The Best Egg Substitute for Baking

You may be surprised to read that you do not need to use eggs in baking. This is excellent news if you are one of the many people who avoid eggs in your diet. This article will explore why people choose to avoid eggs and the best vegan egg substitutes for baking.

Should I Cut Out Eggs?

People choose not to eat eggs for many reasons. For example, vegans do not eat them for ethical reasons, and those with high cholesterol avoid eggs for health purposes. The truth is, there are ethical and health implications of eating eggs, so if either of these is important to you, then you may want to consider the following vegan egg substitutes for baking your next masterpiece.

Three Vegan Egg Substitute for Baking

1: Chickpeas

Also known as gram flour, chickpea flour is often used in Indian cuisine to make bhajis and pakoras. It is naturally gluten-free and has an excellent binding ability, making it perfect for adding to a wide variety of baked goods such as cookies, scones, muffins, and cakes. To equal one egg, mix three tablespoons of chickpea flour with three tablespoons of water and add to your recipe.

There is another chickpea product that makes a fantastic egg substitute for cooking; aquafaba. If you've never heard of this, it's the water from a can of chickpeas. Ensure you purchase chickpeas in water, not brine, as the salt will affect the taste of your recipe. For each egg, add two tablespoons of aquafaba. You can also use aquafaba in place of egg whites to make fluffy vegan meringues.

2: Flaxseed

Flaxseed is an excellent choice as a vegan egg substitute for baking. When these little golden (or brown) seeds are ground and soaked in water, they create a gelatinous substance very similar to egg white. To make a flax egg, mix a tablespoon of flax meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water and leave to gel for 10 minutes. Flax eggs can be used to replace eggs in brownies, cookies, pancakes, and waffles. It is a little heavy for fluffy cakes, though, and aquafaba or gram flour would be better for those.

3: Banana

Very ripe mashed bananas are perfect for replacing eggs in recipes such as banana bread, pancakes, waffles, and denser cakes. Unlike the previous options, bananas cannot help a recipe rise, so you need to add a little extra baking powder or bicarbonate of soda if you need your recipe to rise. To use, mash an extremely ripe banana and use a quarter-cup of this puree per egg.

Conclusion

Baking with egg substitutes is easy, fun, and yields excellent results. Now there is no need to miss out on all your favorite baked goods because you avoid eggs. Try our suggestions above to enjoy some delicious homemade comfort food.

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash