Looking for fail-proof egg replacements in your baking and cooking? Follow this guide and make perfect eggless baking and cooking recipes. With egg replacements for everything from baked goods to custards to savory breakfast dishes, I’ve got you covered!
When first going vegan, it can be hard to imagine a life without eggs. Believe me, I know.
However pretty quickly you’ll find, just as I did, that eggs are easy to replace in nearly everything and, in truth, eggs turn out to be completely unnecessary. In the decade and a half that I’ve been a vegan I’ve seen amazing progress in the plant-based food movement and one of the most impressive areas is that of the “vegan egg” which continues to gets to expand and get better every year.
While there are many commercial products out there, this guide is focused on simple, easy to find, solutions for vegan egg replacements for nearly everything.
Vegan Egg Substitutes
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These are the most common, everyday egg replacers that work in your baking, dessert making, and cooking! All of these substitutions can be found easily at your local grocery store or online.
Pro Tip: No egg replacer acts or tastes the same in every recipe so when using recipes will require a little tweaking from these guidelines. New recipes always come with a little trial and error.
Egg Replacements in Baking
In baking, eggs are most commonly used as leaveners, thickeners, and binders.
Most cookies, muffins, pancakes, quick-breads, and cakes all use eggs for a combination of these. Lucky for us, many plant-based foods have similar properties and therefore do the same thing in simple baked goods. Here’s a list of the most common vegan egg substitute in baking.
Chickpea Flour
Uses – High in protein, chickpea flour works both as a binder and leavener and is one of the best natural egg replacers for baked goods such as scones, cookies, and biscotti.
To Substitute – mix 3 tablespoons of chickpea flour with 3 tablespoons of water for each egg, until thick and creamy. Chickpea flour can be found online or in most health stores or bulk sections of well-stocked grocery stores.
Non-dairy Yogurt & Silken Tofu
Uses – Without adding additional flavors yogurt and silken tofu are a great substitute for binding and thickening in muffins and cakes.
To Substitute – Add 1/4 cup plain non-dairy yogurt or silken tofu for each egg. Yogurt and silken tofu have no leavening properties, so in most cases, you’ll want to add about 1/8th teaspoon baking soda (per egg).
Flax seeds & Chia Seeds
Uses – Great for most baked goods such as muffins, bread, and cookies, flax and chia seeds are amazing plant-based egg replacers. They add many health benefits to your baked goods, without adding additional flavor.
To Substitute – Blend 1 tablespoon of flax or chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water until the mixture is thick and gelatinous. Each flax or chia “egg” can substitute one egg.
Fruit & Veggie Puree
Uses – This includes applesauce, banana, pumpkin, and sweet potato puree. Purees work as binders and thickeners and are perfect for moist, dense, baked goods such as muffins, doughnuts, and quick bread.
To Substitute – Add 3 tablespoons of puree for each egg. Note: purees do not add leavening properties and in some cases make batter denser. When using, add about 1/8th teaspoon baking soda (per egg) to the recipe to help with leavening.
Buttermilk
Uses – Without adding additional flavors vegan buttermilk is a great substitute for binding and thickening while also providing rise in muffins, pancakes, and cakes.
To Substitute – To make buttermilk mix 1 cup of soy milk with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. This can replace the liquid in the baked good. Add an additional 1/4 cup of buttermilk for each egg you want to replace. You can replace up to 2 eggs with this method.
Egg Substitutes in Custard.
Ice cream, mousse, pastry cream, bread pudding, french toast, and cheesecake are all examples of common custards.
By definition, custards are made through the coagulation of egg proteins. Sounds hard to duplicate? Not at all.
Unlike replacing eggs in baked goods, which is relatively easy even for new bakers to veganize, custards are made by a lot of adjustments to perfect texture and taste, making a direct substitution for every recipe impossible. That being said, with some trial and error, you too can make your own vegan egg substitute for classic custards.
Cashews
Raw cashews, soaked and ground to a VERY SMOOTH cream, have very similar properties – high in fat and protein – to whipped egg yolks making it one of my favorite ways to make custards like Pot de Creme. Virtually flavorless, the cashew nut remains a hidden ingredient, taking on the flavors surrounding it.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is commonly used to replace whipped egg yolks. Ice cream, for example, is made by whipping egg yolks. The egg yolks give the ice cream the texture and richness associated with ice cream. This 5-Ingredient Coconut Milk Ice Cream substitutes coconut milk for both the eggs and heavy cream, making it so creamy, airy, and thick.
