If you’ve ever swapped eggs in a recipe and ended up with cookies that spread too much or a cake that felt dense, you’re not alone. Egg substitutes can work beautifully in baking, though each option behaves differently. Some add moisture, some help with binding, and some create lift.
This guide breaks down the best egg substitutes for baking, what they do, how to use them, and which recipes they suit best.
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The Purpose of Eggs in Baking
Eggs do more than one job in baking. They help hold ingredients together, create lift, and add moisture to baked goods. Knowing what eggs do in a recipe makes it much easier to choose the right substitute.
Eggs as Binders
In cookies, muffins, and quick breads, eggs often help hold ingredients together. Good replacements for binding include:
- Flaxseed mixture (Flax Egg)
- Chia seed mixture
- Arrowroot powder
- Silken tofu
- Pureed fruit
- Mashed vegetables
- Agar agar
A general rule is to use about ¼ cup of substitute for each egg.
Eggs as Leavening Agents
Some recipes use eggs to help cakes and baked goods rise and stay light. In these recipes, try:
- Yogurt
- Buttermilk
- Baking soda with vinegar
- Commercial egg replacers like Ener-G
These substitutes help create a softer and fluffier texture.
Eggs for Moisture
Eggs can add moisture and richness to batters. Good moisture replacements include:
- Pureed fruit
- Plant milk or dairy milk
- Fruit juice
- Water
These options work well in cakes, muffins, and brownies.
Common Egg Substitutes In Baking
#1. Commercial Egg Replacer
The egg replacer is a mix of potato and tapioca starch (no corn) and some leavening agents. Some commercially available egg replacer powders are Ener-G, Bob’s Red Mill, Organ, and others. Learn more about egg replacer here.
How do you replace eggs using an egg replacer?
Whip together in a food processor or blender 1 and a half teaspoons powder and 2 tablespoons water. Sometimes, 2-3 times as much powder in the same amount of water gives better results.
How's the result?
Flavorless, it won’t affect the taste of baked goods. It is best suitable for all baked goods, especially Cookies.
#2. Silken Tofu
Silken tofu is made by curdling soy milk and pressing it into sliceable cakes. It is a boon for those who want to go egg-free. From scrambled eggs to frittatas and cakes to frostings, tofu has its place in many dishes. Learn more about Silken Tofu and recipes using it as a vegan egg substitute.
How to replace eggs using Silken Tofu?
Substitute ¼ cup of whipped silken tofu for each egg.
How's the result?
Baked goods won’t brown as deeply but will be very moist and dense. They are best suitable for Rich, dense & moist Cakes, breads, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies.
#3. Flax Seed
As the name implies, flax seed is a miracle plant-based food rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, an important source of essential fat for vegetarians especially. We can make fresh flax seed meal at home by grinding or buying it ready from the store. It is a vegan egg substitute.
How to replace eggs using Flax Seeds?
Whisk or blend 1 tablesspoon of flax seed powder with 3 tablespoons of water to replace each egg. Find out more details on how to make flax egg.
How's the result?
The baked goods are heavier and denser. Flaxseed has a nutty flavor, so it works best in grainier and nuttier foods, such as Waffles, Pancakes, Breads, Brân Muffins, and Oatmeal Cookies.
#4. Pureed Fruits
Pureed fruits can be used as egg substitutes in various ways, including mashed bananas, unsweetened applesauce, pureed prunes, plumped raisins, and softened dates. Learn more about pureed fruits here.
How do you replace eggs using pureed fruits?
¼ cup for each egg. Increase leavening by 25-50%. Bake items slightly longer, if necessary.
How's the result?
Baked goods will not brown as deeply but will be very moist and heavy. Pureed fruit works well for Cakes, Quick Breads, and brownies.
#5. Vinegar/Baking Soda
Vinegar...Seriously? Yes, Vinegar works very well as an egg substitute in cake, cupcake and muffin recipes, making it light and fluffy. White and apple cider vinegar is used quite often. Learn about vinegar and their types.
How to replace eggs using Vinegar?
