Vegan Cooking Hacks

Making the switch to a plant-based diet isn’t easy, and many of us often struggle to think of vegan meals and snacks, especially when we pick up lots of grab-and-go options without even thinking about the animal-based products they might contain. Many of us are looking to make a few vegan switches and incorporate more plant-based meals into our daily lives, and while the idea can be daunting, it doesn’t have to be a difficult change.

We believe in easy cooking, and a plant-based meal shouldn’t be any different. That is why we are sharing our top vegan cooking hacks. Whether you are going fully plant-based or just trying to make a few changes away from animal products, we’ve got you covered.

Super-Fast Soy Milk

Purchasing endless cartons of soy milk, or any other milk alternative, can be both expensive and inconvenient. For many of us, the thought of making our own soy milk at home is complicated and time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Handy gadgets such as the Tribest Soyabella can make fresh soy milk in minutes from the comfort of your own home. Simply add water and soybeans, and leave it to do its thing for around 15 minutes. It doesn’t just work for soy milk either; you can use a wide variety of beans or nuts and also use it to make rice milk, sesame paste and porridge.

Get Your Cheese Fix

Cheese is often one of the foods that most of us struggle with when eating plant-based. It is used in so many dishes and can add so much extra flavour. One easy hack to recreate that tasty cheesy goodness is to use nutritional yeast. It is a simple powder or fine flakes that can be added to sauces or sprinkled on top of dishes for a cheese flavour. Nutritional yeast can be used in anything from salads to stews and not only offers a delicious taste but comes with some health benefits too.

Eliminate Chopping

Anyone who uses a lot of fresh vegetables while cooking will know the struggle of chopping and dicing on a daily basis. It can be very time consuming and add a lot of time onto your meal-prep.

 Many people believe that frozen fruit and veg is not as healthy as the fresh stuff, but this isn’t the case. Frozen produce is often picked and frozen when they are at the peak of ripeness, which can make them healthier than the fresh stuff. Switch to using frozen fruit in your smoothies and keep your favourite veg in the freezer for a quick and easy dinner accompaniment.

Prep Breakfast The Night Before

If you don’t have time in the morning to prep and cook a healthy plant-based breakfast, then try preparing your meals before you go to bed. Our favourite breakfast recipe is our Apple and Raspberry Overnight Oats. It takes minutes to prepare and is simply left in the fridge overnight for a delicious breakfast in the morning.

Adding Udo’s Oil gives the oats a creamy texture with no chalkiness like other overnight oat recipes.

Swap Butter For Avocados

Butter is a staple in many meals and snacks and switching to plant-based alternatives can be a struggle. Instead of opting for vegan butter replacements which often don’t have the same taste and texture, swap butter for something different. Avocados are perfect for mashing onto toast for a quick and healthy vegan breakfast and can be combined with your favourite herbs and spices. Avocado is not only great on toast but can be used as an alternative to butter in baking as well. Just be aware that the taste of the avocado will still be there, unless masked by another stronger flavour, so be sure your recipe suits.

Replace Eggs

Many of us who start trying to eat a more plant-based diet often try to avoid animal products like eggs completely. While you might not want to eat eggs, you can still make recipes that include them as an ingredient. A tablespoon of flax seeds and chia seeds can both be mixed with about three tablespoons of warm water for a quick egg substitute. Let the mixture sit for around 10 minutes, and it will create a gel that can be used in your recipe the same as an egg.

If you have a recipe which require eggs for dredging and breading foods, then mix chickpea flour with water, beer or soy milk for an easy vegan batter.

Whip Up Coconut Milk For Cream

For a vegan alternative to whipped cream, whether to top your dessert or use in a recipe, coconut milk is the perfect option. It couldn’t be easier to create whipped cream from coconut milk. Simply empty a tin of the milk into a container and leave in the fridge overnight to set, the next day, whip it up and you’re ready to go!