Vegan Pantry Essentials
A well-stocked pantry is critical to the success of any decent home cook. Every time you feel like making something, you don't want to have to run to the store. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you know that you should have a selection of key spices, flour, sugar* and other basic staples that should already be on your shelves whether you're vegan or not. If I'm giving you more credit than you deserve, just be thrilled that someone thinks that you're a more successful adult than you are.
This page will give you an idea of some specialty items that you'll see pop up frequently in my recipes and many other vegan cookbooks and websites. All of these items can be found at a Whole Foods or other natural or health food store.
- Agar agar-I use agar agar powder in recipes that require a gelatin substitute. Agar agar is made from seaweed which may sound a bit strange but considering that gelatin is made from the bones and hooves of dead animals, it's not strange at all.
- Agave Nectar- This makes a great substitute for honey.
- Aquafaba - This is the water that beans are cooked in that can be used as an egg substitute in some recipes or can even used to make a meringue. The easiest thing to do is to just use the drained liquid from a can of chickpeas. That is what I have used in the recipes on this site. Better to use unsalted chickpeas.
- Cashews- Raw, unsalted cashews that have been pureed are used in vegan cooking to help lend a creamy texture. If you don't have a super powerful blender like a Vitamix, you should soak your cashews in water for at least 2 hours before blending.
- Flax seed- Ground flax seeds combined with water can act as an egg in some recipes. To make a basic flax "egg" you combine 1 Tbsp of ground flax seed with 2 Tbsp of water. Let the seeds and water sit for a few minutes before using.
- Nutritional yeast- I don't think it matters what word is put in front of "yeast." No matter what, it just doesn't sound appetizing let alone "nutritional." That being said, nutritional yeast is actually tasty and full of nutrients (protein and B vitamins). It's used in some recipes to help lend a "cheesy" flavor and it's a yummy topping on popcorn. I do not abide by someone making a vegan cheese sauce using nutritional yeast when there are much better options. (check back soon for my vegan queso recipe)
- Plant-based milk - The most common ones are soy and almond milk. Soy has a lot more protein so it works better when making vegan buttermilk but either will work in any of these recipes unless specifically noted. The only plant milk I'd suggest avoiding is Ripple (made from peas). It may just be my taste buds but I find it to have a bitter aftertaste.
- Tofu - Packed full of protein but not flavor, this critical vegan staple can be used for so many things! Use silken tofu in smoothies and some desserts. Use firm tofu when making a vegan quiche and extra firm for almost anything. I always have a pack or two in my fridge. Most recipes require you to drain and press firm and extra firm tofu to remove the excess packing water. If you'll be eating a lot of tofu, invest in an actual tofu press to make life easy. If you'll only be having it occasionally, you can usually just cut it into even slabs and then place them between clean dish towels and set a heavy(ish) book on top for a few mins.
- Vital wheat gluten - This is a high-protein flour used for making seitan (aka wheat meat). Gluten has gotten a bad rap lately thanks to uninformed people thinking it's not good for you. Unless you have celiac disease there's no major reason for you to avoid gluten. If you do have celiac disease, vital wheat gluten is poison for you and I'm sad that you will never be able to enjoy the wonders of seitan.
*If you have chosen to be vegan to live your life as cruelty free as possible, be aware that normal table sugar is not strictly vegan. While the end product is a pure, animal free chemical compound, most commercial sugar uses a step in its processing that includes bone char. Learn more here. Make sure you are using vegan sugar if want to avoid any animal products at all.