1 teaspoon of baking soda along with 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Apple cider vinegar and white distilled vinegar can be used.
How's the result?
Baked goods will be light and airy. Suitable for cakes, cupcakes and quick breads.
#6. Yogurt/Buttermilk
Both buttermilk and yogurt are good egg replacements, especially while baking muffins, cakes, and cupcakes. You can buy it in the Refrigerator section of grocery aisles next to the milk.
How to replace eggs using Yogurt/Buttermilk?
¼ cup of buttermilk or yogurt for each egg to be replaced.
How's the result?
The baked goods will be lighter and not as dense as the ones with pureed fruit.
Other Egg Substitutes In Baking
#7. Condensed Milk
Sweetened condensed milk is another good egg substitute in cookies & cakes mostly. ¼ cup of condensed milk can be substituted for one egg. Check this condensed milk chocolate chip cookies recipe.
#8. Lemon/Lime Juice
If you don't have vinegar in hand, lemon juice is a very good substitute, yes a substitute for an egg substitute. Just make sure to use twice the quantity of vinegar.
#9. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds also work as an egg substitute just like flax seeds. Make chia egg just like flax egg and use it in muffin, quick bread recipes.
#10. Arrowroot Powder
Arrowroot powder resembles cornstarch and used as a thickening agent. It's derived from the root of a South American plant. It is also used as an egg substitute which I haven't tried. I see that somewhere between 2 tablespoons of the powder mixed with 3 tablespoons of water can used to replace egg.
#11. Aquafaba
Aquafaba is the liquid from cooking legumes, like the liquid from a can of chickpeas, or liquid from beans cooked at home. Since that liquid has a very similar consistency to that of raw egg white, it works as an excellent substitute in recipes which uses egg whites like eggless macaroons, meringues, marshmallow, nougat, cakes, etc. It works great in cookie and cupcake recipes too.
- 3 tablespoons of aquafaba can be used to replace one egg/egg white.
- The only thing to note is that the consistency should be right. It can't be too thick or too watery. Aquafaba can be used straight from the can, by draining the chickpeas or any legume. Chickpeas, white beans are preferable because the aquafaba will be clear and transparent. You may choose to use the liquid from red kidney beans and black beans in chocolate cakes or brownie recipes.
- If the liquid is thin, heat it up until it reduces and gets a bit thicker. If it gets too thick, heat it up with some water to make it thin. Either way, cool it to room temperature before use. Find out more about aquafaba egg substitute .
Substitute for Egg Wash
Simply use oil, dairy/nondairy milk, or dairy/nondairy butter. ¼ cup of light corn syrup thinned with very hot water can also be used for glazing.
Substitute for Egg Whites
Aquafaba is one of the best substitutes available for egg whites. 3 tablespoons of aquafaba can be used to replace one egg, or actually egg whites more specifically. Just make sure that it is of the right consistency. It has to look slimy like egg white, not too thin or not too thick.
Substitute for Egg Yolks
Apparently, soy lecithin is a good substitute for egg yolk, which I am yet to try. It mimics the emulsifying property of eggs. It's a by-product of soy oil so making it vegetarian. I read that 1 tablespoon of soy lecithin is a substitute for 1 large egg yolk.
Note
Share your experiences with different egg substitutes that you've used during baking or if you have questions on egg substitutes, share/ask them in the comments section below. Share this page with your friends.
Happy Baking Without Eggs!
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Ashley says
Thank you very much for your suggestion. 😉
Ashley says
I have been trying to find a proper egg substitute for pancakes and other baked goods. My fiance cannot have dairy, vinegar, or any of the store-bought replacers, and while I have tried my hardest to use the flax (1T Flax+ 3T water), it just leaves the pancakes gummy and tasting uncooked, though I know it is. I have heard many times the flax is not to be used in flatbreads or pancakes, but I figured it's worthtrying. I'm looking into the tofu substitute. Do you have suggestions? will the tofu make it too dense or heavy for a pancake?
