The Best Egg Substitute for Baking: 11 Excellent Alternatives
Updated on March 2, 2023
Eggs are an essential ingredient in most baking recipes, but you can still enjoy egg-based pastry when you’re vegan or allergic to eggs by using an egg substitute for baking.
This article describes the best alternatives for eggs to use in oven-based recipes.
Eggs provide a number of benefits in baking recipes. Firstly, eggs add color since they make pastries turn golden-brown due to the proteins and fats within the egg yolks, and they bring out a tasty flavor when mixed with other ingredients. Secondly, eggs add flavor since mixing whole eggs and egg yolks with other ingredients creates a rich, complex flavor profile due to the egg’s fat and lecithin. Thirdly, eggs are a natural binder since they hold ingredients together due to proteins coagulating during the cooking process. Binding provides structure, consistency, and stability for baking goods. Next, eggs serve as a leavening agent since they trap air due to water content, resulting in light and airy baking products. Lastly, the egg water content adds moisture to baked products, improving their texture. A substitute for eggs in baking should have at least part of these qualities.
The best alternatives to eggs in baking are fruit purée, starch, carbonated water, a mixture of water, vegetable oil and baking powder, a combination of flaxseeds or chia seeds with water, silken tofu, buttermilk or Greek yogurt, commercial egg replacer, a mixture of vinegar or lemon juice with baking soda, aquafaba, and soy lecithin. Here is detailed information about each of these ingredients or combination of ingredients:
1. Fruit purée
Fruit purée is an excellent substitute for eggs in baking, thanks to its creamy texture. To prepare fruit purée, use apples, bananas, pumpkins, or avocados, depending on what you like and what you already have in your pantry. Although fruit purée doesn’t brown pastries as eggs, it produces dense and moist baked goods.
There are two types of applesauce for replacing eggs in baking – store-bought and homemade -, with a few differences between them. For example, store-bought applesauce is easy to use since there are no preparation steps involved, but homemade applesauce helps to make use of any leftover apples that would otherwise rot. To prepare applesauce at home, peel, chop, boil, and blend apples into a purée.
When making purée using other fruits than apples to substitute eggs in baking, such as mashed banana, pumpkin, or avocado, ensure these fruits are ripe, in order to achieve a smooth consistency similar to eggs. Preparing fruit purée is similar to homemade applesauce: cut the fruits into small pieces and blend them until completely mashed.
The flavor of your meal will slightly change when using fruit purée to replace eggs. For example, applesauce gives a hint of apples, and mashed bananas add a banana aroma. Compared to apples and bananas, pumpkin and avocado have a milder effect on the flavor. To enhance the flavor of applesauce or pumpkin purée, add a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg.
When using fruit purée instead of eggs in baking, use ¼ cup of fruit purée to replace 1 egg. Since applesauce and banana purée are sweet, reduce the amount of sugar required by your recipe. These fruits don’t have the leavening qualities of eggs, so add a pinch of baking powder.
2. Starch
Starch is a fantastic vegan substitute for eggs in baking since it serves as a thickening agent. There are many types of starch, such as arrowroot powder, potato starch, cornstarch, tapioca starch, and agar.
Use starch to substitute eggs in breads, cakes, custards, sauces, puddings, and pies.
When using starch instead of eggs in baking, mix 2 tablespoons of starch with 3 tablespoons of warm water to replace 1 egg. Blend the mixture until it forms a sticky and smooth paste, and add it to the other ingredients in the baking recipe. Add ⅛ teaspoon of baking powder for each egg if the baked goods aren’t rising enough.
3. Carbonated water
Carbonated water is a great substitute for eggs in baking since its effervescence helps trap air bubbles, resulting in light baked goods with a fluffy texture.
Carbonated water retains moisture, acts as a thickening agent, and has a neutral taste, so it won’t affect the flavor of the food. For example, seltzer or sparkling water are terrific for replacing eggs in cakes, brownies, cupcakes, waffles, pancakes, crepes, and quick breads. Soda works, too, since it contains carbonated water.
Sparkling water is incredibly versatile for substituting eggs in baking since it comes in various flavors that add extra aroma to recipes. For example, natural sparkling water is neutral since it doesn’t have any sugar, so it’s healthy. Meanwhile, citrus sparkling water adds a citrusy flavor.
When using carbonated water instead of eggs in baking, use ¼ cup of carbonated water to replace 1 egg.
