Eggs Are For Baby Chicks! My Favorite Vegan Egg Replacements

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When I decided to transition from dairy-free vegetarian to fully vegan in 2019, the only thing I needed to give up was eggs. After two weeks of an egg-free diet, the debilitating eczema on my legs that had plagued me for literal decades was completely gone, without so much as a hint of a scar.

Suffice it to say that I have been feeling much better ever since I became a vegan, and I remain very happily egg-free.

Since I enjoy baking, I knew I needed to find something that would work as an egg replacement. Of course I went first to the flax or chia egg options. I found these were annoying because they changed the texture of the baked goods I was accustomed to, and the little bits of flax or chia would get stuck in my teeth. Not ideal. And while some bakers suggest applesauce, I’ve also found this changes the texture and makes things more dense than I would like otherwise.

I also tried to substitute Just Egg, but that got expensive very quickly (I do still love it for quiche though).

Over the years, I’ve gotten better about substituting when baking. There are also several incredible vegan food bloggers who have their own versions of common recipes, but sometimes I just want to pull out my own family’s favorite recipes and vegan-ify my comfort foods.

Three Vegan Egg Replacements

As expressed earlier, I am not a flax, chia, or applesauce fan for replacing eggs in recipes. In the interest of consistency, I only recommend things I actually use.

Aquafaba

Aquafaba is the thick, syrupy liquid you find in canned chickpeas. Rather than letting it drip down the drain, save it! Aquafaba is a great substitute for egg whites (though, I’ve never tried to make an aquafaba omelette, so try that on your own). It whips up nicely and adds the same light and airy effect as egg whites. An egg is roughly 1/4 cup of liquid, so replace one egg with 1/4 c aquafaba.

Silken Tofu

For recipes that require a denser texture (like recipes that are egg yolk-heavy), you can use silken tofu. I have noticed that, like applesauce, this does slightly change the texture. I do think it would be improved if I used a whisk or my KitchenAid stand mixer to “cream” the tofu before adding it to my recipe instead of what I usually do (open package, measure what I need, dump it in the recipe and hope for the best).

Chickpea Flour

I don’t even remember where I learned this tip, but my very favorite vegan egg replacement is chickpea flour. I first found chickpea flour to be expensive ($8+ for a 16oz bag was most common), but then I found it in 4lb bags for around $4.

Chickpea flour is my favorite because the resulting baked goods are identical to my favorite egg-containing recipes. No seed bran to get caught in my teeth, no super dense center that doesn’t rise…it’s just perfect. And since it’s made from chickpeas, I tell myself that it’s added protein to my brownies to make them healthy.

One Chickpea Egg:

• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp neutral oil (I like avocado oil from Costco)

Mix and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to recipe.

This is what I use when I bake, make french toast, or egg wash for fried mushrooms or banana blossoms.

My mom recently bought this book, The Elements of Baking, which is half cookbook and half science textbook. As a science nerd myself, reading this has been fascinating to learn how each element interacts with the rest of the recipe from a chemistry standpoint, to better choose appropriate substitutions to match a variety of dietary needs.

Add this cookbook to your collection to start replacing eggs, dairy, and even gluten like a pro!