Yeast substitute

Instant and active dry yeast swap one for one: a 1/4-ounce packet is about 2 1/4 teaspoons of either. For fresh (cake) yeast, use about 21 grams per packet, which is the dry weight divided by 0.33.

3 options, scored for what you are making · Checked

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What are you making?

  1. The other dry yeast (instant, rapid-rise or active dry)

    Great fit

    2¼ tsp instant or active dry yeast

    For this dish: Red Star says the two swap one for one in hand-kneaded and stand-mixer doughs.

    How: Use the same amount. Either kind can be dissolved in the warm liquid with a little sugar first, or mixed straight into the dry ingredients.

    What changes: Instant yeast may make the dough rise faster, and active dry a little slower, so watch the dough rather than the clock.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  2. Fresh (cake) yeast

    Great fit

    21 g fresh yeast, crumbled

    For this dish: It does the same job once converted by weight.

    How: Crumble it into the warm liquid or the flour. King Arthur's conversion is the dry yeast weight divided by 0.33, so 7 g of dry yeast is about 21 g of fresh. Keep fresh yeast refrigerated and use it by its date.

    What changes: Same rise and flavor. Fresh yeast is perishable and harder to find, and older recipes that say "1 cake" may mean different sizes.

    No major food allergens in these ingredients. Check labels on packaged products.

  3. Active sourdough starter

    Works

    100 g active sourdough starter (equal flour and water by weight)

    For this dish: It works, but the loaf tastes tangy and takes hours longer.

    How: Use 100 g of recently fed starter per packet, then take 50 g of flour and 50 g of water out of the recipe so the dough stays the same. Brod & Taylor suggests sizing the starter at 15 to 20% of the flour weight instead. Expect each rise to take several times longer.

    What changes: Tangier, more complex flavor and a much slower rise. Brod & Taylor says sourdough needs roughly 3 to 4 times as long as a yeast dough to rise.

    Contains wheat.

Scores are our editorial judgement from the sources below, not lab tests.

What yeast does in a recipe

Yeast is a living leavener. It feeds on sugars in the dough and gives off carbon dioxide, which the gluten traps so the bread rises, and it adds the flavor of fermented bread. A substitute has to be another live yeast or culture. Chemical leaveners make a different, quicker kind of bread.

Swap it in your recipe with Sous Chef

A substitution is more than one ingredient line. The steps that use it change too. Sous Chef edits both on a working copy of your recipe, so the original is always one tap away.

You ask Sous Chef

"I don't have yeast."

Sous Chef edits the recipe

1 1/4-ounce (7 g) packet of dry yeast
2¼ tsp instant or active dry yeast
Added to the steps: Use the same amount. Either kind can be dissolved in the warm liquid with a little sugar first, or mixed straight into the dry ingredients.
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When not to substitute

There is no quick swap for yeast in a yeast bread. Baking powder and baking soda do not make a risen, chewy loaf. If you have no yeast or starter, bake a recipe written as a quick bread instead, like soda bread or biscuits.

Common questions

Can I use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?

Yes, one for one. Red Star says the two are interchangeable in hand-kneaded and stand-mixer doughs, and instant may rise a little faster. In a bread machine it suggests 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast per cup of flour, against 3/4 teaspoon of active dry.

How much yeast is in a packet?

A standard 1/4-ounce (7 g) packet holds about 2 1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast, according to Red Star.

How do I convert fresh yeast to dry yeast?

King Arthur's Baker's Hotline says to multiply the fresh yeast weight by 0.33 for instant or active dry yeast. To go the other way, divide the dry weight by 0.33.

Can I use sourdough starter instead of yeast?

Yes. Use about 100 g of active starter per packet and take 50 g each of flour and water out of the recipe. Rises take several times longer, so plan for a slower day.

Can I use baking powder instead of yeast?

Not in a yeast bread. Baking powder and baking soda make quick breads, like soda bread, biscuits and muffins, which are meant to have a denser crumb. Choose a recipe written for them rather than swapping them into a yeast dough.

Related

Sources

Cook with what you have.

Import any recipe into Sous Chef and ask for the swap. It rewrites the ingredient list and the steps, and never loses the original. Free on iPhone.

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