Egg Substitutes For Baking & Cooking


eggless-baking-substitutes
I have loads of readers who have asked for Eggless Recipes, especially for cakes and desserts, and though I always try to add a little eggless version in my posts, I thought it would be good to write a separate post about using Egg Substitutes in Cooking and Baking, and how they affect the taste and texture of a recipe. Eggs are sometimes hard to substitute, mainly where desserts are concerned; but most of the times, with a few tweaks in the recipe and diligent use of certain natural or artificial substitutes, you can still get an eggless version which is not inferior to the original! Lots of people are strict vegans or vegetarians, and many others choose simply not to eat eggs; whatever may be your reason, here is a post that will solve all your troubles so you'd never have to ask anyone for an "eggless recipe" again!

General Egg Substitutions
1 egg = 2 heaped tbsp potato starch or arrowroot powder
1 egg = 1 small banana (or 1/2 big one)
1 egg = 2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
1 egg = 1/4 cup silken tofu
1 egg = 1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg = 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds + 2-3 tbsp warm water
1 egg = 1 tbsp soy flour + 1 tbsp water
1 egg = 2 tbsp vinegar dissolved in 1/2 cup water
1 egg = 1/4 cup fruit puree + 1/2 tsp baking powder

Baking
In a cake, the eggs serve as a leavening agent, helping to make the cake light and fluffy. In baked goods such as cookies and muffins, the eggs add moisture and act as a binder, gluing all the other ingredients together. So depending on what you are baking, you may need to choose an egg-substitute that works the best.

Flat foods such as pancakes and cookies don't rely on eggs for lift, so you can safely omit the egg from the recipe; however, it's a good idea to add a tablespoon or two of additional liquid like milk, fruit juice, or water to restore the recipe to its original moisture content.

Savoury Recipes
Arrowroot starch, Potato starch, Cornstarch, Whole-wheat flour, unbleached, oat, or bean flour, Finely crushed breadcrumbs, cracker meal, Quick-cooking rolled oats or cooked oatmeal, Mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, or instant potato flakes are all great substitutes for eggs in savoury recipes like Casseroles, Patties/Cutlets, Breads and main Course entrees. Play around a little with these ingredients and experiment till you find the right balance. Try using 2-3 tbsp of any of these ingredients to replace 1 whole egg, and try choosing an ingredient that's already a part of your recipe so you do not alter the original taste a lot. Again, egg-replacers work the best as they have no taste of their own.

Commercial Egg Replacer
Ener-G is an incredibly versatile and easy to use commercial egg replacer available in most health food stores and larger well-stocked grocery stores. Despite the instructions on the package to mix Ener-G with two tablespoons of water, some recipes will need a bit more moisture when replacing eggs using Ener-G, so you may need to compensate with an extra tablespoon of water or soy milk. Ener-G and other store-bought egg substitutes are relatively flavorless and work best in baked goods, such as cookies, muffins and cakes, and can also be used to bind ingredients together in a vegan casserole or loaf. Ener-G is vegan and certified kosher, but be sure to read the labels carefully on other brands, as some may contain egg whites.

Bananas and Applesauce
Smash up or blend about a half a banana or 1/4 cup applesauce to use as an egg replacer in baked goods such as muffins, pancakes or yeast-free quick breads. Bananas and applesauce add the perfect amount of thick moisture, like eggs, but they won't help your dishes rise or turn out light and fluffy, so be sure to add 1/2 tsp extra of baking powder or baking soda to help it rise if needed.

Silken Tofu
Tofu is the best way to substitute eggs in savoury dishes such as a quiche, fritatta, sandwiches or salads. The texture of silken tofu or crumbled regular tofu is surprisingly similar to boiled or cooked eggs, and can lend a nice taste to the recipe.

Silken tofu is also an appropriate egg substitute in baked goods. To use, blend 1/4 cup silken tofu with liquid ingredients until tofu is smooth and creamy. While it won't alter the flavor of a recipe, using tofu as an egg substitute will make baked goods a bit on the heavy and thick side, so it works well in brownies, and pancakes, but wouldn't work well in something like an angel food cake which needs to be light and fluffy.

Flaxseeds or Whole Grains
Combine 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds with 3 tbsp boiling water in a small bowl for each egg you wish to replace. Let it stand approximately 10 minutes, until water is absorbed by flax, and then add to the recipe in place of egg

Egg substitutes are a preferred way to avoid eggs in your cooking. The lesser the amount of eggs a recipe needs, the easier it is to substitute them, without losing flavor or texture. Replacing eggs in recipes is also recommended at times to reduce fat and cholesterol content. So try these simple solutions for eggless recipes and experiment with them to find egg substitutes that work best with a recipe!

If you have a tried substitute that you'd like to share, please do so via comments and I'll update the post with your suggestions!

Eggless Recipes:
Cranberry Walnut Scones
Eggless Anjeer(Fig) Icecream
Chocolate Banana Bread
Eggless Thumbprint Cookies
Pear & Almond Yogurt Cake


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41 comments :

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I typically use egg substitutes or egg whites, but this list is super helpful!

amna said...

That's an amazingly useful post :)

Vaishali said...

Mansi, Thanks for an informative post. I find flaxseed powder and water make the best substitute in baked breads (I don't even heat the water), while cornstarch and water are great for delicate cakes and cookies. Tofu works great in brownies.

