How to Veganize a Box of Cake Mix
on Jun 27, 2020
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When I went vegan, I was surprised to learn about “accidentally vegan” products. Aka products I was already familiar and had no idea were vegan!
This is usually a happy “accident” because it’s not that the company is purposefully making vegan-friendly products, it’s just that they happen to be egg and dairy free.
Some of my favorite accidentally vegan products include Oreos, Swedish Fish, and a lot of the cake mixes I grew up with by brands like Dunkin Hines and Pillsbury.
I’ve included a list of some easy to find vegan cake mixes below.
But that’s just the half of it. What about the eggs and butter that the boxes tell you to add? Those certainly aren’t vegan!
Fear not, there are any ways to substitute eggs and dairy that yield the same light and fluffy cakes you know and love.
INSTEAD OF BUTTER
REFINED COCONUT OIL
Coconut oil comes in two versions. Refined and virgin. Virgin is unfiltered and can be good in some recipes but I almost never buy it because it imparts a very strong coconut flavor. Refined on the other hand is great because it works with both sweet and savory dishes and does not interfere with the flavor.
It has a high smoke point and is delicious to use with everything from roasted veggies to chocolate chip cookies. I stock up and use it often.
MEASURING TIP:
If a recipe says 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil, that means melt the oil then measure out 1/4 cup. If it says 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted, it means measure 1/4 cup and then melt it. This sounds like an insignificant distinction but it will yield different amounts and effect the outcome of the recipe.
Also use a liquid measuring cup for melted or liquid fats.
VEGAN BUTTER (STICKS)
Vegan butter has come a long way in terms of flavor, and it’s easier than ever to find in regular grocery stores (yay Team Vegan!) I’ve noticed that using the sticks works better than the kind in the tub, but other than that, I use it the exact same way I used to use dairy butter.
Country Crock, Earth Balance, and Miyokos make great vegan options.
INSTEAD OF EGGS
My go-tos are flax eggs or a unsweetened applesauce and corn starch combo.
FLAX EGG
This is great because it works well for everything from cookies to cakes to pancakes and muffins. I use this trick to make my vegan Triple Chocolate Cake and (my favorite!) Pumpkin Bread recipe.
To make a flax egg, simply combine 1 tbsp of ground flax seed and 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl. Stir and set aside for 15 minutes to gel. This equals one egg.
In my experience, Sepctrum and Trader Joe’s ground flax seeds work well for this.
Note: do not use whole flax seeds 😊
UNSWEETEEND APPLESUCE + CORNSTARCH
Apples contain pectin which naturally thickens foods like jams and jellies and well, applesauce! For this reason, it also works well as an egg replacer.
I find it’s especially effective when combined with corn starch. Not literally combined, I don’t mix them together separately, but when a recipe calls for 2 eggs, I sub 1/4 cup applesauce and mix 1 tbsp of corn starch into the wet ingredients to dissolve. Then add the dry ingredients like I normally would.
The use of these two together works very well for cakes.
SODA
You can also use a can of soda! It sounds crazy but it really works! I used a can of Sprite to make this cake and it was delicious. Light and fluffy without eggs or oil! Crazy 🤯
Before you watch, you should know this video – and the title- was a parody of the movie Parasite because I used it as a contest entry for this year’s Oscars Party at my friend’s house. So the video is shot in the style of the movie – the cake was a total hit with my friends by the way!
VEGAN CAKE MIXES
- Thrive Market Yellow Cake Mix (vegan, gluten-free, naturally sweetened)
- Dunkin Hines Classic Yellow Mix, Devils Food, Lemon Supreme
- Pillsbury Moist Supreme Golden Butter Mix, Purely White
What are your favorite ways to bake without eggs or dairy? Let me know in the comments! Hope this post was helpful for you.
Happy baking!
Nicole
I love the can of soda idea! Does diet work?
I have used diet soda in the past and it does work
It doesn’t have to be diet. Any soda drink will work, even soda water. The carbonation is the key.
I have used diet soda in the past and it works great
We have learned that flax eggs alone will not usually work as a substitute on its own, especially with brownies. But if you make the flax egg first, then add 1/4 tsp of baking soda per egg right before you add it to the box mix, it’ll work. We kept having “boiling brownies” until we found it online. We do live at over 1,000 ft and I don’t know if that makes a difference.
I tried the applesauce and cornstarch combo in my cake mix. It worked perfectly. Thanks for the tip.
That’s great! I’m so glad you liked this tip! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 Hope you have a nice day
My son’s birthday is coming up. I plan to make cupcakes from a boxed cake mix. In the past, I’ve tried substituting with flax egg, with applesauce, and with banana (separate times, not together). All seemed a little too dense. What is the best option to keep the cupcakes more fluffy? Should I try the applesauce/ corn starch combo? If so, is that 1/4 cup applesauce + 1Tbs cornstarch per egg called for? And would I still add the water and oil as called for? Thank you!
Hey 🙂 yes use the water and oil it calls for and if it says two eggs, I’d try 2 tbsp of applesauce an extra 1/2 tsp of baking powder. That should be good! Let me know how it goes!