Baking Without Eggs–Try These Substitutions!

While eggs are highly nutritious and contain many essential vitamins and minerals, some people cannot eat them.

What does this mean for baking? As we all know, eggs are essential for baking as they provide structure, leavening and add color to our baked goods! Well, for people who can’t consume them, there are many substitutions for eggs in baking, luckily. Substitutions that also contain good amounts of vitamins and micronutrients such as chia seed and flaxseed. Let’s dive into which substitutions are best for baking!

Number one: Flax seeds

Flax seed is a plant-based food that is all natural, vegan, GF, and can be added to many different meals and foods for extra nutrients. For example, oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, breads, etc. Some people use it as a dietary supplement to increase their nutrient, fiber, and healthy fat intake. All you need to replace 1 egg in a baking recipe is 1 tbsp ground whole flax seed and 4 tbsps of water. Mix those two ingredients together and allow it to sit for roughly 10 minutes. It turns slightly thick and gooey like a real egg!

Number 2: Banana

Bananas are not only delicious but they are also rich in nutrients! Combine that with the wonderful banana-ey flavor and they serve an elevated purpose of egg replacement in baking–who knew?!

Once again, the texture slightly replicates an egg, with 1 mashed banana replacing 1 whole egg in baking recipes.

Number 3: Chia seeds

Chia seeds are a fantastic way of hitting your fiber goals for the day! They’re a great addition to yogurts and salads. Quite similar to flaxseed; chia seeds are really easy to add to many dishes and they’re also nutrient-rich as well! Essentially the same as flaxseed, you can create 1 egg by mixing 1 tbsp of chia seeds with 4 tbsps of water and waiting for several minutes before adding to your recipe.

Number 4: Aquafaba

What is aquafaba you say?! It’s actually the leftover liquid/brine from soaking chickpeas in water. Sounds kind of weird– but trust us, it’s amazing for baking! You can whip it up into meringues, pavlovas, make ice cream, use it to replace eggs in different baked goods, muffins & pancakes, etc. Replace 1 egg by using 3 tbsp of the liquid. Lightly whisk to aerate the chickpea brine before using. Just make sure you’re using unsalted, unflavored chickpeas!

Happy eggless baking! 

About Corinne Quesnel

Corinne is a Vancouver-based writer and home-baker with a passion for the cooking process. She believes that cooking and baking should be an engaging and fulfilling practice, not just another chore. Through writing about healthy and flavorsome meals, Corinne hopes to inspire others to cherish their time in the kitchen as an adventure in creativity and well-being.