Ran out of chicken stock mid-recipe? Water will do the job at 1:1 (in cooking; lighter flavour) — but only if you also adjust for what the swap takes away or adds. Water, milk and stocks swap one-to-one by volume — a cup of one replaces a cup of another — so the measuring is the easy part. What changes is the flavour and richness of the finished dish: stock brings salt and savoury depth, milk brings fat and a gentle sweetness, and water brings nothing at all, which is sometimes exactly what a dish needs. This page gives the ratio, shows it in a table, and walks through three real dishes so you can see where the swap improves things and where it quietly flattens them.
The ratio, in a table
The table below converts chicken stock to water for the amounts you are most likely to meet. The rule is always the same: 1:1 (in cooking; lighter flavour).
| Chicken stock called for | Water to use |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup |
| 1/3 cup | 1/3 cup |
| 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup |
| 2/3 cup | 2/3 cup |
| 3/4 cup | 3/4 cup |
| 1 cup | 1 cup |
| 1 1/2 cups | 1 1/2 cups |
| 2 cups | 2 cups |
By weight, one cup of water is about 237 g (poured, USDA). Our density table does not list a grams-per-cup figure for chicken stock, so no weight is given for it here — measure it by volume. All weights on this page are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when the result matters.
Worked examples
Example 1: Vegetable soup
A recipe for a vegetable soup calls for 1 cup of chicken stock. Using the ratio, that becomes 1 cup of water. Add the water with the vegetables, and season the soup well — it will need more salt and more herbs than the stock version, because the water brings no flavour of its own. Let the soup simmer a little longer so the vegetables have time to flavour the liquid.
Example 2: Rice pilaf
A recipe for a pilaf calls for 2 cups of chicken stock. Using the ratio, that becomes 2 cups of water. Cook the rice as usual, but add a bay leaf and a pinch of salt to the water, and serve the pilaf with a strongly flavoured main dish — the rice will be plainer, so the main dish needs to carry the meal.
Example 3: Steamed vegetables
A recipe for steamed vegetables calls for 1/2 cup of chicken stock in the steamer. Using the ratio, that becomes 1/2 cup of water. The vegetables will taste cleaner and lighter than the stock version, with their own flavour coming through — a good swap when the vegetables are the star.
What changes in the result
Water in place of chicken stock makes the dish lighter and plainer — and that is sometimes exactly what is wanted. Chicken stock brings salt, savoury depth and a little body from the gelatin in the bones; water brings nothing at all, so the dish will taste cleaner and less rich, and the other ingredients will have to carry the flavour themselves. The ratio is one-to-one, so the measuring is simple, and the swap works well in a dish where the stock was a background player — a soup with strong vegetables, a rice dish with a powerful sauce, or a recipe where the stock would have made the dish too salty. The main thing to watch is the seasoning: the dish will need more salt and more herbs to make up for what the stock brought.
When not to substitute
Do not make this swap where the stock is doing the heavy lifting. A risotto, a consommé, or a soup where the stock is the main flavour will be flat and thin with water, because there is nothing else to carry the dish. Do not use it in a dish for someone who needs the stock's body either — a water-based soup will be thinner and less satisfying. And do not forget to season: a dish made with water needs more salt, more herbs and more time for the flavours to develop than the same dish made with stock.
Practical guidance
Taste the liquid you are swapping in before it goes into the pot: a salty stock can make a dish over-salted once it reduces, and an unsweetened milk can curdle if it is boiled hard with acidic ingredients. Add stock or milk gradually and hold back the seasoning until the dish is nearly done, because the substitute changes the salt balance. When milk replaces water in a dough or batter, watch the browning — milk sugars colour faster in the oven, so check a few minutes early and cover the top loosely with foil if it is darkening too fast. Keep stocks refrigerated and use them within a few days, or freeze them in measured portions for cooking. All amounts on this page are approximate; a kitchen scale or a marked jug is the most reliable way to measure liquids for a large batch.
Frequently asked questions
How much water do I use instead of 1 cup of chicken stock?
Use 1 cup — the ratio is 1:1 in cooking. One cup of water is about 237 g; our density table does not list a grams-per-cup figure for chicken stock, so measure this swap by volume.
Will the dish taste plainer?
Yes — chicken stock brings salt, savoury depth and a little body, while water brings nothing at all. The dish will need more salt and more herbs to make up for what the stock brought.
Can I use water in a risotto?
Not as a straight swap. A risotto depends on stock for its flavour and its body, and water will make it flat and thin. Use stock for a risotto, and keep water for a soup or a pilaf where the stock was a background player.
Do I need to add salt?
Yes — a dish made with water needs more salt than the same dish made with stock, because the stock was already salted. Add the salt a little at a time, and taste before serving.
Is water a good swap for a vegetarian dish?
Yes — water is the simplest vegetarian swap for chicken stock, and it works well in a vegetable soup or a pilaf. For more flavour, use vegetable stock instead, which brings its own savoury depth.
Scaling the swap up or down
A liquid swap scales one-to-one by volume, so double the recipe and you double both numbers — but the seasoning does not scale in the same way. A doubled pot of soup needs slightly less than double the salt, because the liquid reduces and concentrates as it simmers, and a doubled dough needs the same proportion of liquid but a little more kneading time to come together. The safe way to scale up is to add the scaled amount of liquid, then season in stages, tasting as you go. For a very large batch, keep a little of the liquid back and add it at the end: a dough that is too wet is hard to fix, while a dough that is a touch dry can be loosened with a splash. If you are scaling down to a single serving, measure the liquid in a marked jug rather than by eye — a small error matters more in a small batch.
If the swap goes wrong — and how to store the substitute
If a dish made with water tastes thin and unsatisfying, the stock was doing more work than you thought — add a bay leaf, a pinch of salt and a splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce to build the flavour back up, and let the dish simmer longer. If a milk-based dough is too soft to shape, chill it for half an hour before handling it, and dust the work surface lightly with flour. If a stock-based sauce is too salty, add a splash of water and a little unsalted butter to round it off, and hold back the salt next time. Freeze leftover stock in ice-cube trays for small amounts, and in labelled tubs for larger ones.