Egg Replacements
There are plenty of egg substitutes available for
baking or preparing a dish that calls for eggs.
Ener-G Egg Replacer is a reliable egg substitute
for use in baking. It is available at health food
stores and most grocery stores.
Tofu: Tofu is great for egg substitutions in
recipes that call for a lot of eggs, like
quiches or custards. To replace one egg in a
recipe, puree 1/4 cup soft tofu. It is important
to keep in mind that although tofu doesn't fluff
up like eggs, it does create a texture that is
perfect for "eggy" dishes.
Tofu is also a great substitute for eggs in
eggless egg salad and breakfast scrambles.
In Desserts and Sweet, Baked Goods: Try substituting
one banana or 1/4 cup applesauce for each egg called
for in a recipe for sweet, baked desserts. These will
add some flavor to the recipe, so make sure bananas
or apples are compatible with the other flavors in the dessert.
Other Egg Replacement Options
1 egg = 2 Tbsp. potato starch
1 egg = 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
1 egg = 1/4 cup canned pumpkin or squash
1 egg = 1/4 cup puréed prunes
1 egg = 2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg = 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed simmered in 3 Tbsp. water
1 egg white = 1 Tbsp. plain agar powder dissolved in 1
Tbsp. water, whipped, chilled, and whipped again
Egg Replacement Tips
If a recipe calls for three or more eggs, it is important
to choose a replacer that will perform the same function
(i.e., binding or leavening).
Trying to replicate airy baked goods that call for a
lot of eggs, such as angel food cake, can be very difficult.
Instead, look for a recipe with a similar taste but fewer eggs,
which will be easier to replicate.
When adding tofu to a recipe as an egg replacer, be sure to puree
it first to avoid chunks in the finished product.
Be sure to use plain tofu, not seasoned or baked, as a replacer.
Powdered egg replacers cannot be used to create egg recipes such
as scrambles or omelets. Tofu is the perfect substitute for eggs in
these applications.
If you want a lighter texture and you're using fruit purees as an
egg substitute, add an extra 1/2 tsp. baking powder. Fruit purees
tend to make the final product denser than the original recipe.
If you're looking for an egg replacer that binds, try adding 2
to 3 Tbsp. of any of the following for each egg: tomato paste,
potato starch, arrowroot powder, whole wheat flour, mashed
potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, instant potato flakes,
or 1/4 cup tofu puréed with 1 Tbsp. flour.
Adapting non-vegan recipes: Egg alternatives
Eggs are used to bind a dish and, when whipped, may also
incorporate air making a cake or pudding very light.
Vegan egg replacement powders are available from health
food shops. This can be useful, especially for tricky
foods like meringues. However, many recipes can be adapted
using one of the suggestions below. Just remember to bear
in mind the final dish... you can't use banana as a substitute
when making a quiche!
Instead of 1 egg, you can use...
1 tbsp gram (chick pea) or soya flour and 1 tbsp water
1 tbsp arrowroot, 1 tbsp soya flour and 2 tbsp water
2 tbsp flour, 1/2 tbsp shortening, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp water
50g tofu blended with the liquid portion of the recipe
1/2 large banana, mashed
50 ml white sauce
Tips on raising agents...
use self raising flour
add extra oil and raising agent (e.g. baking powder)
use about 2 heaped tsp baking powder per cake
instead of baking powder, use 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda and 1 dssp cider vinegar (good for chocolate cakes)
try sieving the flour and dry ingredients, then gently folding in the liquid to trap air
Alternative binding agents...
soya milk
soya dessert - vanilla, chocolate, strawberry...
custard - see below
mashed banana
plain silken tofu
soya cream
sweet white sauce (soya milk, vegan margarine, sugar and cornflour)
agar agar
Recipe for home-made Ener-g egg replacer
1 cup potato flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp baking powder
Mix well, keep in air-tight jar.
1 1/2 tsp of mix + 1 Tbsp water = 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp of mix + 2 Tbsp water = 1 whole egg
I was advised to shake well in a screwtop jar then use in
cooking as egg, but I just added the dry mix to the dry
ingredients in my baking, then increased the liquid in
the recipe accordingly, and it seemed to work just fine.