Holiday season is coming ‘atcha fast! I couldn’t be more excited about it. This is my absolute faaavorite time of year [starting with October, obvi]. These four months always seem to fly by, too. Between all the cooking, holiday parties, shopping… the to-do list is endless. Thankfully, I eat that shit up!
Many of you may be gearing up for a ton of holiday baking, myself included. I thought it might be nice to tackle a few basic ingredient swaps for those who are taking their first stab at vegan baking. I promise, you will not even be able to tell the difference between an egg and a flaxseed egg replacer!
The 6 Swaps
1. The Culprit: Eggs
The Kind Option: Oh, eggs. How easy you are to replace when baking! Mwahaha. My favorite substitution for eggs is ground flaxseed. First and foremost, because of the health benefits. Second, it is so easy! Simply mix 1 tbs ground flaxseed with 3 tbs of water. Mix well, and you are done. Another favorite egg replacer is banana. The banana will alter the taste a bit, so if you are nervous about this, I would stick with the flax! If banana is a flavor that will go nicely with your dish, then go BANANAS. lols.
2. The Culprit: Cow’s Milk
The Kind Option: Milk, you are just as easy-sleazy as the eggs. Do you have any idea how many types of nut and plant-based milks there are out there? Almond, soy, coconut, hemp, rice, flax, hazelnut, oat, sunflower… the list goes on, really. This is a great article to help guide you when choosing which type to use in your cooking and baking.
3. The Culprit: Buttermilk
The Kind Option: Don’t possibly think you can recreate over-processed buttermilk? Wrong. Add 1 cup of soy milk + 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. There you have it. “Buttermilk” minus the side of cruelty.
4. The Culprit: Butter/Mayonnaise
The Kind Option: You’d be surprised just how much healthier and tastier your dish will be with mashed avocado instead of butter or mayonnaise. I swear, avocado is a hero in the food world! It is a healthy fat, and it is a healthy sub for butter. Keep in mind, you can also turn to vegan brands such as Earth Balance. Earth Balance has both butter AND mayo, and let me tell you… they are staples in my household.
Oh, and FYI… coconut oil is also a great butter replacement. Honestly… endless options.
5. The Culprit: Honey
The Kind Option: Need to sweeten? Turn to agave nectar or pure maple syrup (none of that Mrs. Buttersworth bullshit). Both are VERY sweet and do the same justice as honey.
6. The Culprit: Whipped Cream
The Kind Option: Oh, oh, oh. I love this! Coconut milk, baby! Grab a can of full-fat coconut milk and toss it in your fridge. Yes, you will need to refrigerate it before using, and there is a bunch of other things to know (but not too many)! Vegan blogger, Angela from Oh She Glows, breaks down this process beautifully.
The best part about all these subs? These are not only vegan swaps, but are just plain healthier in general. Even if you are not vegan, you should still consider the above swaps! This way, we’ll all be ready for a happy, healthy holiday season.
Do you have any other tips to offer? Would love to hear you sound off in the comment section! xx Bianca
This is a great post! You are doing a real service with this one. Thank you. One comment…I ran into a coconut problem with the can you show above (and using the recipe from Oh She Glows). Apparently there is now guar gum in the product–my Whole Foods only had cans with guar gum. The guar gum keeps the cream and liquid from separating. I did read a different post where someone had this problem and used a bit of tapioca flour to bring it together. Anyway, just a heads up…
Ah, thank you for this!! I had no idea that this was an issue… I recently made some but the can had been in the back of my fridge for a while, so it may not have had guar gum. I’ve ever kept tapioca flour on hand, but I guess I will need to now. Thanks for heads up :-D
This post is super helpful! Especially the buttermilk one. I’ve never tried flax as an egg replacer before, but I have used chia and while it works I find it makes things like brownies a bit oily, do you think flax would be better than chia in that respect?
I swear by the flax egg and use it in EVERYTHING basically. You can’t taste it and it really doesn’t affect texture at all. I use it in brownies and cupcakes all the time – I say GO FOR IT!! You won’t look back ;)
Thanks for your sweet comment!
Fantastic – I’m definitely going to try it next time I bake :-)
great post! i haven’t tried the coconut milk swap yet, but the others work very well!
Thank you! I figured now was the perfect time with holiday baking season!! :)
This post is so helpful! I’m not much of a baker but I think I’ll have to give some of this stuff a try. If no other reason than to say, “See?? It’s vegan!” to the non-believers. Thanks!
I’m so glad you find it helpful, lovely! I love doing that to the non-believers… it is pretty satisfying ;) <3
Great post! Have you tried a chia egg yet? I haven’t but I’m really curious.
Thank you, love! I haven’t tried a chia egg yet because I am so in love with flax… maybe I should give it a go, though! I hear good things :)
What a great compilation! We really enjoy coconut nectar as a honey substitute and add flax to almost everything, – black bean patties, oatmeal, baked goods, etc – thanks for sharing such a great resource!
Thanks, guys! I’m glad you find it resourceful – thought that now is the perfect time with a lot of first-time vegans and their holiday baking! xx
Excellent informative post, I will have to try the avocado idea I would never had considered using it that way before.
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