A Dozen “Eggless Eggs” for World Vegan Day! (Substitution Solutions!)
While eggs are a popular food for many and are extremely common in baking, when working toward a vegan diet, replacing eggs can be something of a conundrum. Fortunately there are a number of substitutes for eggs, unfortunately each substitute has its own pros and cons. So today for World Vegan Day, I decided to explore going eggless! Let’s see what solutions we can hatch?
[Image depicts a cracked egg]
Eggs are used in recipes for 5 main purposes. Eggs can act as a binder, helping hold all the other ingredients together. As a leavener, eggs help to trap pockets of air in food that expand when during cooking giving a lightness and rise. Eggs also help to add moisture to recipes. Further eggs help to carry and enhance the flavour of other ingredients. Lastly eggs can help give baked goods their often sought golden-brown appearance. It can be important to consider these purposes when picking an appropriate substitute.
On to some of the alternatives! (each amount given is equal to 1 egg)
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Applesauce - ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce, if it’s sweetened don’t despair but you may need to reduce the sugar in the recipe otherwise.
Applesauce can surprisingly be used for both baking and savory recipes!
However it’s best to limit this replacement to ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce at most to avoid significant flavour and texture changes.
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Mashed banana - ¼ cup of mashed banana (or other puréed fruit - pumpkin? avocado?)
Best for cakes, muffins and quick breads.
Depending on the fruit, some may impart more flavor to the recipe.
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Foods may not brown as deeply, but are likely to be very dense and moist.
[Image depicts a pumpkin, banana, avocado and apple.]
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Ground flaxseed or chia seed - 1 tbsp of ground chia/flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp of water whisked together and allowed to sit for 3-5 minutes.
Best for pancakes, waffles, muffins, breads and cookies.
It’s important to whisk and allow time for this substitute to absorb the moisture and thicken before using.
Baked goods may end up with a slightly nutty flavour, and be heavy and dense.
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Commercial egg replacers - these are prepared products often made from potato starch, tapioca starch and other ingredients. Used as per the directions on the product.
Suitable for essentially all baked goods
Should have little impact on flavour of finished product.
Can be harder to find.
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Silken tofu - ¼ cup of puréed silken tofu
Best used in brownies, cookies, quick breads or cakes.
May make baked goods heavy and dense, but is relatively flavourless.
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Vinegar and baking soda - 1 tsp of baking soda mixed with 1 tbsp of vinegar
Best for cakes, cupcakes and quick breads.
Gives a light and airy result.
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Arrowroot Powder - 2 tbsp arrowroot powder and 3 tbsp water
Works well in baked goods or even burgers.
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Can be harder to find.
[Image depicts an arrowroot and arrowroot powder]
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Aquafaba - 3tbsps of aquafaba (the liquid found in canned chickpeas or beans)
Best for recipes that call for just egg whites including meringues and macaroons.
Can be a bit harder to whip than egg whites.
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Nut butters - 3 tbsp of peanut, cashew, or almond butter (preferably not chucky)
Best in brownies, pancakes and cookies.
Is likely to affect the flavour of the recipe.
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Carbonated water - ¼ cup of carbonated water
Best for cakes, cupcakes and quick breads.
Helps create a light and fluffy result while adding moisture.
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Agar-agar - 1 tbsp agar-agar powder mixed with 1 tbsp of water
Shouldn’t affect flavour but may create a stiffer texture.
Can be harder to find.
And rounding out our dozen eggcellent substitutes…
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Soy lecithin - 1 tbsp of soy lecithin powder
Can be used to replace whole eggs or egg yolks
Can be harder to find.
With so many substitutes it can be hard to know which one will work best, knowing if you are wanting a dense moist result, or something light and airy can give you an idea of where to begin, but you may need to eggs-periment a bit to find what works best!
[Image depicts a carton of eggs with text listing all the substitutes from this post superimposed]
Questions:
So, let’s get cracking, will you try some of these substitutes?
Perhaps we can hatch some ideas? Share one of your favourite vegan recipes?
