Easy Substitutions for Non-Vegan Ingredients

Dairy can be easily substituted with soy/rice dairy alternatives.

• Cheese: Replace most cheddar, American, and parmesan cheeses with soy/rice cheese alternative products. Replace cottage cheese or ricotta cheese with crumbled tofu in lasagne and other dishes. Tip: Most vegan cheeses don't melt. For melting cheese, try Vegan Gourmet™ brand of melting cheese alternatives. It tastes great and melts!

• Buttermilk: To replace buttermilk, simply mix 1 tablespoon white vinegar into 1 cup plain soy milk or rice milk.

• Milk: Replace dairy milk with an equal amount of plain soy milk or rice milk. For a change of pace (and flavor), try using nut milk in recipes that don't need to be boiled intensely.

• Sour cream: To replace sour cream in a recipe, try using a vegan sour cream product.

• Yogurt: To replace yogurt in a recipe, try using a cultured soy product.

It's not hard to substitute for eggs in most non-vegan recipes. The substitute used depends on the recipe it's being used in, the kind of flavor you want to add (or not add), and which ingredients you have on hand:

• Agar powder: Use with recipes that call for egg whites. For each egg white, dissolve 1 tbsp plain agar powder in 1 tbsp water. Whip, chill and whip again.

• Applesauce: Like banana, applesauce is great for sweeter baked recipes, such as muffins, brownies, and cake. For each egg, substitute 1/3 cup applesauce.

• Banana: Wonderful with desserts or sweet items like pancakes, and muffins. For each egg, substitute 1/2 small banana, mashed.

• Ener-G^® Egg Replacer: Ener-G^® is a name brand of a vegan egg substitute (sold by the box). It's made from potato starch, tapioca flour, and vegan leaveners. You can find it at natural/health food stores. One whole egg = 1 tsp Ener-G^® powder + 2 tbsp water.

• Flax seed: Great for pankcakes, breads, and other baking. Use 1 tbsp ground flax seed simmered in 2 – 3 tbsp water. Tip: Adding ground flax seeds to any recipe add Omega-3's to the recipe! You can buy ground flax seeds in the health section of most grocery stores.

• Mashed potatoes / bread crumbs: For veggie loaves or burgers, used mashed potatoes, fine bread crumbs, cooked rice or oatmeal, or tomato paste to bind ingredients.

• Pumpkin: For baked goods, you can replace each whole egg with 1/3 cup of cooked pumpkin. Great for muffins that have a hint of pumpkin flavor to them.
  

• Soda Pop: A regular-sized (12 oz.) can of soda pop can be used as a substitution for 3 eggs in your baking recipes. Additionally, one regular-sized (12 oz.) can of soda pop can be substituted for the oil/egg combo required by most boxed cake mixes. (See our Soda Pop Cake entry on the Recipes page for more information.)
  
  

• Tofu: Tofu is great for egg substitutions in recipes that call for a lot of egg (like quiches, puddings, chocolate pies, etc.). To substitute for only one egg in a recipe, whip or blend 1/4 cup soft tofu and add to your cooking. For baked goods, you can replace each egg with 2 tablespoons (1 oz.) of soft tofu. Diced or mashed tofu can replace chopped hard-boiled eggs in some salad and sandwich recipes. Scrambled tofu makes a delicious alternative to scrambled eggs.

Check out our Vegan Alternatives Product Guide for excellent vegan butters.

For substitutes found around the house, try these:

• Flax oil: Use it as a topping for potatoes, rice, popcorn, etc. Note: DO NOT cook with this!

• Nut butter: Can be made from almonds, cashews, or other butters. Use the same amount you would for butter.

• Applesauce: Use for sweet baking only. Use the same amount you would for butter. Especially yummy in brownies! For muffins, etc., replace up to 3/4 of the butter with applesauce, using vegan butter for the rest.

Substitute with Not Honey™ Rice Nectar for dipping.

For baking, try using Not Honey™ Rice Nectar, rice syrup, mild-flavored molasses, or maple syrup. Use amounts equal to honey. Tip: These alternatives add numerous vitamins and minerals to the recipe!