Do you want a quick and easy way to make an egg substitute that will work in 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.

Vegan scrambled eggs made from tofu topped with green onions with vegan bacon and a strawberry on the side.
Vegan scrambled “eggs” and “bacon.”

I have tested and retested countless vegan recipes to find the best egg substitute for every type of recipe. These are my results for dairy-free egg replacements in nearly every type of recipe.

I’ve been cooking and baking without eggs for over 23 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 because of egg 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.

Four small white bowls filled with things that you can use to replace eggs in baking.

📝 What eggs do in a recipe

Eggs bind ingredients together, help the batter stick to foods, serve as a leavening agent, and add moisture to baked goods. They also thicken and emulsify sauces, provide a shiny finish to baked goods, and make fluffy meringues. Of course, they can simply be 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.

A small white bowl filled with a chickpea flour egg with a spoon dripping some off into the bowl.
A Chickpea Flour Egg

⭐ The best overall egg substitute

The winner! – I’ve found a chickpea flour egg to be the best and most versatile vegan 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, 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 with 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.

The following work to replace eggs in baking, for this you have many choices, but consider the function of the egg in the recipe that you are making when choosing which one to use.

Six small white bowls with different types of egg replacements that you can use in baking with each labeled including chickpea egg, baking soda and vinegar, carbonated water, flax egg, chia seed egg, and apple sauce.

🥚 Chickpea flour egg

Two tablespoons of chickpea flour mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon of 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, and 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.
A stack of 4 vegan brownies with other brownies around it on a white surface.

🧁 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 (ground flax seeds) 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.

A loaf of vegan banana bread with two slices taken out of it and bananas behind it.
Vegan Banana Bread

🍎 Applesauce

Use 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce to replace 1 egg in baking.

Tip – the individual applesauce snack cups are 1/2 cup and equal to 2 eggs in baking.

🥤 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, adds lift to baked goods, and works well in many recipes.
  • Cons – It only works to replace the moister of eggs and to give baked goods lift. It doesn’t add protein or work as a binder.
  • 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.
A slice of egg-free sponge cake with strawberries and cream between the layers.

🥣 Chia seed egg

Two teaspoons of chia seeds mixed with 4 tablespoons of 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 and other vegan baking 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.

💧Baking powder

One teaspoon of baking powder mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoon oil and 1 1/2 teaspoon water is equal to 1 egg in baking. You must use baking powder, not baking soda.

  • 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 works well for muffins, cakes, and cupcakes, but I usually prefer the baking soda and vinegar method instead.
A slice of vegan chocolate cake with chocolate frosting on a white plate with a fork cutting a piece off of it.
Vegan Chocolate Cake

🥫 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) are equal to 1 egg.

  • Pro – Easy to find and uses something you may otherwise throw 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. Learn 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 your baked goods a banana flavor. (You can also use mashed avocado.)

  • Pro – Easy to find, adds nutrients to baked goods, and it 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.
A loaf of vegan banana bread with two slices taken out of it and bananas behind it.

🎃 Pumpkin puree

Use 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree to equal 1 egg in baking. It works well in baked goods like cakes, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin brownies, but will give your baked goods an orange color and a slight pumpkin flavor.

  • Pro – Easy to find, adds nutrients to baked goods, and it works well.
  • Cons – Add sweetness and a slight pumpkin flavor and bitterness, so it’s best in sweet baked goods where pumpkin flavors work well.
  • Best Uses – It’s best in pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, or banana pancakes.

🏪 Store-bought egg replacers

There are many brands of egg replacers that work well for baking like Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer, Ener-G egg replacer, or The Neat Egg. 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 eggwash

Use a vegan egg wash substitute to give your bread and baked goods a little shine. To do this, mix 1/2 cup of aquafaba with 1 teaspoon of corn syrup. Then simply brush it on quick bread or pastries before baking.

🥧 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.

A pie dish with a vegan lemon meringue pie with a large slice taken out of it. Made with vegan lemon curd and aquafaba meringue topping.
Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie

🍳 Eggs as the main course

Firm tofu

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 for vegan scrambled eggs, tofu scrambles, vegan ricotta cheese, and vegan quiche.

Tip – a little sprinkle of kala namak aka black salt will give it more of an eggy flavor.

Silken tofu

I also use silken tofu to replace eggs in vegan spinach balls, silken tofu scramble, and creamy tofu pasta sauce.

A pie dish filled with a vegan tofu quiche with a slice taken out of it.
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!

A vegan omelette made with chickpea flour and veggies, filled with vegan cheese, spinach ,and mushrooms.
Vegan Omelet

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!

📋 Chickpea flour egg recipe

A close up of a chickpea flour egg
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5 from 17 rating

Chickpea Flour Egg

Yield: 1 egg
Prep: 1 minute
Resting Time: 5 minutes
Total: 6 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
An egg substitute made from chickpea flour that works perfectly in nearly every recipe.
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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons chickpea flour, (aka garbanzo bean flour)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon cooking oil, (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Place 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour in a small bowl.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of water and stir into a thick paste.
  • Add an additional tablespoon of water and a teaspoon of oil and stir well.
  • Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes before using as you would a whole egg in any recipe.

Notes

  • 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.
Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 93kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 11mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 6IU, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 1mg
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