Silky Homemade Chocolate Pudding

• ½ cup granulated sugar ≈ 100 g
  Swaps for granulated sugar

  Instead of sugar

  • Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
  • Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
  • Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.

  All 4 swaps for sugar

• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder ≈ 22 g
  Swaps for unsweetened cocoa powder

  Instead of cocoa powder

  • Natural and Dutch-process cocoa: The same amount. Swap freely when the recipe uses baking powder.
  • Unsweetened chocolate: 1 oz melted unsweetened chocolate for each 3 tbsp cocoa; cut the butter or oil by 1 tbsp. Fudgier and richer.
  • Carob powder: The same amount. Caffeine-free and naturally sweet, but it tastes like carob, not chocolate.

  More for cocoa powder

• 3 tbsp cornstarch
  Swaps for cornstarch

  Instead of cornstarch

  • All-purpose flour: 2 tbsp flour for each 1 tbsp cornstarch. Sauces turn cloudy instead of glossy and a bit heavier.
  • Arrowroot: The same amount. Very clear and glossy; can turn slimy in dairy sauces.
  • Potato starch: The same amount. Thickens fast with a clear gloss; don't boil it long.

  All 4 swaps for cornstarch

  Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.

• ¼ 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.

  More for salt

• 2 ¾ cups whole milk
  Swaps for whole 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.

• 3 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  Swaps for unsalted butter

  Instead of butter

  • Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
  • 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.

  All 4 swaps 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

• whipped cream, for serving (optional)

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.

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