Cooking & Baking Without Eggs

If you follow a vegan diet or need to cut down on eggs for health reasons, or maybe even just found yourself with no eggs in the kitchen today - there are lots of lovely alternatives to egg in both baking and cooking! And they even add great nutrients. Let’s look at a few.

Eggs are versatile.

That’s why they’ve ended up being the go-to for protein, as a binder in baking and breading, the star in a mayonnaise, and a solid breakfast favourite too. That’s all good - I love eggs personally and cook with them a lot.

But changing things up to take care of your cholesterol levels (especially related to egg yolks, rather than egg whites), or to cut down on the demand on farming and production can be something that is on your mind. Or - more simply - you wanted to bake today and you opened your cupboards - and someone had used the last two eggs you thought were in there.

There are plenty of great vegan substitutes to eggs.

For binding, a huge favourite is chia seeds. Pop a tablespoon of chia seeds in with a bit of water, and see magic happen. Chia seeds absorb an insane amount of water, and when mixed together, it makes a really gooey binder that can be used in baking all sorts of amazing things. The same goes for flaxseeds. Mixing flaxseed and water is literally referred to as “flax egg” in cooking and baking. This is a fantastic option, as you can buy a big bag of flaxseed and always have it at hand, ready to become a binder for baking, for breading of chicken, fish or banana blossom, to name a few. A great bonus is that both chia seeds and flaxseed are super healthy and contain a surprising amount of nutrients. That’s a great addition to whatever you’re making!

Aquafaba, the water/brine that you get in a can of chickpeas, can be whipped to a foam and used to make vegan meringues, and even vegan mayonnaise. It does have a bit of a flavour to it, and for vegan baking I am struggling to find recipes that don’t call for a crazy amount of sugar to cover this, but you can use honey or maple syrup for a version that is slightly gentler on your body.

Here, banana can be a really good option. Banana is a double vegan superhero. It both binds and adds sugar at the same time, which makes it amazing for all sorts of easy, successful baking - as well as pancakes. You don’t have to cover over any weird flavours because (unless your banana is way too ripe) our favourite fruit will be a welcome addition and not just a clever substitute.

Silken tofu can work as a great egg replacer in baking too. Also, scrambled tofu really does the trick as a replacement for egg in a breakfast! Try one of the less firm versions, and scramble it gently in a pan and add some lovely seasoning - a fantastic egg-free breakfast that offers protein and goodness. You can even add a bit of turmeric to make it look more yellow and egg-like, and trick some more goodness in to your meal at the same time.

Sadly, a lot of vegan ready-made food and snacks in the shops contain a lot of not very nice things for your body. But when you make food at home, you can easily cook and bake vegan and egg-free without compromising your health.

What are your favourites of the egg substitutes above? Do you use any that I didn’t list? Post on Instagram and tag me @TheFromScratchBody and use the hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!