Silken Tofu
For a healthier version, well-blended tofu will take on any flavor, and can be used instead of cashews in puddings, pudding cakes, and cream pies. This is a cheaper, lower-calorie version of cashews.
Aquafaba
A relatively recent discovery, aquafaba is the liquid from canned bean (usually chickpea). When whipped up it is similar to whipped egg whites. These work incredibly well in mousses, meringues, and other recipes that rely on the tender texture that whipped egg whites create.
Chickpea Flour
Because of its high protein content, chickpea flour has awesome coagulation powers when baked. When few eggs are required rather than being the base of the recipe, chickpea flour may be the best option. For example, when making French Toast or Bread Pudding.
Egg Substitutes for Eggs
You can even replace eggs in cooking!
Quiches, frittatas, and omelets can all be recreated with a few plant-based ingredients that will amaze you at how delicious they can be. These foods have great texture and absorb the flavors around it, making them the perfect canvas for your favorite savory dishes.
Tofu
Tofu is one of the most used egg replacers. It is best used in scrambles, quiches, and egg salads. When using tofu in eggy dishes it is almost always best to use regular firm tofu to replicate an eggy consistency. Check out my recipe for perfect scrambled “eggs” to check out the process.
Chickpea flour
With surprising similar texture and flavor to eggs, chickpea flour has become a common substitution for omelets and quiches. This is a method I haven’t tried personally but is very commonly found in recipes these days.
White Beans & Chickpeas
Adding little additional flavor, whipped up beans are high in protein and can create a similar texture to beans when baked in frittata or quiche. Chickpeas also make a nice soy-alternative to a scramble.
More Vegan How-To Guides
- Vegan’s Guide to Replacing Cheese
- MDV’s Guide on Dairy-Alternatives
- Ultimate Guide on Vegan Sugar
- How to Stock a Vegan Pantry
- Your Guide on Vegan Protein
If you’re new to veganism, make sure to check out my Beginners Manual to Going Vegan and the Vegan Starter Kit.
Written by Sarah McMinn
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Paula B says
great blog! I’d live to bake a “safe” cheesecake for my food-agergic son, but I can’t stomach coconut in any form. Plus, he’s allergic to soy. Flaxseed is my egg-replacer in baked goods, but I get the feeling that it will do zip to bind cheesecake.
Sarah says
Have you tried cashew based cheesecakes? They are my favorite! The cashews are so creamy, rich, and the perfect texture when soaked and blended smooth. Here are a few of my recipes:
http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2013/05/14/raw-strawberry-lemon-cheesecake/
http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2013/01/13/raw-chocolate-hazelnut-cheesecake/
and one from minimalist baker that looks great: http://minimalistbaker.com/7-ingredient-vegan-cheesecakes/
Hope that helps!
Laura says
I will try with the egg replacer and I will let you know how that goes 🙂 thanks for reply so quickly!!!
ML says
how about the egg substitute to homemade icecream ?
Sarah says
Here are some of my recipes for vegan ice cream: http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/dessert/
I have always had to alter ice cream quite a lot rather than just subbing out eggs, but vegan ice cream can certainly be delicious!
Laura says
I am struggling to find a substitute for beaten egg whites, I am craving for a soufflé right now!! HEEELP PLEEEEASEEE
Sarah says
Ener-G Egg Replacers makes a similar meringue when whipped up. I have tried this method making angle food cake this way. The texture wasn’t perfect, but I think for a souffle it might work. I think for the most part finding the perfect substitute for whipped egg whites is still a work in the process.
Sharifa says
I love the guide, thanks so much!! What do you think about an egg substitute for a candied pecan recipe? It uses the egg white whip to harden the sugar mixture to the pecans, so it would have to be something that dries (no oils). We are attempting to make them for my vegan brother and his wife for our “Homemade Holidays” this year…
Sarah says
You could try using coconut oil, since it is solid at room temperature, but I’ve never tried that. You could also try ener-G egg replacer which whips up like whipped egg whites, but I also don’t know how that sets. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful! Whipped egg whites are a hard one to replace.
Sharifa says
Oh my goodness, the Ener-G Egg Replacement worked beautifully for the Candied Pecans!! Thank you so much, my brother will be so happy 🙂
Sarah says
Good to know! Thanks.
Heather says
I’ve found that potato flour works wonders for a custard texture particularly in a pumpkin pie. I use it for a binder and flax seed to give it the pretty shiny look on the top. Potato flour also works as a great binder for patties etc.
