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Need cake and need it now? Supermarket baking mix to the rescue! Here are the best vegan cake mix options at Coles and Woolworths for whipping up a delicious egg- and dairy-free dessert in minutes.
Who says baking from scratch is the only way to make a show-stopping plant-based cake? Sometimes, the simplest solution is sitting right there on the supermarket shelf: boxed vegan cake mix! We love a time-saving dessert hack, especially one that proves you don’t need eggs or dairy to bake a better batter 🙌🍰
And you’d be surprised just how many cake mixes are naturally plant-based. In fact, there are almost too many options to choose from! To help you narrow down all the options, we’ve sifted through the baking aisle and compiled a list of the best vegan cake mix options you can pick up at Coles and Woolies.
With just a few plant-based swaps, you can transform these conventional cake mixes into effortlessly mouthwatering vegan masterpieces. Simply follow our tips for substituting eggs and dairy when adding the extra ingredients listed on the box—it’s a piece of cake!
Without further ado, here are the vegan cake mix options you need to add to your plant-based pantry pronto – just in case of any future sweet treat emergencies 😉
Although Betty Crocker cake mixes aren’t specifically labelled vegan, many boxes are “accidentally” free from animal products, making them a great option if you need to make a plant-based dessert in a hurry.
The method on the side of the box will usually call for eggs, butter, and milk – so all you’ve got to do is swap those for plant-based alternatives (more on this below!) and you’re on your way to a truly irresistible vegan cake.
The following Betty Crocker cake mixes are 100% vegan:
Other Betty Crocker baking mixes free from animal products include:
The Coles brand has really upped its game in the baking aisle recently – they now have several cake mix varieties that happen to be fully plant-based. Quick, easy, and budget-friendly, these vegan cake mixes from Coles might look humble, but they yield seriously delicious results:
Other Coles baking mixes free from animal products include:
Not all Greens baking mixes are vegan, but plenty are (always check the label to make sure), and they bake up beautifully when mixed with egg and dairy alternatives. Fluffy, foolproof, and affordable, these vegan cake mix boxes are perfect for everything from birthday parties to a casual afternoon tea:
Other Greens baking mixes free from animal products include:
Whether you’re craving something chocolatey or citrusy (or maybe both?), Well & Good has your back. They currently offer two vegan cake mix options, both of which are super easy to make and taste utterly divine:
Well & Good’s other vegan-friendly baking mixes include:
(PS: If you’re looking for an easy comfort meal to pair with your cake, Well & Good have some pretty tasty instant vegan meals in their range, too!)
A hot new addition to the shelves – the new Unbelievably Good range by White Wings happens to be 100% vegan and gluten-free! They only have one classic cake mix so far:
But their other vegan-friendly baking mixes are brilliant too:
These cheap and cheerful vegan cake mix options from the Woolworths home brand have become cult favourites among plant-based bakers looking for a light and fluffy base to build from:
Other Woolworths baking mixes free from animal products include:
Veganising a standard cake mix recipe is even easier than you’d think. Just a few simple swaps, and you’re ready to start mixing!
The first step, of course, is to make sure you’ve picked a vegan-friendly cake mix base to begin with. You can do this by choosing one of the options from the list above or by checking the label on another variety to ensure it doesn’t contain animal ingredients.
Next, just follow the recipe on the side of the box, making the following substitutions as needed:
🥚 Instead of eggs, use:
Still cracking into the wonderful world of egg substitutes? Check out our easy guide to egg-free baking for even more tips and tricks.
🧈 Instead of butter, use:
These easy, buttery swaps will make your cakes just as rich, golden, and delicious as always – no dairy required.
🥛 Instead of dairy milk, use:
You’ll find an entire wall of milk alternatives at the shops! Soy milk is the best all-rounder for baking due to its high protein content, making it behave most similarly to dairy, but with plenty of other versatile options like almond, oat, and coconut milk – you can’t go wrong!
🥥 Instead of cream, use:
Whether you whip it up or pour it straight into the batter, there’s a dairy-free cream alternative to suit your needs. Look for these store-bought vegan creams while gathering your baking supplies.
🥣 Instead of yoghurt, use:
Plant-based yoghurt is perfect for bringing the same moisture and gentle tang to your cakes as dairy yoghurt, keeping them soft, flavourful, and beautifully tender. Just swap it in 1:1 and mix as usual.
From classic, melt-in-your-mouth buttercream to decadent chocolate ganache, no cake is complete without a generous layer of frosting. Luckily, there are plenty of addictive vegan icing options to choose from. Take a lick – I mean, look 😋
Store-bought vegan-friendly icing
Here are a few ready-made options you’ll find at Coles, Woolworths, or online:
DIY vegan icing tips
Prefer to make your own? Try one of these short and sweet vegan icing recipes:
🌼 Basic buttercream:
Beat vegan butter (like Nuttelex or Flora Plant Butter) with icing sugar to taste, until it’s smooth, creamy, and spreadable. Add vanilla extract, cocoa powder, or natural food colouring as desired, depending on how you plan to decorate!
🍫 Chocolate ganache:
Heat equal parts coconut cream and chopped vegan chocolate using the double boiler method until melted, mixed through, and smooth. Allow ganache to cool slightly before spreading.
🥥 Whipped coconut frosting:
Chill a can of full-fat coconut cream overnight. Scoop off the solid part, whip it up with some icing sugar and vanilla, and voilà – a fluffy coconut topping!
🍋 Tangy, cream cheese-style frosting:
Blend up a tub of vegan cream cheese (like Biocheese or Made With Plants) with icing sugar to taste, adding a generous dash of lemon juice for extra brightness and tang.
Using our tips above, you’ll be pulling a drool-worthy cake out of the oven in no time, with a bowl of decadent plant-based frosting waiting and spatula-ready.
Whether you’re pressed for time or simply craving a no-fuss sweet treat, vegan cake mix is always worth remembering as a quick and easy shortcut. And they’re the ultimate proof that plant-based cakes can always rise to the occasion – even when they’re straight out of a box!
Having grown up in a “meat and 3 veg” kind of household, Liv’s embarrassed to admit that she was a bit of a one-note chef until she began exploring the world of plant-based food. Vegan cooking has given her a whole new appreciation for the symphonies of flavours that simple, nourishing wholefood ingredients can create. (Even eggplant, once her greatest nemesis, is now — in a delicious, miso-glazed redemption arc — her all-time favourite veg.)