Shallots can be substituted with red onions, yellow or white onions, green onions (scallions), leeks, sweet onions, garlic, chives, radish, or celery. Choose a substitute that works for your recipe. Have no fear, your shallot substitute will not completely alter your meal. read more

There are many reasons why a recipe might call for red wine. There are also many reasons why red wine may not be in your pantry. Luckily, there are other liquids that can be substituted for red wine.

When substituting for Red Wine in cooking use equal amounts of liquid. For 1 cup of Red Wine substitute 1 cup of Beef Broth or Beef Stock, Cranberry Juice, Pomegranate Juice, Canned Mushroom Juice, or non-alcoholic Red Wine. 1-2 Tablespoons of Tomato paste mixed with ¾ cup canned tomatoes can also be a substitute. 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar (Red wine, white wine, balsamic or apple cider) mixed with ¾ cup grape juice and 1-2 tablespoons of water for 1 cup of Red Wine. read more

Cooking can be stressful, especially when a recipe calls for an ingredient in your kitchen. Some spices, herbs, and ingredients are easy to replace. Others are much harder to replicate. Fennel is one ingredient whose substitutions change depending on what part of the plant you are using.

Quick Substitutions for Fennel Bulb include using an equal amount of celery, bok choy, or endive. These will mimic the same texture. If you are also going for flavor add one of the dried fennel substitutions. For dried fennel seeds substitute Anise Seeds, Caraway Seeds, Dill Seeds, Cumin Seeds, or Mustard Seeds. For Fennel Leaves, you can substitute Dill Leaves, Parsley Leaves, Celery Leaves, Cilantro Leaves, Coriander Leaves, Hierba Santa Leaves, Tarragon Leaves, and Thai Basil Leaves. In most cases, you will use equal amounts of the substituted ingredient. read more

Sage is a common ingredient in hearty dishes and many popular fall and holiday dishes. Nothing is more stressful than getting ready for a big holiday feast and not having a necessary ingredient. Luckily there are many good substitutions for sage.

For fresh substitutions for sage use equal amounts of the herbs being substituted. 1 tbsp of fresh savory, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil, and oregano for 1 tbsp of fresh sage.

For dried substitutions for fresh sage use ⅓-½  the original amount. 1-2 tsp of dried sage, savory rosemary thyme, marjoram, basil, and oregano for 1 tbsp fresh sage. read more

Have you ever had that moment when you open your pantry or refrigerator and find you do not have the exact ingredient? Dijon Mustard is one of the easiest ingredients to substitute.

Dijon mustard comes in many varieties. When substituting traditional Dijon mustard use equivalent amounts of other mustards. To enhance the spicy bite of the mustard, use Spicy Brown Mustard, Hot Mustard, Creole Mustard, Wasabi, or Horseradish Sauce. To enhance the complexities of a dish use Honey Mustard, German Mustard, Beer Mustard, Creole Mustard, or Worcestershire Sauce. If the goal is the emulsification in a recipe and not the flavor mayonnaise will do the trick. read more

So you have a recipe and it calls for Oyster Sauce, but you don’t have Oyster Sauce. What can you do? In this article, you will find some simple substitutions for Oyster Sauce.

What you use to substitute for Oyster Sauce depends on flavor. If you want to match the saltiness and sweetness of Oyster Sauce, there is no better substitute than Hoisin Sauce. If Hoisin is not available you can also use Stir Fry Sauce, which often has Oyster Sauce in it. You can use Teriyaki Sauce or Mushroom Stir Fry Sauce. Other options are Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce and Miso Paste. These three options focus on matching the saltiness. Soy and Fish Sauces are thinner than Oyster Sauce. Miso Paste on the other hand is thicker. Sesame Oil can be used for a good Stir Fry but has none of the flavors of Oyster Sauce. Lastly, Worcestershire has a unique flavor that would work for European dishes but would not work for Asian dishes. read more

Cardamom is a unique ingredient with a flavor that is not easy to imitate. Luckily, there are options for substitutions. While these substitutions are not exact, they mimic the flavor well enough in a dish.

There are a few different ways to substitute the flavor of cardamom. For Green Cardamom, substitute Cinnamon plus cloves, nutmeg, or ginger. For Black Cardamom you will want a spicier flavor, substitute Allspice and Peppercorns or Ground Coriander, Nutmeg and Peppercorns. For White Cardamom, substitute Nutmeg and Cloves or Fennel Seed + Sugar. For Yellow Cardamom, substitute Fennel and Sugar or a combination of Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. For Yellow and White Cardamom, which are milder, use less than the recipe calls for. read more