Egg Substitutes

Eggs have played a long-standing role in many cuisines. Beyond their role as a breakfast staple, eggs also have unique properties that make them ideal for preparing moist and structurally-sound baked goods. But as more and more people explore plant-based eating, creative new approaches to baking are raising awareness about effective egg substitutes. From applesauce to mashed banana, a wide array of plant-based foods boast many of the same qualities associated with eggs. Better yet, these substitutes are free from the animal cruelty, environmental costs, and health risks associated with eggs. Keep reading to discover how and why you can start using egg substitutes in your kitchen.

Why are eggs used in baking?

Eggs have several uses in baking, including:

• Binding: Egg proteins help to bind baked goods together to provide a solid structure and prevent your final product from falling apart. 

• Leavening: Beaten eggs trap air, which contributes to the light and airy texture often associated with baked goods. The air trapped inside eggs lends itself to the leavening process.

• Moisture: The water content in eggs evaporates during baking and provides moisture for the final product. By adding moisture, eggs ensure that baked goods are not dry or crumbly.

In addition to these properties, eggs can also be useful for emulsification and flavor enhancement. Fortunately, a wide array of plant-based egg substitutes offer the same critical qualities of binding, leavening, moisture, and more.

What is a substitute for eggs in baking?

What is a substitute for eggs in cake?

Many egg substitutes provide all the qualities necessary for a perfectly moist and airy cake. A few options include:

• Applesauce: Use a quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce for each egg you're replacing in a recipe. You can increase or decrease the quantity per egg replaced depending on how much additional moisture you want in the recipe.
• Mashed banana: Use one mashed banana for each egg you'd like to replace in a recipe. You can increase or decrease the quantity per egg replaced depending on how much additional moisture you want in the recipe.
• Flax egg: Combine one tablespoon of ground flaxseed, also known as flaxseed meal,  with 2.5 tablespoons of water. Then stir and let sit for about five minutes to thicken. Add to recipes to replace one egg. You can use the same ratio with chia seeds in place of ground flaxseed for another egg replacement option.
• Silken tofu: Pulse silken tofu in a food processor or blender until it's broken up. Then use a quarter cup of the silken tofu per egg in a recipe.
• Aquafaba: Aquafaba is the sticky, thick liquid found in canned chickpeas. This liquid is often used to replace egg whites in baked goods or sometimes a whole egg. The substitution is typically 3 tablespoons of aquafaba per egg or two tablespoons of aquafaba per egg white. Aquafaba can be whipped like egg whites to make a delicate meringue, or it can be used to make marshmallows, macaroons, and other treats.

If you're feeling experimental, you can try out even more substitutes, such as baking soda and vinegar, pumpkin, and others.

All of these options are nutritious, widely accessible, and affordable. Plus, the differences in the properties of each of these options allows you to tweak the taste and texture of your final product according to which egg substitute you choose. 

These same egg substitutes typically work well for cupcakes too. Sometimes, if the primary ingredients of a recipe are conducive to a solid and moist structure, you won't even need one of these egg replacers. For instance, check out this plant-based carrot cake cupcake recipe where the carrots themselves lend incredible moisture and structure to the final product.

Ready to get started baking egg-free cakes? Try making the best vegan chocolate cake, this vegan vanilla layer cake with raspberry jam, or this easy vegan coffee cake.

What is a substitute for eggs in cookies?

Applesauce, mashed banana, and flax egg, described above in detail, are excellent egg substitutes for baking cookies. 

You can also try commercial egg replacers, such as Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, which is widely available in grocery stores and available for purchase online. Many other store-bought egg replacers are growing in popularity including AcreMade, Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg, neat Egg, and Ener-G. Most egg replacers are made from whole foods ingredients, like seeds, beans, or pea protein.

Ready to start baking egg-free cookies? Try making these vegan chocolate chip cookies, vegan chocolate crinkle cookies, or vegan snickerdoodles.

What is a substitute for eggs in brownies?

Many functional and great-tasting alternatives are available for baking egg-free brownies. Applesauce, mashed banana, and flax eggs are a few of the most common choices. You can also substitute store bought egg replacers, such as Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer or Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg, available in many grocery stores across the country.

