The Best Egg Substitutes for Every Type of Recipe

Whether you’re out of eggs, choose not to eat them or can’t bring yourself to pay the high price of eggs these days, many other ingredients make decent egg substitutes in various recipes. Because eggs serve different purposes depending on the recipe, it’s important to choose the right swap. Here’s everything you need to know about egg substitutes and how to use them.

Purpose of Eggs in Cooking and Baking

In cooking, eggs serve different purposes, including leavening, acting as a binding agent and serving as the main protein source (like in a sandwich or salad). In baking, eggs have three primary functions:

“Eggs act as a leavening agent, as an emulsifier and a coagulant [or a thickener],” says Yasmin Lozada-Hissom, chef and partner at Izzio Bakery, based in Denver. “They also add moisture and provide richness, structure, color and flavor to the final product.”

Different substitutes mimic eggs in different ways—some leaven without thickening, others add moisture and richness without leavening, etc. “In general, when you are selecting what to use as an egg replacer, you need to consider the functions of the egg in the original recipe, says Andrea Tutunjian Heaney, Chief of Staff for Urbanspace.

In cooking, eggs are sometimes used for binding or breading ingredients—they hold meatloaf and meatballs together, and are used with flour and breadcrumbs to coat chicken or cheese sticks before frying. Most often, though, they’re eaten whole—on toast, as part of egg salad, scrambled or something similar.

Our Favorite Egg Substitutes

Flaxseed and Water

Pictured Recipe: Vegan Banana Bread

“Flaxseed egg replacers in general are very close to eggs in that they provide structure, emulsification and slight leavening,” says Tutunjian Heaney, who adds that, unlike eggs, they also soak up moisture during the baking process. This can inhibit the gluten in the flour and affect the finished texture, which means it won’t work well for making a spongy cake or a chewy loaf of bread.

“[Flaxseed eggs] are best suited for quick breads, pancakes, custards, muffins and cookies,” says Tutunjian Heaney. Because the flaxseed is ground, it will add a bit of texture to your recipe—sort of like whole wheat flour does—but it won’t make it crunchy or seedy. A flaxseed egg is also perfect for binding meatballs, meatloaf or vegan “burgers” and as part of the breading process.

To create a “flaxseed egg,” stir together 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons water. Let it sit for a minute until it’s thick, then use the mixture in place of one egg.

Chia Seeds and Water

“Chia seeds are gelatinous, meaning they expand in water, becoming softer and into a pudding-like consistency,” says Molly Knauer, M.S., RD, owner of Molly’s Best.

Just like the flaxseed egg, a chia egg will soak up some moisture and give your finished produce a denser texture and nuttier flavor. And because the chia seeds are still whole, they’ll add tiny bits of crunch to your recipe. “This works better in muffins, waffles, pancakes and [quick] breads,” says Knauer.

To create a “chia egg,” stir together 1 tablespoon chia seeds and 3 tablespoons water. Let it sit for 10 minutes until it’s thick, then use the mixture in place of one egg.

Mashed Banana

Pictured Recipe: No-Sugar-Added Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Mashed banana is another common egg substitute. But, bananas aren’t always a great egg substitute. They add moisture and some structure, but “they do not provide any leavening, so I prefer to use them in more dense products like brownies and puddings,” says Tutunjian Heaney, who also notes that banana will add a very strong flavor—whatever recipe you’re making will end up tasting like banana.

“[Banana] also provides additional sweetness, so sugar quantities may need to be adjusted,” adds Tutunjian Heaney. If you’re using banana as an egg substitute, your best bet is to find a recipe that already calls for this swap, so that ingredients like sugar have been adjusted accordingly.

Tutunjian Heaney says that one small mashed banana can replace one egg in a recipe.

Applesauce

Like mashed bananas, applesauce won’t add any leavening, but it can hold a baked good together and keep it moist. “The pectin in apples is what makes [applesauce] suitable and helps provide stability,” says Tutunjian Heaney.

Because it doesn’t provide leavening, Tutunjian Heaney recommends using it in dense products like brownies, fillings and cheesecakes. If you find a recipe that calls for applesauce instead of eggs, there may be extra baking soda or baking powder—both leavening agents—to make up for the lack of eggs, which will help create a less dense product.

As an egg substitute, Knauer recommends using 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce to replace one egg.

Pumpkin or Sweet Potato Puree

Pictured Recipe: Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake

Again, these purees won’t add any leavening but will keep a baked good moist and stable. Pumpkin puree will add an earthy flavor but not much sweetness. Sweet potato puree, on the other hand, will be sweet, so you might need to scale back some of the sugar in a recipe. Knauer recommends using these puree substitutes in denser quick breads, muffins, pie fillings and brownies.

