The Science of Vegan Baking: The Ultimate Guide to Egg & Dairy Substitutes

I am not vegan. But guess what? I have a good friend whose child is allergic to eggs, my mom is lactose intolerant and on more than one occasion, I’ve found myself 18 dirty dishes deep into a baking recipe before realizing my husband had snuck the last few eggs into his omelet.

Whether you are vegan-curious, know someone with allergies or want to stockpile some non-perishable substitutions for common baking ingredients (hello, chickpeas and oat milk), there are many reasons why it’s great to learn about the various facets of plant-based baking.

Here’s everything you need to know about vegan baking.

What do eggs and dairy actually do in baking?

In the world of non-vegan baking, eggs and dairy are heavyweight players. Eggs work hard to bind, add moisture and incorporate air, while dairy products, such as milk, butter and cream, contribute rich flavour and ensure tender texture.

The good news is that there’s a vegan substitute for almost everything.

The best egg alternative for vegan baking

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba, or chickpea water, is a magical ingredient. The liquid in a can of garbanzos has a unique blend of proteins and starches that make it a champion at mimicking the properties of an egg in baking.

Here’s why it trumps other egg substitutes (such as flaxseed or applesauce) in baking:

Binding

Aquafaba contains proteins that, when mixed into baking batter or dough, can help bind the ingredients together. This is similar to how the proteins in eggs coagulate under heat and provide structure to baked goods. When heated, aquafaba’s starches undergo gelatinization—they absorb water and swell, helping further bind the mixture together.

Leavening

Aquafaba traps air, which then expands when heated during baking. This leavening action—much like eggs—helps baked goods rise and become fluffy. It can even be whipped up like egg whites, making it an excellent choice for recipes that require a light, airy texture, such as meringues, mousses and macarons.

Flavour and texture

Aquafaba has a very subtle taste and egglike viscosity that doesn’t alter the flavour or texture of the dish.

How to collect aquafaba from a can of chickpeas

To collect aquafaba from a can of chickpeas, place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and pour chickpeas into sieve. Once all the liquid has drained, remove sieve and reserve or freeze chickpeas for another use.

To freeze aquafaba, follow these steps:

Aquafaba also freezes well (so you don’t need to open a can every time you want to bake).

Portion it out: For convenience, measure out aquafaba into commonly used amounts (for instance, 3 tbsp = 1 egg). Freeze in a muffin pan until solid.

Store: Run bottom of muffin pan under hot water until you can remove aquafaba portions, then transfer them to a resealable zip-top bag.

Use as needed: When ready to use, thaw required amount of aquafaba in refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 1 hr. Use as you would fresh aquafaba for your recipes.

One 398-mL can of chickpeas yields about 1⁄2 cup aquafaba.

The best dairy substitutes for vegan baking

Buttermilk

Replacing buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt in recipes is a breeze with vegan yogurt. It offers the acidity and creaminess needed to yield a moist crumb and delicate texture in baked goods.

What it doesn’t have is the natural emulsifiers found in dairy that help make baked goods extra soft, but it is as close as I could get with a one-to-one swap.

Milk

For a milk substitute, I like “barista-style” oat milk the best. It has the most neutral flavour of all the plant-based milks I’ve tried, while offering a similar texture and fat composition to whole milk.

Melted butter

You can swap in oil if a recipe calls for melted butter. Although butter contains only 80 percent fat, you typically won’t notice a big difference when using oil for muffins or melted-butter-based brownies and cakes.

Creamed butter

For recipes that involve creaming, such as cookies and traditional cakes, use vegan butter instead.

Ultimate Vegan Blueberry Muffins

These big, fluffy, bakery-style muffins make 10 per batch. Get our ultimate vegan blueberry muffin recipe.

Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins

These cranberry orange muffins make use of aquafaba or chickpea water, a vegan alternative to eggs. Get our vegan cranberry orange muffin recipe.

Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins

Vegan ingredients like chickpea water and barista-style oat milk to bring this foolproof recipe to life. Get our vegan double chocolate muffin recipe.