Egg Substitutes for Baking Recipes: Vegan & Vegetarian Baking (Bold Baking Basics)
Save RecipeHi Bold Bakers!
Hands down, the most common request I get is “What can I use as an egg substitute for baking???” I get that question on a daily basis now, so much so that it made me rethink am I catering to this audience enough? I try to make my baking and recipes accessible to everyone but because there has been such a demand for vegetarian baking, egg substitutes for baking and egg free recipes that I want to give you the tools and information you need so you can bake happily without eggs and still get Big & Bold results. Watch my new video below and get a FREE Downloadable Conversion Chart further below.
Many want to avoid eggs for a lot of reasons: health, culture/religion, dietary restrictions, etc. Although adding eggs makes for a different end product, it does not mean that we cannot do without it. There might be a change in taste and texture but for the most part the end result is still pretty similar. Here is a list which comes in handy for me while I am making such a recipe.
How much egg substitute do I add to replace an egg?
1 egg is roughly 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons/60g/2oz) so you need to replace that volume in your recipe. Your egg substitute needs to equal the amount of egg you are leaving out.
Most commonly used egg substitutes for baking are:
Mashed Banana
Applesauce
Silken Tofu
Ground Flax Seed mixed with water
Yogurt (dairy free or regular)
Buttermilk
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Egg Substitutes for Cakes and Cupcakes
For each whole egg used you can substitute it with one of the following:
½ a medium Banana, mashed
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) Apple sauce
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) Silken Tofu
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) Buttermilk
Egg Substitutes for Cookies
For each whole egg used you can substitute it with one of the following:
1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 3 tablespoon water
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) Sweetened Condensed Milk
Egg Substitutes for Brownies
For each whole egg used you can substitute it with one of the following:
1 tablespoon ground Flax Seed + 3 tablespoon water
½ a medium Banana, mashed
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) Apple sauce
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) Silken Tofu
¼ cups (4 tablespoons) Yogurt (vegan or regular)
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) Buttermilk
Notes about using Flax Seed as an egg substitute
1 tablespoon ground Flax Seed + 3 tablespoon water= 1 egg
Grind the Flax Seeds in a coffee grinder, and mix with water. Allow it to rest till it becomes gelatinous, then use.
Notes about using Silken Tofu as an egg substitute
1/4 cup blended Silken Tofu = 1 egg
Process in a blender until completely smooth and creamy, leaving no graininess or chunks. Now it is ready to use as an egg substitute in your recipes.
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I gathered a lot of information here from the website Chef in you. I find it is a very valuable resource for all bakers.
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What if you only need egg yolk. Can we still substitute.
Hi there,
Yes, but it does depend on the recipe! get familiar with making a flax egg, this is a great, and handy thing to have to hand. (https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/egg-substitutes-for-baking/) this chart will help you,
Gemma 🙂
Thanks.
Hi , love all your recipes and have made couple of them. Amazing results. I am trying my hand on eggless brownie, I have a great recipes which calls for 3 eggs. Want to try with flax egg. Have soaked the 1 tbsp flaxseed with 3 tbsp of water which is equivalent to one egg. Do we need to to strain coz it’s been 20 min and I still feel some granules in the mixture. And I am hoping this substitute works.
Hi there,
If it is very wet strain it, but i would leave it until it seems glutenous, like an egg!
This is a great thing to get right, it is very useful in baking,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
Love all ur vegetarian recipes, specially ur presentation..As for your recipe for baked donut churros, I wish to use curd as egg substitute…this recipe requires 4eggs…plz help me with the amt of curd required to replace the 4 eggs. Also tell me if it will take more time or less time in baking as I m substituting eggs with curd.
Hi there,
This is a pastry, like pate choux, which is heavily reliant on egg.
The substitute you use therefore needs to be gelatinous. I would choose milled flax see for this one, not curd, i do not think it will work for you. Check out the egg substitute chart here for instructions (https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/egg-substitutes-for-baking/).
Thank you for being with us,
Gemma 🙂
I have a hint for Ruchi Shah. with the baked churro donuts the egg is all about lift. if she were to whip the chick pea water, as well as use the flax egg with a pinch of baking soda for each egg then she could get the lift needed for these lovely donuts.
Hi Gemma,
Firstly I want to say a massive thank you for all your recipes and videos…they are extremely informative and you really do make cooking fun and easy for a novice such as me.
I want to surprise my dad with a baked cheesecake for Father’s day, which was his favourite dessert, but unfortunately he has developed a severe intolerance to egg….I would be grateful for any suggestions on the best thing to add to the cream cheese to allow it to bake in the oven.
