What Can I Use in Place of an Egg? Best Natural Egg Substitutes for Baking and Cooking!
Best natural and nutritious Egg Substitutes for Baking and Cooking- What Can I Use in Place of an Egg?If this question pops up frequently in your mind, here is a simple and really useful guide to egg substitutes, to make your recipes egg free.
Yes, you can replace eggs with simple, natural egg substitutes like flax seeds, aquafaba, chickpea flour, and many more simple natural ingredients.
Just what you have been looking for, your perfect guide to vegan and egg-free baking and cooking!
Eggs are essential in many recipes, but what if you’re out of eggs or simply prefer not to use them?
I’ve found myself in this situation many times. But over time, I’ve learned that eggs aren’t always necessary for baking or cooking. While they are a staple ingredient, there are plenty of natural alternatives that work just as well. You always have the option to not use eggs if you don’t want to.
Whether you are vegan, have an egg allergy, or just want to try something new, there are plenty of egg substitutes or egg swaps that work just as well in baking and cooking.
Now if you have ever wondered, “What can I use inplace of eggs in a recipe?” or “What is the best egg replacement for baking?”, this egg swap guide has you covered!
Best Egg Substitutes for Baking
When baking, eggs act as a binding agent, help with moisture, and add structure to recipes. Here are some of the best natural egg alternatives for baking:
Note : If you are using any of the below egg swaps for baking , also add a mix of 1tsp of Baking Soda and 1 tbsp of vinegar (maybe acv) to act as a leavening agent, and helps baked goods rise.
1. Flaxseed Egg (Flax Egg Substitute)
Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes until it forms a gel.Use this in place of eggs.
Usually one flaxseed egg (1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds + 3 tablespoons of water) replaces one egg in most recipes. If a recipe calls for multiple eggs, you can multiply the flaxseed mixture accordingly, but it works best for replacing up to two eggs.
Beyond that, it might affect the texture and structure of the final product.
The flax egg substitute is best used for recipes like Cookies, muffins, pancakes, and cakes.
2. Chia Seed Egg
Chia seed egg replacement is another vegan egg substitute that works really well in recipes. Mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Let it thicken.This makes one egg.
This works best for Brownies, muffins, and pancakes.
3. Unsweetened Applesauce
Another great option for egg free baking is using ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce per egg. You can Add ½ teaspoon of baking powder for leavening. Since eggs help with both binding and leavening, applesauce alone may make the final product denser. To counter this, adding ½ teaspoon of baking powder helps maintain a light and airy texture, especially in cakes, muffins, and quick breads.
For recipes requiring more than two eggs, applesauce may significantly change the texture, making baked goods heavier and more moist. In such cases, it’s best to combine applesauce with another egg substitute, like vinegar and baking soda, to achieve better results.
4. Mashed Banana
Use ¼ cup of mashed ripe banana per egg. Bananas acts as a natural sweetener, natural binder and add moisture, making them an excellent substitute for eggs in dense cakes, quick breads, muffins, pancakes, and brownies.
However, they also add a distinct banana flavor, which works well in recipes where a hint of banana compliments the taste, such as a banana bread or chocolate-based desserts.Using banana instead of eggs is not ideal for airy cakes, soufflés, or recipes needing whipped egg whites
5. Avocado (Creamy Egg Alternative)
Using ¼ cup of mashed avocado can replace one egg in baking and cooking. Avocado is an excellent and a very healthy egg substitute because it provides moisture, healthy fats, and a creamy texture without altering the flavor too much—especially in chocolate-based desserts.
6. Sweetened Condensed Milk
Using ¼ cup of sweetened condensed milk can replace one egg in baking. Since it is thick, creamy, and naturally sweet, it acts as a binding agent while also adding moisture and richness to baked goods. However, because it is already sweetened, you would need to reduce the sugar in your recipe to prevent it from becoming too sweet.
This works well for rich desserts, creamy egg free custards, cakes and cupcakes, cheesecakes and puddings.
7. Silken Tofu
Silken tofu creates a dense, creamy texture and is a great protein-rich substitute. 1/4 cup of blended tofu can replace 1 egg. Make sure to blend until smooth to avoid a grainy texture in your baked goods.This is best suited for Brownies, cheesecakes, muffins, pancakes but not a good alternative for sponge cakes and meringues where the recipe needs fluffiness.
