Try These Vegan Baked-Good Substitutes

Butter, eggs, and milk are staples of baking, but just because you are vegan doesn't mean you are forced into a life without muffins, cookies, pies, and cakes. Banishing dairy from your kitchen means substitutions will be necessary to keep your oven cranking out tasty fresh baked treats.

Click here for the 7 Easy Recipes to Help You Go Vegan slideshow. 

Luckily, swapping out these staples for animal-free products is easier than you might think. From butter to eggs, we have created this list of simple swaps to help you transform any traditional recipe into a vegan treat in no time.

If you prefer to stick with trusted recipes, rather than converting your own, we have recipes like this Vegan Apple Crisp Muffin recipe that uses healthy rolled oats, whole wheat flour, and apple-sauce to keep the muffins moist. If cookies are what you crave, check out this recipe for Vegan Lemon Cookies, which swaps eggs for a mixture of applesauce and baking powder. Finally, you can still enjoy the rich taste of silky, mousse-like frosting with these Vegan Hazelnut Cupcakes. The recipe replaces butter and eggs whites with silken tofu for a creamy mocha-hazelnut filling.

Some vegan swaps are simple. Soy, almond, rice, or coconut milk can all be substituted into recipes with a one-to-one ratio. Butter follows the same rule. You can swap for butter with vegan margarine, coconut oil, or any other "buttery" spread in equal parts. Other ingredients, like buttermilk, eggs, and condensed milk, are a little trickier.

For common swaps to keep your baked goods vegan-approved, check out our simple guide below:

Lighten-Up Your Frosting with a Flaxseed Egg Replacer
To replace one egg, combine one tablespoon ground flaxseed with three tablespoons water. Then, just mix until combined. The final product will look like gelatin.

Bind Together Cookies, Cakes, and More
Replace one egg with two tablespoons cornstarch and two tablespoons water. Mix to combine. The final product will look like gelatin.

Eggless Custard? No Problem
Just swap one egg with a quarter cup of puréed, soft tofu.

Tangy Buttermilk Without the Dairy

Swap one cup of buttermilk with one cup of unsweetened soy milk combined with two tablespoons of lemon juice.

Non-Dairy Sweetened Condensed Milk is a Cinch
Just heat two and a half cups of soy milk in a pan. While the soy milk is heating, melt six tablespoons of vegan margarine in a pan, and then add half a cup of sugar to the margarine. Once the sugar dissolves, combine with the soy milk. Add a pinch of salt, and boil the mixture for five minutes. Use this sweetened soy milk to replace one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.