4. Water, vegetable oil, and baking powder
A combination of water, vegetable oil, and baking powder makes an excellent substitute for eggs in baking, resulting in light, fluffy, tender, and moist pastries. The baking powder reacts with water to create bubbles, while the oil retains moisture. There are many vegetable oils suited for baking, but it’s best to use one with a neutral flavor, such as refined avocado oil, untoasted sesame oil, or canola oil, since it won’t affect the taste of your food.
When using water, vegetable oil, and baking powder in place of eggs in baking, mix 2 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each egg. Whisk the three ingredients together and add them to the recipe.
5. Flaxseeds or chia seeds with water
A mixture of flaxseeds or chia seeds with water creates a wonderful vegan substitute for eggs in baking since the liquid grants binding qualities to this combination. Both flaxseeds and chia seeds have a mild, nutty flavor, so this aftertaste might be evident in the food.
There are a few differences between flaxseeds and chia seeds when used as alternatives to eggs in baked goods. Firstly, chia seeds are slightly stronger binding agents. Secondly, flax seeds are brown or golden while chia seeds are black or white, so it’s best to use golden flax seeds or white chia seeds if you don’t want to ruin the appearance of your baked goods with dark specks.
Use flaxseeds or chia seeds with water to replace eggs in muffins, quick breads, cakes, cookies, and brownies.
Before mixing the flaxseeds or chia seeds with water, grind them with a high-speed blender: add the seeds to the blender, start with the lowest speed setting, work your way up to the highest speed setting, scrape the walls of the blender, and repeat. Using flaxseed meal is a good alternative to flaxseeds with water if you don’t have a high-speed blender or another grinding device and need to quickly replace eggs in baking.
When using flaxseeds or chia seeds in place of eggs, mix 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds with 2 ½ tablespoons of warm water or 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water for each egg and let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes until it obtains a gel consistency.
6. Silken tofu
Silken tofu is a great substitute for eggs in baking since it has binding qualities. This tofu type has a neutral flavor and produces a soft, custardy texture.
There are many types of tofu: silken, regular, firm, extra-firm, and super-form. Silken tofu is best for replacing eggs in baking because it has more water content to help preserve moisture, and it requires the least amount of baking time.
Compared to eggs, silken tofu is heavier, making baked goods moister and denser, so you should avoid using it in light and delicate recipes. For best results, add silken tofu to substitute eggs in quick breads, cookies, brownies, blondies, and muffins.
To replace eggs with silken tofu, it’s necessary to prepare it with a blender or food processor: start with the low-speed setting and gradually increase to the maximum speed for about 10 seconds to obtain a creamy purée.
When using silken tofu in place of eggs, use ¼ cup of blended silken tofu per egg.
7. Buttermilk or Greek yogurt
Buttermilk or Greek yogurt are fantastic substitutes for eggs in baking since they retain moisture and produce light, fluffy goodies.
Use buttermilk or Greek yogurt to replace eggs when baking moist pastries with crisp edges, cakes, muffins, pancakes, and cupcakes.
When using buttermilk or Greek yogurt instead of eggs, use ¼ cup of buttermilk or Greek yogurt to replace 1 egg. A leavening agent is necessary for giving cakes a high rise, so combine ¼ cup of buttermilk or Greek yogurt with ⅛ teaspoon of baking soda to replace 1 egg.
8. Commercial egg replacer
A commercial egg replacer is a safe substitute for eggs in baking if you don’t feel confident enough to mix raw ingredients. There are many brands that offer egg replacers for sale, such as Ener-G egg replacer or Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer.
Commercial egg replacers work well as egg substitutes because they contain various ingredients with binding and leaving qualities, such as baking soda, potato starch, tapioca flour, and psyllium husk fiber, to help shape the baked goods and make them rise.
To use a commercial egg replacement in place of eggs, simply follow the instructions on the packaging. For example, for Ener-G, combine 1 ½ teaspoon of the powder with 2 tablespoons of warm water for each egg. For Bob’s Red Mill, mix 1 tablespoon of the powder with 2 tablespoons of warm water. In both cases, allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes and thicken before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.
9. Vinegar or lemon juice with baking soda
Vinegar or lemon juice in combination with baking soda make an effective substitute for eggs in baking since they create a fluffy, light, and airy texture. Since vinegar and lemon juice are acids and baking soda is a base (sodium bicarbonate), the combination of these ingredients produces carbon dioxide bubbles that get trapped in dough, causing it to rise. Baking soda has a bitter, salty, soapy flavor that gets neutralized by the sharp flavor of vinegar or lemon juice. The type of vinegar used is important since it affects the taste of the resulting dish. For example, apple cider vinegar is a good choice for baking since it has a sweet and crisp flavor with sour notes. Unseasoned rice vinegar works, too, since it doesn’t have added salt or sugar. White vinegar has a simple, harsh flavor, but it won’t stand out when used in complex baking recipes, so it’s safe to use. Avoid balsamic vinegar because it has a strong flavor that will be perceptible in the dish.
