Some ingredients recipes ask for are just not within our budget or perhaps not available in the local shops. If this is the case check out these alternatives of things that can often be swapped to save money. Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions I have missed too! What are you saving for? A hammock and stand, a holiday or maybe just a night out?
Alternatives to butter
Easy alternatives to butter in many recipes are vegetable oil, pureed white beans and apple sauce. Depending on the amount of butter used and how it is part of the recipe the best thing to do is search online for example how much apple sauce can be used instead of butter in a chocolate cake. Or how much oil to substitute for butter in brownies etc.
Substitutes and cooking swaps for eggs
If you don’t have eggs or can not eat eggs, perhaps due to an allergy then there are a number of things that can be used instead. These are tofu, pumpkin puree, ground flaxseed soaked in water, aquafaba which is otherwise known as chickpea juice or the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas. Bananas and apple sauce or often also used as alternatives depending on the recipe.
An alternative to saffron
If you are cooking something like paella or curry which asks for saffron you may be reluctant to buy it. Generally, it is quite expensive for a very tiny amount. The best alternative is ground turmeric.
Easy alternative to vanilla beans
If you are reluctant to buy vanilla beans for a cheesecake recipe or similar then I totally agree with you, they are expensive and really quite unnecessary. Simply swap them for vanilla extract! Vanilla extract is weaker than vanilla flavouring in general so this is worth remembering too.
An alternative to wine in a recipe
If you are not a big drinker and find it frustrating to open a bottle of wine for a recipe and don’t fancy buying cooking wine then don’t worry there are easy alternatives. Depending on the overall taste of the recipe I would recommend either apple juice or cranberry juice but other juices can be used if necessary.
Alternatives to pine nuts
If you have a tasty recipe that calls for pine nuts that you do not have then instead of pine nuts try pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. They taste a little different but will still be good.
Do you have any other favourite alternatives? Do let me know your cooking swaps for different ingredients in the comments below.
