Guide to Vegan Substitutions - Milk

This guide is intended to help you convert your own favorite non-vegan recipes to be vegan friendly, starting with the easiest substitution - milk!

I'll be perfectly honest - I've used a variety of different plant-based milks in my baking, and so long as they are both unflavored and unsweetened, I can't tell much of a difference between different milks in the final product. I tend to use soy and almond milk most frequently because I like them best in my coffee, but oat, cashew, rice, etc etc etc milks are all just fine too. None of these will impart much flavor, so for the most part, if a recipe calls for milk, you can substitute whatever plant-based milk suits your budget and dietary needs.

The exception to that is coconut milk (the kind you find in a can, not a carton), which has a very strong coconut flavor that will shine through in most recipes in which you include it. It naturally contains a lot of fat, which makes it very creamy, and therefore a good substitute for recipes that include whole milk or heavy cream, assuming of course that coconut will compliment the other flavors in the recipe.

The only thing you have to be on the lookout for is if a recipe calls for buttermilk, not just plain milk - in these instances, it is fairly likely that the recipe will be relying on the lactic in the buttermilk to react with baking powder to give your bake rise. Check the full list of ingredients to verify whether or not this is the case. If yes, then you'll want to mimic this reaction by curdling your milk with one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice per cup. Simply combine the two and set aside for about five minutes or so. Once your milk is looking funky, it's good to use in place of buttermilk.

That's it! My full commentary on vegan milks in baking - told you it was easy! Please comment if I've missed anything, of course, and I'll do my best to answer.