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Egg prices have been so high for so long that they’re now out of many families' budgets. Many breakfast routines and meal plans have changed, and some people have stopped baking as much as they used to. But as vegans or anyone with an egg allergy can tell you, there’s no need to cook or bake with eggs. There are many substitutions out there, so you can keep eating the same things your family is used to.
Here are some of the most common egg substitutes for cooking and baking.
Tofu is a versatile egg replacer, and one of the few that works well in savory dishes since it’s largely flavorless on its own. Firm tofu is used in place of eggs in vegan scrambled eggs, along with some seasoning and often a little turmeric for color that resembles eggs. It can be used the same way to replace eggs in dishes like fried rice, for example.
Silken tofu, which has a higher water content than firm, and a softer texture, can be pureed to replace beaten eggs in savory dishes or baked goods. It can make a wonderful creamy sauce similar to hollandaise, or coat pasta similarly to carbonara.
Use a quarter cup of greek yogurt (or buttermilk) in baked goods in place of one egg. In savory items, Greek yogurt is great for making creamy sauces for pasta, replacing mayonnaise, or as a replacement for eggs in breading chicken. Plain yogurt is best, but you can also experiment with flavored yogurts in things like cupcakes and bar cookies.
Flax seeds mixed with water turn into a gel-like mixture that can be used in baking. Use 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds or flax meal (or grind your own in a clean coffee grinder) in 3 tablespoons of water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to hydrate and thicken, and then use in place of one egg in things like cookies or muffins.
You may have never heard the word before, but you’re probably already familiar with aquafaba. It’s just the cooking liquid from chickpeas, including the liquid in canned chickpeas. It’s got a texture very similar to egg whites, and whips up almost the same way. It’s a great vegan substitute for foods that use only egg whites, including meringues, macaroons, and marshmallows.
This is one of the easiest and cheapest egg replacers, since most people seem to have an overripe banana languishing in the fruit basket most of the time. Use a quarter cup of banana to replace one egg. But keep in mind that this replacement will also impart its own flavor, of course, so while it’ll work well in things like pancakes or muffins, it’s not so great in savory applications.
Applesauce is similar to bananas in that most people have it around, and it’s pretty inexpensive. It’s been a fat replacer in baked good recipes for a long time for the health conscious, but you can also replace eggs with it. Like bananas, use a quarter cup for each egg. Applesauce is a little more forgiving flavor-wise than mashed bananas, though, so you can get away with using it more in things like brownies or cakes.
Canned pumpkin puree can be used as an egg replacement in both sweet and savory dishes. It’s great in things like muffins, where you can use a quarter cup to replace one egg, but where it really shines is with meat. Use it in meatballs or meatloaf to replace the eggs for binding, or thin it out with some water or milk and use it as a replacement for eggs when you’re breading chicken or other fried protein.
Chia seeds work similarly to flax seed — and yes, it’s the same seeds that grow from a Chia Pet. Mix a tablespoon of chia seeds into 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for a few minutes until thickened to replace one egg in baked goods. It might give your dish a little texture similar to poppyseeds, so it’s great in lemon poppyseed bread.
There’s all kinds of commercially available egg replacers out there, made of all different kinds of thickening and leavening agents. Some are powders meant for baking, and some are liquids that are meant to cook up like beaten eggs. While they generally work pretty well, they’re usually not that cheap, especially the liquid versions. But if you’re looking to replace a lot of eggs and want something foolproof, you may want to look into some.