Vegan baking: simple substitutions

November 30, 2009

It's almost surprising how many vegan-friendly dessert recipes are found in vintage cookbooks; eggs and dairy were expensive and scarce during the Great Depression and World War II, so bakers made do without them. One example of 1930's thrift and ingenuity is wacky cake, a spongy chocolate confection often topped with powdered sugar or a simple icing.

This is not the case today. However, you don't necessarily need a vegan cookbook to bake vegan; most recipes calling for eggs, milk or butter are easily veganized with a few simple substitutions. Here are a few from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's bestseller Vegan with a Vengeance.

One egg is equal to:

1 tablespoon flaxseeds, ground, mixed with 3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup silken tofu, blended
1 tablespoons egg replacer (such as Ener-G or Bob's Red Mill) mixed with 3 tablespoons water
1/2 banana
1/4 cup soy yogurt

One cup of milk is equal to:

1 cup soy milk, almond milk or rice milk

One cup of buttermilk is equal to:

1 cup soy milk plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice; mix and wait for a few minutes.

One stick (1/2 cup) of butter is equal to:

1 stick (1/2 cup) non-hydrogenated margarine (such as Earth Balance)
1/3 cup oil

You won't be able to make recipes that rely on eggs for structure, like souffles or macarons (feel free to prove this statement wrong), but you can make truly tasty "I can't believe it's vegan" cookies, cakes, and bars.

Some tasty vegan treats: