Vegan Cooking Tips for Beginners (Page 2)

soaking almonds

Common Vegan Substitutions

Whether you’re pouring cereal, fixing coffee, or getting ready to bake, it’s handy to know some common substitutions for animal ingredients.

Dairy Substitutes

There are lots of tasty milk alternatives out there, and I encourage you to try different ones to get a taste for what you like. Vegan milks can even vary from brand to brand, so if you hate hemp milk the first time you try it, for example, don’t rule it out completely until you’ve tried a couple of different brands. You can even make your own nut or oat milks at home, if you’re so inclined!

For baking purposes, there are a couple of other milk substitutions that are handy to know:

Buttermilk – 1c vegan milk + 1t apple cider vinegar and let it curdle for a few minutes before adding to your recipe.
Condensed Milk – blend 1/4c silken tofu with 2T each vegan milk and sugar

Cheese is much trickier, and I don’t recommend vegan cheese for new vegans. If you’re having intense cheese cravings, sliced avocado can sometimes quell those cheesy desires. It’s got a similar creamy mouth feel and satisfying fat content.

If a recipe calls for butter, you have a couple of options. For general cooking, like frying or making mashed potatoes, you can substitute extra virgin olive oil or other veggie oil. In baking and for spreading, try coconut oil or a non-hydrogenated margarine like Earth Balance.

>>Next: Easy egg substitutes

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by t-dubisme

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Brandon F.

12:11PM PDT on May 1, 2013

I agree with Genoveva. It really isn't very hard to adjust. Our taste buds have been trained to enjoy meat, butter, eggs, etc. I have found that the longer I go without it, the less I think about it. I can honestly say that I no longer miss anything about animal-based foods. It does take a little time, but I want everyone to know that they can kick the meat. One thing that stumped me was knowing what to buy. I thought I'd be confined to corn, tomatoes, onion, green beans, and potatoes, lol. I had no idea how many foods I had been missing out on. My dishes now are more colorful, flavorful, and nutritional than ever before. Here's a helpful list to get you started:
http://www.forkstofeet.com/2013/05/vegan-diet-foods.html
Now, i just grab whatever and make my meals on the fly. Thanks for the tips Becky. It's people like you that make the transition much easier.

May 1
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Tim C.

3:45PM PDT on Mar 20, 2013

tks

March 20
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Julie C.

3:38PM PDT on Mar 20, 2013

Fantastic starting-out tips here. As Shalvah says, when a culture's food traditions base themselves upon "meat and potatoes" or "meat and 3 veg" (as it is here), it's tricky turning it around. Just today, in Australia, I heard the question: "What is our national dish?". Answers by TV people included Roast Lamb, and Pie Floater (meat pie on top of pea soup - which, interestingly, I have never eaten!). I, personally, have had no difficulty excluding meat as such; my difficulties were with the egg and milk parts... I've now got there, but still working through it...never having been particularly food-oriented.

Sonia Q.

3:35PM PST on Dec 4, 2012

Signed the pettition

December 4
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Genoveva M.

8:15PM PST on Nov 29, 2012

I am vegan and I know for a fact is not difficult to eat this way, and the more you cook vegan recipes, the more you learn, the more you like them, also you'll find it repulsive to eat recipes animal based as a final an morally right conclusion.
Love this article thanks you!