5 Essential Vegan Baking Tips
When you bake with non-animal ingredients, you open a world of possibilities! Vegan baking differs from traditional baking, so we compiled these tips. Review these pointers before trying a vegan pastry or dessert. You’ll feel more confident when you start working with plant-based baking chocolate and other common vegan substitutes.
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1. Learn About Baking Substitutes
If you’re interested in vegan baking, there are plenty of animal product substitutes available online and at your grocery store. Do some shopping and discover swaps for everything from honey to dairy milk. As you start to bake with vegan products, you’ll get to know textures and flavors. Some of the best vegan baking replacements include overripe bananas and silken tofu.
A medium-sized overripe banana or one-quarter cup of silken tofu equals one egg. You can also replace chicken eggs with applesauce or avocado. Feel free to use vegan butter like you would animal butter. It’s also possible to swap animal butter for margarine or vegetable shortening. Some recipes will use coconut butter or coconut oil. You may even be able to use mashed banana or sunflower oil.
There are plenty of non-dairy milk varieties, including almond and oat milk. Ask at your local whole foods shop for vegan replacements for cream and yogurt. If your recipe calls for chocolate, be sure you’re using vegan chocolates. Some dark chocolate still has animal products like whey or dairy milk.
Read the labels because most vegan bars and baking discs have a special decal. Speaking of sweet stuff, some forms of refined sugar contain the animal product bone char, which is used in the refining process. You can swap it out with raw sugar to stay on your vegan diet.
2. Choose Quality Ingredients
Now that you know a few popular vegan baking substitutes, it’s time to find quality ingredients for your pantry. Check your local whole food stores for the best items. You can also search the Internet for top-rated ingredients and vegan baking products. Once you purchase plant milk or non-dairy butter, it’s time for a taste test.
Try your substitute before you put it in your dish. If you don’t love how it tastes, you can swap it before you make the cake or pastry. Some bakers think certain varieties of plant-based milk are too sweet. Others may have a distinct flavor that won’t fit the recipe. Taste test different dairy substitutes and get to know them.
The same goes for refined sugar substitutes. If you don’t want to use raw organic sugar, you can go with something natural and sweet like maple or agave syrup or molasses. Some baked goods are sweet enough with applesauce or another fruit puree.
When searching for a quality vegan chocolate bar, you should look for plant-based craft chocolate. Ingredients to look for include vegan dark chocolate and oat milk chocolate. Shop with B Corp companies that care about the environment and where they source their chocolate. Awareness of quality ingredients will save you time on your next batch of baked goods.
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3. Find Perfected Recipes
Consider starting your baking journey with trusted recipes. Buy a plant-based cookbook or look for directions on your favorite product site. They’ll teach you about ingredients and help you with standard vegan baking techniques. In addition, fun and delicious recipes for beginners will help your confidence.
Choose a recipe with easy substitutes you have in your kitchen. The dessert may include a tasty and accessible pantry staple like applesauce or an easy-swap ingredient like vegan butter. The more familiar you are with your components, the simpler it will be to bake vegan for the first time.
The more you practice vegan baking, the more natural it will become. When your dessert is successful, you’ll learn which products and approaches helped create a delicious vegan treat. As you gather momentum in the kitchen, you may try to adapt non-vegan recipes with your favorite plant-based and non-dairy ingredients.
4. Take Time to Prepare Ingredients
Vegan baking can take patience and preparation to get it right. For best results, you’ll need to follow instructions to the tee. Take time to get to know new ingredients or products. If you’re new to baking with plant-based ingredients, it may also help to measure everything and set it out before you begin.
Know how to treat your vegan ingredients. Some chocolate bars or baking chocolate bars need to sit until they are at room temperature. Your fruit may need mashing, or your tofu may need chilling before you begin. An excellent example is when using agar flakes. Agar agar makes a perfect gelatin substitute for flan and vegan jelly desserts but requires some pre-soaking.
Baking is a science, so do your research before embarking on an entirely new skill or working with a fresh ingredient. It’ll save you energy and time in the end. Once you learn how to use and prepare a product, you’ll be ready for future recipes.
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5. Practice New Skills
All baking takes practice. Be patient with yourself as you learn to cream non-animal ingredients or fold-in vegan products. The items may have a different consistency or require a separate tool.
You’ll gain confidence in your newfound skills by starting with a small loaf of bread or a half-batch of cookies. Be sure to use straightforward recipes that won’t feel like a waste of time if they don’t taste right. Watch how-to videos if you like to learn by example. Or get social when you bake alongside a friend or family member.
Once you make a delicious single-layer cake or batch of tarts, you’ll have the confidence to try more complicated recipes. You’ll also learn tricks along the way. Experienced traditional bakers may feel like they’re learning a new skill, and that’s the beauty of baking! Your vegan experience will strengthen your ability to bake delicious and diverse desserts.
Baking Delicious Vegan Treats
Baking is a step-by-step adventure that requires the baker to use the right ingredients and follow directions. Vegan baking is perfect for you if you’re up for a rewarding challenge. Follow these tips and you’ll start your new baking journey with confidence. You may find that making vegan treats is easier than you thought!
