Dairy-Free & Oil-Free Baking Guide with Recipes

I hear the concerns all the time. People who want to regain their health and find freedom from chronic disease by switching over to a whole food plant-based diet are often concerned that they will never be able to bake and enjoy treats again.

This guide will have you making recipes like healthy dairy-free chocolate cake and vegan chocolate chip muffins in no time, and everyone will love them as much as those made with oil.

Reasons to ditch dairy and oil

• Healthier Baking Choices: Ditching dairy and oil in baking helps reduce saturated fat and cholesterol, supporting heart health and overall well-being. We have some great information on why oil is not healthy on this website.
• Better Digestibility: Removing dairy makes baked goods easier to digest, especially for those with lactose intolerance or dairy sensitivities.
• Plant-Based Benefits: Using plant-based alternatives in baking adds fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, making your treats more nutritious.

How to Substitute Dairy & Oil in Baking

While I don’t recommend feasting on sweets every day, there is definitely a place for them in a healthy plant-based lifestyle. I can’t wait to share some of my favorite vegan oil-free baking recipes with you!

Whether it’s for a birthday party or a family gathering, baking is an opportunity to show friends and family just how delicious healthy plant-based food can be. Desserts like Glaze Carrot Dairy-Free Cake and Chocolate Sweet Potato Vegan Cake can indeed still be enjoyed.

The trick is to learn how to bake your favorite recipes in a whole new and tasty way.

It’s the butter, oil, milk, eggs, and white flour in everyday baking recipes that we need to get rid of, so what can they be replaced with?

These are some great baking substitution tips to help adapt your old recipes to a new healthier whole-food plant-based version.

Replacing vegetable oil and butter

Many times, people new to a plant-based lifestyle try to replace butter and oil with some of the processed vegan butter on the market. The problem is that, while technically vegan, these products are NOT a healthy option.

They are 100% fat and much of it is artery-clogging saturated fat.  But don’t despair, because there are healthy baking substitutions that you might already have on hand.

Applesauce can be used as an oil substitute in most cake and muffin recipes. The rule of thumb is to substitute 1/3 of a cup of applesauce for every 1/2 cup of oil or margarine.

Nut butters like almond, cashew, or peanut can also be used, especially with cookies. Just remember to look for varieties that don’t have added sugar or oil. They should have only one ingredient–nuts.

The rule of thumb here is to use an equal amount of nut butter to replace the margarine or oil in a recipe. If it needs to be thinned out a bit, add a little plant milk and whisk to the desired consistency.

Aquafaba

Aquafaba is a fairly new option which is the liquid from canned or freshly cooked chickpeas. While the flavor is neutral, the consistency is similar to oil, though lighter. Use an equal amount of aqua-faba to replace the oil in a recipe.

Replacing White Flours

White flour is vegan, but it is highly processed and not healthy since it’s been stripped of its nutritional value. The better option is to go with whole grain flours like wheat, spelt, oat, and others.

The Whole Grains Council defines whole grains as foods that retain all the essential nutritional parts of the entire grain kernel, including the bran, germ, and endosperm, through processes like grinding, crushing, cracking, or extruding.

In the case of “whole wheat flour,” the term “whole” means that the entire kernel has been ground into flour. The word “grain” simply reinforces that the whole kernel is used, without altering its meaning.

For those with gluten sensitivities, try using buckwheat, brown rice, millet or chickpea flours instead. This gluten-free baking guide may help.

You can even make your own self-rising flour from whole wheat, unprocessed flour. Just mix one cup of flour with 1-1/4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Without salt and baking powder, baked goods will not rise.

White whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flours aren’t bleached or stripped. They are best used for cookies, cakes, muffins, and delicate pastries.

Dairy-free baking- Replacing Milk

Replacing milk is the easiest of all. Simply substitute regular dairy milk with equal amounts of almond, soy, rice, or other plant milk to make dairy-free desserts.

Soy and cashew milk tend to have a rich creamier texture. Coconut milk is vegan but the saturated fat content is very high, so it’s best avoided.

To replace buttermilk, mix one cup of plant milk with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or brown rice vinegar and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Replacing Eggs

Replacing eggs can be a little trickier, and it really depends on the function of the egg in the recipe. Here are some options for replacing one egg in a recipe to make some great eggless desserts.

• Flax eggs– Combine 1 tbsp of flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and blend in a food processor or blender until gelatinous.
• Cornstarch- For the binding, use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and mix well.
• Banana- Use 2-3 tablespoons of mashed banana in baked goods like muffins.
• Aquafaba- Substitute 3 tablespoons of aqua-faba for each egg in a recipe.
• Commercial egg replacers- Powdered egg replacers can also be purchased at many health food stores.

Preparing Baking Pans

To keep baking completely oil-free, you will want to use parchment paper, non-stick pans, or silicone baking pans.

Yes, I know that can of cooking spray in your cabinet says fat-free, but let’s think about it for just a minute. What is in that can of spray? It’s oil! And how much fat is in all oils? It’s 100% fat!

So how do the manufacturers get away with saying it is fat-free? They make serving sizes completely unrealistic.

Turn the can around and look at what they call a serving size. Most cans of cooking spray say a serving size is 1/3 to 1/4 of a second. I am serious, just go look at your can.

Current regulations say that if there are only traces of fat in a serving size, manufacturers can round that down to zero. One-fourth of a second of cooking spray is not a realistic serving size and saying it is is downright deceiving.

So, to avoid using that 100% fat cooking spray, there are a couple of different substitutes for vegetable oil. Try lining baking pans with parchment paper. I do this all the time with great success.

Another option would be to use non-stick pans or silicone baking sheets that enable cakes, muffins, and casseroles to slide right out of the pan without sticking.

I often use a silicone baking pan when baking muffins and cakes to keep my desserts completely oil-free. No cooking sprays are required at all.

Tips to Get Started

• Experiment- Don’t be afraid to experiment. Some recipes will take some tweaking to find out what works best. It takes time to figure out the right balance for each recipe because no two are exactly alike. In time, you will discover that healthy dairy-free baking can be a lot of fun with these baking tips!
• Be patient- Be adventurous and don’t give up. You will have wonderfully sweet healthy baked goods with a little practice. Healthy oil-free baking can be so much fun!
• Baking bread- Dana with Minimalist Baker has a recipe for  Whole Wheat oil-free bread as well.
• Gluten-free- This Gluten-Free Baking Guide from No Meat Athlete might be helpful for those who are searching for gluten-free options.