How to make almost any baked good vegan

I love whipping up vegan cakes, cookies, breads, and more: I know it’s lower-impact on the environment, (a little bit!) better for my health, and always delicious. But while reading a recent New York Times article, I was reminded that lots of people are intimidated—or just plain turned off—by baking sans dairy and eggs. Some folks think the recipes will require difficult or inconvenient substitutions, or that the final product’s taste or texture will be off. Though it’s certainly true that not all conventional sweets can easily be made vegan (hello, meringues!), there are plenty that can.

The next time you pull out the measuring cups and mixing bowls, keep the eggs and butter in the fridge—and try veganizing your recipe with these easy tips.

For the eggs

• Pureed fruit. 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce per egg is an all-purpose favorite, since it’s flavor is undetectable in most baked goods. The same amount of mashed banana works, too, but you might taste it in the final product (which, depending on what you’re making, could be a good thing!). If you’re baking something chocolate-y, try plum puree (yes, from a baby food jar!) to enhance the flavor. For each quarter-cup of pureed fruit, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.
• Silken tofu. Like eggs, silken tofu lends binding protein to a batter or dough. It’s great because, alone, it has no taste (making it a good savory binder as well, like in homemade veggie burgers), but maybe less convenient since not everyone always has the stuff on hand. Use 1/4 cup of pureed silken tofu per egg.
• Flax eggs. When blended with water, ground flax seeds form a sort of sticky goo that’s similar to beaten eggs. Plus, flax adds an extra dose of nutty fiber and omega-3s. For each egg you want to replace, blend or vigorously whisk 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 2 tablespoons warm water.

For the butter

• Non-hydrogenated margarine. Not your grandma’s margarine (or “oleo”, as mine likes to call it), the new dairy-free, buttery spreads are an all-natural blend of trans-fat free vegetable oils. I’m a dedicated fan of Earth Balance buttery sticks, which are easier to measure than tub spreads. Use it measure-for-measure when substituting for butter.
• Canola oil. It’s got a neutral flavor that works well with anything. Since it has a different composition than butter, though (oil is pure fat, while butter has some water), you’ll want to compensate by decreasing the oil slightly. Recipes that call for 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter can instead use 1/3 cup canola oil.
• Coconut butter or oil. The high saturated fat content of coconut butter yields baked goods with a rich texture similar to ones made with butter. A slight coconut-y flavor tends to come through, which depending on what you’re baking, may or may not work. Since coconut butter is actually a solidified oil, measure as you would a regular oil.

For the milk

• Soy, almond, or rice milk. All of these nondairy milks work equally well, so which one you use depends on your family’s preferences. Use measure-for-measure with cow’s milk.
• Soy, almond, or rice milk with vinegar. Add a teaspoon of vinegar for each cup of nondairy milk and let sit for 5 minutes to mimic buttermilk.
• Coconut milk. Cup for cup, the full-fat stuff does an excellent job of standing in for cream.

Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

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