3. No need to walk on eggshells…. If you aren’t vegan, what food would you struggle to give up most?
Sources: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/egg-substitutes
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/using-egg-substitute/
https://forms.gle/tSRzfxpQJvvYpZXh6 Feedback & Ideas Form, Share your ideas!
@EmotionsListener ovo lacto veggie so ovo = eggs and lacto = dairy so you keep those in or out?
Listening - One Step At A Time!
@MistyMagic
Ovo-Lacto vegetarian = a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy, most people assume all vegetarians eat both but not all vegetarians do. In theory I am moving toward an "ovo-vegetarian" as I eliminate more and more dairy from my diet with suitable replacements I prefer. (Thank you vegan cheese!)
@EmotionsListener
A very well timed post - I'm not vegan myself but currently out of eggs which I didn't realise until now, I had lost hope for my baking plans until I saw this!! Not all hope is lost! Time to get cracking.. Or I guess not cracking anymore lol 🥚🧑🏻🍳🍰😸
@SleepyShyCat
Hope you will get some egg-cellent and eggceptional results with your eggless cracking!
- So, let’s get cracking, will you try some of these substitutes? Probably not. I raise my own pet chickens and we eat their eggs. We don't eat the chickens though; they are our buddies. They are well taken care of. They free range for bugs and grass, eat scraps, and get plenty of grit and calcium in their diet. The females and males have their own shelters to go to, safe from predators and a place to keep cool or warm depending on the season. They all also have automatic waterers. They are all so tame that we are able to hold them and pet them regularly. They come running to see us every morning.
- Perhaps we can hatch some ideas? Share one of your favourite vegan recipes? I am not really a vegan, but I don't eat a lot of meat compared to most other Southerners, I would say. I try to eat a lot more veggies. For dishes, I like stir-fried veggies. I also like to make rice and black beans and add some lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, guac, and salsa for a homemade veggie power bowl.
- No need to walk on eggshells…. If you aren’t vegan, what food would you struggle to give up most? Eggs and cheese. I also, for the iron and vitamins, at least need my fish. I hate having to eat meat since I am a huge animal lover, but I know that for me personally, I don't think I would thrive on a fully vegan diet.
@L1ly0ftheValley
Pet chickens definitely sounds like a good reason to eat eggs! Sounds like you take very good care of your brood! I have said I think I would be happy if I had a garden and a few chickens and go ovo-vegetarian. I really love the idea of being able to grow and raise most of what I eat, but that is a far away dream at this point. My sister keeps chickens as well, though she let them go in the house... I'm not sure I'd be up for that level of "pet" chicken.
I used to eat a "primarily vegetarian diet" for a very long time, I found it was easier for me (and others) if I would still eat poultry or fish on occasion. It tended to only be when going out to a restaurant or someone's home but once I wasn't going out or over to friends and the plant based options exploded onto the market, I was happy to let go of chicken and fish too. So I can relate to an extent.
Stir fry can be a very easy way to make up something vegetarian that even meat lovers will enjoy. I find I like tossing cooked chick peas or other pulses sometimes too. I would have to omit the pickled jalapenos and sub in just avocado, but otherwise that power bowl sounds good to me! (Seems I'm one of those people who finds cilantro tastes like a bar of soap, darn genetics!)
Eggs are the one I find hardest as well. Vegan cheese has helped with the other for me a lot, it used to be awful but it's definitely improved in the last few years. But as you point out iron can be a big concern for many eating a vegetarian or vegan diet. (Though even before I had a vegetarian diet it was already an issue for me so I have always had to supplement.)
As you point out not everyone thrives on the same diet, as a child meat, especially beef and pork, made me violently ill, so being vegetarian for me was about listening to my body and what it wanted. It's amazing how much 'better' I feel on a vegetarian diet, especially when I also eliminate dairy, my love for cheese was giving me a lot of sore stomachs.
Thank you for joining in the discussion and sharing your insights!
@EmotionsListener This is wonderful! I've been noticing my stomach becoming less tolerant to eggs, so this is right on time
Questions:
1) So, let’s get cracking, will you try some of these substitutes?
