Posted under:
Healthy FoodSUPPLIES
- Vegan egg replacers
- Soy milk or rice milk
- Soy butter
Overview
If you are looking to make healthier versions of your favorite baking recipes, using vegan ingredients is the way to go. Vegan recipes contain no animal byproducts, so you'll need to replace traditional baking ingredients like milk butter, and eggs with substitutes, which are available at most health food stores. You may need to make a little extra effort to find them, but it's worth it--recipes made with vegan ingredients are much better for your health and waistline.
Basic Substitutions
Step 1
Substitute eggs with vegan egg replacements, such as Ener-G Egg Replacer, a powder made from potato starch and tapioca flour. All you need to do is mix in water.
Step 2
Use soy milk or rice milk instead of regular milk. Other non-dairy products, such as coconut or oat milk, can also be used, but they have stronger flavors that may not suit basic recipes as well.
Step 3
Replace regular butter with non-hydrogenated soy butter.
Finding and Using Vegan Ingredients
Step 1
Familiarize yourself with the vegan versions of common baking ingredients and read reviews online to find the most popular brands. Check the "Resources" section for some helpful links.
Step 2
Buy the ingredients at a local health food store. Basic vegan items should be in stock at most stores, but you may need to look around for some things. Supermarkets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's also have vegan ingredients available.
Step 3
Set aside time to experiment, especially if you are substituting ingredients into a recipe that wasn't vegan from the start. The final product may turn out differently than you expect depending on the replacements you use. For example, using vanilla-flavored soy milk instead of the plain flavor can add extra sweetness to an already sweet recipe.
Step 4
Expand your vegan baking experiences by purchasing a vegan cookbook or looking up recipes online. Contrary to popular belief, vegans can enjoy a wide range of foods. There are many comprehensive cookbooks out there--try "The Joy of Vegan Baking" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to get started. See the "Resources" section for some links to vegan recipe websites.
Resources
