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Easy Eggless Brownies using Brownie Mix and Flaxseed Meal
July 10th, 2008 Madhuram Posted in Brownies, Egg Free, Vegan Baking | 
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Ever since I started baking, I have used only bananas as a substitute for eggs. Bananas definitely give the moist texture for cakes and breads, but the drawback is the flavor of bananas is dominant in those baked goods. So whatever changes you make otherwise in the recipe, the end product tastes the same. For example my carrot cake and zucchini bread tasted similar. It was definitely very good, but we need some change right!
Brownie Mix of your choice (I used Duncan Hines Chocolate Lover’s Brownies Double Fudge. See My Notes for the reason)
Cold Water – 1/3 cup
Vegetable Oil – 3 tablespoons
Flax seed meal (ground flax seed) – 1 teaspoon
Water – 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract – 1 teaspoon (not mentioned in the packet)
Walnuts – 1/2 cup (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350F (325F for glass pans)
2. Empty brownie mix into bowl.
3. Add 1/3 cup cold water.
4. Add 3 tablespoons oil. (Actually 1/3 cup of oil was mentioned in the packet)
5. In a small cup add the flax seed meal and slowly add the water and whisk it with a fork and add it to the brownie mix.
6. I chose to add vanilla extract also.
7. Stir everything until well blended (about 40-50 strokes)
8. Now add the nuts and combine it once again.
9. Generously grease the brownie pan. I used a non stick 8″x8″ pan.
10. Spread the mixture in the pan.
11. Bake it anywhere between 30-38 minutes. (Check the instructions in the package for detailed baking time). I baked mine for 40 minutes. But I think I should have taken it around 38 minutes itself, because I had little cracks on the top. That was the only negative thing with these brownies, otherwise they were unbelievably moist and gooey. We did not taste the flax seed at all. Just be sure that the brownie cools out completely before you can cut into squares.
1. Buying the brownie mix – If you are a vegetarian, be sure to check the ingredients, because some brands contain lard, tallow (animal fat). The brand I chose did not have animal fat.
2. I bought the double fudge brownies, which had a chocolate syrup pack, which had to be added to the brownie batter. But I omitted it because this was the first time I was going to bake brownies and that too without eggs. So I did not want to experiment too much.
3. Egg substitute: I came across in many books and websites that ground flax seed is a good substitute for eggs while baking. But the ratio of flax seed meal to water was different in each and every place. I recently bought a vegan cook book and there were a lot of baking recipes using flax seed meal. So I decided to used the proportion given in that book. For every egg in a recipe, use 1 teaspoon of flax seed meal mixed with 1/4 cup of water.
4. Checking the doneness of brownies: I read in the same book that inserting a toothpick to check the doneness does not work for brownies. Instead “the touch test” was recommended. When you touch the top of the brownies, it should not leave an indentation. If it does, the batter is still soft, so you need to bake it for another couple of minutes.
This my entry for Egg Replacement Event – Flax Seed Meal, hosted by me.
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September 23rd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Thank you so much for the recipe, my daughter is allergic to eggs and I could not find anything that works as well as flax seed. My daughter is now in preschool and able to bring in brownies and other goodies for snack WITHOUT the egg! Thanks again!
You’re most welcome Katie. Yogurt too works well with boxed brownie mix. Use 1/4 yogurt/buttermilk in place of 1 egg.
September 16th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
mine turned out weird too.
I’m not able to guess what the problem is Gina, because mine came out so well that even my husband’s colleagues who are not vegetarians couldn’t tell any difference at all.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:53 am
As I have previously work with Pilsbury professionally,
I am not an advocate of using box product though it may be
convenient and quicker. Replacement like flax plays the
role of a binder ingredient but they can increase the denseness
of your cake product. It is excellent for muffin, loaf cakes,
cookies and biscuits though. Look closely on any egg replacer
brand, you will notice potato starch or corn starch as the key
ingredients, so try that instead and experiment.
But you can try increasing liquid/juice/puree and include,
say 1/2 tsp baking powder to give it the needed boost and
another tablespoon of oil/butter if you are using ground flaxseed.
Remember the fats from the ‘real’ eggs has been taken out and you
need to make up for it.
August 12th, 2009 at 5:04 am
A sour/acidic agent eg sour cream/yogurt are also a fairly good alternative for the eggs. Just be sure to add in 1 tbsp of vinegar/apple cider. Potato starch,1 tsp per egg mix into the yogurt/cream will do the trick as it help bind up the cake mix and the vinegar helps fluff up the cake. I have also frequently used organic oat/flax milk to replace dairy product as well together with vinegar to replace liquid/milk in the recipes. Or you can use a half and half eg. juice, puree with liquid ingredients. Have fun trying!
That’s true. I have tried the same recipe with yogurt as well and it turned out good too. I have also used vinegar instead of eggs and it gives fabulous results.
August 12th, 2009 at 4:50 am
I agree somehow using bananas as substitute can leave a rather noticeable scent. As I live in Malaysia, a varieties of bananas are easily available. I normally avoid buying the more
aromatic local bananas and go for the newer hybrid like the MONTEL or CAVENDISH, slightly under-ripen but not sappy. Over-ripen bananas will also contribute their scent to your cake.Moreover, you can’t use bananas as a substitute for everything!!
Yes the flavor of bananas dominate if it is used as egg substitute, however mild it may be. So it should not be used unless one doesn’t mind the banana flavor.
August 6th, 2009 at 2:18 am
Is the Brownie Mix dairy free (incl milk, butter, etc)?
I think so. Don’t remeber it for sure.
July 31st, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Is this vegan?
I think so, If I remember right. I did check for the ingredients in the mix.
July 28th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Hi Madhu I tried the cake with flaxseed, I saw my cake rise then went flat what could be the reason, please help.
in one of the above reply diane says :
1 box of devil’s food cake mix plus 1 15oz can of pumpkin, mix, bake 20 mins @ 400 degrees.
thats all we mix or is there any thing else water, oil etc.
thank you
asha
Asha, mine too rised well and then flattened. Let me find out what the reason could be? Reg. Diane’s recipe, I saw her reply to your query that water/oil is not required. I don’t know if I deleted it by mistake.
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:13 am
“that all we mix or is there any thing else water, oil etc.”
Asha, that’s ALL you mix! Do NOT add anything else,
this will ruin it. You’ll notice that it’s hard to mix, but
be diligent! Totally worth it.