The Best Egg Substitutes for Baking

Eggs are one of the most common ingredients in baking, whether you’re whipping up a batch of homemade cookies or trying a new cake mix recipe. They’re so useful in baked recipes because of everything that they do: The egg whites add volume and act as a drying and leavening agent, while the yolks provide fat, which adds flavor, tenderness and protein. The yolks also act as an emulsifier, helping to blend liquids that are hard to combine, like oil and water.

If you’ve run out of eggs, or you’re looking to make a vegan recipe, there are plenty of egg substitutes for baking that can save the day. Pick your egg substitute based on the type of recipe you’re making so your cookies, cakes and sweet breads will turn out perfectly (and perfectly egg-free).

The Best Egg Substitutes for Muffins

Easy bakes like muffins call for simple egg substitutes. We like mashed bananas or applesauce, though keep in mind that some banana flavor might shine through. That’s fine for some recipes, like coffee cake muffins, but you probably don’t want to taste banana in your sweet corn muffins!

To use this egg substitute, mash one ripe banana or measure 1/4 cup of applesauce to replace each egg. If you don’t have either, you can try 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin per egg instead. You’ll only want to replace up to two eggs total, or the muffins might not turn out as intended.

The Best Egg Substitutes for Cookies

Sometimes you need a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and you need it now. The best egg substitute for cookies is chia seeds! Mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 teaspoons of water for each egg you’re replacing. Let it sit and thicken until it reaches a gelatinous texture. Then, you’re set to use it in your cookie dough.

The Best Egg Substitutes for Breads

The same egg substitutes for baking that work for muffins—applesauce, bananas and pumpkin—will work for sweet quick breads like pear bread.

For yeast breads and savory quick breads, like this cheesy garlic herb quick bread, go with ground flaxseed. While flaxseed’s nutty and seedy profile can add an unwelcome texture to sweet loaves, it works well in savory breads. To use flaxseed as an egg substitute for baking, whisk 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until a thick gel forms. Then, get going on your bread dough!

You can experiment with using chia seeds as an egg replacement in your bread recipes, too, if you have those on hand more often. Follow the directions above.

The Best Egg Substitutes for Brownies and Bars

Because of their thick, fudgy and generally dense consistency, silken tofu is the best egg substitute for baking brownies and other kinds of bars. Unlike firm or extra firm tofu, silken tofu will blend in seamlessly to your baked goods. Add 1/4 cup of pureed silken tofu per egg to bakes like double chocolate brownies, chocolate chip cookie bars and dense breads.

The Best Egg Substitutes for Cakes

In cake recipes like angel food cake that call for egg whites only, the liquid in a can of chickpeas, known as aquafaba, works as an egg substitute when whipped. Use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba per egg white. Whip it with a hand mixer until it reaches a foamy consistency. Aquafaba can be used in macarons, too!

The Best Egg Substitutes for Cheesecakes

Cheesecake recipes are known for their high amount of eggs (they are baked custards, after all), but it is possible to use an egg replacement. Penny Stankiewicz, former pastry instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, found that aquafaba makes an excellent egg substitute in our Basque cheesecake recipe.

As a general rule of thumb, 3 tablespoons of aquafaba can replace one egg. Since aquafaba has a pronounced chickpea flavor, this substitute works best with flavored cheesecakes. Keep in mind, the cheesecake will take a bit longer to bake with the aquafaba replacement, and you’ll see a little moisture boil out as it bakes, but these are normal occurrences.

Tips for Baking with Egg Substitutes

• Don’t replace more than two eggs: For any baked good, only replace two of the total eggs that the recipe calls for. Any more than that, and the flavor and texture will be noticeably altered. If you’re not worried about making a dish vegan and you have an egg to spare, leave at least 1 whole egg in the recipe.
• You can even replace the egg in meringue: Aquafaba works as an egg substitute for a meringue, too. You’ll need to whip it until it’s a little stiffer.
• Consider egg whites: When making store-bought cake mixes, you can get away with using just egg whites as your substitute for whole eggs because the mixes usually include other ingredients that help with tenderness and texture. Two egg whites—or 1/4 cup of fat-free egg substitute—can replace 1 whole egg. Of course, that’s not a solution if you’re looking to make an egg-free recipe!

Now that you know the best egg substitutes for baking, learn how to replace other common baking ingredients like butter, brown sugar and flour in our guide to baking substitutes.