Being vegan is a way of life, and it's not only good for us but is great for the planet too.
Yet, sometimes living in a society where non-vegan products are so freely available can be hard, especially when the delicious smells of home baking are wafting in your direction.
The good news is that there are many ways to convert traditional recipes into vegan-friendly ones.
Keep reading to find out more.
Experiment with egg substitutes
One of the first things you can do to make your favourite recipe vegan-friendly is to experiment with egg substitutes like Oggs, Aquafaba and other egg replacements.
However, it's best to be wary of using a 1:1 replacement ratio in your baking as different substitutes behave in a different ways.
Instead, it's a good idea to experiment with small batches using different ratios.
Also, sometimes you will need to use a replacement for only the egg yolk or white, Aquafabia can work well for this with one measure for one white, and two for one yolk.
Choose vegan chocolate
Another way you can convert your favourite recipe so it's suitable for vegans is to switch out from regular chocolate to the vegan variety.
This is because regular chocolate contains dairy products such as buttermilk, milk or cream and so it is not suitable for those on a vegan diet.
Instead, most vegan chocolate is made with cocoa fat, which gives it a creamy texture without the use of animal products. Some even use oat milk too.
You’ll find that there is a wide range of vegan chocolates on the market now including offerings from the big brands like Cadbury.
Although a taste test before you use them in your baking is a good idea.
Find a vegan-friendly cake decorating supplier
Another top tip for vegan-friendly baking is that you find a cake decoration supplier that offers products that are free from animal products.
Indeed, by using such a supplier you can find naturally flavoured icing sugars that are vegan, as well as dairy and gluten-free that will make your baking such as meringues, cakes and macarons taste out of this world without having to compromise your diet or values.
Replace dairy butter
For a long time, vegan baking used to suffer from the lack of dairy butter, yet this is no longer the case.
Indeed, there are two options to consider when it comes to dairy butter replacements that you can use in your baking.
The first is vegetable or sunflower oil, which depending on your recipe can often be used in a 1:1 ratio.
In fact, by using oil in cakes such as sponges you can get a much more moist and fluffy sponge that has a better consistency overall than using dairy butter.
Alternatively, there is now some excellent vegan butter on the market including ones from bigger bands such as Flora.
These are perfect for baking as they taste very rich and buttery but are entirely made from plants. You can even use them to grease your baking tins to ensure your cakes slide out easily after they are cooked.
Let me know your tips for vegan-friendly baking in the comments!
Love Sarah xoxo