Ready to get started baking egg-free brownies? Try making these vegan brownies or these vegan raspberry brownies. 

Remember-cakes, cookies, and brownies are just the beginning of egg-free baking. You can also make bars, breads, pies, and much more! Try vegan banana bread, vegan cinnamon rolls, vegan blondies, vegan pumpkin pie, or search online to find an egg-free version of your favorite baked good.

What is an egg substitute for breakfast?

Eggs are one of the first foods we associate with breakfast. But with nutritious, plant-based ingredients, you can create a very similar taste and texture to eggs in your breakfasts. You'll be surprised by how well egg substitutes can mimic what you love about eggs!

What can I substitute for eggs in pancakes?

The best pancakes are light, fluffy, and moist. You can recreate all these great-tasting qualities when you prepare pancakes with plant-based ingredients. Consider egg replacements like mashed banana or applesauce when making pancakes. Better yet, make it easy on yourself by following a highly-rated recipe for vegan pancakes, like this recipe from The New York Times or this recipe from Tasty.

What can I substitute for hard-boiled eggs?

Over the past few years, plant-based start-ups have revolutionized the vegan food market. A female-founded and BIPOC-owned start-up created WunderEggs, a vegan hard-boiled egg made from almonds, cashews, and other ingredients. Now available in Whole Foods stores nationwide, WunderEggs are a great choice for your next egg-free breakfast.

Want fried eggs? Try this creative recipe using silken tofu, rice flour, and black salt to imitate the taste and appearance of fried eggs.

What can I substitute for scrambled eggs?

There are many nutritious and delicious options for making vegan scrambled eggs. Try out the following options and find your favorite:

• Tofu scramble: This is a quick and easy plant-based breakfast staple. Tofu scramble, which loosely mimics the appearance and taste of scrambled eggs, uses simple and delicious ingredients. In some recipes, it's as easy as crumbling and sautéing extra-firm tofu with a few spices. To get started, try this tofu scramble recipe from Rainbow Plant Life or this one from The New York Times. 
• Chickpea flour scramble: With just a few simple ingredients, chickpea flour scrambles are another quick and nutritious replacement for scrambled eggs in the morning. Using flour made from garbanzo beans gives this recipe an egg-like taste and texture. Try this recipe from Vegan Richa to get started.
• JUST Egg: One of the most popular store-bought egg substitutes is JUST Egg. Made mainly from mung bean protein, JUST Egg is a liquid, bottled product that remarkably imitates scrambled eggs when cooked. You can also use it for quiche, crepes, pad thai, and much more. You can explore dozens of recipes on the JUST Egg website.
• AcreMade: Made primarily from pea protein, AcreMade is a store-bought egg replacer that can be used for scrambled eggs, baking, and more. AcreMade is available for purchase on Amazon.

Are eggs humane?

The hens that lay the eggs used in our food system are intelligent and social animals. Sadly, the egg industry treats these birds as commodities, not sentient beings. The birds exploited to meet demand for eggs suffer lives of darkness and confinement.

For most birds used to produce eggs, life begins in an industrial hatchery. After hatching under heat lamps in a sterile environment, the baby birds travel down a conveyor belt to be "sexed." Male chicks, who do not lay eggs, have no use to the industry, so they are thrown into a macerating machine where they are ground alive.

Once mature, the birds live in a production barn. Here, most birds will spend the rest of their lives confined to a wire cage about the size of a standard sheet of paper. In these cages, birds cannot even spread their wings. Then, at around two years old, the birds' egg production begins to decline, and they are sent to a brutal slaughter to be used for low-grade meat.

What you can do

The egg industry is rife with suffering. From the maceration of male chicks to the extreme confinement of adult hens, eggs represent the cruelty that billions of birds suffer each year in our broken food system.

Fortunately, widely available plant-based egg replacements are making change possible for birds. Whether you choose one egg-free day per week or an entirely plant-based diet, reducing your consumption of animal products makes a difference for the environment, the animals, and your health. 

By trying more compassionate egg substitutes in your kitchen, you can create a kinder future for animals.