Egg Alternatives are often required for those that have adverse reactions to eggs and those that are vegan. The following chart looks at different egg alternatives.
See Also: Eggs
Egg Alternatives |
1 egg equals |
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Unsweetened applesauce, bananas, prunes or pumpkin and squash |
- ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce, smashed bananas, puréed prunes or canned or puréed pumpkin or squash
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- Adding ½ teaspoon of baking powder may help ensure that the recipe is not too heavy.
- Works well in cakes, bars, cookies, muffins and quick breads.
- Not suited to casseroles or savory dishes.
- Provides moisture, yet won’t help dishes / recipes rise or turn out light and fluffy.
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Plain soy yogurt |
- ¼ cup of plain soy yogurt or vanilla soy yogurt.
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- Works well in muffins, cake and quick breads.
- Has a delicious flavour and texture.
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Buttermilk |
- You can use ready to pour buttermilk or you can make your own using one teaspoon of white or cider vinegar and adding to enough milk to make ¼ cup.
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- Buttermilk is a binder and a leavener which helps cakes, muffins and quick breads rise as well as stay moist.
- Works well when making sandwich breads.
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Tofu |
- Puree ¼ cup of plain tofu.
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- Avoid flavoured tofu.
- Pureeing the tofu is important to ensure that there are not chunks in the finished product.
- Silken Tofu works best.
- Works best as an egg alternative in dense cakes, muffins, quick breads and pies or quiche.
- Texture is similar to boiled eggs and can be used as a substitute in omelets and scrambled eggs.
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Ground flaxseed |
- Whip 3 tablespoons of very hot water and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed.
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- Let stand for a few minutes and the mixture will become very thick like an egg white.
- Works best in chewy baked goods like brownies and cookies.
- Works well in sweet yeast breads such as cinnamon rolls or banana bread.
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Potatoes |
- ¼ cup of mashed potatoes or 2 tablespoons of potato starch.
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- Potato starch may increase blood sugar.
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Baking powder |
- 2 tablespoons of water, plus 1 tablespoon of oil, plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
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- Usually in recipes that are using the ability of eggs to help a recipe rise.
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Agar powder |
- 1 tablespoon plain agar powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water, whipped, chilled and whipped again
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Notes:
- Commercial egg-replacers may be available, but watch out for chemicals and fillers. Egg-replacers are not suited for scrambled eggs or omelets.
- It is more difficult to use egg alternatives in recipes that call for a lot of eggs. Instead, chose a recipe with a similar taste but fewer eggs, which will be easier to replicate.
- If you’re looking for an egg replacer that binds, try adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of any of the following for each egg: tomato paste, potato starch, arrowroot powder, whole wheat flour, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes or ¼ cup tofu puréed with 1 tablespoon of flour.
- Tips on raising agents: add self-rising flour; add extra oil and a raising agent (e.g. baking powder); use about 2 heaped tsp of baking powder per cake; instead of baking powder use ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda and 1 tsp cider vinegar; or try sifting the flour and dry ingredients then gently folding in the liquid to trap air; 1 tbsp club soda/
seltzer water for every 1 cup flour/dry ingredients.