When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease, I had to dramatically re-invent my diet. Before I would eat gluten-laden bread, pasta, cakes, and biscuits, and overnight, I went gluten and wheat-free. In 2007/2008, the gluten-free scene was non-existent. In fact, the only gluten-free bread available was the 365 Whole Foods brand! My mum would make me a sandwich for lunch, and by the time noon came around, it would turn into a crumble in a little baggie with remnants of cheese. Luckily today there are so many different gluten-free bands that it’s hard to choose which one to buy!

When I became interested in cooking/baking and decided to change my diet to mostly plant-based, it was very hard to find recipes that were gluten-free, dairy-free, and based on real ingredients! Therefore, I had to start making my own healthy recipes, and over time, I have discovered some of the best alternatives to regular baking ingredients.

To find healthy alternatives to baking ingredients, you first have to look for a similar texture. For instance, some great ingredient-swaps for eggs in a vegan bake are a chia egg, flax egg, or aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas). They all have a similar gel-like texture to that of eggs and therefore work in a similar manner. So when you are trying to find an alternative to any other ingredient, first figure out the texture you need. Then take the same measurement of the original ingredient and apply that to your alternative ingredient. 

ex) 1 cup flour= 1 cup almond flour 

Here are some of my favorite kitchen swaps:

– Butter → coconut oil, apple sauce, mashed banana, or any nut butter (peanut butter is my favorite :))

– Flour→ almond flour or coconut flour

– Eggs→ Flax egg, chia egg, or Aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas).

– Sugar → coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey

– Cream/icing→ coconut cream

– Cocoa powder→ cacao powder

If a cookie recipe calls for butter, granulated sugar, and an egg, feel free to use coconut oil (or nut butter if you like the taste), coconut sugar, and a chia egg if you are staying away from eggs.

*To make aquafaba, pour the liquid from a can of chickpeas in a mixer and mix until it whips up into a fluffy, white cloud. It should look similar to when you whip up egg whites for a meringue. Save the actual chickpeas for some falafel for dinner!

*To make one flax egg, use 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds, and 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for around five minutes until it forms a thick gel-like consistency.

*To make one chia egg, use 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, and 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for around five minutes until it forms a thick gel-like consistency.

Try these substitutions out the next time you are baking and let me know what you think!