Thank you,
Sam
Hi Sam,
I’m am delighted you here you like my recipes. Good luck with your Fathers Day dessert. Post a pic on the site 🙂
Best,
Gemma.
Hi, easiest sub would be the silken tofu and extra baking powder, or chickpea egg made from chickpea flour and water. You could go down the route of blended cashew and coconut milk, but this would change the flavour. I’d go with the silken tofu if it was me. Hope that helps.
Thanks for your suggestions Dawn. I’ve seen a recipe for baked cheese cake where they use a corn flour solution instead of egg….it seems pretty straight forward so I’ll give it a go and if it turns out well I’ll post the recipe with pics.
Hi Mam i have a doubt that in many recepies they give ingredient as 1 large egg but you noted only for normal size egg what is the difference between 1 egg and 1 large egg mam? Please reply
Hi there Ambika,
Small: (about 1.5 ounce per egg)
Medium: (about 1.75 ounce per egg)
Large: (about 2 ounces per egg)
Extra-Large:(about 2.25 ounces per egg)
Jumbo: (about 2.5 ounces per egg)
You will see from this that there is little enough difference between the smallest and the largest egg. If you use a large egg you may need a little less additional liquid, in most recipes it will not be too noticeable, unless you use a jumbo egg in place of a small one, in a small amount of ingredients,
Gemma 🙂
What to use when making chocolate lava cake
Hi Selina,
This cake relies heavily on egg. I have not found a good alternative for this recipe, sorry.
There are some suggestions online, but they cannot really be the same thing. worth a try though!
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
What could i use to substitute egg in your pizza cupcake recipe???
In the video I tell you flaxseed. you can also try Greek/strained yogurt/silken tofu.
You my need to experiment with what is easy for you to get,
Gemma 🙂
Thanks for replying
Hi Gemma!
Thank you so much for your kind words! The kiddos are on spring break and so we have ” baking class” everyday this week. I believe monkey bread will perfect, can’t wait to try!
That’s the idea Jeni, keep them busy, and fed, win win!
Best wishes to all of them!
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma!
What a great post! Egg replacement is always the part that makes me nervous when veganizing a recipe. I have never thought of silken tofu before. What a great tip! I can’t wait to try this! Btw, thank you so much for recognizing the growing vegetarian/ vegan community in our world today. You have no idea how much someone like me appreciates this. Aside from your obvious talent, this way of thinking will make me a loyal fan- or HAS made me a loyal fan. I’m a firm believer that a mostly vegetarian/ vegan world is the not-so-distant future (I hope and pray!) and whoever embraces this and supports this community, is way ahead of the curve.
In gratitude,
Jeni ?
Hi Jeni,
I think you are on point too! there does seem to be a move towards vegan ideals, certainly around the world it is huge, and a natural way for people to eat.
I think it will be incorporated into Western diets, in some way, and for some days, and gradually over time people will take a different view of where their food is from, and what is sustainable in the long term. It is an interesting thing, would take a paradigm shift in the short term, but slowly slowly!
It sounds like you have a bustling happy home Jeni, and you are setting your guys out on a good eating path, well done to you, it has to be hard work.
I am happy that the pizza dough works well for your family, try the pizza monkey bread too, the kids will love that one!
Gemma 🙂
Thanks for these substitutes! My daughter is allergic to both eggs and dairy, so I’ve had to learn a lot of modifications. The best egg substitute I’ve used so far is gelatin. 1 egg = 1 Tbsp powdered gelatin + 3 Tbsp water. First, in a separate bowl, bloom your gelatin in 1 Tbsp of room temp or cool water, then stir in 2 Tbsp boiling water. It will have the consistency of slightly thick egg white. I’ve also had a lot of success with 1 egg = 1tsp baking soda + 1 Tbsp vinegar. I also use a combination of these in cakes and quick bread. For instance, if a recipe calls for 3 eggs, I’ll use two gelatin egs and one baking soda egg.
I can’t wait to try some of your substitutes! Off to buy some silken tofu…
Hi Monica,
Thank you so much for this great input. Only someone who has tried these things can say that they work. I do not know of this, but it makes sense really.
i hope other bold bakers will learn from this. It is so difficult to figure these things out, it sounds like you have done a great job, well done,
Gemma 🙂
Gemma, what can i use for pancakes??? I really want to make your jelly donut pancakes you made on Brandi’s channel, they looked SO amazing!! <3
Hi Sam,
The problem with some recipes is that they really rely on egg, and using a substitute for these recipes really changes the result.
