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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Playing tell me if I can use only condensed milk for cup cakes, brownies in place of eggs and the quantity of condensed milk in place of one egg
Hi Pooja,
The thing to remember about condensed milk is that it is like a liquid sugar. This is not the best thing to add to a recipe which already has a lot of sugar.
for cupcakes and brownies I would choose applesauce/pureed banana/curd/yogurt/flax egg/silken tofu so as not to upset the sugar balance.
The chart tells you 3 tablespoons per egg for condensed milk, but I would not use it in a sponge cake.
I hope this is of help,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Emma! This explanation of egg substitutes is amazing. I was wondering if you have one for butter as I want to try to make some recipes all vegan and I would like to use some oil on them.
Thank you so much!
Hi Juana,
Thank you for your kind words.
When you replace butter for oil in a recipe you need to do it carefully. About 1/3 less oil than the amount of butter. butter is more than just fat.
This is a general rule, you can vary it according to each recipe, but it will work well,
Gemma 🙂
Thanks, Gemma, and sorry for the typo mistake, my computer changes some words and I didn’t double check before sending my previous comment. So if I understood right, if a recipe has 90 grams of butter I should use 60 grams of oil?
Thanks again 🙂
Hi Juana,
I think that will work well for you. Do not worry about spell check, you should see some of my comments! The phone does not help, never as easy as the laptop,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
I have a question about eggs substitutes, do you know what should I do if the recipe only uses egg yolks? I’ve seen that aquafaba is great for egg whites, but I don’t know what to do in the case of egg yolks.
Thanks again! 🙂
Juana
Hi Juana,
Really this is specific to the recipe. You have to ask yourself ‘what is the purpose of the egg in this recipe?’.
Eggs play a different role in different things. They create structure, they thicken sauces and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked goods, they enrich breads and cakes, they can be the leavening and can even act as glue to bind ingredients without adding too much water.
So, flax egg is a super enriching thing, you can use that in places along with aquafaba too if you wish. Sometimes the aquafaba is enough if the role is to bind, or leaven for instance.
you just need to think about this, you can find the answer according to the recipe,
Gemma 🙂
Hi Gemma,
I recently made Chocolate Vanilla Marble cake in 9×5 inch loaf tin. The recipe called for 2 eggs and I happened to have just 1. The recipe also called for yogurt. So, I added about 60g more yogurt than the recipe indicated to compensate for the weight of one egg.
The result was a cake that was crumbly when I sliced it. Your views of this?
Thanks!
Hi there,
The change of ingredients in a recipe will always affect the results. for a sponge type recipe applesauce is a great sub, and flax egg too keeps the moisture in the mix. I am surprised though that the yogurt was not as effective for you, especially as you had one egg. I would need to know the recipe though in order to be sure. It may have had insufficient fat, though if you have made this before with eggs you will know better than me.
Sorry, not much help I know,
Gemma 🙂