Ashley, why don't you try a mix of self rising flour, applesauce or banana puree (1/4 cup measured in dry measuring cup for each egg) and some non dairy milk/water to prepare the pancake batter? I think it will be less dense than using tofu.
Joni says
ps. I've been cooking/baking dairy free for a long time now and I've never had a problem substituting the dairy. So that's another reason I think my problem is with the eggs.
Joni says
My husband was recently diagnosed with many food allergies, the biggies being wheat (gluten), milk and eggs. I have been trying to figure out how to make those light, fluffy, spongy cakes in time for our daughter's first bday so that my husband can enjoy the cake as well. The cakes that I've made so far are tough and dense and have an appearance in the middle that almost looks like it's not cooked all the way through even though it is. I've tried Ener-g (dense, chewy, almost raw looking appearance in middle), applesauce (in a brownie mix it never actually baked, the ingredients boiled more or less) and I'm getting ready to try vinegar. Am I not using the egg replacer properly? I've tried several wheat free flour mixes and I'm adding the necessary xanthan gum, and my gut and hunch is that it's something with the egg. Many times my cake will look beautiful and then as it's cooling, it sinks. What am I doing wrong??
Cakes made with egg substitutes are definitely going to be dense and not as airy and light as the regular ones. The one exception is when you use vinegar you get real light cakes/muffins. EnerG does not work in all store bought mixes (It is stated in the box itself) and in all recipes. So it's more of a trial and error thing. Recently I tried yogurt in a brownie mix and it came out very good. So you can try the same with soy yogurt. I have a birthday chocolate cake recipe in my blog which has been tried the most by the visitors here. I have used both tofu and yogurt as egg substitutes and it comes out well. One of the visitor has also used soy yogurt. The recipe by itself uses only oil for the fat. Also I have a chocolate cake using vinegar and oil. So I think you can give it a try.
Since I have no experience in baking gluten free, I'm sorry that I cannot tell how the egg substitutions affect the recipes.
Geetha says
How do replace the eggs in some of my recipes with the substitutes.
1 egg is the equal to how of Buttermilk, Yogurt or Baking Soda (or any of the substitutes for that matter).
Geetha you can use 1/4 cup of buttermilk/yogurt to replace one egg. I have not tried using baking soda alone as an egg substitute.
Priya says
Madhuram, do you have a basic cookie dough recipe that I can look into?
Thanks.
I do have one recipe from the Joy of Vegan Baking but yet to try it. If you get a chance get that book from the library it's too good.
Priya says
Very impressive & detailed list. I always wanted a substitute for eggs and here I see such an elaborate one. Thanks so much for sharing. And congrats on the BC blog.
You're welcome Priya. Hope the little one is doing great!
Anshita says
Hi,
Very nice blog!!
Well please let me know where can i get egg replacer in US.
Thanks!!
Thanks Anshita. You can get it in Whole Foods, Trader Joes. I get it in the regular chain of grocery store itself in the organic products aisle.
sai says
Hi
love ur site. i am a vegetarian and i bake vegan cakes at home but somehow never get that bakery soft, fluffy cake. can u give me a recipe for a white cake (not chocolate) without Enter G replacer(somehow never liked them) to bake for my little one's bday next month. i would really appreciate. i wonder where i make mistake because mine is not spongy like store cake.
thanks so much
Thank you Sai. I too am in search of a perfect eggless white cake. I tried my share of recipes and not satisfied. Have you tried the plain cakes which use condensed milk? Maybe you will like it. I have also not tried that.
shruthi says
hi 🙂 The eggless recipies one!
shruthi says
Thank you so much for the help.
Well ive baked in the microwave and have had good results.
I'd even posted them on your event.
http://thoughtforfood-tei.blogspot.com/2009/01/banana-cashew-cake.html
http://thoughtforfood-tei.blogspot.com/2009/01/choconut-cake.html
You're welcome Shruthi. Which event are you referring to?
shruthi says
Another doubt too! often my mother uses jams in baking, does that act as subtitute too?
