Disclaimer
PlainSubstitute translates culinary and food-science knowledge into a searchable substitution reference of 486 documented swaps across 135 ingredients, current as of September 2026. Please read how to use this information responsibly before acting on it.
Informational Only, Not Professional Advice
PlainSubstitute is for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this site is medical, dietary, or professional culinary advice. For a serious food allergy or medical dietary restriction in particular, treat any guide or ingredient page as a starting point only, not a substitute for checking the specific product label, since manufacturing cross-contamination is real and brand formulations change.
Not Affiliated
PlainSubstitute is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, any food-safety agency, allergen-testing body, or the brands and manufacturers named in our substitute notes. Our ratios and quality scores are compiled from published culinary references and food-science literature, as documented in our methodology, not from government datasets.
Ratios Reflect the Culinary Literature at Time of Writing
Substitution ratios and quality ratings reflect established culinary technique and food-science understanding as of when each entry was written or last reviewed. Ingredient formulations, availability, and food-science understanding can change; always taste-test a substitution in a low-stakes batch before relying on it for an important meal, and always confirm allergen and dietary-restriction safety directly against the specific product you plan to use.
Reporting an Error
If a ratio, quality rating, or dietary tag looks wrong, use the contact page with the page URL and a source for the correct value. How we verify and fix reports is described in our editorial & corrections policy.
Download the ingredient-substitution statistics extract cited on this page: substitution-statistics.csv (CC BY 4.0).