Substitutions and allergies

We know that sensitivities, allergies, and aversions can make following Wizard Plans and recipes a challenge. We’ve compiled some helpful information here so you can make substitutions confidently.

In addition to the information below, you can set default allergen preferences when searching recipes. Read more about that.

How to substitute

Our recipes are generally very forgiving of substitutions. There are many instances where you can just leave out problematic ingredients entirely. For a Wizard Plan, if there are only one or two recipes that contain problematic ingredients, you can set the servings for those meals to 0 and they’ll be removed from the Batching and Groceries lists. 

Common allergens are listed under the recipe name for easy identification.

Don’t let an allergy stop you from trying a recipe you’re interested in, though! We have a handy substitution reference spreadsheet where you can quickly look up successful substitutions for common ingredients. 

Another great resource for finding successful swaps is our private Facebook group. Feel free to ask about others' experience substituting there as well as advice for specific recipe substitutions.

If you're a Full Access member, you can even create the allergen-free meal plan of your dreams using the Magic Meal Planner. We’ve made it easy to search for recipes that are free of gluten, soy, tree nuts, and peanuts with handy filters.

You can also set default allergen search filters in the Preferences area of your account. Read more about saving allergen filter preferences.

Gluten

Many of our recipes call for ingredients that traditionally contain gluten but have widely available gluten-free substitutions. These include bread and pasta. If you're filtering recipes by "Gluten Free," you won't see recipes with these types of ingredients.

Considering removing gluten from your diet? Our co-founder, Molly Patrick, wrote about going gluten-free. 

Nuts

Once you join, there are quite a few naturally nut-free recipes you can check out. To find those, you can go to the Recipe Vault and use the blue Filter the goods button to select "tree nut free" and/or "peanut free" under the Allergens list (scroll down to see it). Then you'll only see recipes that don't contain tree nuts.

The most common nuts used in our recipes are cashews. Sunflower seeds are generally a successful substitute for these in sauces or dressings (using the blender). You can substitute equal amounts and soak them prior to blending like you would cashews. Canned white beans (drained and rinsed) and silken tofu are some seed-free options. Either can be a direct substitute used on its own, but most people find the texture/flavor most enjoyable when mixed with sunflower seeds. Experiment to find your preferred ratio.

For swapping nuts in general, seeds are almost always a good choice: sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, sesame, etc.