Best Egg Substitutes for Cooking
For dishes where eggs act as a binder or provide fluffiness, these substitutes work well:
1.Chickpea Flour and water (Besan Slurry/ Chickpea flour paste) as an Egg Substitute
Mix 3 tablespoons of chickpea flour with 3 tablespoons of water. Works great as a binding agent.Add your spices to the mix and it works great as an eggless omelette or a vegan omelette.
Chickpea flour mixed with water creates a thick, protein-rich egg substitute that provides excellent binding and structure in recipes. This combination is not new to Indian cuisine, it has been used for centuries in traditional dishes like besan chilla (savoury pancakes), pakoras (fritters), and eggless omelettes.
For a more authentic Indian eggless omelette (besan chilla / besan poora) , mix chickpea flour and water batter with turmeric, ginger garlic paste, salt,red chilli powder, onions, green chillies and coriander for the perfect flavour. Have it with chilli and garlic chutney, mint chutney or mango chutney for a delicious breakfast or snack.
2.Cornstarch Slurry
Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water.Whisk it until smooth. Cornstarch is a popular thickening agent in cooking, and when mixed with water, it forms a smooth slurry that can act as a reliable egg substitute.
Though it won’t provide leavening like eggs, it excels at adding structure and thickness to recipes.For best results let the mixture simmer with the recipe for a few minutes to reach its full thickening potential.It adds the right creamy consistency without eggs to custards , puddings , sauces and gravies. Cornstarch or cornflour provides structure and texture in eggless pies.
It also acts as a great binder in meatballs, cutlets, and burgers.
3.Arrowroot
Arrowroot is another natural egg suitable for eggless recipes, especially if you’re looking for a glossy texture or working with clear liquids. Arrowroot can be mixed in water and used in custards or glazes, thicker consistency and a smoother, shinier finish.
4. Carbonated Water
You can use ¼ cup of carbonated water per egg, basically replacing eggs for leavening.. It adds airiness and works as a leavening agent.Unsweetened carbonated water is best to be used in the recipes for Light and fluffy pancakes, waffles, and cakes.
5. Aquafaba (Chickpea Brine)
Aquafaba is the liquid from cooked chickpeas or a can of chickpeas . When you whip aquafaba, it can mimic the whipped texture of egg whites in recipes that require fluffiness (like meringues, macarons, or soufflés. You can use 3 tbsp whipped aquafaba for 1 egg white.
When using unwhipped aquafaba to replace a whole egg, you’re only using the liquid without the airiness from whipping, so the aquafaba serves more as a binding agent rather than a leavening or fluffing agent.
You can use 3 tbsp aquafaba (not whipped) to replace one whole egg.It is suited for cakes, muffins, or brownies where eggs provide binding and moisture without necessarily needing the egg white’s whipped structure.
6. Yogurt or Buttermilk
Yoghurt/ Greek yoghurt or buttermilk is a great dairy-based egg substitutes that adds moisture and richness.You can use 1/4 cup of yoghurt or buttermilk to replace one egg. This can be used for recipes of Cakes, muffins, quick breads and some cookies.
Egg Substitutes for Eggwash
An egg wash is often used to give baked goods a shiny, golden finish. If you’re looking for an egg wash substitute, here are a few great alternatives. If i do not want to use an egg, i replace it with milk.
However if you are looking for vegan egg wash substitute ,you can use any plant based milk. For sweet pies, pastries , muffins and breads you can use honey or maple syrup. Here is my eggless wholewheat banana bread with muffin glaze recipe .
Substitute for Egg on toast
Well, maybe not actually replacing an egg here but avocado or Cream cheese makes a delicious creamy substitute in recipes calling for eggs.
Which is the best substitute for an egg ?
Finding the perfect egg substitute depends on the recipe, but with so many great options, you will never feel stuck without eggs again!
For binding, flax eggs and chia eggs work wonders. For moisture, applesauce, yoghurt and mashed banana are great choices. For fluffiness, try vinegar + baking soda or carbonated water. And if you’re after an eggy texture, silken tofu and chickpea flour are your best bet.
Though the commercial egg replacers like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, Oggs egg alternative or Ener-G Egg Replacer are easily available in the stores and are simple to use, I personally prefer using natural, whole-food alternatives as listed above.
Ingredients like flaxseeds, chickpea flour, and aquafaba not only work just as well but are also less processed, more affordable, and easily available in most kitchens.
Ultimately there are plenty of natural alternatives to eggs out there that can do the job just as well as traditional eggs – without having to raid the henhouse!
Have you tried any of these egg replacements? Let me know in the comments which one works best for you!
Try these eggless recipes from the blog- Eggless wholewheat banana loaf, Easy eggless waffles recipe.
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