The Ultimate Guide to Replacing Eggs | Vegan Baking and Cooking

Don’t know how to replace eggs? Here’s a guide to Egg Substitutes in Baking and Cooking: when to use what egg substitute and how much to use! The perfect guide for vegans, those with an egg allergy, or if you just ran out of eggs and need a quick replacement.

Eggs play several key roles in cooking and baking. They help to bind ingredients, add moisture and stabilize the overall structure of the final baked good. If you're vegan, allergic to eggs, or have just ran out and can't wait to start baking, this is your one-stop shop to replacing eggs.

With a degree in Bakery Science, I can tell you that the purpose of eggs varies greatly depending on the product. This means that different egg replacements will be better suited for different situations.

When it comes to vegan baking you need to consider what the eggs purpose is in each situation. Does it act as a binding agent? Does it help to leaven? Keeping those in mind will help you decide which egg substitute is best.

Luckily for you, with 5 years of vegan baking under my belt, I have tested several egg alternatives that you most likely already have in your pantry. Today I'll share with you which ones work best for different baking needs and extra tips to get the best outcome.

Ready? Let's start!

Egg Substitutes

The following have been broken down into two sections: Baking and Cooking. Within each section will be the best egg substitutes to use for each type of food. You'll find the full list of suggestions at the end of this post in the recipe card.

For Baking

Each baked good requires eggs for a different purpose. In some cases the egg helps leaven, in others it helps to bind. I'll show you which egg substitute is best and whether additional ingredients are needed to achieve results as some egg replacers are good for one action but not the other. Each recommendation is equivalent to the replacement of one large egg.

Cookies

Egg's role: Contributes moisture and rigidity to the crumb and assists the gluten in holding volume attained.

Best substitutes:

• Flax egg—1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
• Chia egg—1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 2.5 tablespoons water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado + ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) whisked until foamy.

Notes: fruit purees tend to make the final product denser so they're better for things like cookies, muffins, and pancakes. Adding an extra ½ teaspoon of baking powder can help with the leavening. If you can't find unsweetened applesauce you can decrease the amount of sugar/sweetener slightly in the recipe.

Try these Cookie Fries which are a fun dippable version of the classic cookie made using flax eggs.

Layer Cakes

Egg's role: Binding action, leavening, and moisture.

Best substitutes:

• 2 teaspoon baking powder + 2 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon oil
• ¼ cup carbonated water (club soda)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar + 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup non-dairy yogurt + ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup silken tofu + ½ teaspoon baking powder

Notes: Add these to the batter last, then place the cake in the oven quickly once mixed as the leavening power dissipates quickly with these replacements. For silken tofu, blend until smooth before adding or else you may end up with lumps in the batter.

Try this healthy Vegan Carrot Cake that uses mashed banana with baking powder instead of eggs.

Brownies

Egg's role: Binding ingredients and leavening.

Best substitutes:

• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado + ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup silken tofu + ½ teaspoon baking powder
• Flax egg—1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
• Chia egg—1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 2.5 tablespoons water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.

Notes: Brownies usually include an additional leavening agent such as baking powder. If you prefer denser brownies you can omit the extra ½ teaspoon baking powder suggestion for the egg substitute. For cake brownies, include the extra ½ teaspoon baking powder.

Muffins

Egg's role: Structure, volume, and body.

Best substitutes:

• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado + ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon baking powder + 2 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon oil

Notes: Muffins typically use baking powder for leavening but because fruit purees are denser than eggs, an extra ½ teaspoon baking powder is suggested.

Quick Breads

Egg's role: Binding ingredients and moisture. Also acts as an emulsifier to make the batter smoother, contributing to texture and volume.

Best substitutes:

• 1 tablespoon vinegar + 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Flax egg—1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water. Combine and allow to thicken for 5-10 minutes before adding.
• Chia egg—1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 2.5 tablespoons water. Combine and allow to thicken for 5-10 minutes before adding.
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado + ½ teaspoon baking powder

Notes: Quick breads are very forgiving so many egg substitutes can achieve great results.

This Strawberry Banana Bread uses a couple flax eggs. It is made into bars but there is a variation for baking it into a loaf as well.

Meringue

Egg's role: egg whites are the main ingredient, allows for aeration to increase volume and provide structure (stiff peaks).

Best substitute:

• 3 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) whipped with an electric mixer until peaks form + ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar. Use as you would whipped egg whites.

Notes: adding cream of tartar can act as a stabilizer once the aquafaba is whipped and prevent it from breaking down just as you would with whipped egg whites. Add about ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar for the amount of aquafaba in one 15-ounce can of chickpeas (about ½ cup). If you don't have cream of tartar, you can use ¼ teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar per egg white.

For Cooking

Eggs in cooking are mostly used for binding or moisture. It's a bit simpler to replace eggs in cooking than it is for baking but there are still of course some replacements that work better than others in different situations.

Breading

Egg's role: Acts as a glue to hold breading.

Best substitutes: Use any unsweetened non-dairy milk. Dip the food first into the milk just as you would an egg, then dip into the breading.

Check out these baked Zucchini Chips which use unsweetened almond milk instead of eggs.

Pancakes

Egg's role: Acts as a binder to hold the batter together, provides moisture and stabilizes the air bubbles.

Best Substitute:

• ¼ cup applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado

Notes: Pancakes typically call for a leavening agent along with the eggs such as baking powder so no other ingredient is needed except for the egg substitute to achieve results.

Try these incredible Easy Vegan Pancakes that use applesauce to replace eggs!

Egg Scrambles

Egg's role: main ingredient.

Best substitutes:

• firm tofu crumbled with spices and seasonings (also referred to as tofu scrambles)
• chickpea flour—made into a batter with spices and seasonings and scrambled in a skillet

Notes: Adding kala namak (also known as black salt) gives it an incredibly eggy flavor!

Try these Vegan Scrambled Eggs made with chickpea flour.

Frittatas and Quiches

Egg's role: main ingredient.

Best substitutes:

• firm tofu blended with seasonings
• chickpea flour with seasonings

Notes: Once again, adding kala namak (black salt) can provide a great egg-like flavor to the dish!

Try this Baked Chickpea Flour Frittata that is so convincing it could fool omnivores!

Burgers/Meatballs/Meatloaf

Egg's role: serves as a binder to hold the ingredients together.

Best substitutes:

• Flax egg—1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
• Chia egg—1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 2.5 tablespoons water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch + 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) whisked until foamy.

Notes: Starchy ingredients like bread crumbs can also aid in holding veggie burgers together.

Check out this crowd-pleasing Vegan Lentil Loaf which uses flax and bread crumbs instead of eggs.

Want an easy reference guide? Pin the below image to save for later!

These are the best at home replacements for eggs that you probably already have on hand. However, I should note that there are commercial egg replacers you can buy as well. I have not personally tested any so I cannot comment on which ones work best in cooking and baking.

If you are new to cooking and baking without eggs and want to get on the fast track to enjoying vegan food, head over to our Meal Planner where we have all your favorites veganized! No need to calculate egg replacements, the recipes are already tried and tested without eggs, or any other animal products. Just delicious, simple recipes to make a plant-based diet ridiculously easy. Check out the Health My Lifestyle Meal Planner!