Swappetite
Vegan substitutes: eggs, butter, milk and more
What to use instead of each animal ingredient, how much of it, and what changes in the recipe.
There is no universal substitute: it depends on what the ingredient does in that recipe. An egg can bind, leaven or add moisture, and each job needs something different. The table has the easiest option for each one; the details are below.
| Ingredient | Easiest swap | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | Flax egg | 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 of water per egg |
| Butter | Vegan butter block | The same amount |
| Milk | Soy milk | The same amount |
| Cream | Plant-based cooking cream | The same amount |
| Yogurt | Plain soy yogurt | The same amount |
| Cheese | Melting vegan cheese | The same amount |
| Honey | Agave syrup | The same amount, or a little less |
| Gelatin | Agar-agar powder | 2 g per 250 ml of liquid, boiled for 2 minutes |
Eggs
Before you choose, think about what the egg does in the recipe. If it has one or two, almost any option works. If it has four or more, like a custard or a meringue, use the specific option or look for a recipe that is vegan to begin with.
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To bind (burgers, meatballs, cookies)
Flax egg: 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water per egg. Leave it for 10 minutes, until it thickens. Ground chia works the same way.
It tastes slightly nutty and leaves dark specks; in pale doughs, golden flaxseed looks better.
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For moisture (cakes, muffins, brownies)
60 g of unsweetened applesauce or ¼ of a very ripe mashed banana (about 60 g) per egg.
The crumb gets denser: add ¼ teaspoon of baking powder per egg. You will taste the banana.
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To leaven
1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice per egg, stirred into the batter at the end.
It starts bubbling as soon as they meet: get the batter into the oven right away.
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To whip (meringue, mousse)
Aquafaba, the cooking liquid of chickpeas (the liquid from a can works): 3 tablespoons per whole egg or 2 per egg white.
It takes longer than egg whites: whip with an electric mixer for 5 to 10 minutes with a few drops of lemon juice, and add the sugar little by little once it holds peaks.
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For an omelette or tortilla
Chickpea flour: about 3 tablespoons with 3 or 4 tablespoons of water per egg, whisked until smooth.
It sets more slowly than egg: medium-low heat and a little longer on each side.
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For scrambled eggs
50-60 g of crumbled firm tofu per egg, with a pinch of turmeric for colour.
A pinch of kala namak (black salt) at the end gives it the egg flavour.
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For an egg wash (pies, buns)
Soy milk with a teaspoon of agave syrup or oil.
It shines and browns a little less than egg; the syrup helps it brown.
Butter
Butter is about 80% fat and 16% water. That is why the easiest swap is another solid fat in the same amount; with oil you need to adjust.
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For baking and pastry
Vegan butter or block margarine, in the same amount.
For baking, use the block kind: spreads have more water and make the dough soft. If it is salted and the recipe asked for unsalted, leave out the recipe’s salt.
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With coconut oil
80 g of coconut oil plus 20 ml of soy milk for every 100 g of butter.
Use it the way the recipe says: cold and solid for shortcrust and cookies, melted for cakes. Virgin coconut oil tastes of coconut; refined does not.
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For cakes and muffins, with oil
Mild olive oil or sunflower oil: about 80 g (90 ml) for every 100 g of butter.
It comes out moister, but you can’t cream it with the sugar: mix it in with the liquids. It doesn’t work for puff pastry, butter cookies or buttercream.
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For cooking (sautéing, sauces, mash)
Olive oil, in the same amount or a little less.
In mash and sauces, a splash of soy milk brings back the creaminess.
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For spreading
Vegan butter, mashed avocado or nut butter.
If you run out of the vegan version: What to use instead of vegan butter · What to use instead of coconut oil
Recipes to try it
Milk
Milk swaps for plant milk in the same amount, but they don’t all behave the same. For savoury dishes, always unsweetened.
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For baking and white sauce
Soy milk, in the same amount.
It has the most protein and is the closest in the oven: it browns and binds better than the others.
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For coffee, creams and custards
Oat milk, in the same amount.
It is the creamiest. “Barista” versions foam.
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For desserts
Almond milk or coconut milk from a carton, in the same amount.
They are lighter and have their own flavour: best where that flavour fits.
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If you only have canned coconut milk
Half canned coconut milk, half water.
The canned kind has much more fat than the carton kind: undiluted, the dish turns out very heavy.
