Whether you’re egg-free by choice or by allergy, here’s a trusty Egg Substitution guide for baking and cooking!
One of the things in creating recipes is to be mindful of food allergies and give options for those that want to make the dish but due to an ingredient that is key, they cannot due to an allergy.
Now I’m pretty well versed in gluten-free stuff, nut-free and low carb/low cal/ low fat but egg substitution I’m still learning.
I’ve been fortunate to have the TKW family help me out with this as they either themselves or have someone in their family with egg allergies and they’ve taught me things to use in place of eggs and still have the recipe turn out awesome.
Through them, educating myself and research on the net I’ve comprised a list of Egg Substitutes in Cooking and Baking that hopefully will help you out.
In a typical recipe for baked goods, eggs generally play one of two roles:
– They act as a Binder. Meaning they are used to hold the recipe together. Or;
– They act as a Leavening Agent. Essentially they are used in a recipe to help the food rise.
However, sometimes eggs play both roles at once. What you need to do with going with an egg substitute is determining which purpose the eggs primarily held in the recipe. Once that is figured out it will help you determine what options for a replacement you might have.
Basic Egg Substitutions
Peanut butter 
- 3 tablespoon of peanut butter = 1 egg
Ground Flax
- 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoon water. Whisk until gelatinous and creamy.
Chia Seed
- 1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoon water. Stir and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Soy Protein
- 1 tablespoon soy protein + 3 tablespoon water. Mix and use immediately.
Banana
- 1/2 cup mashed banana = 1 egg
Applesauce
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce = 1 egg
Agar agar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon water. Mix and use immediately.
Egg substitutions in Cooking
Tofu
Tofu is great for egg substitutions in recipes that call for a lot of eggs, like quiches or custards. To replace one egg in a recipe, purée 1/4 cup soft tofu. It is important to keep in mind that although tofu doesn’t fluff up like eggs, it does create a texture that is perfect for “eggy” dishes.
Egg substitutions in baking as a binder
For recipes which use eggs primarily as a binder (such as drop cookies), possible substitutions for one egg include:
- 1/2 of a medium banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup of applesauce (or other pureed fruit)
- 3 1/2 tablespoon unflavored gelatin blend: 1 cup boiling water and 2 teaspoon gelatin. You will have a bit leftover so only use 3 1/2 tablespoon!
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water
- Commercial egg replacement products
Substituting Xanthan Gum for Eggs
Xanthan gum can be added to egg-free cakes and cookies, as well as milk-free ice cream, to bind and add texture. Use about one teaspoon per recipe. Xanthan gum is a white powder derived from the exoskeleton of a bacterium. It is cultivated on corn sugar.
Egg Substitutions As a Leavening Agent
For recipes which use eggs primarily as a leavening agent you can try a commercial egg replacement product (see above) or the following mixture:
- 1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon baking powder (not baking soda!) per egg.
Additional Egg Substitution Replacement Tips
- If a recipe calls for three or more eggs, it is important to choose a replacer that will perform the same function (i.e., binding or leavening).
- Trying to replicate airy baked goods that call for a lot of eggs, such as angel food cake, can be very difficult. Instead, look for a recipe with a similar taste but fewer eggs, which will be easier to replicate.
- When adding tofu to a recipe as an egg replacer, be sure to purée it first to avoid chunks in the finished product.
- Be sure to use plain tofu, not seasoned or baked, as a replacer.
- Powdered egg replacers cannot be used to create egg recipes such as scrambles or omelets. Tofu is the perfect substitute for eggs in these applications.
- If you want a lighter texture and you’re using fruit purées as an egg substitute, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Fruit purées tend to make the final product denser than the original recipe.
- If you’re looking for an egg replacer that binds, try adding 2 to 3 Tbsp. of any of the following for each egg: tomato paste, potato starch, arrowroot powder, whole wheat flour, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, instant potato flakes, or 1/4 cup tofu puréed with 1 tablespoon flour.
Egg Substitutes in Cooking and Baking
Whether you’re egg-free by choice or by allergy, here’s a trusty Egg Substitution guide for baking and cooking
Ingredients
- Peanut Butter
- 1/2 banana
- Ground Flax
- Chia Seed
- Soy Protein
- Applesauce
- Agar agar
Instructions
Peanut butter
- 3 tablespoon of peanut butter = 1 egg
Ground Flax
- 1 tablespoon ground flax + 3 tablespoon water. Whisk until gelatinous and creamy.
Chia Seed
- 1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoon water. Stir and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Soy Protein
- 1 tablespoon soy protein + 3 tablespoon water. Mix and use immediately.
Banana
- 1/2 cup mashed banana = 1 egg
Applesauce
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce = 1 egg
Agar agar
- 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon water. Mix and use immediately.
Notes
Tofu
- Tofu is great for egg substitutions in recipes that call for a lot of eggs, like quiches or custards. To replace one egg in a recipe, purée 1/4 cup soft tofu. It is important to keep in mind that although tofu doesn’t fluff up like eggs, it does create a texture that is perfect for “eggy” dishes.
