When moving to a plant based diet, cooking without foods such as butter, eggs, or cream can seem daunting. However, there are substitutions available and you’ll be surprised at how well they work. Some of these substitutions have been around for ages, perhaps arising out of necessity during economic hardship, while other methods were inspired by cooking methods from other cultures. Although some may seem counter-intuitive, give them a try, you’ll be glad you did.
For substitutions, follow this basic formula: When a recipe calls for ____, use ____ instead.
Meat
Tofu
Mushrooms
Setain (wheat gluten)
Eggplant
Beans
Tempeh
(TVP) textured vegetable protein
Vegetable or nut mixtures
CHICKEN OR BEEF BROTH
Vegetable broth
Vegetable bouillon cubes
BUTTER
Margarine
Coconut oil
Vegetable oil: 1/3 cup oil = one stick of butter (1/2 cup)
BUTTERMILK
Soy milk with acid: Mix 1 cup soy milk with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Then, let the mixture sit until it separates.
CONDENSED MILK
Canned coconut milk
EGGS
In Baking:
For egg whites: Use agar agar powder mixed with water according to the package directions
For whole eggs: 1 ripe mashed banana = 1 egg
For dense baked goods, like brownies and cakes: ¼ cup pureed silken tofu = 1 egg
For Baking In General
1 tablespoon applesauce = 1 egg
1 tablespoon ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons water = 1 egg (combine and let sit for a few minutes before using)
As A Binder:
Mashed potatoes
Bread crumbs (blended)
Tofu (blended)
Cooked rice or oatmeal
Nutritional yeast
Flax meal
Tomato paste
HEAVY CREAM
Canned coconut milk: Put a can of coconut milk in the fridge for 48 hours. Open it up and use just the solidified top layer.
MILK
Soy milk (Recommended for baking because it’s a bit thicker than almond or rice milk)
Almond milk
Rice milk
Oat milk
Coconut milk
Hemp milk
CHEESE
Crumbled tofu (In place of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. (Adding a little miso can give a ‘blue cheese’ flavor))
Cashew cheese
Nutritional yeast
Vegan cream cheese (Available in various flavors and without hydrogenated oils)
MAYONNAISE
Vegan mayonnaise: Available in canola oil, expeller-pressed canola oil, grape seed oil, and organic expeller-pressed soybean varieties
HONEY
Agave syrup
Maple syrup
Golden syrup
Date syrup
SUGAR (without the use of bone char in processing)
Beet sugar
Unbleached sugar
looking forward to a healther me…