How to bake with vegan ingredients -
A Vegan Baking Substitutes Guide
When you’re new to vegan cooking, the idea of baking without eggs, dairy milk or butter can seem a little overwhelming. You’ll soon find how easy it is to bake with vegan ingredients though! Oftentimes plant-based ingredients can even perform better, plus they’re healthier and kinder.
Here are some easy ways to make vegan desserts and baked goods, such as cakes, muffins, cookies, pastries & more.
How To Make A Flax Egg (Vegan egg substitute)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons water
Mix together & allow to sit for 3-4 minutes, until a gelatinous mixture forms.
This amount replaces 1 egg in baking.
Simply multiply to suit. Use in pancakes, crepes, cakes, biscuits and muffins.
You can also substitute flaxseed with chia seeds to make a chia egg.
Vegan pancakes made with flax eggs, topped with berry + chia seed jam.
How To Make Whipped Aquafaba
(Vegan egg white substitute)
That liquid leftover from a drained can of chickpeas (aka chickpea brine) is the new wonder-kid on the culinary block - because when whipped, this magic liquid becomes the most fabulous substitute for egg white.
Use whipped aquafaba to make chocolate mouse, pavlova & meringue. You can use ⅓ cup of sugar to a can of chickpeas - makes the equivalent of a 2-3 egg meringue.
3 tablespoons of aquafaba is the equivalent of 1 egg white.
Vegan Meringue Kisses, Made With Aquafaba
How To Make Olive Oil Pastry (butter pastry substitute)
This produces a flakier, shorter, better textured pastry than our old butter pastry recipes used to.
We use whole ground flour, ground nuts (almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts), olive oil, juice of a lemon and chilled water. This makes a seriously delicious quiche or pie crust (for both sweet and savoury recipes).
Spinach & mushroom filling on top of a walnut, olive oil pastry base, waiting for its silken tofu and flaxseed topping, to make a very yummy quiche.
Silken Tofu (cream substitute)
Blended with a stick-mixer or a food processor, the very best organic non GM silken tofu is a brilliant addition when you want a creamy sauce for a curry or in a cheesecake or quiche.
We also love to stir it though stir-fry noodles at the end, tossed with peanuts and chilli, to create a creamy finish.
Besan/Chickpea Flour (thickener for sauces)
Swapping chickpea flour for regular white flour in sauces adds protein, but also adds a nutty flavour and a texture which behaves. No more lumpy sauces!
Substitute like for like amount in savoury sauces and gravies.
Coconut Oil (Butter Substitute)
While the jury is still out on the enormous claims of the cure-all effects of this ancient (but now trendy) ingredient, there is no debate about its cooking prowess. Use 3/4 cup virgin/cold-pressed coconut oil + ¼ cup water to replace 1 cup of dairy butter. (Whip it, melt it - it creates yummier, more evenly textured cakes, biscuits, crumbles and slices.)
How To Make Vegan Croissants
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Based on my grandmother’s recipe, these Anzac biscuits have a much higher ratio of oats than most modern versions. As an oat-lover, that’s a very yummy thing!