Use vinegar or lemon juice with baking soda to replace eggs in cakes, cookies, muffins, and breads.
When using vinegar or lemon juice with baking soda in place of eggs, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the wet ingredients and 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the dry ingredients for each egg.
10. Aquafaba
Aquafaba is a vegan-friendly substitute for eggs in baking, thanks to the light, airy, fluffy texture it creates.
Aquafaba is the liquid obtained from cooked or canned pulses, such as chickpeas, lentils, green beans, soya beans, lupins, peas, and kidney beans. This liquid contains starch, so it has binding qualities that make it suitable for replacing eggs in baked goods. Plus, aquafaba has a neutral taste that won’t interfere with other ingredients.
To obtain aquafaba for egg substitution, save the liquid from canned pulses instead of throwing it away. Alternatively, boil dry pulses in unsalted water, discard the foam that forms above, and set the remaining liquid aside.
Use aquafaba in various baking recipes that call for eggs, such as meringues, marshmallows, mousse, frosting, marzipan, macarons, ice cream, brownies, muffins, cupcakes, cakes, and quick breads.
When using aquafaba in place of eggs, use 3 tablespoons of aquafaba for each egg. Next, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to whisk the aquafaba until it obtains a fluffy texture similar to egg whites.
11. Soy lecithin
Soy lecithin is a plant-based substitute for eggs in baking. This ingredient successfully replicates the thick, rich texture of egg yolks since eggs contain lecithin.
Soy lecithin is made from soybean oil and has binding, leavening, and rising qualities. The ingredient also serves as a stabilizer and emulsifier, which helps to prevent water and fats from separating in chocolate coatings, ideal for egg substitution. Additionally, soy lecithin is a natural preservative, so baked goods will last longer than normal.
Use soy lecithin to replace eggs when baking soft, fine goods, such as cakes, biscuits, and cookies. In puff pastry and Danish pastry, soy lecithin makes dough flakier.
When using soy lecithin in place of eggs, add 1 tablespoon of soy lecithin powder for each egg. Alternatively, mix 1 ½ tablespoon of lecithin granules with 1 ½ tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon of baking powder for each egg. If you’re allergic to soy, use sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin and follow the same instructions.
FAQs
Find out more useful information about eggs and egg substitutes in baking:
Are eggs necessary for baking?
Eggs are not necessary for baking but they play crucial roles. Firstly, eggs help ingredients bind and trap air, causing baked goods to rise. The liquid of eggs. Finally, egg wash (mix of egg and water) gives pastries that golden-brown finish.
Which egg grade is mostly used in baking?
Grade A or B eggs are used the most in baking because the eggs are mixed with other ingredients and remain invisible after baking. However, if you want the best, go for Grade AA.
What size eggs are best for baking?
Use large eggs for your baking unless your recipe calls for another size. A whole, large egg weighs about 1.75 oz and measures about 3 ½ tablespoons when whisked.
Do eggs make a cake rise?
Yes, eggs make a cake rise because they have leavening properties. The eggs trap air when beaten, which expands when baked. You can also make cakes rise with baking soda or baking powder.
Can I use only egg whites for a cake?
Yes, you can use only egg whites for a cake. When doing so, substitute two egg whites for one whole egg. Depending on the cake, you may need to tinker with the recipe to ensure the cake remains soft and moist. For instance, you can add sugar or vegetable oil to maintain the same texture and use Greek yogurt or buttermilk to mimic egg yolks in baking.
What happens if you skip eggs in baking?
Baked goods without eggs or any egg substitute end up having a crumbly texture. This is because eggs and egg substitutes have binding properties that hold ingredients together, giving the goods structure and stability.
How do egg substitutes work?
Egg substitutes mimic egg qualities like binding, leavening, texture, or moisture. Not all egg replacements have all the properties of an egg, and this is why some produce denser baked goods than others.
Closing thoughts
Eggs are essential for baking, but there are plenty of egg substitutes for whatever baking goods you wish to make.
As mentioned above, some options like mashed banana will leave whatever you bake with a banana flavor. Others like silken tofu make your baked foods dense, making them more suitable for cookies. If you want a light and airy cake or cupcake, your best bet is to use carbonated water or a mixture of water, oil, and baking soda.
Have you tried any egg substitutes listed here for baking? Share with us your experience in the comment section below.