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Jan. 2 2024, Published 11:30 a.m. ET
The Gist:
- Many brands sell vegan cake mixes that do not contain any animal ingredients.
- Instead of buying a vegan cake mix, it is also possible to swap ingredients in a regular cake recipe to make it vegan.
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There are a handful of vegan cake mixes out there— you just have to know where to look. Some boxed cake mixes are labeled vegan, while others are "accidentally" vegan, meaning they just so happen to be free of animal ingredients. In these cases, you'll just have to alter the wet ingredients that need to be added to make it to your vegan liking.
So, whether you are a vegan going to a dessert party or looking to try your very first homemade vegan dessert, here is our guide to baking cake mixes into vegan masterpieces, as well as a list of easy vegan cake mixes you can buy.
How can you make conventional cake mixes vegan?
As long as your cake mix contains no animal products, you can find a way to turn it into a vegan cake —even if the side of the box instructs you to add eggs, milk, or butter. Simply replacing the non-vegan wet ingredients with vegan ones will do.
A dairy milk alternative, like almond, coconut, or oat milk is a vegan baking staple, and can easily be swapped in for dairy milk.
You can also find vegan butter at most grocery stores now; but in some recipes, butter can be replaced by a neutral oil like coconut or vegetable oil, per Leaves House. In fact, many cake mixes actually suggest using oil rather than butter for your cake's fat source.
As for the egg, there are many egg replacer possibilities out there, and their success may depend on the recipe you are making, according to Bon Appétit. Some vegan egg substitutes for baking include applesauce, ground flaxseed mixed with water, plant-based yogurt, aquafaba (chickpea water), and even tofu.
Read on for six cake mixes that you can easily make vegan!
Creative Nature's Baking Mixes
All of Creative Nature’s cake mixes are dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan. The brand sells a chocolate cake mix, a carrot cake mix, a sticky toffee cake mix, as well as other desserts like brownies and banana bread.
Betty Crocker Cake Mixes
Although the Betty Crocker cake mixes don’t market themselves as vegan, a lot of them actually are —including the Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Butter Pecan Cake Mix and the Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist Dark Chocolate Cake Mix.
Just read the ingredient label to make sure the mix in your store is free of animal products like eggs, dairy products, and honey.
To make this mix vegan, all you have to do is replace the egg on the recipe instructions with a plant-based egg alternative.
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Supergood! Chocolate Cake Mix
Supergood! is a baking brand looking to make easy recipes accessible for those with dietary restrictions, including vegans. The brand sells a Soft ‘n’ Squidgy Chocolate Cake Mix made with plant-based and all-natural ingredients. If you aren’t a chocolate fan, Supergood! also sells a vegan banana bread mix and a vegan pancake mix.
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Renewal Mill Vanilla Cake Mix
This cake mix is made by the brand Renewal Mill, which uses upcycled flour to reduce global food waste. This mix is gluten-free, egg-free (it already contains an egg replacer in the batter), and vegan. It’s also super easy to make, only requiring you to mix oil and water to the batter, so perfect for when you have to make a last-minute party treat.
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Simple Mills Almond Flour Cake Mix
Simple Mills sells plant-based Vanilla and Chocolate cake mixes that can both be made vegan using a vegan egg substitute in the recipe. The mixes themselves are already gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, and made with no harmful chemicals or preservatives.
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Bob’s Red Mill Cake Mixes
Bob’s Red Mill sells vegan and gluten-free cake mixes that can be easily be baked into vegan treats by using an egg substitute in the recipe. The mixes are also grain-free, Kosher, paleo, and non-GMO.
