But what can you do if you need to make a recipe allergy-safe because of an egg allergy? Don’t worry, you’re not the first person to ask yourself this question. Through a lot of trial and error, chefs and hobby bakers around the world have figured out how to replace eggs in dishes and baked goods while keeping the end result satisfying.
Egg allergy: substitutes in cooking
In cooking, dishes are often built around the egg, for example in scrambles or omelettes.
Substitutes for egg dishes
- Scrambled tofu: You can use firm tofu (crumbled into small pieces) and sauté it like you would with eggs. Add turmeric for a more realistic color and nutrients, and serve it with other ingredients you normally would, for example diced veggies, bacon, or ham.
- Chickpea omelettes: You can make your omelettes egg-free by replacing an egg with 1 cup of chickpea flour. This method also works for egg-free pancakes.
- Firm tofu: You can replace hard-boiled eggs in salads or sandwiches with extra firm tofu, which not only has a similar texture but also a similar protein content.
- Margarine: You can brush melted margarine onto any savory pastry or baked good in need for an egg white glaze.
Egg allergy: substitutes in baking
In baking, eggs are usually used as an agent for adding moisture, binding (holding ingredients together) or leavening (helping the dish to rise by trapping air in a food).
Substitutes for adding moisture (in cookie, muffin, quick bread, and more recipes)
- Mashed banana: You can mash ½ of a medium banana and use it as an egg replacement in cake recipes or pancake batters.
- Apple sauce: Alternatively, to mashed banana you can use ¼ cup of apple sauce as an egg replacer.
- Fruit puree: If you don’t like or can’t have banana or apple, try ¼ cup of any other fruit puree you fancy, but be aware that substituting eggs for fruits will change the flavor of the product.
- Pureed avocado: You can use ¼ cup of pureed avocado to add moisture and richness to your recipe.
Substitutes for binding (in cookie, cupcake, cake, and more recipes)
- Flax egg: You can whisk together 1 tbsp of flax seeds with 3 tbsp of water and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes to create a so-called flax egg. Flax eggs have a similar texture to egg whites and a similar protein content.
- Chia egg: Like the flax egg, you can create a chia egg by whisking together 1 tbsp of chia seeds with 3 tbsp of water. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes until the texture becomes thick like egg whites.
- Gelatin: You can blend 1 cup of boiling water with 2 tsp of unflavored gelatin and then use 3 ½ tbsp of this mixture to replace one egg.
- Nut butters: You can use 3 tbsp of a nut butter (e.g., peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc.) to replace one egg as a binding agent, for example in drop cookie recipes.
Substitutes for leavening (in cookie, cupcake, cake, and more recipes)
- Flax egg & chia egg: The mixture of 1 tbsp of flax or chia seed and 3 tbsp of water also works well as a leavening agent if mixed with ½ teaspoon of baking powder per egg.
- Buttermilk: You can use ¼ cup of buttermilk to replace one egg as a leavening agent.
- Vegetable oil: You can also mix 1 tbsp of vegetable with 1 tbsp of water and 1 tsp of baking powder (not baking soda!) to replace one egg as a leavening agent.
- Vinegar: You can mix 1 tbsp of vinegar with 1 tbsp of baking soda to replace one egg as a leavening agent.
Substitute for egg whites
- Aquafaba: Aquafaba is the leftover liquid of cooked and canned legumes like chickpeas, lentils, black beans, and kidney beans. Two tbsp of aquafaba work as an egg white replacer in recipes for meringues, pavlova, mousse au chocolat, nougat, ice cream, butter cream, macarons, marshmallow fluff, and mayonnaise.
Substitute for egg yolks
- Soy lecithin: Soy lecithin is a byproduct of soybean oil and is a great replacement for egg yolks used as a binding agent. You can replace one egg by mixing 1 tbsp of soy lecithin with 3 tbsp of water.
