How to convert a regular recipe to vegan, step by step

Published 2026-10-21, updated 2026-10-21

Converting a recipe to vegan is mostly a matter of asking what each animal ingredient is doing, then choosing a plant ingredient that does the same job. Some recipes convert easily. Others depend so heavily on eggs or dairy that they are better replaced with a recipe designed without them. This guide gives a seven-step method you can apply to any bake: first decide whether to convert at all, then replace ingredients one at a time using the tables below, and finally adjust and keep notes so each attempt improves on the last.

Step 1: List the animal ingredients and their jobs

Write down every ingredient that comes from an animal, including less obvious ones such as honey, gelatin, milk powder, egg wash and butter in a pan or on top. Beside each, write the job it does in that recipe.

Eggs: binding, lift, moisture, richness, colour.
Butter: fat, flavour, and in pastry and cookies, structure and flakiness.
Milk and cream: moisture, tenderness, browning.
Yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk: moisture, acid and tenderness.
Honey: sweetness and moisture.
Gelatin: setting.

The job list is the whole method. The rest is matching each job to a plant ingredient.

Step 2: Decide whether the recipe should be converted

Count the eggs and look at how they are used.

How convertible is the recipe?
Recipe type	Convertibility	Why
Muffins, quick breads, pancakes, simple cakes, brownies, most cookies, scones	Usually good	Eggs are a minor part of the structure, and one or two eggs can be replaced.
Yeast bread and rolls	Usually good	Eggs add richness and colour, but structure comes from the dough.
Shortcrust and many pie pastries	Good with vegan block butter	Fat is the main concern, not eggs.
Sponge cakes, angel food, chiffon, souffle, choux pastry, meringue-based bakes	Poor	Whisked eggs provide the structure. Aquafaba can replace the whites in some meringues, but follow a vegan recipe.
Baked custards, quiche, cheesecake, flan	Poor	Eggs set the filling. Use a recipe written for tofu, starch or nut cream.

As a rule of thumb, one or two eggs can usually be replaced directly. At three or more, the eggs are doing structural work, and a recipe designed without them gives a better result.

Step 3: Replace each ingredient by its job

Common swaps
Ingredient	Replacement	Amount	Notes
1 large egg	Ground flax, chia, applesauce, plant yogurt, silken tofu or aquafaba	See the egg substitutes guide	Match the bake: binding for cookies, moisture for cakes, foam for meringue.
Butter in cakes, cookies, pastry, frosting	Vegan block butter or margarine	Same weight	Use the block kind, not spreadable tubs, which hold more water.
Butter in muffins and simple cakes	Neutral oil	About 3/4 of the butter's volume (for 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup oil)	Butter is not pure fat, so a little less oil is the usual rule. The crumb will be moister and softer.
Milk	Unsweetened plant milk	Same volume	Soy or oat suit most bakes; see the plant milks guide.
Buttermilk	Plant milk with lemon juice or vinegar	Use 1 tablespoon of acid per cup of milk and rest it; the vegan buttermilk substitutes guide has the full method	Soy curdles best.
Yogurt or sour cream	Plain unsweetened plant yogurt	Same amount	Check that it is unsweetened.
Cream	Canned coconut cream or a plant cream	Same volume	Coconut adds flavour.
Honey	Maple syrup or agave	Same amount	Flavour changes, and the bake may brown differently.
Gelatin	Agar	Follow the agar packet	Agar sets firmer and must be boiled to dissolve; see the thickeners guide.
Egg wash	Plant milk, or plant milk with a little maple syrup	A light brush	The syrup gives more colour and shine.

Step 4: Check the raising agents and acids

Do not remove or reduce baking powder or soda, because eggs and dairy often share the lifting load. When replacing acidic dairy such as buttermilk or yogurt, keep the acid by using the plant versions in the table, since baking soda needs an acid to react. If an egg replacement adds no lift, as with flax or chia, rely on the recipe's existing raising agents rather than adding more on a hunch. Add changes later, one at a time.

Step 5: Adjust the liquid and the mixing

If a replacement adds moisture, such as applesauce, yogurt or tofu, hold back a little of the milk and add it only if the batter looks stiffer than the original.
Let flax and chia gel fully before adding them.
Mix until just combined. Eggless batters toughen if beaten hard once the flour is in.
Fold whipped aquafaba in gently, in two stages, to keep the air.

Step 6: Bake, test and cool

Start with the original temperature and check early. Moist replacements can slow baking slightly, so test with a skewer instead of trusting the timer. Cool on a rack before cutting, because many eggless bakes look underdone when hot and finish setting as they cool. If the top is browning faster than the middle, lower the oven a little or cover the top loosely with foil.

Step 7: Change one thing at a time and keep notes

If the first attempt is not right, change a single variable on the next one. Write down what you swapped, what the texture was like and what you will try next. Common fixes: gummy, so cut the moist replacement or bake longer; dry, so add a spoonful of oil or milk; flat, so check the raising agents are fresh; heavy, so mix less.

A paper example of the method

Take a basic cake recipe with 2 eggs, butter and milk. Eggs are only two, so the recipe is a good candidate. The eggs' main job here is binding and moisture, so replace them with 1/2 cup (about 120 g) of plain unsweetened plant yogurt, which is 1/4 cup per egg. Replace the butter with the same weight of vegan block butter, and the milk with the same volume of soy or oat milk. Keep the baking powder. If the batter looks thinner than the original, hold back some of the milk. This is an illustration of the method, not a recipe we have baked.

Converting and keeping it gluten-free

For a recipe that must be both vegan and gluten-free, choose one written for both and see the gluten-free baking problems guide. Check every label, because some vegan products contain wheat. People with coeliac disease or allergies should talk to a doctor or dietitian about what is safe.

What this guide is based on

The approach of replacing each animal ingredient by the job it does is general cooking knowledge, not a result of our own test baking.
The swap amounts (1/4 cup of yogurt per egg, oil at about 3/4 of the butter amount, 1 tablespoon of acid per cup of plant milk, one for one for milk and honey) are commonly published rules of thumb and vary with the recipe.
The judgement of which recipes convert well and which do not (one or two eggs versus three or more, whisked-egg bakes and egg-set custards) is general baking knowledge, offered as a guide.
The worked example is an illustration on paper. We have not baked it.
Allergy, gluten and coeliac statements are general. Check labels and ask a doctor or dietitian.