Guide to Replacing Eggs in Every Recipe

Massive egg recalls due to salmonella contamination? Disgusting. Rising egg prices and industry scrutiny? Deserved. Supporting the egg industry isn’t worth your money or morals, especially when alternative options abound. If the risk of salmonella poisoning isn’t a convincing enough reason to swear off eggs, consider the inhumane treatment of hens on factory farms. While going cage-free is a step in the right direction, cutting out eggs completely is the best decision for both health and the environment.

With ingenious bakers developing delicious vegan versions of traditional favorites, herbivores can enjoy eggless foods like never before. From flax seeds to tofu omelets, the innovative world of egg substitution is well within reach.
 
Baking
Egg replacing in baking can be a lot more creative than relying on boxed egg replacer. When veganizing muffins, cookies, and cakes, a good go-to egg substitute is ground flax seeds. Cheap and nutritious, when blended with a little bit of water—three tablespoons of water to one tablespoon of ground flax yields about one “egg”—flax creates a mixture that binds baking ingredients together. Super Moist Chocolate Chip Muffins, Caramel Apple Cookies, and Chocolate Cupcakes with Coconut Fudge Frosting all use the flax method.
 
Soy yogurt is another useful egg replacer (1/4 cup equals one “egg”), as it can help add moisture to baked goods. Try making your own Berry Yogurt, which you can repurpose as an egg replacer in Blackberry-Almond Scones. When making banana breads and other cakes containing bananas, the fruit itself has binding qualities and can stand in as an egg replacer, for instance in these healthy zucchini carrot apple muffins.
 
Eggless Brunching
Fancy a full vegan breakfast? With Smokey Maple Hickory Fake Bacon and vegan fried egg, the normally artery-clogging favorites can be yours. Groundbreaking veganized egg dishes abound with fancy favorites such as Tomato-Zucchini Frittata, Tofu Benedict, Saturday’s Omelette, and even deviled eggs (aka potato angels) bringing some class to the brunch table. More everyday options such as eggless Blueberry Pancakes join Egg McVegans for kid-friendly breakfasts, and don’t forget Mock Steak and Eggs for faux-meat lovers.
 
If you don’t already have a favorite tofu scramble recipe, experiment with a spicy salsa tofu scramble and breakfast scramble. Favorite add-ins can include extra garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and fresh herbs. For a special twist, add in half a teaspoon of kala namak—also called black salt despite being pink in hue—which adds a sulfuric taste similar to eggs. For those who miss the taste and smell of eggs, you’ll find the resemblance unbelievable! Dig out your May+June 2010 VegNews (or grab a back issue) for a garbanzo-bean flour-based frittata recipe that uses kala namak by Veganize It! columnist Allison Rivers Samson. Happy breakfasting, brunching, and baking!