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For buttermilk
240 ml (1 cup) of soy milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Wait 5-10 minutes, until it curdles.
Soy milk curdles better than other plant milks.
If you run out of the vegan version: What to use instead of soy milk · What to use instead of almond milk · What to use instead of coconut milk
Recipes to try it
Cream
Cooking cream and whipping cream are different things, and each has its own substitute.
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For cooking (sauces, soups, pasta)
Plant-based cooking cream, made from soy, oats or coconut, in the same amount.
If it boils for long or meets a lot of acid it can split: add it at the end, over low heat.
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Homemade, with cashews
100 g of cashews soaked for 4 hours (or 15 minutes in boiling water), blended with 150 ml of water until smooth.
It thickens as it heats: if it gets too thick, add water.
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For curries and vegetable soups
Canned coconut milk, in the same amount.
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For whipping
Plant-based whipping cream, or the solid part of a can of full-fat coconut milk (not light) after a night in the fridge.
Keep everything very cold, including the bowl and whisk. With coconut, whip only the solid part with icing sugar; save the liquid for a smoothie or a curry.
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Sour cream or crème fraîche
Unsweetened plain soy yogurt, or cashew cream with a few drops of lemon juice.
If you run out of the vegan version: What to use instead of coconut milk
Recipes to try it
Yogurt
Plant yogurt swaps in the same amount. What you need to watch is the sugar and the flavour.
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For cakes and baking
Plain soy yogurt, in the same amount.
If the recipe asked for plain yogurt, choose an unsweetened one.
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For sauces (tzatziki, raita, dressings)
Plain unsweetened soy or coconut yogurt.
Coconut yogurt is richer and tastes of coconut; soy is more neutral.
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Greek yogurt
Greek-style plant yogurt, or soy yogurt strained for 2-3 hours in a sieve lined with a cloth.
Cheese
No vegan cheese does everything cheese does: choose by what you need it for.
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For melting and gratins (pizza, lasagne)
Melting vegan cheese, grated or sliced, in the same amount.
The ones made with starch (tapioca or potato) are the ones that melt and stretch; nut-based ones brown but barely melt.
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Grated parmesan
Homemade vegan parmesan: 50 g of cashews or almonds, 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and ½ teaspoon of salt, blitzed until it looks like sand.
It keeps for weeks in a jar in the fridge. Nutritional yeast is not baker’s yeast or baking powder: it doesn’t ferment or make anything rise.
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Cheese sauce (mac and cheese, nachos)
White sauce made with soy milk, or cashew cream, with 2-3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast and a teaspoon of mustard.
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Fresh cheese, ricotta or feta
Crumbled firm tofu with lemon juice, salt and olive oil, or vegan feta.
For homemade feta, leave diced tofu overnight in the fridge with lemon juice, salt, oregano and oil.
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Cream cheese (cheesecake, spreading)
Vegan cream cheese, or thick cashew cream (made with less water) with lemon juice and salt.
In baked cheesecakes, 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch help it set.
If you run out of the vegan version: What to use instead of nutritional yeast · What to use instead of vegan feta
Recipes to try it
Honey
Any plant syrup does honey’s job: it sweetens, adds moisture and helps browning.
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In general
Agave, maple, rice or date syrup, in the same amount.
Agave is a little sweeter: you can use a bit less. Like honey, they all brown fast in the oven: keep an eye on the last few minutes.
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To bind (granola, bars)
Rice or date syrup, which are thicker.
Gelatin
The substitute is agar-agar, which comes from seaweed. It doesn’t go in the same amount as gelatin and is used differently: it has to be boiled.
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How much
Agar-agar powder: about 2 g (a level teaspoon) per 250 ml of liquid for a firm set, and half that for a soft texture like panna cotta.
Brands vary: check the packet. Agar flakes need about three times as much as the powder.
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How to use it
Dissolve it in the cold liquid and boil it for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.
It sets as it cools, at room temperature and within minutes: pour it into the moulds straight away. If it hasn’t set well, you can boil it again with a little more agar.
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With fruit
Fresh pineapple and kiwi, which stop gelatin from setting, don’t affect agar.
Very acidic juices, like lemon, do weaken it: add a little more agar.
Missing a plant-based ingredient? In Substitutions you can see what to use instead of each one our recipes use.
In the app, tap “Swap” next to an ingredient: the recipe and its nutrition facts are recalculated with the alternative