Not every animal product has a great plant based alternative (e.g. collagen).
However, most animal products that you cook with or wear have decent alternatives at the very least.
I’ve compiled a list of the most common and useful alternatives that you may need.
Common Substitutions a Vegan Might Need
The table below is sorted in alphabetical order. It has links to more detailed guides for each product so that you can see only the ones that are useful to you.
Most are for cooking ingredients naturally, but it’s nice to have an alternative for things like wool and beeswax as well.
If I’m missing alternatives for a product that you’re really struggling with, let me know and I’ll add it to the table.
| Animal Product | Resource(s) |
|---|---|
| Agar Agar | The 3 Best Agar Agar Powder Substitutes |
| Beeswax | Here are good vegan alternatives to beeswax. |
| Butter | See my general post of the 4 Best Vegan Butter Substitutes for Baking. And if you’re really in a pinch, see this guide to using coconut oil as a butter substitute |
| Coconut Cream | There’s only one vegan substitute for coconut cream that whips up, which is aquafaba. You can make aquafaba from beans other than chickpeas if you’re in a pinch. |
| Cream | I’ve written a detailed guide to the best vegan substitute for heavy cream. |
| Eggs for Breading | The Best Vegan Egg Substitute for Breading |
| Evaporated Milk | The 4 Best Vegan Substitutes for Evaporated Milk |
| Oyster Sauce | 3 Vegan Alternatives to Oyster Sauce |
| Seafood | A Complete Guide to Vegan Seafood and Fish Substitutes |
| Wool | See my general list of vegan wool alternatives, or more specifically, vegan wool hate alternatives |
If you have any questions, just let me know.