This is where I get to tell you my opinions!!! I’ll also tell you what substitute works best for what you are trying to make and bake.

Egg

JUST Egg

-For baked goods that require whole eggs (meaning the egg and egg whites) this is what you want. Cookies, cakes, loafs, muffins all your standard baking things, JUST Egg stands tried and true. Most of the time in recipes, Ann egg is used as a binding agent and/or a rising agent. Just egg expands when cooked which makes it a great rising agent. Since it’s already a liquid it can also be a binding agent.

-JUST Egg should NOT be used when a recipe calls for only egg whites. Think chiffon cake or angel food cake.

-3 TBSP of JUST Egg equals one regular egg. So if a recipe calls for three eggs, you’ll use 9 tablespoons of JUST.

Aquafaba (chickpea water)

-Earth is so fucking crazy dude. The proteins in chickpea water and egg whites react the exact same when put under certain kinds of stress. How wild is that! Anyways chickpea water works really well as an egg replacer when the egg is used as a binding agent and only somewhat as a rising agent. What do I mean by that. Well if you like your cookies to be more flat and crinkly, aquafaba is the way to go. If you like a more cakey cookie, you should use JUST Egg. I make these miso chocolate chip cookies (recipe coming soon) and I use aquafaba in them.

-Aquafaba can be used in cakes or loafs in a pinch, but you need to whip the aquafaba first. Beat it like you would an egg for 1-3 minutes so that the mixture has expanded and is frothy, then use as normal. Just make sure the recipe you use it for already has its own rising/levaning agent (baking soda, baking powder).

-3 TBSP of aquafaba equals one regular egg.

Flax egg

-What is this, 2012 veganism? I never use this unless I’m desperate to bake something and am out of everything else. This is a last resort item. Also most people don’t have ground flax in their pantry. Ground flax binds like an egg, but doesn’t expand at all. So don’t use this in general but also don’t use it in cakes. I’d say just for cookies and banana muffins.

-1 TBSP ground flax and 2 TBPS of water equals one regular egg.

Bobs Red Mill Egg Replacer

-Why would you use this when JUST Egg exists. Unless you have an allergy or something sorry. I just find this one to be really chemical tasting.

BUTTER

Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil (or Avocado Oil)

-Everybody stop, we’ve found the best vegan butter. All other brands can quit now. CCPB is truly so good. It whips up SO well for buttercreams. It doesn’t start to split the way other vegan butters do when they sit out in the heat. It also browns like regular butter. Truly! Simmered on low heat it has solids that get all brown and nutty just like the milk solids in regular butter. You can use CCPB in anything. I prefer the olive oil version for the slight flavor over the avocado oil based one.

Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

-The peoples butter! You can find this brand pretty much anywhere, it’s also $2 cheaper than CCPB. Earth Balance is pretty universal and you can’t go wrong using it for any of your bakes. I just find it to be not as creamy as CCPB, and it starts to sweat and split a lot faster when left out. It also doesn’t whip up as well. But again, for almost every baking or cooking project, Earth Balance will get the job done.

Miyoko’s

-Don’t bake with this. 

MILK

-When baking your milk should always be unflavored and unsweetened

Soy Milk

-I find the thickness of soy milk to work best when baking. Other milk alternatives are too runny. Soy milk also curdles really well when you need to make buttermilk for biscuits and such. I usually buy the whole foods 365 version but really any plain soy milk will do.

Oat Milk

-If I’m not buying soy I usually go for oat. I find the flavor to be relatively neutral. I use it more for my cereal rather than baking, but you can’t go wrong putting this in a muffin recipe if that’s what you have on hand.

Almond Milk and Others

-I usually don’t buy nut milks because they have such a strong flavor and are generally pretty thin in consistency.

OTHER

This is just a rapid fire of favorite brands of vegan alternatives. Not necessarily for baking.

Parmesan-I really like the Violife wedge/brick that you can shave yourself.

Mayonnaise-Follow Your Heart has a really great standard Vegenaise that I use.

Yogurt-For baking I use the plain unsweetened almond milk yogurt. For eating I like to treat myself to the Cocojune lemon elderflower coconut yogurt.

Cream Cheese-Philadelphia Cream Cheese has a vegan option that is shockingly so good??? I just tried it recently and I’m obsessed. I also really like Spero Foods sunflower cream cheese. It doesn’t really taste like your typical cream cheese. It has a really different taste and texture that’s just so good.