20 Vegan Substitutes

This post is part of the 7 Days to Getting Back Your Blogging Groove challenge on ProBlogger. 

 

Thinking of going vegan? A vegan diets  avoids all animal products including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey and refined sugar. There are many brand substitutes you can buy, but I think it is even better to make your own substitutes. Here are 20 substitutes you can use in place of non vegan ingredients:

1. Craving a meaty texture? Use seitan for a ground beef flavor and texture.
2. Tempeh can replace bacon. It is made from soybeans and has a meat like texture.
3. If you love tuna, use mashed chickpeas in tuna recipes. Chickpeas are rich in folate and protein.
4. Tofu works well in a number of dishes. Bake tofu in place of meat. Scramble tofu to resemble scrambled eggs. Use crumbled tofu in place of ricotta or cottage cheese in lasagna dishes.
5. Use unsweetened applesauce in place of eggs in baking dishes. Just substitute 1/4 cup for every egg.
6. Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar with 1 teaspoon baking soda for an egg replacement.
7. 2 tablespoons cornstarch combined with 2 tablespoons water work as an egg replacement in baked goods.
8. Use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons water for every egg as another egg replacement. Flaxseeds are high in Omega-3.
9. Mashed bananas also work well as an egg replacement in sweets. Try using 1/4 cup to make one egg. You can also  use blended frozen bananas to get the texture of ice cream.
10. Soymilk is good to use in place of regular milk. Use it to drink or cook with. It can also be used as an egg wash.
11. Rice milk is made for ground rice to get a liquid. You can use in place of milk or in ice cream dishes.
12. Almond milk is great for baking goods and sweets.
13. Craving a cheesy flavor? Use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese in pasta and macaroni dishes. Nutritional yeast is also high in vitamin B12.
14. Coconut oil is good for sweets such as fudge or granola bars. You can also use instead of a butter spread.
15. Olive oil is great as a cooking oil or butter replacement. 
16. Organic or date sugar can replace white sugar, which some vegans avoid because it is refined using bone char.
17. Maple syrup makes a good sweetener replacement for honey. Use in baked goods or to top breakfast foods like pancakes and oatmeal.
18. Agave syrup is a sweeter that is sweeter than sugar and thinner than maple syrup. Use in desserts and teas.
19. Agar flakes can replace gelatin, an animal product used in some desserts to give them a jello like texture. 
20. If a recipe calls for chicken or beef broth, use vegetable broth or water instead.

Let me know your favorite vegan substitutes in the comments. Have you ever tried to go vegan?