There is no one right way to substitute eggs in baking.  Some baked goods require eggs for their added fat, texture, and binding properties while others need the eggs for leavening and lift.  The good news is, there are several ways to replace eggs in baking.

If you are trying to create a vegan recipe out of a favorite recipe from your pre-allergy days, consider the following:

1. Is the purpose of the egg to bind, lift, or both?

If you don’t know the answer to this question, look at the other ingredients already in the recipe.  If you already have a lot of sticky, binding-type ingredients, then you probably need to choose an egg substitute that will have a leavening effect.  If the recipe contains several leavening agents like baking powder or soda, then your egg replacement may need to do more binding.

2. What is the texture of the finished product? 

This will also help you decide the purpose of the egg.  Cakes and muffins should be dense and moist while rolls, breads and pancakes should be light and fluffy.

3. What type of flour am I using?

Rice flours hold more moisture and bind well, creating a moist dense finished product on it’s own while Allergy Cookie Baking Flour, for example, is designed to create more lift.

4. How will the substitute flavor my final product?

A sweet recipe, like cookies or cakes might do well with pureed fruit as a binder while savory recipes like meatloaf are better with mashed potatoes or gluten free bread crumbs.

5. How many eggs am I replacing?

Remember that some egg substitutes are somewhat flavorless in small amounts, but not as their quantities increase.  If you are replacing more than two eggs in a recipe, consider using a combination of egg replacers rather than just one.

Like this article?  Stick around while and learn more about Allergy Cookie’s favorite egg substitutes, and browse our past articles to find more tips on substituting common allergy ingredients in cooking and baking.