No Eggs, No Problem! Easy Egg Substitutes for Baking
Have you ever been in a situation where you take everything you need to bake that special cake out of the fridge and pantry, only to realize you’re out of eggs? Or maybe you’re baking something special for the kid’s school or office and you know there are a few egg allergies in the group?
Or maybe you’ve recently gone vegan and aren’t sure how to make your favorite banana bread without those eggs. We’re here to save the day and provide you with the very best egg substitutes for all situations. We’ll cover the bases with fruits, seeds, and even bean substitutes!
Here are our favorites 8 alternatives for eggs.
1. Flax Seed and Water
Flax seed is a natural thickener that is probably the most well-known egg replacement for baked goods. It is tried, trusted, and true! For this recipe, you’ll want to use golden flax seeds (not dark ones) and make sure they are finely ground.
You can do this yourself in a coffee grinder or buy them pre-ground. For one egg, you’ll want to mix 1 heaped tablespoon of flax seed with 3 tablespoons of warm water. Let this sit for a few minutes until it forms a thick egg-like gel.
Now, obviously, this is not an egg. Doesn’t look like an egg, doesn’t taste like an egg… but the thing is, when you bake with this gel, it acts like an egg. For this reason, you can use flax seed as a substitute in any cake, cookie, muffin, cupcake, or other baked goods.
The only place this wouldn’t work well is if you are baking something that needs to remain very white (because even the lightest colored flax seeds will add an undesirable color.)
2. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds work in a similar way to flax seeds, becoming a plant-based gel that thickens and acts like an egg, but the difference is that you can use chia seeds with cool liquids and use them raw. All chia seeds need in order to thicken something like an egg is a bit of time.
You can add whole chia seeds or ground chia seeds to any liquid, set it aside, and within a few minutes or hours, it will be super thick.
This is especially handy when making smoothies, icings, panna cottas, or sauces that don’t require cooking and for this reason, we’ve added it to the list of awesome egg replacers!
3. Mashed Fruit
Mashed bananas in particular can work really well in baked goods, especially quick breads or muffins. Simply use ¼ cup of mashed banana to replace 1 egg.
Just keep in mind that this will impart a subtle banana flavor, which may be a good thing but it may not be, depending on what you’re making. Another great option, and more neutral in taste, is applesauce! Using ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce to replace 1 egg will work wonders for any recipe!
4. Silken or Soft Tofu
In some baked goods, silken tofu makes a great egg replacement! You can blend it beforehand or use very soft, silken tofu, gently mash it in a bowl first and then use this mix in any baked good. Use ¼ cup mashed or puréed tofu to replace 1 egg.
This will not be suitable for anyone with a soy allergy and is known for creating a denser finished product, but will still work at a pinch!
5. Commercial Egg Replacer
There are many brands out there and we won’t list them all here, but you can find them in any health-food store or the vegan section of your grocery store. They often come in powdered form, which is pure white, and you mix them with water to create a chemical compound that you can then use as an egg.
There are other brands that are more natural and contain some of the ingredients we’ve already listed, and they actually come in that pale yellow color that resembles an egg. Either way, these options work great and are super reliable. You can find many recipes on how to use them properly online, and they usually taste fairly neutral, though sometimes slightly chemically.
The downside of these products is that they can be expensive, certainly more expensive than eggs! Also, this option must be stored in the fridge whereas flax and chia are shelf-stable.
6. Yogurt, Buttermilk, or Sour Cream
These products, including the vegan versions, add delicious richness and flavor when replacing eggs, but also make for a denser dish. Use ¼ cup to replace 1 egg and bake as usual.
7. Aquafaba
In Latin, aqua means water, and faba means bean. So, aquafaba is just that… bean water! More specifically, aquafaba is the liquid from cooked legumes and it is a miracle egg replacer – you might find this hard to believe, and we did too before we tried it.
Three tablespoons of aquafaba equal one egg, and more specifically, aquafaba reacts in exactly the same way as egg whites do in pretty much all applications.
You can actually whip aquafaba with sugar and make a beautiful egg-white meringue that you can torch, bake or eat raw. You can also add aquafaba to any recipe that requires eggs, sweet or savory. Aquafaba is relatively new, so it may be tricky to find reliable aquafaba recipes, but that is about the only downside.
Aquafaba is free from all allergens and very cheap, in fact, you save money using aquafaba because it is a product that would normally be thrown away!
8. Carbonated Water or Soda Water
Eggs are often used as a leavening agent to make baked goods and breads rise, but you can achieve the same thing by using carbonated water. Irish Soda Bread is a great example of this!
Carbonated water adds those signature air bubbles and therefore impart leavening, especially if paired with baking soda and an acid such as white vinegar or lemon juice. This all depends on the recipe, but if you do decide to try this one, use ¼ cup of soda water for every egg.
Eggs are a big deal when it comes to baking. They play an important role in creating structure and substance in recipes, as well as stability in quick breads and batters. They also thicken and emulsify sauces and puddings, and they add moisture, texture, and leavening to cakes and breads. One of the most popular egg-based desserts is a lemon meringue pie, for which you can make both the curd and the meringue completely eggless, without losing any of the quality!
For the curd, you might try a commercial egg replacer, or thicken a curd with cornstarch, arrowroot, or gelatin. You can also whip up a fabulous vegan meringue with aquafaba and, honestly, we don’t think your guests would ever know the difference!
With so many people choosing a vegan diet, and egg allergies on the rise, it is important for all of us to have some of these options in our back pocket. Some of the options on this list are healthier and more affordable than eggs, and we hope you have fun giving them a try.
