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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 Tbsp ground flax meal + 2.5 Tbsps water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
- Chia egg—1 Tbsp ground chia seeds + 2.5 Tbsps water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado + ½ tsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsps 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 tsp 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 tsp baking powder + 2 Tbsp water + 1 Tbsp oil
- ¼ cup carbonated water (club soda)
- 1 Tbsp vinegar + 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup non-dairy yogurt + ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup silken tofu + ½ tsp 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 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup silken tofu + ½ tsp baking powder
- Flax egg—1 Tbsp ground flax meal + 2.5 Tbsps water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
- Chia egg—1 Tbsp ground chia seeds + 2.5 Tbsps 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 tsp baking powder suggestion for the egg substitute. For cake brownies, include the extra ½ tsp baking powder.
Muffins
Egg's role: Structure, volume, and body.
Best substitutes:
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado + ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking powder + 2 Tbsp water + 1 Tbsp oil
Notes: Muffins typically use baking powder for leavening but because fruit purees are denser than eggs, an extra ½ tsp 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 Tbsp vinegar + 1 tsp baking soda
- Flax egg—1 Tbsp ground flax meal + 2.5 Tbsps water. Combine and allow to thicken for 5-10 minutes before adding.
- Chia egg—1 Tbsp ground chia seeds + 2.5 Tbsps water. Combine and allow to thicken for 5-10 minutes before adding.
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado + ½ tsp 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 Tbsps aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) whipped with an electric mixer until peaks form + ⅛ tsp 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 Tbsp ground flax meal + 2.5 Tbsps water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
- Chia egg—1 Tbsp ground chia seeds + 2.5 Tbsps water. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
- 2 Tbsps arrowroot powder or cornstarch + 3 Tbsps water
- 3 Tbsps 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!
Complete Egg Replacement Guide for Baking and Cooking
Ingredients
For baking:
- ground flax seeds
- ground chia seeds
- unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado
- silken tofu or non-dairy yogurt + baking powder
- vinegar + baking soda, white or apple cider vinegar
- aquafaba, liquid from canned chickpeas
- carbonated water
- baking powder + water + oil
For cooking:
- firm tofu
- chickpea flour
- arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- unsweetened non-dairy milk
Instructions
Ground Flax (Flax Egg)
- 1 Tbsp ground flax meal + 2.5 Tbsps water = 1 egg. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
- Best used in cookies, brownies, quick breads or as a binder in veggie burgers/meatloaf.
Ground Chia Seeds (Chia Egg)
- 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds + 2.5 Tbsps water = 1 egg. Combine and allow to thicken for 10 minutes before adding.
- Best used in cookies, brownies, quick breads or as a binder in veggie burgers/meatloaf.
Applesauce, Mashed Banana, Pumpkin Puree or Mashed Avocado
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or mashed avocado + ½ tsp baking powder = 1 egg
- Best used in cookies, brownies, muffins, pancakes, and quick breads.
Silken tofu or Non-Dairy Yogurt + Baking Powder
- ¼ cup silken tofu blended until smooth or non-dairy yogurt + ½ tsp baking powder = 1 egg
- Best used in cakes and brownies.
Vinegar + Baking Soda
- 1 Tbsp vinegar + 1 tsp baking soda = 1 egg
- Best used in cakes and quick breads.
Aquafaba
- 3 Tbsps aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) whisked until foamy = 1 egg
- Best used in cookies, burgers/meatballs/meatloaf
- 2 Tbsps aquafaba whipped with an electric mixer until peaks form = 1 whipped egg white Add ⅛ tsp cream of tartar per ½ cup aquafaba to stabilize the foam. See above post for more details.
- Best used in meringues.
Carbonated Water
- ¼ cup carbonated water (club soda) = 1 egg
- Best used in layer cakes.
Baking Powder + Water + Oil
- 2 tsp baking powder + 2 Tbsp water + 1 Tbsp oil = 1 egg
- Best used in cakes and muffins.
Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
- 3 Tbsps non-dairy milk = 1 egg
- Best used for breadings.
Arrowroot Powder or Cornstarch
- 2 Tbsps arrowroot powder or cornstarch + 3 Tbsps water = 1 egg
- Best used in burgers/meatballs/meatloaf.
Firm Tofu
- Crumbled, seasoned, and scrambled in a skillet.
- Best used for vegan egg scrambles, frittatas, quiches.
Chickpea Flour
- Mixed into a batter with seasonings.
- Best used for vegan egg scrambles, frittatas, and quiches.
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