An omelette prepared with egg substitute

Egg substitutes are food products which can be used to replace

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

in cooking and baking. Common reasons a cook may choose to use an egg substitute instead of egg(s) include having an

egg allergy Egg allergy is an immune hypersensitivity to proteins found in chicken eggs, and possibly goose, duck, or turkey eggs. Symptoms can be either rapid or gradual in onset. The latter can take hours to days to appear. The former may include anaph ...

, adhering to a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

diet or a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

diet of a type that omits eggs, or having concerns about the level of animal welfare or environmental burden associated with egg farming. There is a growing movement to address some of these concerns via third-party certifications, but because many labels in the industry remain confusing or intentionally misleading, some consumers distrust them and may use egg substitutes instead.

Types

Commercial

There are many commercial substitutes on the market today for people who wish to avoid eggs. Most of these products are devoid of all animal products, and thus are

and contain no

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

. *

The EVERY Company The EVERY Company (formerly ''Clara Foods Co.'') is an American biotechnology company that develops proteins and other products traditionally sourced from animals. It does this by using yeast to convert sugar into proteins that are similar to t ...

, a venture-backed company, produces bioidentical egg whites through a fermentation process. * JUST, Inc., another venture-backed company, produces and markets egg-free products, including cookie dough and a mayonnaise substitute, based on

pea protein Pea protein is a food product and protein supplement derived and extracted from yellow and green split peas, ''Pisum sativum.'' It can be used as a dietary supplement to increase an individual's protein or other nutrient intake, or as a substitu ...

from the yellow pea. * Egg Replacer is a mixture of "

potato starch Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain leucoplasts (starch grains). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed, and the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells. T ...

tapioca flour Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America. ...

leavening In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An altern ...

(calcium lactate, calcium carbonate, cream of tartar),

cellulose gum Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or cellulose gum is a cellulose derivative with carboxymethyl groups (-CH2-COOH) bound to some of the hydroxyl groups of the glucopyranose monomers that make up the cellulose backbone. It is often used as its sodiu ...

, modified cellulose". * The Vegg is a vegan liquid egg yolk replacer, suitable in any recipe that one would alternatively use egg yolk. It is made of " nutritional yeast flakes,

sodium alginate Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. With metals such as sodium and calcium, its salts are known as alginates. Its colou ...

kala namak Kala namak is a kiln-fired rock salt with a sulphurous, pungent smell used in the South Asian Subcontinent. It is also known as "Himalayan black salt", ''Sulemani namak'', ''bire noon'', ''bit loona'', ''bit lobon'', ''kala loon'', ''sanchal'', ...

, nd beta-carotene". The Vegg was first sold in 2012, and is available in a variety of online and in-store retailers in the United States, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. * FUMI Ingredients produces egg white substitutes from micro-algae with the help of micro-organisms such as brewer's yeast and

baker's yeast Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly used in baking bread and other bakery products, serving as a leavening agent which causes the bread to rise (expand and become lighter and softer) by converting the fermentabl ...

. The product called

Egg Beaters Egg Beaters is a product marketed in the United States as a healthy substituteegg whites.

Homemade

Simple homemade egg substitutes can be made using many different ingredients, depending on which aspect(s) of an egg must be replicated. Some commonly used substitutes are tofu, various fruit purées, potato starch, mashed potato, baking powder, ground seeds (especially flax and chia), agar powder,Egg replacements
PETA

chickpea flour Gram flour or kadala maavu is a pulse flour made from a variety of ground chickpea called Bengal gram or ''kaala chana''. It is a staple ingredient in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, including in Indian, Bangladeshi, Burmese, Nepali ...

, and plant milk. *

Aquafaba Aquafaba () is the viscous water in which legume seeds such as chickpeas have been cooked. Due to its ability to mimic functional properties of egg whites in cooking, aquafaba can be used as a direct replacement for them in some cases, inclu ...

refers to the drained water and solutes that remain after cooking chickpeas. It can also be obtained by saving the water solution from a commercial can of chickpeas. Use of this as an egg replacer was discovered by specialists in

molecular gastronomy Molecular gastronomy is the scientific approach of nutrition from primarily the perspective of chemistry. The composition ( molecular structure), properties (mass, viscosity, etc) and transformations (chemical reactions, reactant products) o ...

