The Easy Egg Substitutions Every Baker Needs To Know

So you've found yourself in a pickle because you don't have an egg, where do you go from here? Don't fret! Most bakers have been in this predicament. There is no need to rush off to the grocery store or put off your baking project. You might just find the perfect egg substitute hiding in your fridge or pantry.

Ingredients such as unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas, sparkling water, and silken tofu can all make great egg substitutes. And choosing the correct replacement can help create a fantastic — and even enhanced — result. But this doesn't mean that you can just toss in five bananas or a container of applesauce into your cupcake recipe. You must replace your eggs in both function and volume. As a rule of thumb, you will want to use about one ¼ cup of your egg replacement per egg in your recipe. Doing so will yield the best results.

But before you find the perfect egg replacement, it's important to understand what role eggs are playing in your baking project. In most recipes, eggs act as a binder, giving structure to your recipe, though they can also act as a leavening agent. Keeping these functions in mind can help you to choose the best egg substitute. 

If your eggs act as a leavening agent, you might choose to use carbonated water as a replacement, or a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. However, if the egg in your recipe is acting as a binder for other ingredients, it might be helpful to replace your eggs with either unsweetened applesauce or a mashed banana.

Additionally, you can use the leftover liquid from canned chickpeas, also known as aquafaba, as an egg replacement. This works especially well when you whip your chickpea liquid into a meringue-like substance. Aquafaba can even act as an alternative to egg whites when making a meringue. However, it is important to consider proportions when using this egg substitute. Three tablespoons of aquafaba are equivalent to one whole egg, unlike other egg alternatives, which require ¼ cup of substitute.

Unfortunately, sometimes switching out eggs for other ingredients in your recipes can be complicated. Not all recipes do well with egg substitutes. Recipes that require three or more eggs per batch, for example, will not do well with egg substitutes, and these may impact your baked good's texture or consistency. If this is the case, you might want to take a two-step approach to egg replacement. 

One way of doing this is by combining binding egg replacements, such as applesauce, with leavening agents, such as baking powder. That being said, these alternatives can still prove to be tricky, and it's best to consider the exact needs of your baked good — as well as the function of your eggs — when choosing a way to approach the recipe without eggs. Certain recipes, such as certain custards or angel food cakes, may require a more specialized recipe to make up for your lack of eggs.