Egg Substitute for Any Recipe

Do you want a quick and easy way to make an egg substitute for nearly any recipe?  Whether you want to replace an egg in baking or make a whole quiche, scrambled "eggs," or egg-free omelet, it's easy to do if you know what to use in its place.

Jump to:

• 📝 What eggs do in a recipe
• ⭐ The best overall egg substitute
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Pro tip
• 🥚 Chickpea flour egg
• 🧁 How to replace 1-2 eggs in baking
• 🌾 Flax egg
• 🍎 Apple sauce
• 🥤 Carbonated water
• 🥣 Chia seed egg
• 🥄 Baking soda and vinegar
• 🥫 Aquafaba
• 🍌 Mashed banana
• 🏪 Store-bought egg replacers
• 🥖 Eggless egg wash
• 🥧 How to replace egg whites?
• 🍳 Eggs as the main course

I've been cooking and baking without eggs for over 20 years now and through much trial and error, I have found which egg replacements work best and which ones don't work in each type of recipe.

Whether you want to avoid eggs because you are vegan, or you are doing it for allergies, eggs are one of the trickiest ingredients to swap out. There is not just one egg substitute that works for all recipes. You have to figure out the purpose of the egg and what the egg substitute needs to achieve.

📝 What eggs do in a recipe

Eggs bind ingredients together, helps batter stick to foods, serve as a leavening agent, add moisture in baked goods, thicken and emulsify sauces, provide a shiny finish to baked goods, make fluffy meringues, or they are the main course like in scrambled eggs or quiche.

When you are replacing an egg in a recipe be sure that the egg substitute that you use serves the same purpose as the egg. For example, apple sauce will work to replace eggs in muffins, but it won't work for an egg wash or in a quiche.

⭐ The best overall egg substitute

I've found a chickpea flour egg to be the best and most versatile egg replacement in a variety of recipes. (Chickpea flour is also known as garbanzo bean flour or gram flour and is found in the gluten-free section of most grocery stores.)

Chickpea flour mixed with water with a touch of oil has a similar protein, fat, and moisture, and structure to a real egg. The protein binds together when cooked and provides moisture, lift, and structure all like a real egg. I have not yet found a recipe that this substitution does not work. This option will allow you to replace as many whole eggs as a recipe calls for in baking.

A note about chickpea flour - If you have ever baked with chickpea flour, I know what you are thinking. Chickpea flour has a funny aftertaste. I have discovered that if you rehydrate it water before adding it to baked goods, it takes away the aftertaste. The funny taste only comes from the dry flour, once it has softened, it goes away.

🥚 Chickpea flour egg

Two tablespoons of chickpea flour mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon oil, then allowed to sit for at least 5 minutes is equal to 1 egg.

• Pro - Easy to find in most stores, adds protein to baked goods, works well in nearly every recipe. It is light in color and doesn't change the taste, texture, or appearance of your baked goods. Binds together when heated so it can replace many eggs in a recipe.
• Cons - It needs to be fully cooked before eating. Raw chickpea flour tastes terrible until cooked and will make cookie dough taste awful until you bake it.
• Best Uses - I use chickpea flour eggs when making vegan crepes, vegan French toast, fudgy vegan brownies, vegan pumpkin pie, and vegan chocolate chip cookies. They cook up indistinguishable from those made with eggs. It also works great as a binder in things like fritters and as an egg wash before breading foods.

🧁 How to replace 1-2 eggs in baking

If you are baking muffins, cakes, or cookies that call for 1-2 eggs, you have many choices of ingredients that will work to replace an egg. The following choices provide the proper moisture needs and most bind and lift a little when baked.

🌾 Flax egg

One tablespoon of flax meal mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons water and allowed to sit for 5 minutes to jell up. I like to use this method when I want a little whole grain texture to my baked goods. It leaves little brown flecks and is a little grainy, but sometimes that's a good thing.

• Pro - Easy to find in most stores, add fiber and nutrients to baked goods, works well.
• Cons - Has a grainy texture, leaves brown flex in your baking.
• Best Uses - Healthy vegan muffins, vegan zucchini bread, vegan pumpkin bread, vegan chocolate cookies.

🍎 Apple sauce

Use 1/4 cup of apple sauce to replace 1 egg in baking. Tip - the individual apple sauce snack cups are 1/2 cup and equivalate to 2 eggs in baking.

• Pro - Easy to find in most stores, add fiber and nutrients to baked goods, works well.
• Cons - Add sweetness, so it's best in sweet baked goods.
• Best Uses - I like to use apple sauce in the best vegan banana bread, cranberry orange muffins, and lemon poppy seed muffins.

🥤 Carbonated water

Any seltzer water, club soda, or any carbonated beverage. 1/4 cup of carbonated water is equivalent to 1 egg in baking. This works great for replacing eggs in muffins and cakes by adding moisture and the carbonation helps them rise.

• Pro - Easy to find in most stores, add fiber and nutrients to baked goods, works well.
• Cons - Add sweetness, so it's best in sweet baked goods.
• Best Uses - I use this in my easy vegan soda cake recipe and in combination with baking soda and vinegar for a light and airy vegan sponge cake.

🥄 Baking soda and vinegar

One teaspoon of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of vinegar is equal to 1 egg in baking. You can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and even lemon juice for this.

• Pro - Easy to find, you probably already have it in your pantry, and it works well.
• Cons - It doesn't add any nutrients, it just provides lift, and a little structure.
• Best Uses - It's a great choice for cakes and cupcakes and I always use it in my vegan vanilla cake and vegan chocolate cake recipes.

🥫 Aquafaba

This is the liquid from a can of white beans or chickpeas. Three tablespoons of the aquafaba liquid stirred with a whisk or fork for about 1 minute until it's a little foamy is equal to 1 egg.

• Pro - Easy to find and uses something you may otherwise through away.
• Cons - Doesn't provide as much lift and structure as many other choices.
• Best Uses - Aquafaba is okay in muffins and cookies, but really the best use is for egg washes and meringues. More about this below.

🏪 Store-bought egg replacers

There are many brands of egg replacers that work well for baking. They usually come as dry powders that you mix with water to activate. This is a great choice for cookies or cakes that you want to remain white and have a neutral taste.

• Pro - Most work well to replace 1-2 eggs in baking. They are usually white in color and don't change the taste, texture, or appearance of your baked goods.
• Cons - They can be expensive and they only work to replace up to 2 eggs. They don't work great as a binder in things like fritters.
• Best Uses - Any baked goods calling for 1-2 eggs.

🥖 Eggless egg wash

To give your bread and baked goods a little shine, aquafaba is the best egg replacement. Just brush a little on as you would an egg.

🥧 How to replace egg whites?

If you are trying to make a meringue or a similar recipe with beaten egg whites, aquafaba works like magic. Aquafaba is simply the liquid from a can of white beans or chickpeas and it whips up very much like egg whites. You can make things like vegan lemon meringue pie, vegan marshmallows, vegan whipped cream, aquafaba ice cream, and aquafaba chocolate mouse.

🍳 Eggs as the main course

If you want to make a dish that is predominantly made of eggs like scrambled eggs, an omelet or quiche, chickpea flour batter, or tofu is your best choice. You need something that is high in protein and has the same basic texture as eggs when cooked.

I find that tofu has a soft spongy texture and a nice flavor and is my preferred replacement in vegan scrambled eggs, vegan ricotta cheese, and vegan quiche.

Chickpea flour eggs have a great ability to bind together when cooked and make a great choice for vegan omelets. I know that this may sound a little weird, but they're delicious and this is one of my most popular recipes on the blog. I get messages almost every day from people who love these omelets!