Some people will say mashed banana is a great substitute, and it can be delicious, you need to try this to see if it is right for you. About 1/2 of a medium banana for my recipe should tell you if it suits you. Someone will like it in your family,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma can’t we use baking soda as egg substitute
This depends on the recipe, every substitute works best in a particular type of recipe, follow the chart for best results,
Gemma 🙂
Deer miss steffurt
I have a question when I use sweetened condes milk do I need to reduce the amount of sugar I’m using in my receipts
For example in ur giant ? Recipes
Thank in advance
Ps I love ur mug meals but I’m gaining weight is there a substitute for this weight ??
Hi Reham,
Generally when you use condensed milk you use it as the sweetener.
You need to check out the sugar substitute chart here on my website, and do some research on these too to discover which one will be best for your type of baking. Stevia is a great one, but not for all purposes, check this out,
Gemma 🙂
Will there be any taste difference if I am using banana as an egg substitute?????
Hi there,
This depends on which recipe you re adding it to. If you are using it with aother flavor then you may not know it is there, but if you use it with vanilla or a light flavor, than it is likely that you will! you will need to experiment a little with egg substitutes, choose one to suit your own ingredients,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma; One of your viewers wanted some measurments for egg whites or just an egg yolk. for a large egg the egg whites are about 2 tablespoons and an egg yolk is about one tablespoon of liquid. A smaller egg is a bit less liquid. a extra large egg is a bit more liquid.
Hi Debra,
Thank you for your kind input. This is helpful.
Seasons greetings to you and your family,
Gemma 🙂
would like to have eggless baking recipie and measuerement of eggless substitute that requires just egg yolk or egg whites.
Thanks
hi Ranjan,
Egg white can be substituted with aqua faba. Look this up. I will get to this here on my website soon too, it is a useful one.
Other than that the egg yolk is usually substituted with any of the egg substtiutes. It will be specific to the recipe you are making, and some recipes will not work with a substitute, choux pastry for example 🙂
Hi Gemma! I have been following all your videos and they are absolutely amazing! Now that I have to cut down my egg-consumption, I’m just wondering which one we need to add if we want to make bread/buns (yeasted dough)… mostly my favorite, your No-Knead Brioche? ?
Hi there Utti,
For breads the egg is an enricher. for brioche the butter does a great job, I would perhaps try adding a tablespoon of Greek yogurt, or just proceed without the egg altogether. it will be good too!
Gemma 🙂
Thanks, Gemma. I will surely try that out! ?
Hi Gemma
Any substitute for egg yolks ?many recipes call for eggs and additional egg yolks
Hi Ritu,
This is true, I think you just go with your substitute of choice, and reduce the amount for the yolk,
Gemma 🙂
thanks!
Thank you Gemma!:) What can we replace egg yolks? For exemple in pies when you make the custurd? 🙂
Hi Aman, egg substitutes are great for some recipes, but not for all. Any recipe which relies on egg, such as a custard, needs eggs, there is no alternative to that, Gemma 🙂
Hi, Just something I noticed when I was looking on the ingredients of an instant custard packet, is that it’s about 90% cornflour! I was quite shocked at that, but I wonder if that would be something we could work with?
Hi Lee, I have lost the thread! for what purpose? Gemma 🙂
🙂 that’s OK, it was about replacing egg yolks in custard
I think I have it now. powdered custard is such a different thing to real egg custard. The egg content of the powdered custard is tiny.
Are you saying replace egg yolks with powdered custard? I never heard of this, but it may work, it is worth a shot, Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma, how do we replace egg for pumpkin pie filling? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, did you check the recipe here? (http://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-pies/) there is no egg in this!
Gemma 🙂
HiGemma; I hope this one helps Jane with her cheesecake. I use unflavored gelatin instead of egg whites. one packet for two egg whites and two packets for four egg whites. there are vegan gelatins out there to buy.
Thank you Debra, may I ask which cheesecake this is? I know my Mum has to use it in her no bake ones, as the cheese is so soft, but there are no eggs in that! 🙂
Hi, Gemma!
I absolutely adore your videos and tips! You explain everything so well, compels me to get baking, big and bold.
A very unrelated question: you said you are a professional chef. What is your area of speciality?
Hi there, thank you for your kind comments, and for being with us. I trained as a chef in Cathal Brugha St, College of catering in Dublin, over all the food types. I further trained in a very special cookery school in Ireland, Ballymaloe, where I developed an interest in breads and baking. As I travelled around the world this became my specialty and love. So that is it! Baking/pastry, 🙂