Here are some vegan baking recipes to spice up your baking journey!
It goes without saying that the words cooking and baking can conjure up two completely different things – one may remind us of a rough and ready dish thrown together as we swan around the kitchen to some music with a glass of wine, while the other may give us flashbacks of sweat, tears and a kitchen that ends up looking like a construction site, with not even a well-bound scone to ameliorate the stress.
I get it though. If we’re to find the time throughout our already busy days to whip together a tasty meal in the kitchen, who wouldn’t go for the cooking option over the baking one? Throwing together a quick casserole is a lot less technical and easier than perfecting a Cornish pasty for dinner, I agree, but instead of ruling baking out completely, why not focus on doing it at the right time and in the right ways?
I for one consider myself a cook, not a baker. My blog began as an accountability partner for myself to continue logging my healthy eating journey throughout my early days in college, where I mainly stuck to the no-fuss dishes, but as I began to work with brands and connected with more people, I felt it was time to expand my catalog and include some baked recipes too. Instead of letting the polarizing views of cooking vs. baking that I’d read and heard continue to pit each against the other in my head, I decided to begin slow and tip-toe out of my comfort zone to see if baking could, God forbid, actually be enjoyable.
I began from memory actually. I knew that baking, at one point had to be enjoyable, when I thought back to little me, chin cupped in hands on my high stool, staring in awe while my Mum was baking. The textures, the smells, the bursts of flour between one knead and another. I remember how intrigued I was by how the different consistencies were miraculously mixed and baked together to create something completely different. I began from there and found that, although definitely more technical than roughly thrown-together dishes, there was something enjoyable and relaxing about being precise.
If I haven’t convinced you to start by baking something easy yet, I’m going to add another dimension by introducing vegan baking. It’s very easy actually, as nowadays, there are substitutes for most of the ingredients that we use to bake. I am going to start with the easiest and most straightforward baked goods I have put onto my food blog, with the help of my friend Kate O’Neill, to introduce you to some recipes that you’ll enjoy baking, and find easy to incorporate into your daily recipes. After you give these a go, let’s return for part 2!
Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
We all love them, but a lot of us are still too afraid to try them on the regular. Mainly fried, but they can also be baked, let’s kick off with this simple vegan pancake batter that comes out as fluffy as it does filling. Thank you Kate O’Neill for your help with this recipe.
Ingredients:
- Plain flour, 225 g
- Apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp
- Oat milk, 300 ml
- Caster sugar, 4 tbsp
- Baking powder, 1 heaped tbsp
- Vanilla extract, 1 tsp
Toppings:
- Maple syrup
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
Method:
- Follow the steps in the reel (mix dry ingredients, then wet ingredients together.)
- Butter the pan, fry on both sides for 2 minutes, stack them up as in the video and then add the toppings.
Kate’s Vegan Cookies
Probably the nicest cookies I’ve ever had – no joke. Thank you Kate O’Neill for showing me how to make them the vegan way, we can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
Ingredients:
- Plain flour, 250 g
- Vegan butter, 200 g
- Sugar, 150 g
- Vanilla extract, 1.5 tsp
- Maple syrup, 1.5 tbsp
- Dark chocolate chips, 80 g
- Pinch of salt
- Baking powder, 1 tsp
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Add all dry ingredients to a mixing bowl, followed by the wet ingredients.
- Mash together well until all is combined.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and separate the dough out into 12 medium balls.
- Bake for 20-22 mins. Allow to cool, harden and enjoy!
Delicious Chocolate Brownies
A brownie that not only has less sugar than the norm, it’s also vegan. Just goes to show that it can be done without compromising taste!
Ingredients:
- Sweet potato, 1 large
- Coconut oil, ½ cup melted
- Agave syrup, 3 tbsps
- Oat flour, 80 g
- Chia flour, 40 g
- Dark chocolate, 100 g
- Banana, ½ large
- Cocoa powder, 3 heaped tbsps
- Rice milk, 3 tbsps
- Vanilla extract, 1 tsp
- Baking powder, 1 tsp
- Salt, 1 tsp
- Extra dark chocolate for glazing
Method:
- Simply follow the comprehensive steps in my video above.
