The Best Egg Substitutes for Baking

If you can’t eat eggs due to health or lifestyle reasons, this can make eating and making baked goods a bit trickier. However, there are plenty of alternatives you can use instead of eggs for baking that are just as good as the real thing.

Why are eggs used in baking?

Eggs are traditionally used in baking for many reasons. They help cakes rise, bind ingredients, and add moisture and richness. Whether you’re vegan, allergic to eggs, or you’ve simply run out, there are many egg alternatives you can try. However, the best option for you will depend on the recipe you’re making.

Apple sauce

Often paired with savoury pork dishes, apple sauce is a versatile substitute for eggs when baking. It can be used for most recipes, including cakes, cupcakes and brownies.

You should use about 85g of apple sauce to replace one egg. We’d recommend using unsweetened apple sauce to avoid your bake result coming out overly sweet. If you use sweetened apple sauce, you can also reduce how much sugar or sweetener you add.

Mashed banana

Mashed banana is a great egg alternative for baking cakes, muffins, brownies and quick breads. It adds moisture and density to recipes, however, it can also give the finished product a mild banana flavour, as well as a paler appearance than if you used egg.

Other soft, puréed fruits like avocado and pumpkin can also be used, which may not affect the flavour as much. When using mashed fruits instead of egg, you should use ¼ of a cup or 65g (roughly half a banana) to replace one egg.

Ground flax seeds

As well as making a great egg substitute when making pancakes, waffles, muffins, breads and cookies, flax seeds are also highly nutritious. They’re high in fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. This egg alternative can result in a nuttier flavour, as well as a heavier and denser texture.

Simply grind the flax or chia seeds, and mix them with water until they’re fully absorbed and thickened. For measurements, you should mix 1 tablespoon (7g) of flax seeds with 3 tablespoons (45g) of water to replace one egg. If using chia seeds, you should mix 1 tablespoon with 80ml of water.

Silken tofu

Silken tofu has a high water content, giving it a softer consistency than other types of tofu. This makes it the perfect egg alternative for baking cookies, brownies, cakes and quick breads. Silken tofu is also quite flavourless, so won’t affect the taste of your final bake - but it can also make your recipe heavy and dense. 

To replace 1 egg with silken tofu, use ¼ of a cup or 60g of puréed tofu.

Soy protein powder

Soy protein powder makes a good egg alternative which also helps your recipes to rise. It can also improve the volume and texture of your bakes.

To use soy protein powder instead of an egg, simply mix 1 tablespoon with 3 tablespoons of water.

Vinegar and baking soda

Mixing white distilled or apple cider vinegar with baking soda is another versatile egg substitute when baking. They’re great when used to bake quick bread, cakes and cupcakes, as the mixture is light and airy.

You can use 1 teaspoon (7 grams) of baking soda with 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of vinegar to replace 1 egg.

Aquafaba

Aquafaba is the leftover liquid from tins of cooking beans or legumes, like chickpeas and butter beans. Its texture is similar to raw egg whites, so naturally it makes a great replacement for recipes that use just egg whites. This includes nougat, meringues, marshmallows and macaroons.

You can replace 1 egg or egg white with 3 tablespoons or 45g of aquafaba - and  leftover aquafaba can be frozen for use at a later date. Freeze in ice cube trays for easy 'egg' size portions.

Yoghurt or buttermilk

Yoghurt and buttermilk make great egg alternatives when baking cakes, cupcakes and muffins. We’d recommend using plain, natural yoghurt rather than Greek, flavoured or sweetened, as this won’t affect the flavour of your recipe as much.

¼ of a cup or 60g of plain yoghurt or buttermilk is enough to replace one egg. 

Nut butters

Peanut, almond and cashew butter can be used to replace eggs in most recipes; choose smooth rather than crunchy butter, as it’s better for mixing. Predictably, this can give your finished bake a nutty flavour, but this can work well with brownies, cookies and pancakes.

To replace one egg, you can use 3 tablespoons, which is 60g, of cashew, almond or peanut butter.

Soda water

Soda water works great as a replacement for eggs in recipes meant to be light and fluffy, like cakes, cupcakes and quick bread. It’s also an effective raising agent.

When using soda water as an egg replacement, you’ll need ¼ of a cup (60g) for one egg.

Gelatin or agar-agar

Gelatin is great for binding baked goods as an egg substitute. However, it contains cow and pig collagen, so it isn’t suitable if you’re not eating eggs because you’re a vegan. If you want to avoid animal-based products, agar-agar is a meat-free alternative to gelatin made from seaweed or algae.

Gelatin comes as a powder you need to dissolve in cold water and then mix with boiling water. To use gelatin instead of eggs, mix 1 tablespoon (9g) with 1 tablespoon (15g) of cold water, then add 2 tablespoons (30g) of boiling water and mix until it gets frothy. To use agar-agar instead of eggs, simply mix 1 tablespoon (9g) with 1 tablespoon (15g) of water.

The best substitutes for egg yolks

As well as adding flavour, egg yolks are great for binding, rising and thickening baking recipes. Whichever egg yolk alternative is the best for you will depend on what you’re trying to bake.

The best egg yolk substitutes for binding are:

• Ground flax or chia seeds
• Gelatin

The best egg yolk substitutes for rising are:

• Aquafaba
• Silken tofu
• Flax or chia seeds
• Soda water
• Vinegar and baking soda

The best egg yolk substitutes for thickening are:

• Silken tofu
• Mashed banana, avocado or pumpkin
• Gelatin or agar-agar
• Nut butters

The best egg yolk substitutes for adding flavour are:

• Mashed banana, avocado or pumpkin

The best substitutes for egg whites

Egg whites are great for lifting baking recipes, as well as adding texture and binding. The best egg white replacements for baking are:

• Aquafaba
• Plain yoghurt
• Silken tofu