Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

• butter, or cooking spray, for the pan
  Swaps for butter

  Instead of butter

  • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
  • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.
  • Vegetable oil: 3 tbsp oil for every 4 tbsp (¼ cup) melted butter. Cakes and muffins come out moister and stay soft longer, without a buttery taste.

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  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• 3 cups rolled oats, old-fashioned ≈ 243 g
  Swaps for rolled oats

  Instead of oats

  • Quick oats: The same amount. Softer, more cake-like cookies and bars with less chew; mushy in granola and overnight oats.

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• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  Swaps for baking powder

  Instead of baking powder

  • Baking soda + cream of tartar: ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar for each 1 tsp baking powder. Rises the same if you don't let the batter sit.
  • Baking soda + buttermilk or yogurt: ¼ tsp baking soda for each 1 tsp baking powder, and swap ½ cup of the recipe's milk for buttermilk or thinned yogurt. Good rise with a light tang.
  • Self-rising flour: Use it for the flour and leave out the baking powder and salt. Each cup has about 1½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt built in, so it only fits recipes close to that ratio.

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• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  Swaps for ground cinnamon

  Instead of cinnamon

  • Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice: The same amount. Mostly cinnamon, with ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves: a little spicier.
  • Ground allspice or nutmeg: About ¼ the amount. Much stronger and different, but warm in the same way.

  More for cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  Swaps for ground nutmeg

  Instead of nutmeg

  • Ground mace: A little less. Made from the same fruit; slightly sharper.
  • Pumpkin pie spice or allspice: The same amount. Warmer and more cinnamon-forward.

  More for nutmeg

• ½ tsp kosher salt
  Swaps for kosher salt

  Instead of salt

  • Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
  • Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.

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• 2 large eggs
  Swaps for eggs

  Instead of eggs

  • Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
  • Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
  • Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.

  All 5 swaps for eggs

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• 1 ¾ cups milk
  Swaps for milk

  Instead of milk

  • Unsweetened soy milk: The same amount. The closest plant milk for baking: its protein helps things brown and set.
  • Unsweetened oat milk: The same amount. Creamy and mild with a hint of sweetness.
  • Unsweetened almond milk: The same amount. Thinner and less rich, so cakes are a little paler and drier.

  All 5 swaps for milk

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed ≈ 73 g
  Swaps for brown sugar

  Instead of brown sugar

  • White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
  • White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
  • Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.

  All 4 swaps for brown sugar

• 3 tbsp butter, melted
  Swaps for butter

  Instead of butter

  • Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
  • Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.
  • Vegetable oil: 3 tbsp oil for every 4 tbsp (¼ cup) melted butter. Cakes and muffins come out moister and stay soft longer, without a buttery taste.

  More for butter

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  Swaps for vanilla extract

  Instead of vanilla extract

  • Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
  • Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
  • Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.

  All 5 swaps for vanilla extract

• 2 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced (about 2 cups)
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional) ≈ 59 g
  Swaps for walnuts

  Instead of nuts

  • Another nut: The same amount. Pecans are sweeter and softer, walnuts slightly bitter, almonds firmer and milder.
  • Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds: The same amount. Smaller and crunchier, with an earthy taste.
  • Leave them out, or use chocolate chips or toasted oats: The same amount (or none). Leaving nuts out doesn't change how a batter bakes.

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  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

Weights from USDA FoodData Central cup weights. Counted things (eggs, cloves, cans) stay as counts, and salt stays in spoons: kosher and flaky salts weigh very differently by brand.

Different pan? Written for 8x8-inch square; rescale the amounts for an 8x8, 9x13, round, loaf or sheet pan.

Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.

Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.