Can you bake delicious treats without dairy, eggs, or wheat? Yes, you can, and you can learn how with this list of easy substitutions for vegan and wheat free baking.
This list is just meant as a general, quick start guide for those who are new to baking dairy, egg, and wheat free. This list is not going to cover every food allergy out there, but is meant to help those who love to bake, but need some ideas for baking without dairy, eggs, and wheat. This is the information that I wish I would have had after Baby Bee was born, and I had to eliminate dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, and corn from my diet. I still really wanted to bake, but in my sleep deprived state, it was difficult for me to figure out exactly where to start.
Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional – please consult your doctor if you are not sure if an ingredient is safe for you or your family.
So, here we go! And just a note, some of these links are Amazon affiliate links.
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Guide to substitutions for vegan and wheat free baking:
Spelt Flour: There is some confusion regarding spelt flour.
The FDA has classified it as wheat, but it really is not wheat, although it is closely related to wheat and does contain gluten. Spelt is not suitable for people with celiac disease or true wheat allergies. It works well for our family, because my boys are sensitive to wheat, but do not have a true gluten intolerance. Spelt flour is more water-soluble and more easily digested than wheat flour. It acts very much like all purpose flour in recipes. You can read more about it here.
Gluten Free Flour Blends: There are so many great gluten free flour blends available these days. The ones that I prefer are a cup for cup substitution for regular flour. Namaste, Enjoy Life Foods, and King Arthur all make gluten free flour blends. There are a lot of other options out there, if you have a favorite, let me know in the comments!
You can also make your own blend. There are lots of recipes online if you choose to go that route. I also have a recipe that I use and love for homemade gluten free flour.
Oat Flour: Oat flour is another flour that you can use, although it does have a different texture than wheat flour. I usually just use some oat flour in my recipes, in combination with another flour. Oats do not contain gluten, although they can be cross contaminated if they are made in a factory that does not process wheat as well. As long as the oat flour is made in a a certified gluten free facility, it should be free of gluten. You can also make your own oat flour by grinding gluten free whole oats in a food processor until it is a fine flour.
Almond Meal: If you don’t have a nut allergy, almond meal can be a great option for grain free baking. It does tend to make baked goods a little bit heavier, but also very flavorful and moist.
Coconut Flour: Coconut flour is a very heavy flour, and unless you are using it with actual eggs, it is not a good choice. It tends to soak up tons of moisture and make baked goods dense and heavy. It’s not a great choice to use in vegan and wheat free baking. If you are able to eat regular eggs, then it may work for you.
There are a couple of options for egg replacers. One thing you can do, that you have probably seen in some of the recipes on my blog, is to make flax seed eggs. It’s really simple: for each egg that you need to replace, just mix 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed meal with 3 Tablespoons of water. Let it sit for a few minutes, and it will form a gel. Once it has gelled up, add it to your batter as you would a real egg. You can also make chia seed eggs: Just grind up 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds with a mortar and pestle, and mix with 3 Tablespoons of water, and let it sit for a few minutes until it forms a gel, then add to your batter.
You can also use unsweetened applesauce in the place of eggs: for each egg in the recipe, substitute 1/4 cup of applesauce. If you are looking for a lighter texture, then applesauce is a better choice than flax eggs.
Dairy substitutions are actually pretty easy because there are so many great products available now. For milk, just use an equal amount of non dairy milk. Some options include coconut milk, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk, and hemp milk. Use whatever milk suits your preference and dietary needs.
For butter, we use Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Spread. It has a great buttery flavor, and works really well in baking and on top of toast, pancakes, etc. You can also experiment with using coconut oil, or vegan shortening, like the Spectrum brand.
Tips for baking without corn ingredients:
When we were avoiding corn, we discovered Featherweight Baking Powder, which is corn free. Most baking powders contain cornstarch.
Cornstarch is often used to thicken sauces, puddings, and gravies. You can substitute an equal amount of tapioca starch or arrowroot powder in recipes that require cornstarch.
Confectioner’s sugar is often a mix of cornstarch and sugar. Whole Foods 365 Brand of Powdered Sugar is corn free, as is Wholesome Sweeteners Powdered Sugar.
The other thing that is important to note, especially if you are adapting your favorite recipes to be wheat free, gluten free, or vegan, is that the baking time might vary! Keep an eye on everything while you are baking so that you don’t have over or under-done baked goods. With a little bit of time and practice, you’ll get the hang of vegan and wheat free baking with these new ingredients.
If you’re new to food allergies, you may want to visit this page to learn more about baking and cooking for food allergies.
What has your vegan and wheat free baking experience been like? Please share in the comments!
Some links to favorite EASY gluten free and vegan recipes to get you started:
Thanks for the wheat, dairy, & egg replacement info! I didn’t know about cornstarch in confectionery sugar but the consistency is the same as corn starch!
Vegan desserts call for lots of sugar! I realize pure maple syrup & honey maybe a substitute. I read that agave has the same detrimental qualities as high fructose corn syrup reaction in the body!
Are there any ratio charts to substitute sugar with pure maple syrup &/or other subsitutes such as stevia powder versus a stevia liquid like extract?
I love using organic unrefined coconut oil because it seems to impart a natural sweetness in baked goods?
I appreciate your helpful suggestions & recipes. Thank you very much!
This information was really helpful, thank you!!!
What a great roundup! I’ve recently started to look for substitutions when it comes to baking and your tips will definitely come in handy :). Love how detailed this post is – so helpful. Thank you!!
I’m so glad that you found it helpful, Kathi! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hi Kelly,
This whole gluten free thing really seems to be catching on. Although I don’t have any food allergies, (as far as I know), I think it’s great to try alternatives. I love Trader Joe’s…might have to check out their gluten free bread. :)
Thanks,
Heidi
Lots of people are gluten intolerant for sure! I’m glad you don’t have to deal with that in your family. Thanks for stopping by, Heidi!
So helpful! Thanks for all this info Kelly! I should try out more vegan and gluten free baking recipes.
You’re welcome, Natalie! It isn’t too hard to adapt recipes if you know what to use! :)
This is super helpful! Thanks for putting this info out there. My sister has celiac disease, so she can’t eat spelt, but everything else (as long as it’s not contaminated) is good for her. I personally find spelt much easier to digest than regular wheat for sure. I have yet to try the applesauce trick in my vegan baking, but I must! I’d like to see how it compares to the chia/flax mixture I usually use. Great post! :)
Thanks so much, Allison! I hope this post helps some people who are new to baking this way! I do like the applesauce better than flax/chia eggs for some recipes. Or sometimes I use one flax egg and one applesauce replacement if it calls for two eggs. It’s fun to experiment to see what works! :)