How To Make Any Recipe Vegan

Plant-based everything is on the rise, but if you’re new to a meat-free or vegan lifestyle, adjusting can be difficult. Sure, there are plenty of alternatives to animal-based products at health food stores, but hanging onto your favorite (not vegan) recipes, or just whipping up the latest Instagram home cooking trend can create a challenge. Luckily, tried-and-true vegan chefs shared their easiest tips for how to make any recipe vegan, with easy swaps and ingredient hacks that may just make that non-vegan recipe even tastier. And healthier, of course.

“The most important part of making recipes vegan-friendly is to find ingredients that are comparable in texture and flavors,” says Anna Rider, recipe developer and chef at GarlicDelight.com. “For example, if you’re getting rid of animal-based fat, like butter and cream, add coconut cream, olive oil, and other fats back so the flavor is balanced,” she says. “If you’re removing the texture of meat or animal-based foods, such as the texture of whipped cream or the mouth feel of meat, make sure you’re substituting with tofu, whipped coconut cream, or mushrooms to provide a similar texture that your brain expects.” 

Below are common non-vegan ingredients and easy swaps to use plant-based alternatives: 

Ingredients To Swap For Eggs

Vegetarian food blogger Sapana Chandra from Real + Vibrant and author of vegan cookbook Plant Power Bowls recommends useing a flax egg instead of raw egg in a recipe. “Simply mix one tablespoon ground flaxseed meal with three tablespoons of water. Let it sit for about fifteen minutes before using,” she instructs. Alternatively, use a chia egg mix, made from 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water, soaked for fifteen minutes, also works.

For baking, Rider also recommends substituting silken tofu for eggs. Replace each egg with 1/4 cup of pureed silken tofu. “The baked goods will not brown as much but they will be moist,” Rider says. “If you want a browner color, you can replace some of the white sugar with brown sugar.” You can also use replace an egg with 1/4 cup of mashed bananas. 

For scrambled eggs, substitute regular tofu, the kind that that comes in water in a plastic tub. “You need to press the tofu to remove the water,” Rider says. “Then crumble the tofu into a frying pan and fry it over medium heat to cook off the excess moisture.” Once the tofu is cooked, you can create a veggie scramble with ingredients like chopped bell peppers, zucchini and mushrooms.

For egg whites, Pastry Chef Danielle Marelli of Travelle at The Langham Chicago, will also use aquafaba, the water from a can of chickpeas. “Aquafaba can be used in many ways for baked goods. It’s a great substitute for egg whites, because it whips just like egg whites do and can be used to make meringues, macaron, light and airy sponges,” she says. 

Ingredients To Swap For Butter

If you’re cooking, Rider recommends replacing butter with vegetable oil (such as canola oil, peanut oil, and coconut oil), particularly if the butter is used for frying or for preventing food sticking to the pan. If butter is called for as flavoring, like in salads and soups, substitute butter with olive oil and tahini, which adds richness. On sandwiches, you can also substitute spreadable butter with nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, and sunflower butter. 

Ingredients To Swap For Heavy Cream

While alternative milk options in varieties ranging from nut to oat are commonplace, plant-based heavy whipping cream can be more daunting. For whipped cream on drinks Rider suggests whipping coconut cream as a vegan substitute. “Make sure to buy coconut cream and not coconut milk as only coconut cream will have enough fat to whip up,” she says. For caking, consider using pureed silken tofu, coconut milk or soy milk as substitute for cream. 

And for savory dishes, skip the white stuff all together for more flavorful alternatives. “Puree caramelized onions and roasted cauliflower to produce a creamy and full-flavored vegan cream that you can add to soups, mac and Cheese, and other casserole dishes,” Rider says. 

Ingredients To Swap For Cheese

While plenty of vegan, plant-based cheeses are now supermarket staples, making your own cheese substitute is simple.

“One of the easiest ways to make any dish vegan without sacrificing taste is by taking a look at the toppings and garnishes and subbing shredded cheese for vegan cheese couldn’t be easier,” says Linh Aven, Executive Chef at fast casual chain B.GOOD. All you need is your choice of nut —almonds, cashews or macadamias all work — plus nutritional yeast, salt and garlic powder. Pulse the ingredients in a blender or food processor until they’re quite small, and use them to top everything from pasta to soups. “The nuts add creaminess and the nutritional yeast provides a cheesy flavor,” Aven says. 

Ingredients To Swap For Meat

Make that meat-based recipe vegan with a few tweaks.

For chicken, consider extra-firm tofu. “It’s a perfect substitute for meat because it provides high protein content and a dense texture that makes you feel satisfied as you chew,” Rider says. Press and mariate your extra-firm tofu to optimize flavor, and then grill, bake, saute, or fry it. Pe-marinated and flavored tofus are also sold at supermarkets, and can be cooked with the same ease as chicken breasts.

For red meat, focus on the taste that may be lacking. “Meat brings a lot of umami flavors to a dish because it is packed with glutamates and glutamic acid,” Rider says. “You can find umami-rich, plant-based foods that provide the same savory and delicious flavors that keep you eating more.” Umami-rich vegan ingredients include: ripe tomatoes, tomato paste, ketchup, miso paste, soy sauce, yeast-extracts (such as marmite, vegemite, nutritional yeast), Shiitake mushrooms, seaweed (such as kombu and kelp) and rice vinegar (like mirin).

As a quick vegan ground beef substitute, Raechel Barfield, chef and recipe developer for Raw Jūce, uses roasted mushrooms blended with nuts, seeds and beans, which also have protein. “It’s the spices that drive the flavor with sausages and ground beef, so get creative with spice blends,” she says. “Smoked paprika, ground cumin, curries, harissa and piri piri flavors are fun to work with.” Brown or green lentils also work as ground beef in most recipes.

For bacon, Aven loves to use toasted coconut flakes, which can be made in about five minutes. “Toss the coconut flakes with black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder and soy sauce and toast in a skillet on medium heat until dark brown, but not burnt.” Wake up and smell the plant-based possibilities!