Guide: Vegan Dessert Substitutes

When it comes to dessert, there is nothing incompatible about the words ‘decadent’ and ‘vegan’. The fact of the matter is that you can still indulge in your old favorites, as long as you know what vegan substitutions to make while recreating them as cruelty-free versions. It may be a bit intimidating at first, but it’s really just as easy as switching to a different brand of shampoo simply because your old brand doesn’t make your hair look healthy anymore. The items listed below can be found in health stores, online vegan stores, and even in a regular supermarkets. Ask assistance from the grocery store’s merchandiser if you have trouble locating them.

Substitute this (Non-vegan)	With this (Vegan)	How to Use:
1. Cow's Milk	Soy, Almond, Coconut, Rice Milk Brands to try: Rice Dream Pacific (Almond, Hazelnut, Multi-grain, Rice, Oat, Soy) Better Than Milk Blue Diamond Silk West Soy So Delicious	Use equal parts in dessert/snack recipes that call for cow’s milk. Here's a great recipe that you can try: Blend half a cup with 6 medium frozen bananas (broken/sliced into smaller chunks for easier blending), half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon natural, unsweetened cocoa, and vegan sweetener to taste (do not use stevia or molasses) to make soft-serve choco-banana soft serve ice cream.
2. Raw cow’s milk	Maranatha Raw Natural Almond Butter Artisana Organic Raw Almond Butter	Here's what you need to do: In two cups cold water and a tablespoon of raw nut butter mixed well in a blender makes quick raw nut milk. Add some raw coconut nectar and 1 tablespoon cacao powder to make raw vegan chocolate milk.
3. Eggs	Ener-G Egg Replacer Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer Silken Tofu Other: Flax Seed Vinegar mixed with Water Mashed bananas Applesauce	No more cholesterol! Egg replacer is amazing substitute for vegan baked goods. Mashed bananas work well in sweet breads and pancakes. Use 1/2 a medium banana per egg. Learn how to use flax seed as a egg replacer User submitted recipe using applesauce as egg replacer in baked goods
4. White Sugar	All Natural Xylitol Sucanat Turbinado Muscovado Coconut Sugar Date Sugar Maple Crystals Florida Crystals	Use in any baking recipe that makes use of white sugar. Although it’s anything but cheap, xylitol has the closest taste to white sugar.
5. Honey	Agave Nectar Maple Syrup Yacon Syrup Coconut Syrup Date Paste	Use for any cookie or pastry recipe that calls for honey. To make date paste, soak one cup of medjool dates with enough water to cover. Soak for 3-4 hours or until dates are soft. Do not discard soak water. Blend the dates using all the soak water (about ¼-1/2 cup) until you get the smooth, chunk-free consistency of a paste.
6. Nutella	Rawtella Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Spread	Spread on vegan bread or cookies/biscuits. Do not heat or use for baking. Cooking this spread misses the whole point of it being raw.
7. Butter/Margarine	Earth Balance Spectrum Organics Spectrum Spread Dixie Diner's Club Low-Fat Butter (Not!)	Substitute regular margarine or butter with equal measurements. Use in making cookies, cakes, and icing.
8. Regular marshmallows made with egg whites/gelatin	Sweet & Sara Vegan Marshmallows Dandies Air-Puffed Vegan Marshmallow	Use as a topping for vegan hot chocolate (Heat one of the vegan milks above, mix with ½ to 1 tablespoon cocoa powder depending on how chocolatey you want it to be, and 1 tablespoon vegan sweetener). Also great for making vegan smores.
9. Regular chocolate chips made with milk fat	Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips	Use in making vegan chocolate chip cookies or bars. Can be used as a topping for store-bought vegan ice cream or the soft serve ice cream recipe above.
10. Cream	Soy Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer	Coconut milk creamer is great in mashed potatoes, or in any recipe that calls for cream.