Want to be a successful vegan baker? I hope the following tips will help you improve your baking skills. If you have a favourite recipe and it’s not vegan, chances are you can make it vegan. I grew up in household that was always well-stocked with homemade goodies: buttery chocolate chip cookies, banana bread with eggs, full-fat cheesecake, lemon meringue pie...you get the picture. Instead of going without these foods, I veganize them!

My tips below also include ways to healthify your baking. I'm not an advocate of over-processed foods, and I only use vegan margarine or soy-based cream cheese on rare occasions. If you can make a dessert a little more nutritious, why wouldn't you? It’s easy to do by just following a few basic guidelines. Happy baking!

Use quality ingredients
For best results, use good quality, organic and fair trade ingredients when possible.

Use fresh flour, nuts and seeds   
Whole flours, nuts and seeds should be fresh for the best flavour and nutrition. The oils in these foods can go off after being exposed to oxygen for too long. Buy from a reliable store, and smell and taste before using. If keeping them for a while, store them in the fridge or freezer. 

Use whole grain flour
If the recipe calls for white flour, try substituting half of it for whole wheat or spelt flour. For flavour, try adding some buckwheat or cornmeal.

Reduce the sugar and use natural sweeteners
Try using less sugar in your baking. Experiment with using natural sweeteners, such as maple syrup, rice syrup, agave nectar or Sucanat (unrefined cane sugar). If substituting a liquid sweetener for granulated sugar, make sure to reduce the recipe's liquid ingredients (typically water or milk) by about 3.5 ounces (105 ml) per cup. You can read more about baking without sugar here.

Use oil instead of butter or margarine
If a recipe calls for melted butter or margarine, try using a light cooking oil, such as organic sunflower or canola oil, instead. It is much healthier. Coconut oil is also a great substitute; it works a lot like shortening and it adds a unique coconut flavour. For those recipes where oil won't work, I use Earth Balance vegan margarine.

Substitute those eggs
Replacing eggs is probably one of the most challenging aspects of vegan baking. They bind, leaven and give structure to baked goods. Different egg replacers work best in different recipes, so be prepared to do a little experimenting. Options to replace one egg include: 1 tbsp ground flax or chia seeds + 2 tbsp of water; 1/4 cup firm silken tofu; 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer + 2 tbsp water; 1/2 mashed banana; or 1 tsp apple cider vinegar + 1 cup of nondairy milk. You can read more about substituting eggs here.

Say goodbye to cow's milk
Soy milk, almond milk, rice milk and hemp milk all work like regular milk, but keep in mind that some are thinner than others. If you want a thicker consistency, use full-fat soy milk rather than rice milk. Coconut cream or refrigerated coconut milk are the best replacements for whipping cream. For evaporated nondairy milk, bring 2 1/2 cups soy milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the volume is reduced to 1 cup. Cool and refrigerate.

Use agar as a gelatin substitute
Agar, a substance derived from red algae, can be used in place of gelatin. The secret to using agar flakes is to soak them in cool or room-temperature liquid for at least 10 minutes before cooking. This is the same process as letting non-vegan gelatin “bloom.”

Don't let the baking powder get wet too soon  
Once combined with wet ingredients, baking powder starts its magic of producing bubbles, which results in light and fluffy pancakes, muffins and cakes. But there is a limit to how long it works. After you combine the wet ingredients with the dry, get your baked goods in the oven as soon as possible.

Make sure your baking powder is fresh
To test: place a teaspoon in some warm water. It should foam and bubble quite actively if it is fresh. It is best stored in the fridge. 

If you have any baking-related questions, feel free to !