Egg substitute for baking: choose by the recipe

Amounts to replace one egg

A large egg without its shell weighs about 50 g, roughly 3 tablespoons (45 ml). The replacements below aren't identical to an egg, so their amounts don't all match that volume. Pick one according to the texture you need.

For two eggs in a muffin recipe, the applesauce amount doubles to 1/2 cup (about 120 g). Expect a denser muffin. Don't carry on multiplying the ratio for an egg-heavy sponge; replacing more eggs changes much more of the batter.

Work out what the egg does

Eggs can bind ingredients, add moisture and fat, or hold the air that makes a cake rise. A recipe that asks you to beat eggs until thick and foamy depends on a different job from a cookie recipe where you stir an egg into the dough.

Flax gel is useful when a mixture needs help holding together. Applesauce suits a moist muffin or brownie. Neither gives you the airy foam of whipped egg whites. If the method calls for separating and whipping eggs, look for a tested recipe using your replacement.

Keep the baking soda and baking powder amounts as written. Extra leavener won't replace an egg's binding or structure. The baking soda vs baking powder guide explains their role if you're unsure which one your recipe uses.

Make a flax or chia egg before mixing

1. For a flax egg, stir 1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground flaxseed into 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water. Use ground flaxseed so it forms a binder.
2. Leave it for 5-10 minutes, then stir again. Add it where the recipe calls for the egg.
3. For a chia egg, mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) chia seeds with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water instead. Give it 10-15 minutes to thicken before using.

Make the gel before you start the batter so you aren't waiting with everything half mixed. Flax has a nutty taste and gives a denser crumb; it fits an oat cookie more naturally than a delicate, pale sponge.

Aquafaba for whipped egg whites

Aquafaba is the liquid you drain from a can of chickpeas. It can whip like egg white for meringue. Use 2 tablespoons (30 ml) per egg white, rather than the 3 tablespoons (45 ml) used to replace a whole egg.

Follow an aquafaba meringue recipe for the mixing and baking method. Being able to whip the liquid doesn't make it a direct replacement throughout every cake recipe, especially one that also depends on yolks.

Shopping for replacements in another country

You don't need a product labeled 'egg substitute' for most of these swaps. Ground flaxseed, chia seeds and unsweetened applesauce are ingredients you can measure yourself. For aquafaba, buy canned chickpeas and keep the liquid you would otherwise drain away.

Commercial egg replacers vary, so use the local packet's directions instead of assuming a spoonful always replaces one egg. For vegan baking, flax, chia, applesauce, banana and aquafaba are options; yogurt and buttermilk contain dairy. Check commercial products' ingredient lists.

Recipes where a swap is unlikely to work

Soufflé, custard, quiche and angel food cake are built around eggs. Choose a recipe developed without eggs rather than replacing them one by one. The same table also won't tell you how to replace an egg glaze, which has a different job from an egg inside batter.

If you only need half an egg because you're making fewer servings, beat the egg and use half by weight, about 25 g. The recipe scaler can help with the remaining amounts. For savory binding, such as veggie burgers, a flax egg, breadcrumbs with a little milk, or a spoonful of mashed potato can work.