Egg Substitutes

You may be familiar with some common egg swaps, like flax eggs, but over the past weeks and months, I’ve been putting popular egg substitutes to the test. (Literally.)

I found that flax eggs make really greasy brownies. But they make excellent egg-free cookies. Below, you’ll find which egg swap is my favorite for cookies, brownies, and more.

There are a few reasons you may need to make something egg-free.

For example:

• You need a vegan recipe.
• You are cooking for someone who has an egg allergy.
• You have run out of eggs. (Or they are too expensive!)

Luckily, there are lots of ways to make most recipes egg-free. I tested the following substitutes in chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bread, brownies, banana muffins, pancakes, and more.

Check out the tips below because not every recipe will lend itself to using an egg substitute.

4 Best Egg Substitutes for Baking

The next time you need to replace eggs in baking, here are the best egg substitutes. Whether you need to bake a cake, cookies, quick bread, or muffins, you’ll know which egg substitutes work best for each!

Over the last week, I baked several batches of brownies, muffins, and chocolate chip cookies so my family could taste-test different egg substitutes side by side.

These options consistently produced good results, so I’d reach for these first!

Honorable Mentions

These egg substitutes are NOT my first choice, but they can work in a pinch.

1. Arrowroot powder. (2 tablespoons arrowroot starch + 2 T water = 1 egg)

Mixing starch with cold water can create an easy egg substitute. Corn starch, potato starch, and tapioca flour can also be used instead. When I tested this in muffins, the centers sunk, so you might want to use slightly less water in a cake-like recipe.

2. Silken Tofu. (1/4 cup blended silken tofu = 1 egg)

When I tested this substitute with cookies, they did not spread much. Keep that in mind if you want to make pretty-looking cookies.

3. Club soda. (3 tablespoons club soda = 1 egg)

The added carbonation in club soda helps provide lift in recipes. This worked very well in a muffin mix I tested! Sparkling water should work similarly, but some chefs believe that the added carbonation found in club soda (as opposed to the natural carbonation found in sparkling water) is more effective as an egg replacement.

4. Aquafaba. (3 tablespoons aquafaba = 1 egg)

This is the liquid found in canned chickpeas. It can be whipped into stiff peaks, similar to egg whites, so it’s a great replacement in meringue and pancakes. I tested this in muffins, and they turned out very soft in texture. (Note: This can only be whipped with white sugar; natural sugar alternatives will make stiff peaks fall.)

5. Psyllium Husk (1 tablesoons psyllium husk + 1/4 cup water = 1 egg)

Pysllium husk is best known for being in Metamucil, but it is magic in gluten-free baking. If you need a sturdy egg swap, this works, but I don’t love the flavor it adds to baked goods.

6. Baking Soda & Vinegar (1 teaspoon baking soda + 1 tablespoon vinegar = 1 egg)

I don’t love this one because it adds a baking soda flavor to your baked goods. However, if you like crispy cookies, this egg substitute created the crispiest results during the testing process, when compared to the other options above. 

7. Unflavored gelatin

This option is a little more complicated, but it can work as a non-vegan egg swap. To make it, mix 1 tablespoon of gelatin powder + 1 tablespoon of room temperature water. After this rests, add 2 tablespoons of hot water to make 1 egg swap.

Tips for Substituting Eggs

It’s important to know that you can’t always substitute eggs in every recipe. It can take some experimenting on your part! 

Here’s what you should know before attempting an egg swap:

1. Use a tested recipe. It’s always best to start with a recipe that calls for an egg substitute, so you’ll be guaranteed good results! For example, if you search for “vegan chocolate chip cookies” or “vegan brownies,” you’ll find a recipe that already calls for no eggs. If you are trying to modify a recipe that does call for eggs, there is always a risk that it might not turn out exactly as intended, so be sure to adjust your expectations.
2. The baking time might change. You may need to increase it slightly. Since egg substitutes don’t help with lift in most cases, the center of your baked goods will be more dense and moist. This may mean you need to add 3 to 5 more minutes to the cooking time to help them firm up.
3. Most egg substitutes act only as binders. Since chicken eggs help baked goods rise and provide structure, these substitutes won’t work in a recipe like a souffle, which also needs to rise significantly.
4. You may need added lift. You can add a teaspoon of baking powder (not baking soda!) to a recipe when you use an egg substitute, to help act as a leavener.
5. Don’t sub a lot of eggs. Egg substitutes work best in recipes with only 1 to 2 eggs. If you are working with a recipe that calls for six eggs, you probably won’t get satisfactory results. 
6. Recipes with gluten work best. If you are attempting to make a gluten-free recipe, particularly one that calls for coconut flour or almond flour, proceed with caution. Grain-free flours require eggs for structure, so using an egg substitute may give you mushy results. 

Note: Egg substitutes don’t work well in flourless recipes unless you don’t mind very mushy results. (I wouldn’t serve them to guests.)

Looking for some tested egg-free recipes? Try my Gluten-Free Banana Muffins, Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, or Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes.

I hope you’ll find these egg substitutes helpful the next time you need one. Please take a moment to leave a comment below if you try one or if you have any other suggestions!