One of the biggest challenges to transitioning from a non-vegan diet to a vegan diet is learning how to cook without meat, dairy and eggs. When I first made the switch, the first two weeks were quite difficult. I found myself researching and learning, and sometimes not knowing what I could have to eat. However, it didn’t take long for me to experience how much better I felt on the diet, and more importantly how I was no longer responsible for the suffering of animals and the destruction of the planet which all solidified my resolve to forge ahead.
What was the most important thing for me personally, and what I see others struggle with at first, is learning how to cook and what to make as a vegan. It really isn’t as difficult as you might think. You can make almost all of the recipes you currently make using vegan substitutes.
Meat Substitutes
If you really enjoy meat, you may want to start with imitation meat products in your switch over to veganism. They can be expensive, but there are great options out there, and once you are more comfortable with a vegan diet, you can transition yourself away from the imitation meats if you so desire.
There are many different types of meat substitutes on the market today. The more popular brands include:
Beyond Meat – Beyond Meat’s products are my all time favorite. They make chicken strips that are said to be similar to real chicken. I’ve never had chicken, but my adult son said they are very close to the real thing, and he really likes them. Beyond Meat’s ground beef is personally the best I have had, and I have had other people tell me the same.
Field Roast – Field Roast makes roasts, sausages, brats, hamburger patties, meatloaf and more.
Gardein – Gardein makes chicken products (strips, nuggets, filets, patties, sliders and more), hamburger patties, beefless tips and sirloins, holiday roast, beefless ground and more.
Amy’s – Amy’s makes some of my most favorite hamburger patties. They also make sausages, frozen pizzas, meatloaf and more.
Tofurkey – Tofurkey makes deli slices, sausages, hot dogs and more.
Other meat substitutes can be used such as tempeh or seitan. There are also vegan “butchers” popping up all over the United States.
Tempeh – Tempeh is made from soybeans by a culturing and fermentation process that binds the soybeans into a cake form. Tempeh can be found in cooperatives, Whole Food markets and other natural food stores.
Seitan – Seitan is a wheat gluten and definitely not for those that have a gluten intolerance. If you are okay with wheat, give seitan a try. It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch granules have been removed, leaving the sticky insoluble gluten as an elastic mass. It has a chewy texture similar to meat. One of the many brands of seitan is Upton’s Naturals out of Chicago, IL.
Dairy Substitutes
There are so many wonderful dairy-free alternatives on the market today. Nowadays, you can find milk alternatives such as almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, etc. in almost every grocery store. When shopping for milk alternatives, use caution in buying products that contain carrageenan. Carrageenan has no nutritional value and has been known to cause digestive issues and inflammation. If possible, avoid using carrageenan. There are a lot of dairy-free milks that use carrageenan, but you can find some that don’t use it. Rice Dream brand rice milk does not contain carrageenan and is quite delicious.
If you were a sour cream and cream cheese lover like me, there are many different brands of sour cream and cream cheese on the market today. Look in the dairy section of your local natural foods store or the organic section of your grocery store for dairy-free sour cream and cream cheese options. I make a wonderful cream cheese frosting with Tofutti’s dairy-free cream cheese. Vegan Gourmet and Tofutti both have delicious dairy-free sour cream.
There are many different types of vegan cheeses to choose from, and you can even make your own nut cheeses at home. Although I’ve never tried it, I’ve heard great things about them! My personal favorite cheese is Daiya brand shredded and block cheeses. These melt and stretch just like the dairy cheeses. However, for me the flavor took a little getting used to. I personally cannot eat it plain, but when it is on anything else, and especially melted, it is quite delicious. Daiya can be found at any natural food store. Beware of other brands of cheeses which may include casein. Casein is a protein found in cow’s milk, and is not considered vegan. Read the ingredients label carefully.
Butter or Margarine Spreads
There are also many different options for butters or margarine spreads that are dairy free. My favorite is Earth Balance’s organic buttery spread found at both my local Cub Foods and coop. Earth Balance also comes with baking sticks for your baking needs which work very well!
Mayonnaise
I have tried several brands of dairy-free mayonnaise. However, the only one I absolutely loved even more than “real” mayonnaise is Vegenaise brand mayonnaise. They carry it at my local Cub Foods store, coop and Whole Foods market. There may be other wonderful brands, but now that I have found this one, I have had no desire to try others!
Eggs
Eggs are quite simple to substitute in baking. Simply substitute any of the following for eggs in recipes (for one egg):
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (use coffee grinder or blender) with 3-4 tbsps of water. Mix and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
- 1 tbsp chia seeds with 1/3 cup water. Mix and let sit for 15 minutes.
- 1/2 mashed banana.
- 2 tbsps arrowroot plus 3 tbsps water combined.
- 3 tbsps peanut butter.
- 1 tbsp soy protein powder with 3 tbsps water combined.
- 2 tbsps cornstarch with 3 tbsps water combined.
- 1/4 cup applesauce.
- 2 tbsps baking powder with 2 tbsps water and 1 tbsp oil combined.
- 1/4 cup silken tofu.
- 3 tbsps chickpea flour with 3 tbsps water.
Another substitute would be Ener-G Egg Replacer available at natural food stores, Whole Foods or even on Amazon.
Other egg recipes such as egg salad sandwiches or scrambled eggs can be made using tofu, and I’ve heard great things about them. However, I have not personally tried either yet.
I did make a potato salad without eggs and no-one even noticed we did not include eggs in the potato salad!
Other Substitutes
With regard to cream of soups, I have a wonderful recipe using cauliflower that can be used in place of cream of soups. See Recipes.
If you have any other suggestions that you would like to share, please write to us or comment below so we can include them here. Happy baking!
The Vegan Choice Blog 