- Absolutely! Especially applesauce, I've love applesauce since I was a child :D When I'm baking cakes I'd see it as an egg substitute and thought it was a joke lol but I see it isn't
2) Perhaps we can hatch some ideas? Share one of your favourite vegan recipes?
- I'm still a learner, so I'm here to learn a few recipes 👀
3. No need to walk on eggshells…. If you aren’t vegan, what food would you struggle to give up most?
- I eat cereal several times a week, I have a feeling I'd have to give it up 🥲
I'd also struggle to give up cheese, I loveeeeee grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese
@SirenOfSerenity
Sorry to hear your tummy is putting up a fuss over eggs, it's unfortunate when that happens.
A lot of the substitutes can seem almost like a joke when we read them, but I find when we understand what 'role' they fill in the recipe it can really help make more sense from the substitute. Like in veggie burgers I use an egg as a binder, so I would want to use one of the substitutes that would help hold everything together instead of one that helps create air bubbles.
Hopefully we'll get some more recipes to share with you! I've been expanding my own collection of vegetarian recipes as well.
Cereal? Why would you need to give up cereal? Or is it the "milk" you like to pour on it?
I found that is one place where I really noticed no difference at all when I switched to any of the plant based milks - for me the milk mostly seems to soften up the cereal and dilute a bit of the extra sweetness, and I don't want a big puddle in the bottom of the bowl when I'm done eating the cereal. Though I have found much like the explosion in plant based protein, the wide variety of plant based "milks" have also come a long way!
Oh and as for giving up cheese - that used to be the one I thought would be hardest now I love me some cashew cheese it is a bit different in taste but not much and well, it loves me back in a way cheese never has.
Anyway, thank you for joining in and sharing your thoughts!
@EmotionsListener
1. So, let’s get cracking, will you try some of these substitutes?
I've already incorporated most of the substitutes into my diet, so that's a yes.
2. Perhaps we can hatch some ideas? Share one of your favourite vegan recipes?
Recipe link
3. No need to walk on eggshells…. If you aren’t vegan, what food would you struggle to give up most?
🧀😉
@Helpingheart23
Look at you go! Is there any of the substitutes you like best? Or ones you haven't tried?
Mmm mushroom meatballs sound delicious... I may have to try those soon!
Ah yes, everyone's beloved cheese... I'm just happy to have found decent cheese substitutes at long last!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and that yummy looking recipe!
@EmotionsListener
Going vegan while I travel has actually helped me feel alot less exhausted. Thanks for the tips.
@HalKhatunBraunDiploma
My friends used to laugh at me when they'd see me eating my giant pile of vegetables as happy as could be practically bouncing with the energy and how good it made me feel... It can be a powerful thing when we find the foods that give us the right kind of energy and nutrition.
1. Yes, I would love to try as many of them as possible. ♥️
2. Well, I have never been a meat lover myself. And I'm more into veggies and fruits. However, I must admit that I just love fish. So, I would want to try some fish recipes with no spices added but some other substitute sprinkled instead. Because I love spicy food and I tend to add extra chilly powder (sometimes) which may be unhealthy.
3. I have been taking care of what I eat these days. I would surely want to quit having chocolates(my midnight cravings) and spicy food(the love of my life). As they are truly unhealthy for me given the amount of daily consumption
@EmotionsListener
@lyricalAngel70
I can understand wanting to try them all, I actually just got one of the "commercial egg replacers" that were mentioned to try because if they do it's a lot easier and less expensive for baking. So I guess I'll see how that goes soon!
Sounds like you may enjoy being a pescatarian? Personally I know I'm a vegetarian because that is what works best for my digestive system, and what makes me feel best.
Chili powder doesn't appeal to me, I'm not a lover of spicy 'hot', but why should it be unhealthy for you to enjoy it? (I do however enjoy a lot of herbs in my food.)
I can understand wanting to curb excess consumption of some things, though I'm more one for moderation than elimination myself. I hope you will be able to achieve your goals however regardless!
Thanks for joining in the eggciting fun, no yolk!