By Genevieve Ko, The New York Times
Let’s be honest: There is no perfect substitute for eggs.
That may be why their steady rise in price not only hurts in the budget, but also somewhere in the soul. The crackly, golden wisps around the edges of a fried egg? The golden orb of yolk in a jammy boiled egg? Irreplaceable and often worth the splurge.
But when eggs are used as an ingredient, they can, at times, be swapped out, something that’s necessary for those with allergies or other dietary restrictions, and preferable for others.
To swap effectively is to understand the many ways eggs work in recipes. For starters, they moisten dishes with their water content and make them richer with their fatty yolks. When the whites are heated or mixed with acid, their proteins coagulate and the whites solidify, adding structure and acting as a glue that binds ingredients. When beaten, whites also trap and hold a lot of air. Yolks and whole eggs can do this, too — not quite as well as whites alone, but enough that they lift baked goods and add fluffiness to savory dishes.
Because cooking and especially baking are made up of a series of chemical reactions, the most foolproof eggless recipes were intentionally created without eggs. But Genevieve Meli, an associate professor of baking and pastry arts at the Culinary Institute of America, thinks most desserts can be made eggless with some trial and error. “The only thing I’d stay away from are confections like nougat,” she said. “That’s pure chemistry.”
If you do want to try making an eggy recipe eggless, experiment with the substitutions below, ordered by most to least versatile:
Egg Substitutes For Baking and Sweets
The Substitute: Flax gel
How to Make It: For each large egg, which weighs about 50 grams, mix 7 grams (1 tablespoon) flax meal with 43 grams (3 tablespoons) water and let sit until thickened like gel, 5 to 10 minutes.
What It Can Do: Bind ingredients and add structure, moisture and fat.
Where to Use It: Cookies; bars; denser cakes; cupcakes; muffins; yeast rolls
Flax “eggs” are the most versatile substitute because flax contains fat, has a subtle nutty taste that pairs with just about any sweet and binds ingredients together well. Meli, who recently wrote “Baking an Impact: Small Changes for More Sustainable Baking,” recommends starting with whole flaxseeds and grinding them yourself in a spice grinder because the fat in flax makes preground meal go rancid quickly. She also says that, for most baked goods, whole chia seeds can be used in the same way in the same proportions. Both substitutes would benefit from adding a pinch more of baking powder to the mix.
The Substitute: Aquafaba
How to Make It: Drain a can of chickpeas in a strainer set over a bowl. That cloudy elixir is aquafaba. It should be as viscous as an egg white; if it isn’t, simmer it to thicken. For one whole egg, use 57 grams (1/4 cup) and for one egg white, use 29 grams (2 tablespoons).
What It Can Do: Add moisture and, if beaten to peaks, provide lift.
Where to Use It: Meringues; Pavlova; sheet cakes; brownies; yeast breads; pancakes
It’s a cloudy miracle, the way this bean liquid can be whisked into stiff white peaks that resemble egg whites. It’s stable enough to top a pie (and can even be torched) and to bake into crunchy meringues, but it doesn’t have quite enough structure to hold up a tall cake or keep cookies from crumbling. For desserts that require beaten yolks and whites, like a chiffon cake, Meli suggests using aquafaba to replace the whites and flax gel for the yolks. Without whipping, aquafaba can be simply stirred into batters or doughs for squat goodies with a larger proportion of other binding ingredients, such as wheat flour or chocolate.
The Substitute: Mashed banana or applesauce
How to Make It: Smash a very ripe banana until smooth or purée cooked apples (or buy applesauce with apples listed as the only ingredient). For each ingredient, 60 grams (1/4 cup) should be used in place of each egg.
What It Can Do: Add moisture, bind ingredients and provide some structure.
Where to Use It: Drop cookies; muffins; quick breads; pancakes; yeast rolls; carrot cake
The natural sweetness of these fruits should be used in treats that pair with their flavors. Banana deepens chocolate, caramel and vanilla, and applesauce enriches anything with warm spices, maple and dried fruit. The two go well with nuts. When swapping these fruits for eggs, Meli stirs in a little flavorless oil to compensate for lost richness.
Two other popular egg substitutes for an airy rise are carbonated water as well as a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, but Meli considers both options too unpredictable for success.
Egg Substitutes for Savory Dishes
The Substitute: Tofu
How to Make It: Buy fresh containers and drain well.
What It Can Do: Resemble creamy eggs; add moisture
Where to Use It: Savory egg dishes; creamy sauces
When seasoned with bold flavors and stirred well in a pan, firm tofu tastes pretty close to scrambled eggs. Silken tofu blends into a smooth purée that mimics the creaminess you get from sauces like hollandaise; you can substitute a tablespoon per yolk and add some butter or oil for richness.
The Substitute: Mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, or pumpkin purée
How to Make It: Make plain, creamy mashed potatoes or buy canned sweet potato or pumpkin purée. Use 60 grams (1/4 cup) per whole egg.
What It Can Do: Bind ingredients; act as glue
Where to Use It: Meatballs; meatloaf; breaded meat
These starchy vegetables help ground meat mixtures hold together and crumb coatings cling to chicken cutlets or pork chops destined for pan-frying. Mashed potatoes make the most sense for savory dishes and lend a buttery, creamy flavor. For dishes with warm spices, try sweet potatoes or pumpkin. In all cases, be sure to use a very thin coating for breading meat.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
