Easy Vegan Baking Swaps

BY KAITLYN DICKIE

Vegan baking might sound daunting at first but it’s really no different than regular baking. And even if you’re not vegan or trying to eat more plant-based, these swaps are still super helpful for those times you’re out of an ingredient–often using what you probably already have in your pantry.

BUTTERMILK

EGGS This swap is definitely a little more interesting but trust the process and you’ll be on your way to being a vegan baking master.

MAKE IT

Add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of your plant milk of choice. Stir just until combined and let sit for 5–10 minutes until it curdles.

This might be my favourite one of all because vegan butter works for any and all regular butter uses—plain on toast, melted on popcorn, caramelizing onions, and all baking purposes!

BUY IT

Melt Organic comes in sticks as well as tubs for easy spreading. Also try Earth Balance, Miyokos, or the plethora of other options available these days. I absolutely love this one because unlike the other swaps, the vegan swap doesn’t look like an egg.

BUY IT

My top choice for baking is Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer. The next best option is a chia seed egg—it still helps baked goods rise but I don’t put as much trust in it as I do the egg replacer.

MAKE IT

Grind up 1 tbsp of chia in a coffee grinder and mix with 3 tbsp cold water. Let the mixture sit for 5–10 minutes until it’s super goopy and resembles the texture of egg whites. My one important tip for any egg replacer is to try to avoid recipes that call for more than 2 eggs—I find egg swaps don’t work as well in recipes that rely on eggs to do all

BUTTERMILK

BUTTER

the work.

YOGURT While there aren’t many recipes that call for yogurt as an ingredient, I have come across a few that do require it.

BUY IT

I like Riviera, Silk, or Liberté.

KAITLYN DICKIE What lights my fire? Pizza, vegan desserts, the mountains and the ocean! I love sharing tips and tricks on how to live a more kind-to-the-earth lifestyle so that we can enjoy our planet for decades to come. It’s not that hard, I promise! Come hang out with me on Instagram where I post everyday alternatives you can choose starting today!

COW’S MILK There is nothing in cow’s milk that contributes to baking any better than literally any plant milk. If you’re making something savoury and don’t want a nutty flavour, opt for soy or oat milk. Just swap it 1-for-1 with the amount of cow’s milk the recipe calls for.

BUY IT

For my sweet baked goods I love using unsweetened cashew milk by Silk!

MAKE IT

Most nuts and seeds can be simply blended with water to make delicious plant milk in minutes. There’s lots of easy recipes online.

CREAM

This is not nearly as tricky as it sounds. If a recipe calls for cream I can use any of the plant creams out there or make my own and end up with the exact same result as I would using regular cream.

BUY IT

Silk Coffee Cream is great for sweeter desserts. They have vanilla and hazelnut flavours too! Pre-made coconut cream and soy cooking creams are also available.

MAKE IT: CASHEW CREAM

Blend ¼ cup soaked or boiled (for 20 minutes) cashews with ½ to 1 cup of water, depending on how much you need and how thick you want it. I use a Vitamix–it is one of the best tools in my kitchen.

MAKE IT: COCONUT CREAM

Refrigerate a can of whole fat coconut milk for 1 hour, then scoop out the solid part of the can to get the cream!

These treats are so nostalgic for me. The funfetti variety is classic but you can get creative and make these into whatever you want!

VEGAN DUNK’AROOS

Cookies

1 cup ½ tsp ½ tsp ¼ tsp ¼ tsp ¼ cup

¹ / ³ cup 1

½ tsp all purpose flour baking soda baking powder ground cinnamon sea salt vegan butter (I use Melt Organic) light brown sugar vegan egg (I use Bob’s Red Mill) vanilla extract

Icing

¼ cup

¼ cup 1 cup

½ cup

¼ tsp vegan butter (I use Melt Organic) icing sugar funfetti cake batter mix (I use Betty Crocker) vegan coconut yogurt (I use Maison Riviera, Plain) vanilla extract

Directions

Make the icing: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft, then mix in icing sugar and cake batter mixture until smooth. Add in the vanilla and coconut yogurt and stir until mixed. If you want the icing to be a little bit sweeter or thicker then add more icing sugar a little bit at a time. Set aside. Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the vegan butter and sugar together with an electric beater until fluffy. Add in the vegan egg and vanilla and stir until mixed. Slowly add the flour to the butter mixture until the dough is formed. Try not to overmix. Form a flat disk of dough and wrap it in some reusable plastic wrap (I used Abeego beeswax wraps) or in parchment paper secured with an elastic. Set in fridge to chill for 20 minutes to an hour. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out as thin as possible (about ¹ / 8 inch thick). Using a small cookie cutter, punch out shapes and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. This next step isn’t mandatory but if you have an intricate shape or you want the cookies to hold their form, then place them in the fridge for 20 minutes to an hour before baking. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake the cookies for 5–8 minutes or until the edges start to get golden brown. Always start with the lowest recommended time and check frequently each minute after that. Remove from baking sheet and transfer to a cooling rack so they can get crispy.