6 important tips for the Vegan cook and/or baker

May 27, 2020

Vegan cooking/baking can be difficult, even for the most advanced chef. Sometimes no matter how hard you try the ingredients just do not mix well and you’re left with a dish that tastes terrible. I am sure we’ve all been there. Of course over time you will become more comfortable with vegan substitutions and will even be able to start coming up with your own recipes. The same went for me when I became gluten-free. It took a solid year before I was able to start creating my own recipes that tasted good. So don’t give up! Because eventually, even though it may take time, you will be able to successfully bake and/or cook vegan.

To get you started I wanted to create a list of my favorite vegan cooking and baking hacks that I have picked up along the way as well as include a few of my favorite products.

One last thing I want to mention is, most of the vegan products I eat are from Whole Foods. If you can shop there for these products then definitely do so because they have such a large selection of them which a large variety of different brands offered.

1. Egg Replacements are your best friend

There are a handful of ingredients out there that act as the perfect egg replacement in recipes. Two great alternatives I have come across are flax eggs and egg replacer. Here is a flax egg recipe that I use –Minimalist baker- flax eggs.

Here are three great egg replacer products- Follow your heart (option #1)– this product is in an “egg” design to make it seem more like a real egg.

Option #2- Follow your heart– Egg placer powder to mix yourself

Option #3- Ener G (gluten-free egg replacer) in powder form to mix yourself – this is my favorite brand to use when baking vegan

2. Nutritional yeast

Nutritional yeast is just like cheese but for vegans! It can bring any boring salad, chicken, macaroni or pasta to life in just a few shakes. It’s also way healthier than cheese (vegan or not). This ia also a great alternativeif you’re looking to drop a few pounds all while enjoying cheese. 🙂

Braggs makes a great one – Bragg premium nutritional yeast

3. Use lemons and limes

Using lemons and limes in your cooking is a great way to add flavor! Let’s face it. Sometime your tofu pad Thai or beyond meat patty can be a bit bland, but to quickly remedy this all you need to do is throw a slice or squeeze of lemon or lime to your dish and it can really bring your meal to life. Great party hack!

4. Replace butter with maple syrup, agave, or honey

If a recipe calls for butter, in most cases you can simply switch this out for maple syrup, agave or honey and they do a really great job!

Bonus! Maple syrup and honey are also paleo so if you’re looking to create a vegan cookie or dessert they are wonderful paleo ingredients to use!

Note: Not all recipes will work with these replacements but for most, like in oatmeal raisin cookies, brownies, cakes, and other treats, there is a high likely hood you will be able to make it work.

But, if you have vegan butter on hand, like Earth balance then you can easily replace in equal amounts! They are by far my favoirte brand because of how real the texture and taste is to regular butter!

5. Vegan products are actually pretty good!

The world of vegan food items has come a long way since 2010. In the past 10 years the food industry has made so many advances in vegan food that now most items actually taste pretty good. Some of my favorite brands are linked below. Give them a try then report back to me your thoughts!

All of the products I am linking below I have tried and can truthfully say that they tase very good.

Some of my favorite vegan products are almond milk , vegan breakfast sausage and beyond meat (for hamburgers and other meals).

I also included a list of my favorite vegan brands and my favorite products they sell.

Ben & Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry non-dairy icecream– I am not sure if all the flavors are vegan but I am sure some of them are. You’ll just have to check the ingredients. – my favorite icecream brand of ALL time!

So delicious

Coconut milk yogurt
Coffee creamers
Vegan icecream– one of my favorite products

Follow your heart

Vegenaise 10/10 – my favorite mayo alternative
Vegan cheese
Gluten-free bakery
Sour cream and cream cheese spreads

Earth balance products (all vegan)

Have you tried any of these products? Or do you have a few to add to the list? Comment below!

6. Replace milk with non-dairy in equal measurements

Using almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, oat milk, or other non-dairy milk is a great option to replace for regular milk. You can easily replace out in equal measurments.

For your convenience I am linking my favorite site to use when converting regular milk in recipes to non-dairy. You can find it here. They do a great job.

A few of the vegan recipes my blog offers– the titles do show non-vegan ingredients but I mention alternatives in the post itself.

You can find tons more by visiting the recipes tab above.

I offer so many more vegan recipes and cooking tips. Find these by visiting the recipes tab above and choosing the vegan option.

Are there any tips you use that I did not include? Or a certain vegan product I should know about? Leave a comment below! I would love to know! 🙂

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