Vegan Baking Substitutes, Egg & Dairy Free Desserts

Have Your Vegan Cake and Eat It Too - With Dairy & Egg Substitutes

Why should you give up all your favorite desserts just because you've decided to go vegan, and eliminate eggs & dairy from your diet?

Nor should you be limited to the vegan recipes you find online and in cookbooks.

It's simple and easy to develop your own egg-free and dairy-free versions of almost any dessert, including cookies, cakes, and even custard pies.

Replacing Dairy In Vegetarian and Vegan Desserts

Milk: The best milk substitute for baking is soymilk with almond milk a close second. The reason they work so well is that they have fat, unlike rice milk. Rice milk is great when you are cooking, but using rice milk in baking will result in desserts that are dry and less than rich and satisfying.

1 cup soy or almond milk = 1 cup dairy milk

Buttermilk: Substitute an equal amount of soymilk mixed with lemon juice. Allow the mixture to thicken 5 minutes before using. Or substitute an equal amount of vegan sour cream substitute diluted half and half with water.

1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup soymilk with 2 Tblsp lemon juice allowed to sit 5 minutes

1 cup buttermilk = 1/2 cup vegan sour cream mixed with 1/2 cup water

Sour Cream: Use a vegan sour cream substitute. I’ve had good luck with Sour Supreme, when making things like vegan blueberry sour cream muffins.

1 cup sour cream = 1 cup vegan sour cream

1 Cup sour cream = 1 cup soy yogurt

Butter: Use a vegan butter substitute. My favorite is Earth Balance buttery spread. Because vegan butter substitutes tend to be less solid than dairy butter, make sure you freeze it before you use it in a vegan pie crust, and chill the crust 15 minutes before rolling it and again before baking it. That's if you want a tender, flaky pie crust! Also, unless you can find salt-free vegan butter, it's a good idea to reduce the salt in the recipe by half. Vegetable oil can also replace butter or vegetable spread in most recipes. Use around 25% less oil - 3/4 cup oil to 1 cup butter or veggie spread.

1 cup butter = 1 cup vegan butter = 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Cream: Coconut cream (the thick portion skimmed off the top of whole fat coconut milk) and tofu are non-dairy alternatives. Coconut cream can be used as a straight substitute for dairy cream in your favorite whipped cream recipe. Tofu offers versatility, based upon the type you purchase. Soft tofu will yield a light cream when pureed, while extra-firm tofu will produce your thickest option. For a truly creamy texture, always choose varieties that are labeled as 'Silken.' For pumpkin pies and cheesecakes, the non-silken tofu selections will give your dessert a more traditional texture.

Cheese: Replacing cream cheese and ricotta cheese in vegan baking.

Ricotta Cheese: Substitute an equal quantity of mashed soft or silken tofu blended with a dash of lemon juice.

Cream Cheese: Blend a dash of lemon juice with heavy coconut cream.

Replacing Eggs In Vegetarian and Vegan Desserts

Eggs have two functions in baking: Binding or thickening and leavening (leavening is what makes baked goods light and fluffy.) Identifying their function in a particular recipe will help you decide with how to replace them. Different egg replacers will work best in different recipes. Be prepared to do a little experimenting.

In cookies and muffins, no binding agent is generally needed. In quick breads and cakes both leavening and binding is needed. In custard pies, like pumpkin pie, eggs are mainly for thickening. You won't be able to make really light types of desserts that call for a very large number of eggs, but you will be able to make just about anything else that uses up to 3-4 eggs.

Leavening: For cakes, cookies, muffins, quick breads, etc

Soymilk with lemon: 1 egg = 1/4 cup soymilk + 1 Tblsp lemon

Sour Supreme and baking soda: 1 egg = 1/4 cup Sour Supreme + 1/4 tsp baking soda

Optional: In cakes and quick breads, add 2 Tblsp of cornstarch to the dry ingredients for each egg being replaced. This will bind the ingredients and give a nice soft texture.

Thickening and Binding:

Finely ground flaxseeds whipped with water: 1 egg = 1 Tblsp ground flax seeds mixed with 1/4 cup water

The flaxseeds gel and bind with the other ingredients. Some people find that this works best with a little Ener G Egg replacer mixed in since flax seeds alone have no leavening effect.

Cornstarch and pureed soft tofu: 1 egg = 3 Tblsp pureed tofu + 2 tsp cornstarch (Good for quiches and custard pies.)

Optional: In cakes and quick breads, add 2 Tblsp of cornstarch to the dry ingredients for each egg being replaced. This will bind the ingredients and give a nice soft texture.

Commercial Egg Replacers: Also a good all-purpose egg substitute, but some people find that it leaves a bitter aftertaste.

Fat Free Egg Replacers: 1/4 cup applesauce, pureed banana, squash or pumpkin, will also work as egg replacers for binding. They are low in fat but will also add some flavor, which may or may not be desirable depending on the recipe.

1 egg = 1/4 cup puree

Ready Made Dessert Toppers: Look for Turtle Mountain's Purely Decadent and Soy Delicious lines, available in most supermarkets in North America (even Walmart). For a good non-soy dessert topper, Good Karma's Organic Rice Divine™ can be found at Trader Joe's and other natural food retailers. Whole Soy Co. offers a deliciously creamy, low fat line of soy frozen yogurts. Soyatoo (in spray cans) is a soy based whipped cream substitute. Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss ice creams are rich, calorie laden and taste divine with fruit pie or crisp

Now that you know how to make all your favorite desserts into vegan delights, get baking!

Some Of Our Favorite Vegan Dessert Recipes

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