Substitutions / milk
What to use instead of milk
Use oat milk in equal amounts. Slightly sweeter and thinner than whole milk; works well in most baking and cooking but won't whip.
Every option, best first
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Oat milk | 1:1 | Slightly sweeter and thinner than whole milk; works well in most baking and cooking but won't whip. |
| Soy milk | 1:1 | Closest plant-based match for protein content, but can leave a faint beany flavor in delicate recipes. |
| Half-and-half diluted | 1:1 | Mix equal parts half-and-half and water to approximate whole milk; richer if you skip the water. |
How much is a cup of milk?
Substituting by volume and weighing are different problems, and the second one has an exact answer. Weigh milk in grams →
A word on how to read these
A substitution is a trade, not an equivalence. The ratio gets the quantity right; the third column is the part worth reading, because it tells you what you are giving up. In a stew, most of these are invisible. In a cake — where flour, liquid, fat and leavening are in a fixed relationship — the same swap can change the crumb.
Why baking notices and stew doesn't →
Where these came from
These substitutions were written by Gather's own kitchen model — the same one the app uses when you tap an ingredient and ask what else would work — then checked and saved as a fixed list in July 2026. Nothing on this page is generated while you read it. They are a good starting point and not a substitute for tasting as you go.