If you have a favorite recipe, and it’s not vegan, chances are you can turn it vegan. I grew up in a kitchen that produced an abundance of comfort food: mashed potatoes and gravy, stroganoff, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf, potato salad, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, cakes, pies, fudge… the list goes on. Instead of going without these foods, I veganized them. It’s easy to do by just following a few basic guidelines.
I am not a huge advocate of “fake” foods, such as the over processed vegan foods made to replicate over processed omni-foods. However, I do feel that it is a great way for many people to be introduced to vegan eating if they are used to eating that way as an omnivore. And, that’s really what I am after with this site. I also believe that many foods out there (such as seiten) are no more artificial than meat itself. I have also had much success with almond milk, soy milk, hemp milk, rice milk and coconut milk. There is really very little difference (if any) between non-dairy milks and cow’s milk when used in cooking/baking. Just experiment, you will figure out quite quickly what suits your needs.
Eggs
Eggs are pretty commonly found in most baking recipes, loafs, and family function favorites. However, contrary to popular belief, they are replaceable—and not missed.
It may be a bit trickier when trying to emulate an actual egg- as in a quiche or omelet (it is possible to come astonishingly close). But, for baking, it’s pretty easy with a basic understanding of how eggs function in individual recipes.
There are many ways to substitute eggs, some of the more common ones include:
Flaxseed: When I first went vegan, I used mostly the commercial egg replacer that I have listed below. Nowadays, I really prefer to use flax”eggs” whenever I can. Some people just mix their flaxseed together with water (about 2:1) or give it a whirl in the blender. I have an obsession with microwaving mine, though. Just a few second in the microwave gives you an eerily egglike flaxseed mixture.
For each flax”egg” mix 1 tbsp of flaxseed meal with 2 tbsp of water. Microwave for 15 seconds, repeating for the number of eggs you are replacing. For example, if you are making 2 flax eggs, you would need to combine 2 tbsp flaxseed meal with 4 tbsp water. Microwave once for 15 seconds, stir and microwave again. You generally will not need to microwave more than 3 times to create a gooey texture. It should look like this:
Commercial Egg Replacer: I use Ener-G: Most of these mixes are found in the “Health Food “ section of your grocery store, oftentimes next to the gluten-free flour and such.
I have heard mixed reviews on this particular product, but for me, it has been miraculous. I have used it in all of my cookie recipes, biscuits, dough, even cheesecake and “meatloaf” type dishes. The trick is to make sure you follow the measurements on the box-per egg. For example:
1 egg= 1.5 tsp egg replacer to 2 tbsp warm water… It is imperative to mix these two ingredients in a small glass, or something similar, with a fork and mix rigorously until foamy.
Tofu: Silken Tofu, blended super smooth works great in dense baked goods like cakes, brownies, cookies (can turn cookies “cakey” so beware, if that’s not what you are going after). For every egg needed substitute ¼ cup silken tofu, blended extra smooth. When using this in recipes, be sure to blend this ingredient with the other “wet” ingredients prior to adding to dry ingredients.
Also: I like to use the extra firm silken tofu chopped up (pretending to be hard boiled eggs) in my potato salad. There are plenty of cool recipes out there also that explain how to make “scrambled” tofu and other egg-like dishes using extra firm tofu.
Bananas or Applesauce: 1/2 banana or about 1/4 cup applesauce per egg. These both work well in recipes where the slightest flavor of fruit can be tolerated, such as muffins, quickbreads, or some types of bar cookies/ brownies. Neither applesauce nor bananas act as anything but a binder or add moisture, so don’t expect this replacer to make your recipe rise.
Vinegar: You can substitute vinegar in many, if not most, cookie and cake recipes… with varying results. I have had great success with all my cakes: just substitute 1 tbsp vinegar for every egg needed. The trick is, make sure there is either baking soda or baking powder already in the recipe… and add the vinegar last, after you have mixed in the flour. In cookies, follow the same guidelines.
Butter
The best substitute for butter (so far), in my opinion, is Earth Balance Margarine. Its non- hydrogenated, tastes wonderful, is made with no GMO’s, and it’s great for baking, sautéing, spreading, you name it. It works great in recipes that call for oil too (like brownies), if melted in microwave for 20-30 seconds. This stuff is wonderful, and if your local grocery store does not carry it, you can order it online. The kind that will taste and act most like real butter is the “natural buttery spread”, but there is an Earth Balance shortening available too, also vegan. Some other vegan margarines work well in baking too.
You can definitely cut calories by subbing applesauce, bananas, etc. into baked goods. General guideline is follow the measurements pretty close. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, try 1 cup of smashed banana. Almost always, the texture will be tougher, or chewier.
Coconut Butter/Oil: This stuff is pretty incredible too (and less destructive to the environment than Earth Balance), and works a lot like hydrogenated shortening would in baking. Honestly, I always have a jar of coconut oil around. It even works as a moisturizer!
Milk
Of course, there are plenty of recipes which also call for milk: regular, buttermilk, evaporated, cream etc. Soymilk, almond milk, rice milk, hemp milk, etc. all work like regular milk. Most times, recipes calling for “milk” usually just mean “liquid”… more or less. Try substituting orange juice, vegetable broth, or water when appropriate… and see what happens. I love to make sauces with plain unsweetened soymilk. You can get a variety of sauces from “alfredo” to “caramel” by using almond milk, soymilk or other milks. It all depends on how you cook it. Look at regular recipes for these types of sauces and experiment with non-dairy milk in place of cow’s milk. Heavy whipping cream can be subbed with another “high fat” liquid such as coconut cream.
Evaporated soymilk : For use in Pumpkin Pie and other recipes calling for evaporated milk
Bring 2 1/2 cups soymilk to a boil over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the volume is reduced to 1 cup. Cool and refrigerate.
Cheese
When I first put together this site… cheese was not mentioned too often in the vegan world… simply because the substitutions pretty much sucked. But now, there is Daiya! Daiya is absolutely the closest thing I have seen to dairy cheese (without actually being dairy cheese) ever. Daiya is now readily available in Whole Foods Stores in the USA!
Also, a product that I haven’t tried yet, but is also getting a lot of hype is “stretchable” Teese.
I think I can safely say that the vegan cheese wars have officially begun!
