The most common egg replacements and how they work

Eggs do three things in baking: they bind ingredients together, they add moisture, and they help baked goods rise. No single replacement does all three equally well, so which one you choose depends on what you're baking. For most cakes, cookies, and quick breads, applesauce, mashed banana, or commercial egg replacer will work. For recipes where rise matters most—like angel food cake or meringues—you'll need a different approach.

The reason eggs are hard to replace is that they're doing multiple jobs at once. A whole egg is about 75 percent water and 12 percent protein, with fat and lecithin (an emulsifier) mixed in. When you heat an egg, the protein sets and traps air bubbles. When you mix it, the lecithin helps oil and water stay blended. A replacement that adds moisture might not bind well. One that binds might make your cake dense. Understanding what each substitute does best will save you from dry brownies or cookies that won't hold together.

Key Takeaways

  • Applesauce and mashed banana work well in cakes, brownies, and muffins where moisture and binding matter more than rise.
  • Aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas) can be whipped like egg whites and works for meringues, mousses, and angel food cake.
  • Commercial egg replacers like Bob's Red Mill or Ener-G are formulated to mimic eggs in most recipes and need to be mixed with water before use.
  • Flax or chia seed mixed with water creates a gel that binds well but adds a slight nutty flavor and works best in dense baked goods.
  • Some recipes need two or three substitutes combined—for example, applesauce for moisture plus cornstarch for binding—to get the texture right.

Applesauce and mashed banana for moisture and binding

Use 1/4 cup applesauce or mashed banana for each whole egg the recipe calls for. These work best in recipes where the batter is already wet—brownies, chocolate cakes, zucchini bread, and muffins. They add moisture and help hold the batter together, but they don't help baked goods rise much, so avoid them in angel food cake or soufflés.

Applesauce is milder in flavor and won't change the taste of your baked good. Mashed banana will add banana flavor, which works in chocolate or spice cakes but can overpower delicate flavors like vanilla. Both make the crumb slightly denser and more moist than an egg would. If your recipe is already rich (like a brownie), this is an advantage. If you're making a light sponge cake, the result will be heavier than you want.

One warning: applesauce and banana contain more water than eggs do, so if you're replacing more than two eggs, reduce other liquids in the recipe by about 1/4 cup per egg replaced. Otherwise your batter will be too thin and your cake will sink in the middle.

Aquafaba for whipping and rise

Aquafaba is the starchy liquid inside a can of chickpeas (or other beans). Use 3 tablespoons of aquafaba for each whole egg, or 2 tablespoons for each egg white. It's the only common replacement that can be whipped into stiff peaks like egg whites, which makes it the right choice for meringues, mousses, chiffon cakes, and any recipe that depends on airy foam.

Aquafaba works because the starch and protein in the liquid stabilize air bubbles the same way egg white does. You can whip it with a hand mixer or stand mixer for about 5 to 10 minutes until it holds peaks. It won't taste like chickpeas—it's nearly flavorless—so it won't change your dessert's flavor. The texture will be nearly identical to egg white foam, though it may deflate slightly faster if you're not careful.

The catch is that aquafaba only replaces egg whites, not whole eggs. If a recipe calls for whole eggs and you want to use aquafaba, you'll need to add fat separately—usually melted butter or oil—to replace the yolk. For a recipe that calls for three whole eggs, use 6 tablespoons aquafaba (for the whites) plus 3 tablespoons melted butter or oil (for the yolks).

Commercial egg replacers for all-purpose baking

Products like Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer, Ener-G Egg Replacer, and Orgran No Egg are powders made from starches, gums, and leavening agents designed to mimic whole eggs. Follow the package directions—most call for mixing the powder with water to form a paste, then using that paste as you would an egg. Typically it's about 1.5 teaspoons powder plus 2.5 tablespoons water per whole egg, but check your brand.

These work in most cakes, cookies, and quick breads because they're formulated to bind, add moisture, and provide some lift all at once. They're more reliable than improvised replacements if you're baking something you've never made before. The downside is they cost more than applesauce or banana, and they won't work as well as aquafaba if you need to whip something into peaks.

Store-bought egg replacers also sometimes leave a slightly grainy texture or a faint aftertaste, depending on the brand. If you're sensitive to that, test with a small batch first. Most people won't notice the difference in a chocolate cake or brownie, but it may be more obvious in a delicate vanilla cake or custard.