I recently made a stuffing casserole for Thanksgiving. It needed approximately 3 Tablespoons of potato flour to replace the eggs as a binder.
Sarah says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I will definitely try this out soon.
Maggie says
Hi,
First, thank you so much for this guide! I’m an omnivore, but I have a vegan friend, so when I bake I bake vegan for her.
Anyway, if just replacing egg whites (say, in this recipe: , what would be the best replacement?
Thank you so much!
Sarah says
Hey Maggie,
I checked out the recipe and don’t see why they just used egg whites unless if was for health reasons – which it likely was. For that reason I would think the best substitute would be about 2 tbsp apple sauce or vegan yogurt. I would also add about 1/4 tsp baking powder to the recipe to help it rise. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out!
Maggie says
Hi Sarah!
Thank you!!! I just baked these this morning and they turned out great! I used the applesauce, but I ended up using more than 2 tbsp (but unsure how much–I just added until they batter was the right consistency). They stuck together and were moist. The vegan member in my cast hugged me for them.
Kat says
Any tips on how to veganize a recipe that calls only for egg yolks? For instance, I have a recipe for coconut chiffon cake and it calls for 6 egg yolks. Any help would be awesome. Thank you!
Sarah says
Can you send me a link to the recipe so I can look at it? If it calls for the egg yolks to be whipped that would be different than just added to the batter one by one. Chiffon cake is very hard to make vegan – I have never successfully done it. But there is this product: http://thevegg.com/ that might do the trick, especially if it calls for whipping the egg yolks. Either way send me the link and I’ll try to help!
Hema says
Hi! Very helpful post.can u kindly let me know if theres anyway we can make eggless choux pastry? I tried using a replacer with oil,vinegar,baking powder,cornflour and soda water,it dint work:( they dint puff up at all. Hoping you will have a solution for this.thanku:)
Sarah says
I’ve never thought about making pate choux…but I imagine it could be done. I think your best bet would be using a commercial egg replacer (Bob’s Red Mill has a good brand) because that stuff works best in baked goods. I’m not sure exactly how it would work since eggs are so essential in Pate Choux that it might take a combination of things. If you try it with commercial egg replacer, let me know how it turns out!
Julie says
This has been ultra-helpful for me this holiday. I am considering investing in a high end blender like Vitamix. Do I need this for pureeing tofu in baking and for cheese-like items like ricotta? We can’t have any tree nuts (i.e. cashews) so using tofu is essential for me. My current blender is a 7 year old Kitchen Aid that does not purée things too well. Thanks and happy holidays!
Sarah says
Tofu doesn’t need anything special to puree because it is so soft to begin with. When using tofu as egg replacer, you want to use silken tofu which is so soft you would hardly need to process it. When making cheese like items, a food process would be just fine because it doesn’t need to be completely smooth.
So while your kitchen aid works just fine for tofu, I do believe a high end blender is a good investment for juices, smoothies, and many more things. Happy New Year!
Diane says
Great post, my daughter is a vegan and we have had great success with Flax so far, but looking to try some other alternatives. Blondies never turn out right and now I am guessing its because I am not adding that extra leavening agent. My DREAM is to find a good marshmallow recipe, have you ever had success in that area? Camping is a real bummer without s’mores. I have purchased some at the co-op in town but they were a sticky clumpy mess.
Sarah says
I don’t have a good vegan marshmallow recipe unfortunately. When I want to eat them, I buy dandies, but they aren’t the same. It’s something I hope to work on with time.
chelsea says
Do you have any suggestions for an egg replacement on top of baked goods like cinnamon buns- I forget what it’s called, but it gives a glaze effect and makes them shiny?
Sarah says
Soy creamer or soy milk will create a shiny appearance. And sometimes for breads (such as my vegan challah) i will light brush on some oil after it’s done cooking for the shiny effect.
Bridget @ The Road Not Processed says
I like the spoons 🙂
Great post!
Laura says
Thank you so much for this blog entry! This helps a lot!!
Dawn says
AWESOME post! My favorite is chia!
Sarah says
I need to try chia. I keep reading about it but just haven’t used it. Once I do I’ll add it into this post!
Sam says
I find checkpea flour very helpful in many recipes and now I know why after reading your blog :). I used to have a hard time finding it few years ago until I found out it’s known by other names like: besan, gram flour, Channa flour. Now it’s available in a lot of stores as more people are using it. Thanks for all these helpful tips! I’m looking forward for your next blog.