Do you need eggs, milk and butter for baking? Not necessarily. We will show you which vegan alternatives are best suited for further processing. This means you can safely avoid using animal products when baking.
Baking without animal products – is that a good idea? After all, a well-known children’s song from 1840 already taught us which ingredients are essential for a successful cake: Bake, bake cake, the baker has called, whoever wants to bake a good cake must have seven things: eggs and lard… stop – here it’s already starting.
In addition to eggs and lard, the popular children’s song calls for milk. And how should you replace butter? Finally, it ensures a creamy and soft consistency, holds the mixture and makes it smooth. Here you can find out which vegan alternatives can replace eggs, butter, milk and the like.
2.6 million Germans eat a vegan diet
People’s perception and consciousness have changed fundamentally in recent years. Living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is no longer a niche phenomenon and is becoming more and more socially accepted. A current Statista graphic based on a survey by the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy (IfD) shows that around 41 percent more people followed a vegan diet in 2020 than in 2016. A total of 2.6 million people eat a vegan diet in Germany vegan.
While vegetarianism refers to a meat-free diet, the term veganism includes abstinence from all animal products (including milk and eggs). Reasons and motives for following a vegan diet are varied and very individual. In addition to ecologically sustainable aspects in times of climate change, aspects such as general health awareness, ethics and, to a large extent, support for species-appropriate animal husbandry or general animal protection play a key role.
This is how vegan baking works
Interest in vegetarian and vegan products is constantly growing. Many people now often and happily resort to alternatives. They enjoy integrating more plant-based products into their diet.
Important in the mission of “vegan baking”: willingness to experiment and be open to new things. Anyone who is open-minded and gets involved with the new baking ingredients will be rewarded with vegan delicacies.
How can eggs be replaced?
Let’s start with the supreme discipline: the vegan egg substitute. You can now buy vegan egg replacer as a powder in well-stocked organic stores and supermarkets. The powder usually consists of various flours such as sweet lupine flour, locust bean gum, corn flour and various vegetable proteins such as linseed or sunflower protein and is simply mixed with a little water and further processed. In addition to the purchased version, egg substitutes can also be easily made yourself.
To do this, mix two tablespoons for one egg Potato or corn starch with three tablespoons of water. The tasteless binder not only goes well with vegan cakes, but can also be used in savory pastries.
Also Flax or chia seeds can replace eggs. One tablespoon of the seeds is mixed with three tablespoons of water. The resulting mass has optimal binding quality and is even suitable for making very sticky dough, for example for cookies.
Aquafaba, the soaking liquid from chickpeas and beans can also be used excellently instead of eggs. For one egg you need about three teaspoons of aquafaba. When whipped, aquafaba can also be used as a substitute for egg whites. To do this, mix 100 milliliters of the liquid with half a teaspoon of cream of tartar and a splash of lemon juice until a stiff, egg white-like mass is formed.
Eggs are also easy to cook fruit puree substitute. The disadvantage here is that you can clearly taste the flavor of each fruit. However, in some baked goods the alternatives give a delicious aroma and thus contribute to the taste. For example, in a moist sponge cake, an egg can be replaced with half a mashed ripe banana. The banana doesn’t bind the dough, but it does make it much fluffier and moister. Applesauce is also ideal for juicy vegan cakes and muffins and makes the dough fluffier.
Airy cakes can be made with Vinegar and baking soda tie. One egg is replaced with a tablespoon each of vinegar and baking soda. Don’t worry, the taste disappears completely when baking.
Silken tofu consists of the same ingredients as natural tofu – soy, water and coagulants. The difference, however, is the higher liquid content, which makes the silken tofu so creamy. 75 grams of silken tofu replaces one egg. The moist consistency and neutral taste make it the perfect egg substitute in, for example, mousse au chocolat.
Plant-based milk alternatives
There are now milk alternatives like sand by the sea. You can find a wide variety of plant-based drinks in almost every supermarket, discount store and even drugstore. From soy milk to almond or hazelnut milk to oat milk – there is almost nothing that doesn’t exist. Plant-based milk alternatives based on peas or lupins are also becoming increasingly popular and impress with their incomparable creaminess. Cow’s milk can usually be easily replaced one-to-one with any plant-based drink. Nut or caramel pastries, for example, give almond or hazelnut milk a great taste and sweetness. Soy milk, on the other hand, makes the dough light and juicy and, like all plant-based drinks, ensures that it never becomes dry.
Vegetable cream
Vegetable cream substitutes can also be found in most supermarkets. Based on oats, soy or rice, the products are not only ideal for cooking, but are also a reliable substitute for cream when baking. Alternatively, you can easily make vegan cream yourself. For example from Coconut milk. To do this, remove the thick white coconut portion of a well-chilled can of high-fat coconut milk and immediately stir until stiff with a mixer.
For whipped cream, you can also mix whipped soy cuisine with a packet of cream stiffener and a pinch of salt with a hand mixer until the vegan cream is stiff. One advantage: Unlike cream made from cow’s milk, soy whipped cream cannot turn into butter.
Yoghurt and curd substitute
There are now numerous vegan yoghurt and quark alternatives on supermarket shelves. The alternatives range from the well-known soy yoghurt, to products based on almonds, coconut or oats, to yoghurt or quark made from lupins. You can also easily make vegan yogurt yourself. You can find out how this works here.
Instead of butter
The easiest substitute for butter is to use margarine. Make sure that it is really purely plant-based and does not contain any additives such as whey, fish oil or E 471, an additive made from animal fats.
Butter can also pass through easily oil be replaced. 75 to 80 milliliters of oil, for example rapeseed or sunflower oil, replace 100 grams of butter or margarine. Nut butter can replace butter in the same proportion. Important: The inherent taste of peanut, hazelnut or cashew butter remains in the pastry. Almond butter is the most tasteless option.
If you prefer something lighter, you can replace 100 grams of butter with a mixture of 120 oat yogurt and a tablespoon of semolina.
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gelatin
We don’t just find gelatine in gummy bears, it is also a popular baking ingredient: whether for berry cakes, fruit tarts or fruity fillings – the gelling agent ensures stability. However, because gelatin is made from animal connective tissue, it is not vegan.
Agar Agar is a plant-based gelling agent made from dried seaweed. As a powder, it is heated or soaked in water before being used in baked goods. It is also tasteless and also contains minerals and fiber. Important: The end result is usually a little firmer than the result with gelatine.
Carrageenan is another gelatin substitute. It consists of red algae and is used primarily as a thickener in the food and cosmetics industries. It remains slightly more liquid than gelatin and is therefore more suitable for jellies or light creams.
Guar gum also belongs to the category of thickeners. It is obtained from the seeds of the guar plant. It binds cold and warm foods and is therefore particularly suitable for preparing ice cream, jams or creamy dishes. Conventional thickeners such as Starch from potatoes or corn are also used in vegan cuisine. They can be heated and then used as a binding agent in, for example, cakes or sauces.
Also provides pectin a vegan alternative to gelatine. It is obtained from the cell walls of apple residues or lemons, is therefore rich in fiber and is particularly suitable for making jam, as it gels particularly well with sugar and lemon juice.
Sources: Statista
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