10 vegan cooking hacks you need to try

A few simple tricks cover most of the gaps when you cook without eggs, milk or butter. These are the ones worth learning first.

1. Flax egg for baking

Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and leave for 10 minutes until gloopy. It replaces one egg in cookies, muffins, pancakes and brownies, or anywhere the egg mainly binds.

2. Aquafaba, the chickpea water trick

The liquid from a tin of chickpeas whips up just like egg white. Use 3 tablespoons per egg, or whisk 120ml with ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar and 100g of caster sugar for meringues. Bake low and slow at 100°C for about 90 minutes.

3. Gram flour omelette

Whisk 60g of gram (chickpea) flour with 120ml of water, a pinch of turmeric, salt and black pepper. Pour into a hot oiled pan, add fillings, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side. A pinch of kala namak (black salt) gives an eggy flavour.

4. Silken tofu chocolate mousse

Blend a block of silken tofu with 150g of melted dark chocolate and a spoon of maple syrup until smooth, then chill for an hour. It sets thick and glossy and nobody will guess what is in it.

5. One-ingredient banana ice cream

Freeze sliced ripe bananas, then blend until creamy. Add cocoa, peanut butter or frozen berries for different flavours. Eat straight away as soft serve or freeze for an hour to firm up.

6. Coconut whipped cream

Chill a tin of full-fat coconut milk overnight. Scoop off the thick cream from the top, add a little icing sugar and vanilla and whisk until fluffy. Save the watery part for a curry or smoothie.

7. Cheesy flavour from nutritional yeast

These savoury yellow flakes add a cheesy, nutty flavour to sauces, pasta and popcorn. Two tablespoons stirred into a simple white sauce with mustard makes a good mac and cheese.

8. Cashew cream

Soak 100g of cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes, drain, then blend with 150ml of fresh water until completely smooth. Use it to make pasta sauces and soups creamy, or sweeten it for desserts.

9. Plant "buttermilk"

Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or cider vinegar into 250ml of soya milk and leave for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. It gives fluffy pancakes and tender scones.

10. Freeze your tofu

Freeze a block of firm tofu in its packet, then defrost it. Ice crystals open up the texture, so it squeezes out more water, gets chewier and soaks up marinades much better.

Where to find the ingredients

Gram flour, nutritional yeast and ground flaxseed are usually in the world foods or free-from aisles. Silken tofu is often on the shelf rather than in the fridge. Browse our baking and desserts listings for more.