Best Egg Substitutes and How to Use Them

Eggs are an almost magical substance.  They act like glue to bind ingredients together. They introduce air to baked goods to help them rise and add moisture.

Unfortunately, there is no one product which can replace eggs in all of these ways.  Instead, you’ll likely need to use multiple egg substitutes.

Here I’ll go over:

*Note 1: Eggs are hard to find during disasters. It’s smart to stockpile these egg substitutes as part of your prepping!
*Note 2: Eggs can be frozen for later use.

Egg Substitutes for Baking

Eggs actually don’t add any flavor to baked goods like cakes, banana bread, or cookies.  Rather, eggs serve two important purposes in baked goods:

  1. Leavening (help baked goods rise)
  2. Add moisture

Thus, to make baked goods without eggs, you’ll have to add both a leavening ingredient and a moisture ingredient.

1. Leavening Egg Substitutes

When you beat eggs, it introduces air into your cake batter.  When baked, the air then expands and causes the cake to rise and get fluffy.

Luckily, there are plenty of other leavening ingredients you can use in place of eggs to get fluffy results. Here are the best ones:

  • Baking soda. If the product doesn’t require much leavening, then just baking soda will suffice.
  • Baking soda + baking powder. Use both in recipes which should be very fluffy.
  • Baking soda + vinegar. The fizzing action causes baked goods to get very fluffy.
  • Baking soda + buttermilk or yogurt. The acids cause the baking soda to fizz just like vinegar would.
  • Baking powder. If using just baking powder instead of baking soda, you’ll need to use about 3x the amount of baking soda.
  • Seltzer or other bubbly water. This doesn’t work nearly as well since a lot of the bubbles will fizz off even before you get the item into the oven, but it works in a pinch. To use, remove some of the liquid in the recipe and replace with the bubbly water.

*There are also some “vegan egg replacer” products you can buy.  These usually consist of a various starches, cellulose gum, and leaveners.

One of the oldest and most-trusted products is Ener G Egg Replacer.

2. Moisture

This one is easy to replace.  Instead of eggs, just add applesauce, mashed banana, or other fruit puree. Or, if you are making savory baked goods, add some veggie puree.  It’s also a good way to sneak more nutrients into your food.

Baked Goods Recipes Using Egg Substitutes

Tip: Instead of trying to replace eggs in your normal recipes, look for vegan recipes instead.  These have been tried-and-tested so are more likely to get good results.

Vegan recipes often call for “weird” ingredients like coconut oil, almond milk, or soy butter. You can just use canola oil, regular milk, or butter instead.

Here are some of my favorite no-egg recipes for baked goods.  All are pretty simple and easy to make.

Egg Substitutes for Binding

Eggs are runny when raw but turn hard when baked, which in turn binds all of the other ingredients together.  This is essential for dishes like meatballs or burgers.  Some baked goods also require a binder or they will fall apart.

Here are three egg substitutes that do a great job of binding ingredients together.

1. Flaxmeal

Mix 1 Tbsp. of flax meal with 3 Tbsp. of warm water.  Let it sit for a few minutes.  You’ll notice it turning goopy.  This gives you one “flegg” (flax egg).

2. Chia Seeds

Just like  you would with flaxmeal, mix 1 Tbsp. of whole chia seeds with 3 Tbsp of warm water.  Let it sit for a few minutes or until goopy.  This gives you one egg substitute for binding.

3. Chickpea Liquid

Also known as aquafaba, the liquid from chickpeas contains starches which are an excellent binder.  To use, you’ll need to blend the aquafaba until frothy. Alternatively, shake the can of chickpeas before opening to get the liquid frothy. Use 3 Tbsp. of aquafaba per egg.

Note: Aquafaba can also be whipped to make egg-free whipped cream or any other recipe which calls for whipped egg whites.

Egg Substitutes for Pancakes

For pancakes to come out well, they need to have a leavening ingredient, moisture, and a binder.  Normally, eggs would do all of this.  If you don’t have eggs, you’ll need to use three egg substitutes.

This normally means using baking soda and baking powder (leavening), fruit puree (moisture), and a binder (flaxmeal or chia seed).

Below is my pancake recipe which uses egg-replacers. There’s no need to add sugar to the pancakes because the banana mash acts like a natural sweetener.

Easy No-Egg Pancake Recipe

Makes approximately 6 pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • Dash of salt
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
  • 1 flegg (1 Tbsp. flaxmeal + 3 Tbsp. warm water)
  • 1 mashed banana (or ½ cup applesauce or other fruit puree)
  • 1 cup milk
  • Up to ½ cup chopped nuts, berries, dried fruit, etc.

Instructions:

  • In a small bowl, mix the flaxmeal and water together. Leave to sit.
  • Add all the dry ingredients together.
  • Add the flegg, mashed banana, and milk.
  • Stir until combined.
  • Cook pancakes on a hot, greased skillet. If the pancakes are too thick to your liking, add a bit more milk to the batter and stir.
  • Serve with maple syrup, honey, jam, and/or fresh fruit on top

Substitutes for Scrambled, Boiled Eggs and Omelets

There’s nothing that can stand in perfectly for cooked eggs.  However, I’ve found that my family loves eating tofu scramble.  Like eggs, tofu is also mostly protein.  If you add turmeric to it, the scramble will even be yellow like eggs.

You can also use tofu to recreate hard boiled eggs.  It is surprisingly similar.  However, you’ll want to use silken tofu (which comes in a box, not refrigerated) because its texture is most similar to boiled eggs.

As for omelets, one lesser-known egg substitute is chickpea flour.  It even has a yellowish color like a real omelet. I personally am not a fan of it but a lot of people love it.

Here are some great egg-substitute recipes:

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  1. I am not a fan of the taste of flax or chia eggs. My favorite egg replacer is arrowroot powder, which has no particular flavor. Use 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 3 T water to replace one egg. We use this in all our baked goods (breads, cookies, brownies etc.) and for pancakes/waffles. Works great, stores great!

    Reply
    • Thanks for the tips. I believe that arrowroot powder is the main ingredient in lots of those egg replacer powders. I still like flax seed meal though as a way to sneak more nutrition into my family 🙂

      Reply

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