Egg Substitutes for Baking: Flax Egg, Aquafaba and More

To replace one egg in baking, use a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water, rested about 5 minutes), 3 tablespoons aquafaba, or 1/4 cup applesauce, mashed banana or yogurt. Match the swap to the egg's job: flax and chia bind, whipped aquafaba adds lift, and fruit purées add moisture.

What do eggs do in baking?

Eggs do three main jobs in baking: they bind, add moisture and help leaven. N.C. Cooperative Extension sorts egg substitutes by those same roles, and it's the key to choosing one. Most swaps cover one or two jobs well, but none does all three like an egg.

• Binding holds crumbs together, so cookies and quick breads slice cleanly instead of crumbling.
• Moisture keeps cakes and muffins tender. A large egg is about 50 g without the shell.
• Leavening adds lift. Purdue Extension puts one egg's leavening power at about 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.

In muffins and quick breads, eggs mostly bind and add moisture, so most substitutes work. In sponge or angel food cake, eggs provide nearly all the structure and lift, and substitutes usually fail.

Egg substitute chart: how much replaces 1 egg?

Each amount below replaces one large egg. Sources are university extension services.

Amounts are from University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, N.C. Cooperative Extension, University of Illinois Extension and Nebraska Extension. Sources vary slightly: NC State gives 1/4 to 1/2 cup yogurt, and for the leavening mix uses 1 teaspoon baking powder with 1 1/2 tablespoons each oil and water. Our egg substitutes page has the short list.

How to make a flax egg

A flax egg is 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed stirred into 3 tablespoons water and left to thicken for about 5 minutes. University of Illinois Extension gives the 1:3 ratio; N.C. Cooperative Extension uses hot water and a 5-minute rest.

1. Measure 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal) into a small bowl. The extension recipes call for ground flax, not whole seeds.
2. Add 3 tablespoons water and stir.
3. Let it sit about 5 minutes, until thick and gel-like.
4. Add it to the batter where the recipe adds the egg.

Flax eggs bind well in muffins, pancakes, cookies and quick breads such as banana bread and cornbread. NC State notes the result is denser than with egg. For 2 eggs, double it: 2 tablespoons flax and 6 tablespoons water. For a half egg, use 1 1/2 teaspoons flax and 1 1/2 tablespoons water (see teaspoons in a tablespoon).

How to make a chia egg

A chia egg uses the same ratio as a flax egg: 1 tablespoon chia seeds plus 3 tablespoons water, left 5 to 10 minutes to gel, per Wisconsin Extension. NC State says chia adds texture and a bit of crunch and, like flax, gives a denser product. Use it in the same places: pancakes, quick breads and cookies.

Aquafaba: the egg substitute that whips

Aquafaba is the liquid in a can of chickpeas, and 3 tablespoons replaces one whole egg. Kansas State University explains that its starch and protein let it bind, thicken and emulsify, and that whipped aquafaba, stabilized with a little cream of tartar, looks like whipped egg whites. Use 2 tablespoons to replace one egg white.

Whip it to a fluffy foam before using. Wisconsin Extension lists it for meringues, brownies and cookies. Two caveats: K-State notes foaming ability varies between brands of chickpeas, and in NC State's cookie test, aquafaba cookies spread more and came out crunchier.

How much applesauce equals one egg?

Use 1/4 cup (about 60 mL) of unsweetened applesauce to replace one egg. University of Illinois, Wisconsin and NC State extensions all give that amount. Applesauce adds moisture and some binding but no lift, so it works best in moist, dense bakes: muffins, quick breads, brownies and snack cakes.

NC State notes applesauce makes baked goods sweeter, chewier and denser with a slight fruit flavor. NC State lists other fruit purées at the same 1/4 cup.

Mashed banana for eggs

Use 1/4 cup mashed ripe banana per egg, per Wisconsin and NC State extensions (Illinois simply lists one mashed banana). It binds and adds moisture, plus a clear banana flavor, so it's best where banana suits the recipe, as in eggless banana bread, muffins and pancakes.

Yogurt

Use 1/4 cup plain yogurt per egg, dairy or non-dairy. It adds moisture and tenderness in muffins and cakes. Weights are on yogurt cups to grams.

Commercial egg replacers and liquid egg substitutes

There are two quite different store-bought options, and they're easy to confuse:

• Powdered egg replacers are egg-free mixes you combine with water or other liquid. Follow the package for amounts. NC State suggests a commercial egg replacer for recipes where eggs are there mainly for leavening.
• Liquid egg substitutes sold in cartons are a different product. USDA FSIS explains they are made from egg whites plus color and other additives. Use 1/4 cup per egg (Nebraska Extension). They are cholesterol-free but not egg-free, so they're no help for egg allergies or vegan baking.

Which egg substitute should you use?

Pick the egg substitute that matches the egg's main job in your recipe:

The savory binders come from University of Illinois Extension. For an eggless cake, a leavening mix or liquid egg substitute is the closer match; Nebraska Extension also lists 2 tablespoons mayonnaise per egg for cake batter. If you're out of baking powder for the leavening mix, see our baking powder substitutes.

When do egg substitutes not work?

Egg substitutes generally don't work in recipes that call for more than 3 eggs, according to N.C. Cooperative Extension. It also lists pound cake, sponge cake, angel food cake and churros as bakes that don't turn out well with substitutes, because eggs provide most of their structure. For those, look for a recipe developed to be egg-free rather than swapping. With any substitute, expect a somewhat denser crumb than the original; NC State found that with flax, chia and applesauce.

Halving a recipe that calls for one egg

A large egg is about 50 g out of the shell, so half an egg is about 25 g: beat it and weigh out half. By volume, Purdue Extension counts 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of thawed frozen egg as one whole egg, so half is a little over 1 1/2 tablespoons. With substitutes it's simpler, because you can measure half the amount: 1 1/2 teaspoons flax with 1 1/2 tablespoons water, or 2 tablespoons applesauce. Our guide on how to halve a recipe covers the rest. For storing the leftover half, see how long eggs last.

Questions people ask

Sources

• N.C. Cooperative Extension: Baking with egg substitutes
• University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Egg substitutes for baking
• University of Illinois Extension: Cooking substitution guide
• Kansas State University: What is aquafaba?
• Nebraska Extension: Ingredient substitutions
• Purdue Extension: Substitutions and equivalents in food ingredients (CFS-145-W)
• USDA FSIS: Egg products and food safety