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Mansi,

Just dropped in via Coco Cooks and so glad I did. You, indeed do have a fun blog to visit and navigate.

I'm going to save this post for future reference. I had no idea there were so many wonderful ways to substitute or do without eggs in a recipe.

Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

nice post mansi..very useful for me..loved your new template!!

Rads said...

For making eggless cakes I use Coke/Pepsi or simple soda or any aerated drink to substitute for egg. Believe me you won't be able to tell the difference that it's an eggless cake.

Mansi said...

thanks people! I'm sure this will help a lot of people, including me!! I myself was amazed at how many things you cna use as egg substitutes!:)

Anonymous said...

oh! this is such a nice post! I always used to experiment with different things in my cakes, but now I know precisely what to use!

thanks Mansi!:) you rock:D

~sandy

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for sharing this Mansi. Indeed very informative!

delhibelle said...

This is such a great post, I am a fence sitter when it comes to eggs, and usually but not always avoid egg recipes.
Bookmarked right away!
BTW, any thoughts on egg curry will be welcome, I want to eat it but can't:D

Deepa Kuber said...

such an informative entry.. worth bookmarking.. thanks for sharing..

Mansi said...

you have me there delhibelle! the day we make egg curry without eggs, it'll no longer be egg curry!:D perhaps a day will come when we'll have artificial eggs...potato balls shaped like eggs and covered with a fake white coating that looks like an egg shell??! how's that?:D

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Fantastic info mansi...

Tee said...

Great post , Mansi! I sometimes don't make a few things just because i would have to go and buy eggs for that....and i don't like to buy half a dozen eggs if i need just 1 egg for a recipe.:) This is a great help :)

Usha said...

Hi Mansi very useful post.I have already tried bananas,corn starch+water, soyflour + water,applesauce and tofu.But the vinegar was a surprise did not know that could be used as a replacement for eggs too.Thanks for the post:)

Shilpa said...

This is a great info Mansi. It will be helpful to all those who don't eat/use eggs in baking. I get so many such requests. I will bookmark this page.

Uma said...

a very useful post.

RM said...

Manasi..
Thanks so much for the info..
"S" and I also use egg-whites :)
Best Rgds,
Sam !

mitr_bayarea said...

Mansi-

you heard my request and what a great informative post..thank you.

Julia said...

Great, there's so much information in this post. I'll be using it for furture reference!

Unknown said...

Nice post Mansi and is very helpful.

Anonymous said...

This is going into my bookmarks. That is such a useful information for a eggless baker like me. Thanks for sharing such valuable information with us mansi.

Lakshmi said...

very informative post, thanks :)

Swati said...

Mansi this post is a life saver for me.. Have bookmarked it.. Thanks a ton..

A_and_N said...

Great post! :) Very, very helpful. Just what I need.

Srivalli said...

new template looks great mansi...very pleasing to eyes...and this post is very informative, thanks for taking the efforts!

Chibog in Chief said...

oh Mansi this comes so handy!! thanks!!

ST said...

Nice and great post mansi..very very useful for me.Thanks for sharing...

SMN said...

Manasi such a informative post this is ,

Anonymous said...

Such a helpful post! thank you!

Jaya M said...

Manasi
this post is very useful , thanks for sharing .

Mallika said...

Great post! Although I do love my eggs

Anonymous said...

Hi it was a very useful post.I have not been able to get ground flax seeds is it ok if i use flax seeds?Kindly let me know.

shreesha

Mansi said...

shreesha - you can just grind the flax seeds in a regular food processor; that should work.

Usha said...

Hi Mansi,I am regular visitor to your blog.Today on foodbuzz when I was going through some foodies I saw another blog called foodnfoodbuzz.blogspot.com that has a lot of posts that seem to be almost the same as yours,the words,photos everything.Is that another one of your blogs by any chance,just wanted to check with you since the name there is different.If not you may want to look into this.Thanks Bye Usha

Anonymous said...

Thanks lots Mansi! Have been waiting for this post for a while.

Sumi

Anonymous said...

Fabulous tips! Very useful post.

Mansi said...

Usha - thanks for pointing it out! that is NOT my site, but looks like someone has been COPYING all my posts and photos since quite some time now! I've left a comment asking him/her to remove everything...there's no author info, no contact info..but I'll wait to see if there's any response before reporting it to Google!

thanks again! don't know whe this plagiarism will end!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

This is a great post, Mansi.
We do eat eggs (not very often and mostly in baked food) and I'm always trying to avoid them or substitute.
Readymade substitutes aren't available here, but soya + water has worked. I discovered a shop selling flax seeds so that's the next substitute.
I love bananas but don't like them in bakes foods, though applesauce really lends a moistness to cake and muffins.

Beyond Curries said...

Very informative post Mansi. Actually I was also going to make a post about egg substitutes after trying recipes using the subsitutes. As of now I have used flax seed powder, applesauce and bananas and have got good result. Yet to try tofu, soy flour, potato starch and egg replacer.

Johanna GGG said...

thanks for a really informative post Mansi - it helps so much to have info that helps to understand what we are trying to replace when we take out eggs.

I am suspicious of egg replacers because they just seem more industrialised food but I have tried a number of other ideas you have there such as banana, soy flour, flaxseed and tofu which all work well.

I don't think you mentioned tahini which also works well to bind baking or savoury dishes.