Pureed fruits can be used as an egg substitute. I've not used jam, so not sure.
shruthi says
Hi, nice blog you have, im new out here and out here to explore and experiment 🙂
well i wanted to know a few things
1) how to susbstitute for flax seeds or corn meal as they're not that easily available in bangalore.
2) is ordinary vinegar good enough as substitute?
3) can curds also be used as egg substitute?
4) have you tried baking cakes an dcookies in the microwave if yes pls do let me know ur share of recipies
thank you 🙂
Hi Shruthi, welcome to my blog. To answer your questions,
1. When googled I found out that flax seed is called Agasi in Kannada, so if it has a name it has to be available there too. Try it in the stores where they sell natural herbs and medicines.
2. I think corn meal is also available in Bangalore. I remember reading it in some blog. Try it in stores like Nilgiris and other international food stores. I'm from Chennai and I'm not even sure what is available there. Things have changed a lot.
3. Yes the regular vinegar you get in shops is fine. But the success depends on the recipe. I've tried 3 recipes using vinegar out of which I liked only one and the other 2 had too much vinegar smell. I've read that Apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar are also good egg substitutes but have not tried it myself.
4. Curd/yogurt is also a good egg replacement and again I have not tried it.
5. I did bake in a microwave oven once and was not satisfied with the results, so have not ventured again.
Hiral says
Hi,
I really like your blog...lots of information and very nice recipes for people who dont eat eggs. I have a question..I make a lot of cakes from ready cake mixes...i add everything as mentioned on the packet - just omit the eggs. the cakes taste fine (are moist as well), however the texture is extremely crumbly..so its very difficult to cut the cake into any shape. Any suggestions as to what egg replacer i can use here( tofu/pureed food)? or anything else i can add? thanks a lot.
Hi Hiral, thank you. Even though I have not baked cakes from cake mix, I'm guessing here that adding 1/4 cup of tofu or pureed fruit should be fine. Both would act as a binder and thereby you can avoid the crumbly texture. I have baked brownies using brownie mix, substituting flax seed meal for eggs and have got good results. I have also baked cookies using cake mix and tofu and got chewy cookies. So cake from a cake mix with tofu should also be fine.
april says
how do you do the banana puree... do you add water to the banana before blending???
You can use the liquid given in the recipe like milk, juice or oil.
molly says
Guilt-Free Chocolate Muffins
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes 8 muffins
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup semisweet dairy- and gluten-free chocolate chips (such as Sunspire)
Powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 8 paper liners in muffin tin; coat with cooking spray.
2. Combine applesauce and next 4 ingredients. In a sepa-rate bowl, whisk together the next 6 ingredients. Add oat mixture to applesauce mixture; stir until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for 20–22 minutes, rotating the pan a half-turn after 10 minutes. Muffins are done when tops are firm to the touch.
4. Cool slightly. Top with powdered sugar, if desired. (Serving size: 1 muffin)
Nutrition:
Calories 154 (24% from fat); Fat 5g (sat 2g, mono 1g, poly 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 30g; Sugars 21g; Fiber 3g; Iron 2mg; Sodium 331mg; Calcium 86mg.
Thanks Molly for the detailed recipe and nutritional information. I'll try it one of these days. If you happen to bake it, send me a picture I'll post it in here.
anonymous says
Hi
I am a vegetarian. It depends what you are making, most cake recipes, you can substitute buttermilk/sourmilk for the eggs..As i said,It depends on the recipes.
Thanks
Anonymous
Donna says
My children and I have egg allergy and I love your site!
Here is my tip: I use fresh club soda to make easy and delicious cupcakes from a box of cake mix!
In a large bowl, combine one box any flavor dry cake mix (don't add oil, egg or water listed on the package)and pour in 12 oz. club soda. Stir with a spoon (no mixer!) until combined. Spoon the mix into your cupcake pans and bake as directed on the package of mix. Frost as you like. Low-fat, fewer calories, and vegan!
Thank you very much Donna, that sounds like a very simple and healthy recipe. Will give it a try one of these days.
Suzi says
1/2 Banana is a great sub!