What Are Egg Alternatives for Vegans?
Admittedly, giving up eggs was a tough one for me when I first went vegan.
I had eaten eggs every day for lunch consistently and eliminating them seemed like a massive inconvenience.
Plus, what was I supposed to do about baking?
What about eggs Benedict as a weekend favorite when I went out for brunch?
And, scrambled egg burritos!?
They were basically a staple in my travelling-on-a-budget lifestyle.
How could I just cut them all out??
After watching this, this, and this, though…
No more eggs for Kelsey.
I could not unsee or unknow what I learned from those videos, so I had to figure out how to replace eggs in all sorts of capacities.
BAKING WITH EGG ALTERNATIVES
If you’re a pastry chef, baking connoisseur, or just have a knack for slapping together a quick cake, you will need to know egg alternatives once you adopt the vegan lifestyle.
FLAX SEEDS
Flax seeds are one of the best ways to make an egg substitute at home.
All you have to do is grind up flax seeds with a mortar and pestle, spice grinder, or other grinding device.
CHEAT: Buy them already ground up from the grocery store.
Take 1 tablespoon of the finely ground flaxseed and add 3 tablespoons of water and mix them together.
Let the mix sit for 30 minutes until it looks and feels a bit like jelly.
This mix is the equivalent of one egg.
You can use it to bake muffins, cakes, bread, pancakes, and waffles.
CHIA SEEDS
Just like the flax seeds, grind up the chia seeds into a fine meal.
Add 1 tablespoon of chia seed meal to 3 tablespoons of water and mix.
Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes before use.
This mixture equates to one large egg that you can use in cakes, waffles, pancakes, hearty cookies (not the soft, delicate kind), brownies, banana bread, and muffins.
CHICKPEA BRINE AKA AQUAFABA
That weird watery mixture that comes in a tin of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) is both known as brine and aquafaba.
I honestly prefer aquafaba ‘cause it just sounds funny.
Aquafaba is really nifty as an egg replacement because it can double as a large egg and as egg whites.
To use aquafaba as one large egg, use 3 tablespoons.
To use aquafaba as one egg white, use 2 tablespoons.
Aquafaba is great when making meringues, cakes, and cookies.
BANANAS
Believe it or not, bananas can be used as an egg replacement in certain baking situations.
One half of an over-rippened banana can be used for one large egg.
All you have to do is remove the peel, smash it up, and toss it into your recipe.
This unexpected egg replacement can be utilized in certain quick breads, muffins, and some cookies.
SILKEN TOFU
Unlike bananas as a replacement, silken tofu adds no additional flavor to whatever you’re making.
Just ¼ cup of silken tofu equates to 1 egg in your recipe and can help bind the ingredients.
The one catch is, though, that you should add ⅛ teaspoon of baking soda per ¼ cup of silken tofu (aka per egg) for any ingredients that need leavening.
Blending the silken tofu to a smoother mixture will help you when mixing with other ingredients.
Silken tofu is great for chocolate cakes, frostings, muffins, quick breads, and pound cakes.
Photo credit: yslfood.com
APPLESAUCE & OTHER FRUIT PUREES
Are you a cookie lover like me?
Applesauce is a great replacement for eggs in cookie recipes.
It helps keep the moisture and binds the ingredients really well.
In addition to cookies, apple sauce can also be used in recipes for muffins, quick bread, and doughnuts.
Like the classic applesauce replacement move, pumpkin puree and sweet potato puree can be used as egg replacements, too.
Photo credit: droz.com
MAKING EGGS WITH VEGAN ALTERNATIVES
While there’s no true replacement for an egg, there are tons of substitutes that are just as tasty and far more ethical.
TOFU
Scrambled tofu, when made right, can honestly rival “normal” scrambled eggs.
Crumble up a block of firm tofu, add turmeric for color, and black salt for an eggy flavor and cook the same way you’d make scrambled eggs.
Prepare for your mind to be blown!
Check out this recipe for scrambled tofu right here that we absolutely LOVE.
In addition to scrambled tofu, you can also make quiches and eggs benedict with tofu and show your vegan and non-vegan friends what’s up!!!
Minimalist Baker makes a really easy vegan tofu quiche, check it out here!
Photo credit: yslfood.com
CHICKPEA FLOUR
Believe it or not, chickpea flour is a great egg replacement.
Chickpea flour can eerily resemble the flavor and texture of eggs if done right.
One of the first things I knew I had to master as a vegan was a frittata, so that’s exactly what I did.
We created this Fabulous Vegan Frittata and have never looked back since.
Chickpea flour can also be used for omelets and quiches, too.
Photo credit: onegreenplanet.com
RED POTATOES
Don’t you think for one second that vegans can’t enjoy a good deviled egg!
Red potatoes are scarily good for making vegan deviled eggs.
I’ve only made this recipe once, but it blew everyone’s socks off.
The key ingredients you can’t forget (besides the red potatoes) is the black salt.
Black salt is a MUST for egg flavor in deviled eggs (amongst other vegan egg recipes).
Who would’ve thought that potatoes can substitute for eggs and actually be good!?
MAKING CUSTARDS WITH VEGAN EGG REPLACEMENTS
Yes, custards get their own category here.
Apparently custards can be made with a variety of vegan egg alternatives.
I’ve never made custard before, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include the options for you custard-lovers out there.
VEGAN EGG REPLACEMENTS FOR CUSTARD RECIPES ARE:
Not only does this apply to custards, but it also applies to vegan creme brulees!
Try these:
Coconut milk
Silken tofu
Aquafaba
Cashews
Chickpea flour
Agar agar powder
BRANDS THAT MAKE VEGAN EGG ALTERNATIVES
If none of the options I’ve listed so far sound appealing (or frankly seem like too much work), buy some premade egg replacement at your local grocery store.
Commercial egg replacements are growing in variety and quality all the time, so don’t give up hope if you try one and it’s not perfect.
They’ll also vary by country and region, so do your research and ask amongst your local vegan community what others have found.
VEGAN EGG ALTERNATIVE BRANDS:
VeganEgg
Veggs
Ener-G Egg Replacer
Golden Exx
Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer
Namaste Raw Goods Egg Replacer
Orgran No Egg Egg Replacer
JUST Egg
The Neat Egg