Egg Substitutes: How to Use Egg Substitutes in Baking & Cooking

Introduction

Many seek out egg substitutes for health, convenience or to avoid animal products. Such shoppers can find fresh, frozen or powdered egg white substitutes or whole egg substitutes. There are also alternative egg-free ingredients for baking or making omelets and other breakfast items.

Egg substitutes with egg whites

Real eggs have a little fat and a lot of cholesterol. Most commercial egg substitutes cut out the fat and cholesterol while trying to maintain the taste and protein of eggs. They remove the yolks and keep the whites.

Egg Beaters Original have six grams of protein, no cholesterol and no fat per quarter cup (the equivalent of one egg). The company also makes Egg Beaters Whites, with one less gram of protein and five fewer calories per serving.

Either way, Egg Beaters and many other brands are 99 percent real egg whites. The rest is mystery ingredients (natural flavors and colors, “spice”) and vegetable gums — mainly guar gum and xantham gum.

Vegan egg substitutes

A limited number of commercial vegan egg substitutes are available, including Ener-G, which is also kosher and gluten-free. Ener-G is a powder that you mix with water to replace eggs. It is made of mostly potato and tapioca starch with a yeast-free leavening.

Simple fruit and tofu can also replace eggs. Half a banana or a quarter cup of applesauce can be a workable egg substitute in baking. Silken tofu works well in omelets, frittatas and other stovetop foods.

Using egg substitutes

Eggs help make cakes light and fluffy and make cookies moist and less crumbly. Egg whites do some of this work. Yolks further helps make baked goods smoother and creamier (i.e., more delicious and fattening). The veggie gums in yolk-less replacements don’t quite make up for the flavor, but they help improve the texture and shelf-life when using commercial egg substitutes in baking. Vegan substitutes mainly work to add moisture and bind cookies and cakes, but the baked goodies won’t rise much. Make sure to include baking powder or baking soda.

For breakfast foods, scrambled egg substitutes are a little bland (with only slightly more flavor than scrambled egg whites). However, egg substitutes can be a tasty direct substitute in flavorful omelets, frittatas and other stovetop egg recipes that include plenty of other tasty ingredients.

Some serious chefs swear by whole, real eggs and say egg substitutes just don’t cut it. However, the Internet also has time-tested recipes that use egg substitutes in baking and compensate for the lack of yolks. For best results, seek out recipes that use your specific egg substitute.