Flax and chia seed gels for binding

Mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or chia seed with 3 tablespoons water and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens into a gel. Use this gel as you would one whole egg. Flax and chia are excellent binders and work well in cookies, brownies, and dense cakes where you don't need much rise.

Both add a subtle nutty flavor that works in chocolate, spice, and whole-grain baked goods but can compete with vanilla or lemon. They also add fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, which some people prefer. The texture will be slightly denser than with an egg, similar to applesauce.

The main limitation is that flax and chia gels don't add much moisture, so they work best in recipes that already have plenty of liquid. In a dry cookie dough, they can make the result crumbly. They also won't help baked goods rise, so skip them for cakes that depend on lift.

Combining replacements for better results

Sometimes one replacement isn't enough. If you're making a cake that needs both moisture and rise, you might use applesauce for moisture plus a bit of baking powder for lift. If you're making cookies that need to hold together but stay tender, you might use a flax gel plus a tablespoon of cornstarch.

A useful combination is applesauce plus cornstarch: use 1/4 cup applesauce plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch per whole egg. The applesauce adds moisture and flavor, and the cornstarch helps bind without adding extra liquid. This works well in cakes and brownies.

Another is aquafaba plus oil: use 3 tablespoons aquafaba plus 1 tablespoon neutral oil per whole egg. This replaces both the white and the yolk and works in most recipes. You can whip the aquafaba first if the recipe needs aeration, or mix it in gently if you want to keep the batter smooth.

Which recipes are hardest to adapt without eggs

Some baked goods are nearly impossible to replace eggs in without changing the recipe significantly. Angel food cake, for example, is 90 percent whipped egg white. You can make it with aquafaba, but you'll need to follow a recipe written specifically for aquafaba, not just substitute it into a traditional recipe.

Custards, cream pies, and other recipes where eggs are the main structure (not just a binder) are also difficult. Eggs set when heated, creating a creamy texture that no plant-based replacement does exactly the same way. You can make a custard-like dessert with cornstarch or tapioca starch, but it won't taste or feel like the original.

Soufflés and other recipes that depend entirely on whipped egg foam are possible with aquafaba, but they're finicky. The aquafaba foam is slightly less stable than egg white foam, so you have less margin for error. If you're new to egg-free baking, start with brownies or chocolate cake, not a soufflé.

How to know which replacement to try first

Look at what the recipe is asking eggs to do. If it's a brownie or chocolate cake where eggs are mostly adding moisture and binding, start with applesauce. If it's a cookie where you need structure but not much rise, try a flax gel. If it's a cake that's supposed to be light and airy, use aquafaba or a commercial egg replacer.

Check the recipe's total liquid content too. If it already has a lot of milk, yogurt, or oil, you can use a drier replacement like flax. If it's a dry dough, use something moist like applesauce. And if you're not sure, a commercial egg replacer is your safest bet because it's designed to work in most recipes.

Keep notes on what you try. Baking is chemistry, and what works in one recipe might not work in another. Once you find a replacement that works for your favorite chocolate cake, you'll know to use it again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use oil or milk instead of eggs?

Oil adds fat but doesn't bind or help baked goods rise, so it won't replace an egg on its own. Milk adds moisture but also doesn't bind. You can use them to replace some of the liquid in a recipe, but you'll still need a binder like applesauce, flax, or aquafaba to replace the egg itself.

Do egg replacements work in cookies?

Yes, but it depends on the cookie. Soft, cake-like cookies work well with applesauce or a commercial replacer. Crispy cookies and shortbread are harder because eggs add structure and help them spread evenly. You may need to adjust the recipe—add a bit more flour or reduce liquid—to get the right texture.

Will my baked goods taste different?

Applesauce, banana, and aquafaba are nearly flavorless, so most people won't taste a difference. Flax and chia add a subtle nutty flavor that some people notice. Commercial egg replacers are usually neutral. The biggest difference is usually texture, not taste.

Can I use a replacement in a recipe that calls for separating eggs?

Only if you use aquafaba. Use aquafaba for the whites (2 tablespoons per egg white) and add oil or melted butter for the yolks (1 tablespoon per yolk). For recipes that call for whole eggs mixed together, use a single replacement like applesauce or a commercial replacer.

How do I know if my baked good failed because of the egg replacement?

If your cake is dense and heavy, you probably used too much moisture (applesauce or banana). If it's dry and crumbly, you used a replacement that doesn't add enough liquid (like flax). If it didn't rise at all, you used a replacement that doesn't help with lift (like flax or chia). Adjust the replacement or add a bit more baking powder next time.