As a Binder
For recipes which use eggs primarily as a binder (such as drop cookies), possible substitutions for one egg include:
- 1/2 of a medium banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup of applesauce (or other pureed fruit)
- 3 1/2 tablespoon unflavored gelatin blend: 1 cup boiling water and 2 teaspoon gelatin. You will have a bit left over so only use 3 1/2 tablespoon!
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water; let stand 1 minute before using
- Commercial egg replacement products
Xanthan Gum
- Xanthan gum can be added to egg-free cakes and cookies, as well as milk-free ice cream, to bind and add texture. Use about one teaspoon per recipe. Xanthan gum is a white powder derived from the exoskeleton of a bacterium. It is cultivated on corn sugar.
As a Leavening Agent
For recipes which use eggs primarily as a leavening agent you can try a commercial egg replacement product (see above) or the following mixture:
1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon baking powder (not baking soda!) per egg.
Additional Egg Replacement Tips
- If a recipe calls for three or more eggs, it is important to choose a replacer that will perform the same function (i.e., binding or leavening).
- Trying to replicate airy baked goods that call for a lot of eggs, such as angel food cake, can be very difficult. Instead, look for a recipe with a similar taste but fewer eggs, which will be easier to replicate.
- When adding tofu to a recipe as an egg replacer, be sure to purée it first to avoid chunks in the finished product.
- Be sure to use plain tofu, not seasoned or baked, as a replacer.
- Powdered egg replacers cannot be used to create egg recipes such as scrambles or omelets. Tofu is the perfect substitute for eggs in these applications.
- If you want a lighter texture and you’re using fruit purées as an egg substitute, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Fruit purées tend to make the final product denser than the original recipe.
- If you’re looking for an egg replacer that binds, try adding 2 to 3 Tbsp. of any of the following for each egg: tomato paste, potato starch, arrowroot powder, whole wheat flour, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, instant potato flakes, or 1/4 cup tofu puréed with 1 tablespoon flour.
Please feel free to leave a comment on other egg substitutes you use for eggs in baking and cooking!
I have a recipe calling for only egg yolks. How about yolk substitutes? Thanks!
Hi Brock!
What type of dough recipe is this for and more specifically what are the egg yolks used for in the recipe?
Is it for binding? Acting as a rising agent? Or simply for fat/volume/flavor?
1 Tbl of lecithin = 1 egg yolk
Or
1/4 cup blended tofu = 1 egg yolk
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Hello I used flax seed powder recipe for eggless choux pastry and the choux was dense…..can you help? Thanks
Without knowing how much you added or what other substitutes you made to make it vegan it’s rather difficult to help.
Dense pastry comes from using the wrong flour or overworking the dough and developing gluten.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Hi nice info , how can I use the agar to stabilise whip cream frosting also how to use in cakes Tq from a lacto vegetarian with Kind Regards God Bless 🙏🏻
I don’t use it to stabilize whipped cream as I don’t like the taste it texture. I use unsweetened gelatin with heavy whipping cream.
If you’re looking for a lactose free recipe, I would advise doing a google search as that’s out of my wheelhouse.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
You can also use aquafaba to replace eggs. It’s the liquid from a can of chickpeas
Yep! Great mention Sue! I have a full post on that:
https://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2018/06/05/vegan-meringue-aquafaba/
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Thanks for the great information.
★★★★★
You’re most welcome!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
First thank you for this information as I am relatively new to cooking (and more so for someone who cant have eggs) would you mind providing a few examples of eggs as a binding vs eggs as leavening agent.
Thanks
Mike
Hi Mike, sure – I’ll add it to my list to update.
But a binder would be for example when you’re making meatloaf or meatball. Eggs act as a binder to help keep the meat combined and stabilized.
As a leavening agent, they are meant to add height and volume. More often this would be for say egg whites in a meringue or to help keep waffles light and airy.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Hi, this is a great article, very informative. Are there some recipes that a substitute just won’t work? I made these muffins because my daughter wanted to try them. The first two times, they came out great, I used regular flour, not coconut flour, and instead of coconut sugar, I used 2 tbsp. brown sugar. They’re very moist as you could assume from the recipe (I didn’t expect them to be good initially). Today, I made them and substituted aquafaba (3 Oz) for the 2 eggs. It was very disappointing because they ended up all caved in and after even extra time, still like blobs of batter. I thought maybe you could give me some idea with all of your research. Thank you.
★★★★★
Hi Marji,
I’m not sure to be honest. I’m sure perhaps but it seems like with ingenuity you can substitute something for something else and it will work. Well except in the case for cilantro – there is no true substitute for that.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Best info I have found on substitutes by far #1 100%
★★★★★
I have a question rather than a comment. What can I use as an egg substitute in my yeast raised dinner rolls? The recipe calls for one egg. I’d rather not use peanut butter or bananas because of the flavor.
Hi Millie!
I would go with the Flaxseed substitute personally. After it sets it will turn like a gel (like egg whites) and works really well in bread.
Best Kitchen Wishes!