Leek substitutes
Out of leek? Here are the best substitutes — what to reach for, why it works, and how much to use. Sweet onion is the top pick.
- 01Sweet onionbest pick
Closest in sweetness and melts down the same way when softened slowly.
1 leek = 1 small onion
- 02Shallot
Delicate and sweet like leek, without the harshness of a yellow onion.
1:1 by volume
- 03Scallion
Mild allium in the same slender form; use the whites for cooking.
1:1
- 04Onion
Works everywhere leek does, just sharper — go a little lighter.
use ~3/4
Cooking with leek?
Paste your recipe into Mise — we'll find every ingredient as a real product you can buy, and swap the ones you can't, like leek, for the closest match in stock.
Turn a recipe into a basket →How we choose these
These are tested kitchen substitutes, chosen for matching flavor, texture, and role — with ratios so the swap actually works. Taste as you go; substitutes shift intensity, not just flavor.
Flavor data: Epicure (Radzikowski & Chen, 2026), arXiv:2605.22391, CC-BY-4.0.
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