If you want to use egg substitutes for your baking recipes, it's totally possible! From applesauce to yogurt, here are 7 easy ingredients to replace eggs in your favorite baked desserts.
The Purpose of Eggs in Baked Goods
Eggs are a very common ingredient in baking recipes, and they play an important role.
Eggs can:
- create structure and bind ingredients together
- add moisture and richness
- make baked goods light and fluffy
- help to increase the rise of muffins, cakes, and even cookies
Reasons for Using Egg Substitutes
- Lack of eggs. In 2024, the rise in U.S. cases of Avian flu made it nearly impossible to find eggs at the grocery store. When you could find them, they were crazy expensive. On average, it was almost $7.00 for one dozen Grade A eggs!
- Vegan diet: Vegans avoid using any animal products in their diet for various reasons such as their health, the environment, or animal rights. Finding the perfect egg substitutes for their favorite baked goodies helps vegans to maintain their lifestyle.
- Food allergies: Egg allergies are more common than you think. This allergy affects infants and young children more so than adults. While most children outgrow egg allergies, some have it for the rest of their lives.
- Preference: Some people simply don’t like eggs, or prefer to use other ingredients in their baked goods.
What To Use Instead of Eggs in Baking
While there are many alternative ingredients to replace eggs, finding the perfect substitute depends on their purpose.
Does your recipe use eggs to leaven or to make it light and fluffy? Are you using eggs to make your recipe richer and more moist? Determine which of these common egg substitutions for baking are perfect for your recipe.
Mashed Banana
- Perfect for: Quick breads, cakes, muffins, and cupcakes
Mashed ripe bananas can replace eggs in most recipes. For every egg the recipe calls for, you can use ¼ cup of mashed banana.
When using mashed bananas to replace egg, expect that it can leave a hint of banana flavor and can also increase the sweetness. Mashed bananas can also create a gummy or rubbery texture to your baked goods.
Substitute ¼ cup mashed banana for each whole egg the recipe calls for.
Unsweetened Applesauce
- Perfect for: Muffins, brownies, cakes, and bars
Applesauce is a proven healthy egg substitute for baking. It does a fantastic job of adding moisture to baked goods, and gives them a fluffy texture without affecting the flavor.
To ensure that your dessert isn't too sweet, opt for unflavored, unsweetened applesauce.
Substitute ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce for each egg the recipe calls for.
When replacing eggs, make sure to choose unsweetened applesauce. If you only have sweetened applesauce, you can simply reduce the sugar in your recipe.
Using applesauce will give your baked goods a slight apple flavor and add chewiness. Make sure never to add more than 1 cup of applesauce to your recipe as it will start to be gummy.
If you don’t want your dessert to come out too dense, you can mix your applesauce with half a teaspoon of baking powder.
Silken Tofu
Silken tofu makes a wonderful vegan substitute for eggs because it doesn't affect the overall flavor of whatever you are baking.
- Perfect for: quick breads, brownies, dense cakes
Silken tofu does not fluff up like eggs, and it can be very heavy. It can make your baked goods dense so it's the best egg substitute for heavier desserts like brownies, breads, and dense cakes.
To replace an egg with tofu, use ¼ cup silken tofu for each egg in a cake. Blend tofu until creamy and stir into the cake batter.
Before using it, you need to process the tofu in a blender until it’s completely smooth and creamy.
Vinegar and Baking Soda as an Egg Substitute
- Perfect for: Lighter baked goods like cakes and quick breads
Vinegar and baking soda is best used for desserts like cakes that need to rise or get light and fluffy. Combined together, vinegar and baking soda produces a chemical reaction that can make baked goods light, airy, and is perfect for natural leavening.
To replace one large egg: Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar with 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
Combine the vinegar and baking soda before adding it to your recipe. Although you can use any type of vinegar, apple cider vinegar and white distilled vinegar are the best varieties for baked goods.
Flax Eggs
- Perfect for: Cookies and quick breads
Ground flaxseed that’s mixed with water is also known as a “flax egg”. Combine your ground flaxseed with water and thicken the mixture for at least five minutes before you combine it with your other ingredients.
Similar to mashed bananas, flax can overwhelm the flavor of delicate desserts, lending a grassy flavor. So, be wary when you want to use it in muffins or cakes. However, the flavor disappears and blends well in most breads and cookies.
To make a flax egg: Mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water and let sit for 5 minutes before using it. Use 1 flax egg to replace 1 large egg.
Yogurt
- Perfect for: Cakes, cupcakes, muffins, brownies, and scones
Plain flavored yogurt, Greek yogurt, soy yogurt, or any plant-based yogurt will work as an egg replacement.
Be sure to beat the yogurt well before adding it to other ingredients as it can be a bit heavy. Also, to prevent it from affecting the overall flavor of your baked goods, be sure to use unflavored yogurt.
Use ¼ cup yogurt as a replacement for each egg in your recipe.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is a great egg substitute for baking. Just like yogurt, the acid in the milk adds a tangy flavor and increases moisture.
Use ¼ cup buttermilk as a substitute for each egg in your recipe.
If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own by combining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with 1 cup of whole milk.
Egg Substitutes for Baking FAQ
Depending on what egg substitute you're using, you may need different amounts of it. For example, ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce is a substitute for 1 large egg.
The best substitute will vary depending on what you are baking. The first step is to determine the purpose of eggs in your recipe. It’s important to know whether you need eggs to add moisture and richness, to add fluffiness, or to make it rise.
While egg substitutes work in most baked desserts, this isn't always the case. Using egg replacements is not recommended for recipes that use a lot of eggs, such as custard.
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