Vegan Substitutions

Not all vegan substitutions are made equally. Some are really great at mimicking the texture and flavor of the original items, while some might only really nail one (or neither).

1. Oat milk instead of cow milk
   • I’ve pretty much already been doing this, since I don’t really drink milk. I grew up allergic to milk and never learned to like the taste.
     • Side note: I wish they made smaller containers like dairy milk. I like to have some oat milk on hand but they only have full-sized containers.
   • For coffee creamer I use the one from Trader Joe’s, the Brown Sugar one is my favorite.
2. Plant-based butter instead of dairy butter
   • I don’t often find myself cooking with butter and I don’t really bake as much as I used to, so this will be an easy switch to use oil-based butters.
3. Plant-based ice cream or regular sorbet instead of dairy ice cream
   • Oatly is the biggest option, but I haven’t found many available healthier ice creams like Nick’s or Halo Top. There’s Arctic Chill, but it is not available at my local Harris Teeter
   • Sorbet is usually just fruit and sugar so it is naturally vegan and satisfies a sugary cold treat craving, but it isn’t creamy like ice cream (obviously)
4. Impossible/Beyond meat, tofu, or seitan instead of beef/chicken
   • I don’t really like tempeh or super firm tofu because I don’t really actually like the taste of soy
5. Tofu scramble or Just egg instead of eggs
   • Not going to satisfy cravings for a yolky egg but will for scrambled eggs
6. Plant-based cheese instead of cheese
   • The cheese (I eat Violife) can have artificial tastes like cheddar which sometimes I am in the mood for, but sometimes it’s too much
   • A lot of cheeses especially tend to be nut-based, which I am allergic to, so I have limited options compared to others
7. Plant-based dumplings instead of pork/beef dumplings
   • Vegetable dumplings are good, but don’t always hit when you want something more fatty
   • Omni makes plant-based meat alternative dumplings which I want to try
     • I could also just make them myself too