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.
👩🏻🍳 Pro tip
I have found in all of my vegan cooking and baking that replicating the fat, protein, and carbohydrate ratios of the original thing that you are replacing provides the most authentic vegan substitutes. When making things like vegan cheeses, vegan meats, and other homemade vegan staples like butter, sour cream, and mayo the end product needs to have a similar amount of fat and protein to achieve a similar taste, texture, and mouthfeel.
🥚 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.
🥣 Chia seed egg
Two teaspoons of chia seeds mixed with 4 tablespoons water and allowed to sit for 15 minutes to jell up. (You can grind up the chia seeds in your blender first for a smoother texture and allow them to soak up the water faster.)
- Pro - Has strong binding power and adds nutrients to baked goods.
- Cons - It's gritty and adds a texture similar to poppy seeds to your recipes.
- Best Uses - Chia seeds are best used in muffins or sweetbreads where you don't mind a seedy texture.
🥄 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.
🍌 Mashed banana
Use 1/4 cup of mashed banana to equal 1 egg in baking. It works well but will give you baked goods a banana flavor. (You can also use mashed avocado.)
- Pro - Easy to find, add nutrients to baked goods, works well.
- Cons - Add sweetness and a strong banana flavor, so it's best in sweet baked goods where a banana taste works well.
- Best Uses - It's best in banana bread, muffins, or banana pancakes.
🏪 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!
I hope that this gave you lots of ideas for swapping out eggs and helped you modify your favorite recipes into egg-free recipes!
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
An egg substitute made from chickpea flour that works perfectly in nearly every recipe.
- 2 tablespoons chickpea flour (aka garbanzo bean flour)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil (optional)
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Place 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour in a small bowl.
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Add 1 tablespoon of water and stir into a thick paste.
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Add an additional tablespoon of water and a teaspoon of oil and stir well.
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Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes before using as you would a whole egg in any recipe.
- You can use any neutral flavored oil that you want.
- You do not have to use any oil at all, it just makes it more closely resemble a real egg in properties and structure.
- This recipe equals 1 egg. Increase the recipe to suit your needs.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leave a comment and starred review! I would love to hear from you!
I get mixed up with gram flour with chickpea flour, recipes don't state what one I should use as they are both different in the amount of water you use. So if I was substituting an egg which one should I use. Thanks
I always use chickpea flour to sub an egg, but you can use gram flour as well. You will need about a teaspoon less water for gram flour.
Probably the best article on this subject I have come across yet! Quick question..what would you consider to be the best egg replacement in the following flourless peanut butter bread recipe: Peanut butter, 2 eggs, vinegar and baking powder. Thanks!
I'm so glad that you found this article helpful! I would say that the chickpea flour egg will give you the best results in this recipe. Just be sure that it bakes completely! Enjoy! 🙂
Would soybean flour work for the chickpea flour eggs because I already have that on hand thank you
Hi Rose - Unfortunately, soy flour won't work the same as chickpea flour. The chickpea flour has a unique way of bonding when cooked similar to eggs and can not be swapped for any other flour with the same result.
I always love your recipes but being someone who LOVES to cook, bake and eat from a family that I never had a chance to learn from, I’ve been winging it in the kitchen the past few years playing with vegan recipes- even though I’m not completely vegan. I’ve been following you because I’m a firm believer in adding the extra veggies into everything and sneaking them into food to show people you can eat healthier and still enjoy favorites! I appreciate this share so much because you taught why, how, when and where!!!!!! What an incredible gift to share because I think a lot of us want to be healthier and don’t know where to start or learn from! Thank you for all you do and share- it truly benefits me and others so much and inspires us to take our own health in our hands and change our lives for the better! 💓
Thanks for such nice words, Jennifer. I'm so happy that my website is helping you! 🙂
This has been so helpful. Thank you! I’m weaning my nearly 7m old who hates being spoon fed snd really wants finger food. She has a severe egg allergy so I’ve felt really lost trying to find recipes. I can’t wait to give the chickpea flour egg a go!
You're welcome, Katie! I'm so glad that it helped you out. I think that you will like the chickpea flour egg! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Hi Monica, I don't know how I found you. Thank you so much for all the information you are giving. I have not tried any of your receipts but I can tell they are going to taste great. I have been a vegetarian for over almost 40 years not by choice my body does not digest animal fat. As I get older it is so bad that my cholesterol is so high and I am becoming diabetic too. I am on a diet which is low fat, and low salt. I love cheese, that is how I found you by googling how to make vegan cheese.
Thank you so much again for the receipts and advice.
You're welcome! I'm glad that you are finding the recipes helpful. I'm so happy that you found my site too! 🙂
Can aqua faba be frozen to 'save it' for when I need it? I make a lot of hummus.
Great question. Yes, you can. You can put it into ice cube trays and freeze it and then thaw a few cubes when you need it. 🙂
I was so hoping that chickpea flour would work to veganise my favourite brownie recipe (Nigella Lawson's gluten-free one - https://www.nigella.com/recipes/flourless-chocolate-brownies-with-hot-chocolate-sauce), but after 30 minutes in the oven I just had a liquid, bubbling mess. I've yet to find any egg replacer that works in a brownie recipe that started off as non-vegan (I'd tried egg replacer powder, aquafaba and flax seed before chickpea flour).
I'm sorry that it didn't work. It works in most brownie recipes and I use it in my brownies. https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-brownies/ I had many brownie fails before I used "chickpea flour egg." It just might be one that won't work without eggs.
OMG! I am not vegan or even vegetarian, but I have strong vegan tendencies and have been visiting your blog for a while now for some wonderful vegan inspiration. I love eggs and eat them, but I frequently search for vegan egg replacements for various recipes and this looks like the most complete post about all kinds of egg replacements depending on what you are cooking.
I have to say that thanks to your blog (and a few others I frequent), my boyfriend and I cut down sooo much on animal products and I don't even miss them at this point (he still does, to a degree, I can tell). Yes, I ate some chicken the other day, but it was because I had this old chicken that has been sitting in my freezer forever and just needed to be used. I do not feel the desire to buy more, and I do not recall last time I had beef (pork was a looong time ago). Cheese is starting to taste funny, too.
Not saying I will turn vegan tomorrow (seafood is my vice, but at this point I only buy wild caught seafood, as I do not want the farmed stuff), but I cannot thank you enough for your wonderful and tasty recipes that make me not miss most of the animal products. Sometimes it's a bit of a challenge, but thanks to all of your recipes (and now, all of the wonderful egg replacement tips), I know I am not alone and our vegan meals are so tasty and so much fun to cook.
Thank you, Monica!!!
You're very welcome, Beata! I'm so happy that my recipes help you reduce your consumption of animal products without missing them! 🙂
Monica, thank you so much for compiling all in one place such a complete listing of all the possible vegan egg replacements, as well as explaining when to use which replacement! Thanks kindly for letting us benefit from your many years of experimenting----very useful information!
You are very welcome! I'm so happy that this information is useful to you! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Having recently developed egg intolerance (ranging from mild to severe symptoms depending on the egg) I have been a bit lost! My family has so many allergies, including bananas, apples, & beans, it is VERY difficult to find something that one person can eat, let alone more than 1! You've given me a little bit of hope with this extensive information.
Especially at the beginning of "birthday season" here.
Thank you! 🙂