Sweet Oat Loaf
I’m always in awe of how beautiful it turns out since the steps to making it are so simple. With a bit of heat, oats seem like they can transform into anything.
Raspberry bread:
- Oats, 210 g
- Vegan yogurt, 3 tbsps
- Ground Cinnamon, 1.5 tbsps
- Agave syrup, 1.5 tbsps
- Medium sized banana, 1
- Baking Powder, 1 tbsp
- Sea salt, 1 tsp
- Fresh raspberries, 1/2 of a punnet
- Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp
- Vegan butter spread
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Pour the oats into a mixing bowl followed by the baking powder and salt. Mix the contents together well, before adding in the cinnamon, honey, vanilla extract and the banana (mash very well first).
- Mix all ingredients together before adding in the raspberries, followed by the yogurt. 3 tblspns was enough to completely bind the mixture for me, but if you feel you need more yogurt, feel free to add it in.
- Line the sides and base of a small loaf tin (I use a silicone one as I find it’s much easier to use) with some olive spread (kitchen paper can be used for this).
- Pour the mixture into the loaf tin, patting it down with the back of a tbsp and leaving some room for the mixture to rise.
- Bake for approx. 17-20 mins (more if needed). Leave the loaf on a cooling rack for at least 10 mins before serving. The sweet bread goes very well with some olive spread and jam or topped with natural yogurt and berries.
Maple and Oat Biscuits
I am, for sure, a sucker for biscuits and cookies, so having too many recipes for them is never a worry for me. Is it just me or does the combination of maple syrup and nuts just bring you back in time to long cycles or hill/cliff walks where you stopped to rest and take in the breeze and snacked on a flapjack or cereal bar to give you energy for the next leg of your trip?
Ingredients:
- Vegan butter/margarine, 1/2 cup
- White or brown sugar, 3/4 cups
- Maple syrup, 2 tbsps
- Oat flour, 2 1/2 cups (I simply blended oat flakes to make this)
- Oat milk, 1/5 cup (more only if needed)
- Pinch of lime juice
- Baking powder, 1 tbsp
- Pinch of salt
- Handful of almonds
- Handful of oat flakes
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Mash the butter in with the sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Add in the maple syrup.
- Sift in the oat flour and mix everything well.
- Add in the baking powder and salt.
- Add the oat milk and lime juice.
- Mix very well (the dough will be heavy(ish).
- Roll the mixture into 8 even balls.
- Crush the almonds and oats together using a mortar and pestle and roll the balls in the groundings (wet hands between each ball).
- Place the decorated balls a good distance apart on a baking tray layered with baking paper.
- Bake the balls into biscuits for 20-25 mins.
- Pierce the biscuits with a skewer to make sure they’re completely cooked and allow them to cool on a baking rack for ~20 minutes.
I hope you have gotten some inspiration from this article. There are so many great sources out there to check as you continue your fun vegan baking journey, notably the Happy Pear, Bosh, Erin Ireland, Natural Born Feeder, and Aisling Tuck’s Oh Happy Treats amongst many others!
View more recipes by Ryan Mangan – The Food Anatomist on his website here: https://foodanatomist.wordpress.com/ or on his Instagram: @thefoodanatomist
Kate O’Neill inspires many healthier, plant-based lifestyles as well as showing people how to make more eco-friendly daily choices through her Instagram page, @kateeoneill
Ryan Mangan grew up with the idea that a healthy diet guides a healthy mind. Not only does eating well keep him sane and focused, cooking is one of his main hobbies and it is oftentimes where he finds his purpose. Now he uses his website and Instagram page, @thefoodanatomist, to make healthy swaps for everyday dishes.
Kate O’Neill inspires many healthier, plant-based lifestyles as well as showing people how to make more eco-friendly daily choices through her Instagram page, @kateeoneill