Just like applesauce, Knauer recommends 1/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin or sweet potato puree to replace one egg.

Mayonnaise

“Mayonnaise has been used as an egg substitute because of its moistening properties and is best suited for cakes with strong flavors, like spice cakes and chocolate cakes,” says Tutunjian Heaney. “The oil in mayonnaise helps moisten the recipe and acts as an adequate substitute for the liquid an egg would have added.” It also does a bit of leavening, since mayonnaise is made from eggs and is already emulsified. Because mayo has eggs, it’s not a substitute you’ll want to use if you can’t eat eggs.

If you have a jar of mayo in the fridge, you can use 3 tablespoons in place of one egg.

Potato Starch

Potato starch is made of large granules, making it “particularly effective at binding and holding water,” says Jim Breckenridge, Associate Director of Food Science & Technology and Commercialization at Wonder. The gel that the starch and water will form can hold products together the same way the gelled proteins of an egg white would, says Breckenridge. Because it can’t do much leavening, it’s best used in custards and puddings. Potato starch is also great for binding meatballs and meatloaf or as part of the breading process.

To make an egg out of potato starch, whisk together 2 tablespoons potato starch and 3 tablespoons warm water until a thick, uniform liquid forms.

Aquafaba (AKA Chickpea Water)

Pictured Recipe: Vegan Meringue Cookies

If you have plenty of chickpeas in the pantry, this egg substitute can be a game-changer. “This is an excellent replacement in baked goods like meringues, French macarons, and cakes like angel food cake and génoise sponge which rely on whipped/aerated eggs for leavening,” says Breckenridge.

Aquafaba contains a mixture of fiber, sugar, protein and saponins, which are plant compounds. [These compounds have] soap-like characteristics, the most important of which is the ability to produce a stable foam,” says Breckenridge.

“To make aquafaba, collect the liquid from a can of chickpeas and heat it in a saucepan until it reduces by 25%,” says Breckenridge. “Use 3 tablespoons of aquafaba to replace a whole egg or 2 tablespoons to replace an egg white.” Just be sure to whip it into a foam before you add it to your recipe.

Tofu

Tofu doesn’t work as an egg replacer in baked goods, but it can make a great substitute in egg salads and scrambles.

“Tofu doesn’t taste just like egg, but it does a great job of mimicking the texture and flavor,” says Knauer, who recommends making scrambled tofu. “Use extra-firm tofu, crumble it into pieces, and sauté it with nutritional yeast and any veggies of choice.”

The nutritional yeast gives it the classic yellow egg color, and adds plant-based protein, iron and B vitamins.

If you want to make the carton of eggs in your fridge last longer, try our Scrambled Egg with Tofu. You can also chop extra-firm tofu into small pieces, sprinkle it with nutritional yeast, and use it in place of or in addition to hard-boiled eggs in an egg salad.

What to Sub Based on Purpose

Baking and Pancakes

Pancakes, quick breads, muffins or cookies: Use flaxseed eggs or chia eggs, which have some leavening power and can help things rise a little bit.

Denser cakes with strong flavors: Use mayonnaise, which adds moisture, richness and a little bit of leavening power.

Custards, puddings, fillings and brownies: Use unsweetened fruit and vegetable purees like applesauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree, which add moisture and texture but don’t leaven. You can also use potato starch for custards and puddings.

Light, fluffy cakes that call for egg whites: Use aquafaba, which can be aerated into whipped peaks, just like egg whites.

Frying and Air-Frying

Use potato starch or flaxseed eggs for binding, which are thick, relatively flavorless and can hold things together.

Scrambles and Egg Salad

Use extra-firm tofu sprinkled with nutritional yeast, which approximates the taste and texture of eggs.

The Bottom Line

Experiment with whatever egg substitutes you have on hand, and expect your recipes to come out a little bit differently than they would when making them with eggs.

No egg substitute will perfectly mimic an egg, says Lozada-Hissom, who suggests combining a few different egg substitutes to cover all your bases. For example, a flaxseed or chia “egg” for binding and leavening, plus a fruit or vegetable puree—banana, applesauce, pumpkin or sweet potato puree—for moisture.

“Egg substitutes work pretty well in cakes, quick-breads, muffins, brownies, cookies, bars and most yeast-leavened products,” says Lozada-Hissom. “If used correctly, they can actually yield a product with many of the virtues of an egg-based baked good.”