Cooking advice
Egg-free baking: choose the right substitute
There is no universal egg substitute for baking. Some recipes need binding, others moisture or aeration. Work out what the egg was meant to do before replacing it.
What you need: Ground flaxseed, water, mashed banana, apple purée or chickpea liquid (aquafaba).
How to do it
- For cookies or muffins, mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water. Rest for 10 minutes; this approximates one egg for binding.
- In moist cakes, about 60 g apple purée or ripe banana can help, though banana changes the flavour.
- Aquafaba can be whipped for airy desserts; results depend on how concentrated the liquid is.
- Remember that baking powder or bicarbonate with an acid often provides lift: a binder alone will not make a cake rise.
Common mistake
A flax “egg” is not a straight replacement for several eggs in a very airy sponge.
Quick tip
When starting out, use a recipe developed as vegan rather than changing five ingredients at once.