Want to make a recipe that calls for unsweetened baking chocolate? If you don’t have any on hand, or can’t eat chocolate, just use one of these substitutes.

Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Substitutes

Unsweetened baking chocolate is pure chocolate with no added sugar. It’s commonly used in brownies, fudge, chocolate icing and other recipes with an intense chocolate flavor. Since these sorts of recipes tend to contain lots of their own sugar, they don’t need any more from the chocolate.

One bar of unsweetened baking chocolate contains four ounces, but your recipe might call for more or less than a bar, so these substitutes replace one ounce of unsweetened chocolate. Just scale them up, if you need more.

Cocoa Powder

Combine three Tablespoons of cocoa powder and one Tablespoon of vegetable oil, butter or shortening to create a replacement for one ounce of unsweetened chocolate. This will give your recipe an intense chocolate flavor, without adding any extra sugar.

Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Baking Chocolate

Replace an ounce of unsweetened chocolate with an ounce of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. This will add sugar, so omit a tablespoon of sugar from your recipe to make up for it.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Use three Tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips in place of one ounce of unsweetened chocolate. This will add extra sugar, so leave a tablespoon of sugar out of your recipe. Chocolate chips take a little longer to melt, since they’re formulated to hold their shape, but they will melt.

Carob Powder

If you’re allergic to chocolate, or sensitive to caffeine, replace the unsweetened chocolate in your recipe with three Tablespoons of carob powder and one Tablespoon of your favorite oil (butter, cooking oil, etc.). Carob powder is naturally sweet, so this substitute will add some sweetness to your recipe. Consider cutting the sugar to compensate.