. As it can replicate the whipped structural loft as well as the moisture of egg whites, it enables egg-avoiding cooks to produce such elusive egg dishes as

macarons A macaron ( , ) or French macaroon ( ) is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring. The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Ital ...

lemon meringue pie Lemon meringue pie is a dessert pie consisting of a shortened pastry base filled with lemon curd and topped with meringue. History Fruit desserts covered with baked meringue were found beginning in the 18th century in France. Menon's ''pom ...

Tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super f ...

can be used as an egg substitute in recipes that use many eggs, like quiches or custards. Tofu doesn't fluff up like eggs or aquafaba, but it does reproduce the meaty structure and texture that is needed for some "eggy" dishes. For more fluffy egg dishes such as an

omelette In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives ...

silken tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super fi ...

may be used. * In sweet, baked foods and desserts, many different fruits can be used to serve the same purpose as eggs. These act by replacing the moisture and structural "binding" for which recipes often call for eggs. However, these will also add some flavor to the recipe. To replace one egg, the following fruits can be substituted: ** ¼ cup banana ** ¼ cup canned pumpkin or squash ** ¼ cup applesauce ** ¼ cup puréed prunes Cup refers to either US cup (8 ounces) or metric cup (8.5 ounces) You also might notice that almost every substitute is in a 1/4 cup increment. That's because 1 large egg (the size almost every recipe uses) equals 1/4 cup when whisked. * Flax seeds can be used for eggs when baking cookies, brownies, and bars. To do so, combine 1

Tbsp A tablespoon (tbsp. , Tbsp. , Tb. , or T.) is a large spoon. In many English-speaking regions, the term now refers to a large spoon used for serving; however, in some regions, it is the largest type of spoon used for eating. By extension, the ter ...

ground flax seeds with 3 Tbsp warm water and let sit for a few minutes to let thicken before stirring into the recipe. 1 Tbsp flax seed is equivalent to one egg; simply multiply as needed. The flax seed thickens and acts as a

binding agent A binder or binding agent is any material or substance that holds or draws other materials together to form a cohesive whole mechanically, chemically, by adhesion or cohesion. In a more narrow sense, binders are liquid or dough-like substances th ...

in the recipe. Chef In You advises that adding ¼ tsp baking powder will serve as a

leavening agent In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An altern ...

, as well. * Ground chia seeds can also be used to thicken dishes or as a

. Follow the same instructions as for ground flax seeds, above. If it is important to maintain the colour of the recipe, use white chia seeds rather than the dark ones, which would darken the final product. * Sometimes eggs are also used solely to provide

moisture Moisture is the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts. Small amounts of water may be found, for example, in the air (humidity), in foods, and in some commercial products. Moisture also refers to the amount of water vapo ...

, in which case they can be substituted with ¼ cup of water, milk, plant milk, fruit juice or fruit puree per egg. *

Chickpea flour Gram flour or kadala maavu is a pulse flour made from a variety of ground chickpea called Bengal gram or ''kaala chana''. It is a staple ingredient in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, including in Indian, Bangladeshi, Burmese, Nepali ...

can be used in many recipes to provide both the texture and colour that eggs would otherwise provide, as well as nutritional benefits including protein, folate, iron, calcium, and many other vitamins and minerals. 1/4 cup chickpea flour combined with 1/4 cup water or other liquid is equivalent to one egg. Veganbaking.net notes that the only drawback to chickpea flour is that it tastes terrible prior to cooking, so if unbaked batter will be eaten, it is advisable to use a different option, like flax or chia seeds, which does not alter the taste of the recipe.

References

{{reflist, 30em Imitation foods Eggs (food) Animal product analogs