Have you been running low key ingredients like eggs or milk? Try some of these simple food swaps below to help extend a recipe, prevent an unnecessary trip to the supermarket. Ingredient substitutes also help to prevent food waste and save money.
Food Item | Recipe Swap |
Milk | UHT milk Evaporated canned milk Dried milk powder Coconut milk Soy milk |
Yoghurt | Homemade yoghurt using powdered yoghurt mix Lite sour cream 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed with 1 cup milk Homemade labneh or tzatziki |
Grated cheese | Use half the amount of grated cheese and replace the other half with grated zucchini/carrot in wet dishes and for topping tacos/pizza. Use half the amount of cheese and replace the other half with multigrain breadcrumbs or rolled oats for pie toppings To thicken a sauce, use 2 heaped teaspoons of cornflour mixed in a quarter cup water or milk and stir into sauce. For cheese sauce also then add in 1 cheese slice and stir over a low heat until thickened |
Butter / margarine | Reduce the amount in recipes by about a quarter and replace with apple puree for sweet recipes or pumpkin/sweet potato puree for savoury recipes |
Sauces | Dilute creamy sauces with evaporated skim milk. Dilute pasta or tomato based sauces with canned tomatoes. |
Eggs | For 2 eggs, replace with ½ cup mashed banana/pumpkin/sweet potato for sweet recipes ½ cup applesauce Mix 1 tablespoon chia/flax seeds with 3 tablespoons water and wait to thicken. |
Meat / Chicken | Bulk up casseroles and soups with vegetables, canned tomatoes or legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils) to replace meat. |
Pastry | For a pastry base, cover pie plate base with rolled oats. Rub in ½ cup grated cheese. Carefully pour filling on top before baking. Place a wrap or tortilla on the bottom of the pan or springform tin and pour filling on top. |
Stock | Replace with 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce per 1 cup boiling water and stir well |
