Milk & Egg Substitutes ~ Baking & Meal Preparation

Milk and egg substitutions for baking and cooking.

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There are lots of reasons you may find yourself needing dairy or egg substitutes while preparing food and they are not just related to allergies or sensitivities. Sometimes we just run out of ingredients or find the shelf life of something has expired.

These are just some of the substitutes that I’ve used in my kitchen. Of course, there are many more depending on what allergies or sensitivities you or a family member may have.

For example:
~ Vanilla Powder can be substituted for a corn-free diet instead of vanilla extract.
~ Gluten-free baking mixes and flour blends 
~ Duck eggs instead of chicken eggs.
~ Milk substitutes such as soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, cashew milk, and rice milk.
~ Pure Irish Butter is corn-free butter. Earth Balance is dairy-free, and Spectrum Vegetable Shortening is a non-hydrogenated allergy-friendly shortening containing only palm oil.

 

The following are products that can be used to replace eggs and dairy in baking:

Egg substitutes:
Making your own egg replacer is quick and easy. Here are a few to experiment with. My favorite egg replacers for baking are Aquafaba and ENER-G Egg Replacer.

For the following egg replacers, use only to replace 2 eggs in a recipe for best results.
Chia Seed Egg Replacer:
I’ve seen two ways to mix chia seeds.
~ one egg = 1 tsp ground chia seeds with 2 Tbsp warm water, mix, and let sit until becomes gel-like. (5-8 min)
~ one egg = 1 Tbsp whole chia seeds with 3 Tbsp warm water, mix, and let sit until thickened and gel-like. (5-8 min)

Flax Meal Egg Replacer:
~ one egg = 2 1/2 tsp ground flax meal with 3 Tbsp warm water, mix, and let sit until thickened and gel-like. (5-8 min)

Baking Powder, Water & Oil:
~ one egg = 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp water, and 1 Tbsp oil. Add the baking powder to the dry ingredients and the water and oil to the wet ingredients. This is a good egg replacer for muffins and pancakes, gives them a nice fluffy texture.

Applesauce, mashed banana, or pumpkin puree:
~ one egg =  3-4 Tbsp of applesauce, mashed banana, or pumpkin added to moist ingredients and 1/2 tsp baking powder to dry ingredients, and an extra tsp oil or butter.

To replace larger amounts of eggs use the following:

Aquafaba – drain the liquid from canned garbanzo beans ~ 3 Tbsp liquid equals 1 egg.

ENER-G Egg Replacer – follow package directions.

Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer – follow package directions.

Tofu – use 1/4 cup soft or silken type for each egg. Works well in mayonnaise and egg salad recipes or as scrambled eggs.

Butter Substitutes:
For each stick of butter or (8Tbsp) substitute the following:
~ 8 Tbsp vegetable, olive oil, or liquid coconut oil
~ 8 Tbsp Spectrum Organic Shortening
~ 8 Tbsp Earth Balance (non-dairy) Buttery Spread or Sticks
~ 8 Tbsp Coconut Oil
~ 6 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce plus 2 Tbsp fat of choice. This is a lower-fat option for baking.

Yogurt Substitutes:
Soy Yogurt or Coconut Yogurt
Soy Sour Cream
Unsweetened Applesauce
Fruit Puree

Milk Substitutes:
Equal amounts of any of the following:
-almond milk
~ soy milk
~ rice milk
~ coconut milk
~ hemp milk
~ goat’s milk
~ water
~ fruit juice
~ and any other type of milk substitute on the market, there are new ones all the time.

Buttermilk:
To replace 1 cup of buttermilk:
~ 1 cup soy milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
~ 1 cup coconut milk with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
~ 7/8 cup rice milk with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
~ 7/8 cup fruit juice with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
~ 7/8 cup water, I would use water as a last resort.

 Sweetened Condensed Milk:  often used in cheesecakes

Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk ~ this is a fantastic product but I have found the baking time needs to be adjusted on recipes. You will most likely need to bake whatever you are making 30-60 minutes longer than the recipe shows. The final result has just a hint of very mild coconut flavor as well, but this flavor has not changed the outcome of the original recipe.  

Have fun experimenting and creating in your kitchen