Do you find yourself buying fewer eggs these days? Or at least wanting to?
One easy way to make your carton last longer is getting creative with egg substitutes. Thankfully, when it comes to baking you have lots of options.
Sara Plucker, a Health Coach with Avera Comprehensive Weight Management Clinic, has some great tips to the right substitution. As the mom of a child with an egg allergy, she also has lots of real-life experience.
What Do Eggs Do When Baking?
To know what substitute works best, let’s start with why eggs are used in recipes. Without eggs, recipes can be dry, flat and crumbly.
Plucker explained egg replacements can help with structure and moisture, but you may notice a difference in color and texture. Baked foods may not brown as much and the texture may be smooth and soft.
Here’s a rundown of why eggs are often added to recipes:
- Structure: The proteins in eggs help bind the ingredients together to create stability for baked goods.
- Leavening: Egg whites trap air when beaten to create a light texture in recipes like sponge cake.
- Emulsifying: The lecithin in egg yolks helps fats and liquids blend together smoothly. This creates a uniform batter.
- Glazing: Eggs can give baked goods a shiny golden-brown crust.
- Thickening: Eggs can thicken sauces and custards when heated slowly.
What Are the Best Egg Substitutes?
- Ground flax seeds: 1 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. water = 1 egg (let sit for 5 minutes before using)
- Used for structure and binding
- Chia seeds: 1 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. water = 1 egg (let sit for 5 minutes before using)
- Used for structure and binding
- Mashed banana: 1/4 cup = 1 egg
- Applesauce: 1/4 cup = 1 egg
- Silken tofu: 1/4 cup pureed = 1 egg
- Used for structure, binding and moisture
- Egg replacer (Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer powder): follow package instructions
- Used for structure, binding and moisture
- Baking soda and vinegar: add 1-2 tsp. vinegar to a standard cake, cupcake, pancake recipe (baking soda included in standard recipes)
- Used for structure and leavening
- Aquafaba (leftover chickpea water from a can or after cooking): 3 tbsp. = 1 egg
- Used for structure, best as substitute for egg whites
- Buttermilk or yogurt: about ¼ cup of liquid = 1 egg
- Used for binding and moisture, best as substitute for egg whites or as the moisture for breading foods
Tips from Personal Experience
Plucker has found what works best for her family, and recommended experimenting to see what types of substitutes you prefer. Here are some of her best tips to get started.
- Combine the baking soda/vinegar egg with any of the other egg options to get a good binder and a good rise for any baked goods.
- Add 1-2 tsp. of vinegar to any recipe that already has baking soda in the ingredients, in addition to substituting the eggs with flax eggs.
- Be cautious when using egg replacers. They are primarily made of gums and powders (like cornstarch and xanthan gum) to bind the recipe together. This can give some recipes a gummy and sticky texture.
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