The best vegan alternatives & substitutes

Unleash your cooking creativity with the best vegan alternatives

Whether you’re going fully vegan or just introducing more meat-free meals into your weekly rotation, one of the biggest challenges can be finding quality alternatives to meat, eggs and dairy products. The great news is that there are plenty of delicious and healthy vegan ingredients that you can use to create a huge range of mouthwatering dishes.

Why not change up your curry game with a creamy Coconut Sweet Potato Dhal? Or pack in some serious flavour with a Spiced Chickpea Curry. You certainly don’t need animal products to create fantastic flavours and textures within your cooking.

Plant-based proteins 

As an important part of our diet, you might be caught thinking of chicken, beef, eggs, yoghurt, cheese and fish when protein comes to mind. However, that’s only one selection. There’s a greater network of protein-rich alternatives to cook with.

Vegan alternatives to eggs

While you’re making unforgettable curries, crispy chickpeas to scatter over salads or spicy hummus perfect for dipping, don’t throw away the liquid they come in. This aquafaba is a great stand-in for egg whites, so you can still enjoy meringues, fluffy cakes, and foamy cocktails.

If you’re looking for a whole substitute, mixing chia or flax seeds with a little bit of water is perfect for baking. And why not try silken tofu scrambled eggs for your toast in the morning?

Vegan chicken alternative

From wings to nuggets, there are a couple of ways to substitute chicken. For a healthy, more veggie-based alternative, you can use cauliflower for marinating, battering, breading, frying, and simmering in curries.

For a chewier texture, look for seitan – a product made from wheat gluten. This is an excellent meat substitute if you want to snack on chicken nuggets or a good old-fashioned chicken burger.

Dairy alternatives

As a firm staple in many recipes, dairy is a great source of animal-based proteins and fats. Thankfully, you won’t have much issue finding a plant-based alternative that suits your cooking and nutritional needs.

Vegan milk alternatives

You’ll find a whole host of nut milk and alternative dairy milk on the shelves, from almond, cashew and coconut, to soy, oat and Rice Milk. Different types and different brands can tackle different uses depending on what you need them to do. Plus, for drinks and pouring over cereal, it’s down to your personal taste, whether you’re using almond milk in your baking or oat milk in your coffee.

Vegan cheese alternatives

Made from a mix of ingredients, vegan cheeses are also something you’ll want to test out for your personal preferences. With some excellent substitutes available on the market, keep an eye out for things like flavour, texture and how (or if) it melts. And don’t forget about nutritional yeast if you’re just looking for a punchy, cheesy flavour. 

Vegan cream alternatives 

From silken tofu to coconut cream, there are lots of clever cream substitutions you can use for stews, curries, custards and puddings. You don’t just have to grab the vegan-approved alternatives off the shelf either – it’s simple to make an alternative with cupboard ingredients like cornstarch, blended cashews, white beans, and even rice.

Vegan alternative to heavy whipping cream

The good news is, if you want a quick and easy heavy cream recipe to adorn your vegan brownie or sticky toffee pudding, most vegan brands have a delicious alternative which you can grab from your local supermarket. Alternatively, make your own by using an electric whisk to beat a can of coconut cream until it’s thick and fluffy.

Other helpful alternatives

This list could go on and on with how many fantastic ingredients you can use in vegan cooking, but here are a couple of final substitutes to help you boost your sweets and baking. 

Vegan honey alternatives

Ultimately deemed ‘non-vegan’, if you’re looking to avoid honey in your diet you can substitute it with maple syrup, date syrup and agave nectar. These all have a number of uses, from desserts to simply sweetening your tea. 

Vegan gelatine alternatives

You don’t have to say goodbye to homemade jelly, springy desserts and melty mousse pots if you’re opting for a vegan diet. Ingredients like pectin, agar agar and xanthan gum are great substitutions and cupboard staples to have tucked away. Plus, you should be able to find a vegan gel alternative in the baking section of most supermarkets.

Vegan alternative fish sauce

If you’re craving that unique fish sauce flavour without the fish, there are several ways you can satisfy your tastebuds. You can buy ‘vegan fish sauce’ for a quick and easy addition to stir-fry, soups or noodle dishes. If you want to create something at home, you probably already have soy sauce in the cupboard and it adds a similar salty and umami profile to food. Most are vegan, but we would always recommend checking the label. Try mixing soy sauce with a dash of lime juice and a pinch of seaweed to mimic the oceanic taste.