As the holiday season gets fired up, so does baking, gifting and the sharing of delicious food. I’ve always been a fan of finding healthy swaps for baking and cooking, and have completely wowed my biggest food critics (aka my vegan sister and other carnivorous family members). There’s nothing quite like taking a classic recipe and making it even better and healthier by making a few quick easy ingredient swaps.
I think the biggest challenge when it comes to holidays are avoiding all of the sweets that seem to pop up everywhere. I’m a firm believer in moderation and therefore do not steer myself away from the array of holiday goodies that cross my path. However, when I go to make a baked good that will be shared, I turn to vegan treats. Most people are blown away by the simplicity of ingredients (and also effort) most of these recipes have. Below is a list of my favorite recipes for you to try out next time you try your hand at baking. There are also tons of fun vegan recipes on Pinterest.
• Quick and easy, One Bowl Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Check out these simple, Vegan Coconut Macaroons
• Pumpkin fans, here’s a recipe for Pumpkin Cookies
I will admit, I’ve had my fair share of vegan baking fails. Part of the fun of vegan baking is adapting ingredients depending on the type of recipe you are following. The biggest subs are for eggs, butter, oil and milk or cream. My favorite swap is unsweetened applesauce for oil (1:1 ratio). This works especially well in cakes and brownies. Eggs can be replaced by whipping up a flax egg, or chia seeds (learn how here).
Here a few more ideas you can try out for a healthy alternative to everyday ingredients.
- Sour Cream → Greek Yogurt
- Pasta → Zucchini Noodles
- Milk Chocolate → Dark Chocolate
- Heavy Cream → Coconut Milk
- White Flour → Nut Flours (almond, chestnut…)
- Cheese → Nutritional Yeast
- Milk → Almond, Hemp or Coconut Milks
- White rice → Quinoa
- Mayo → Avocado
- Sugar → Agave, Pure Maple Syrup, Vanilla Extract