Egg Replacer Powder substitute

Best substitute

Flax egg

Use 1 tbsp ground flaxseed plus 3 tbsp water for every egg, rested 5 minutes

Best for muffins and quick breads

Taste and texture differ

For each egg the recipe wants, a flax egg is the everyday answer: whisk 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed into 3 tablespoons of water and leave it five minutes to gel. It binds just as well as the boxed powder in muffins, cookies, brownies and quick breads. For anything pale where you do not want brown flecks, use 3 tablespoons of aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked into 3 tablespoons of water. And whichever you pick, add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder per egg, because lift is the second thing the commercial powder is quietly providing and the homemade versions do not.

Other egg replacer powder substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Chia egg
Different texture
Use 1 tbsp ground chia seed plus 3 tbsp water for every egg, rested 10 minutes
Works on exactly the same principle as a flax egg and gels even more firmly, which makes it slightly better at holding a crumbly batter together and slightly worse in a delicate cake, where it can read as gummy.
What changes
The flavour is more neutral than flax, but whole chia leaves black flecks that are unmistakable in anything pale.
Best for
dense cakes and brownies, muffins, energy bars and cookies, binding burger patties
Grind the seeds for a smoother gel and fewer visible specks, and give it a full ten minutes since chia hydrates more slowly than flax. White chia is less conspicuous.
3Aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas
Close match
3 tbsp per whole egg, 2 tbsp per egg white
The most versatile of the lot and the only one on this list that whips.
What changes
It is nearly flavourless and completely colourless, so it leaves a pale cake pale, and whipped to stiff peaks it genuinely makes meringues, macarons and mousses, which no starch-based replacer can do. As a plain binder it is a little weaker than flax, so very lean batters can turn out slightly crumbly.
Best for
meringues and macarons, pale cakes and sponges, mousses and marshmallow, mayonnaise and aioli
Use the liquid from unsalted or low-salt chickpeas, and reduce it in a pan by a third if it looks thin and watery. It whips faster with a pinch of cream of tartar, and it can take ten minutes or more to reach stiff peaks.
4Cornstarch or potato starch slurry plus baking powder
Close match
Use 1 tbsp starch plus 3 tbsp water plus ¼ tsp baking powder for every egg
The closest homemade version of what is actually in the box, since the commercial powders are essentially potato and tapioca starch with a leavening agent.
What changes
It is completely neutral in flavour and colour, binds adequately, and the baking powder covers the lift. It is a slightly weaker binder than flax, so it suits cakes and muffins better than anything that needs to hold a shape.
Best for
pale cakes, muffins, pancakes, recipes calling specifically for egg replacer
Whisk the starch into cold water until no lumps remain before it goes in, and add it with the wet ingredients. Do not increase the starch to compensate for a lot of eggs, since too much makes the crumb chalky.
5Unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe banana
Taste and texture differ
Use ¼ cup for every egg
Adds moisture and binds acceptably, and it is the swap most likely to already be in the house.
What changes
Both make the crumb noticeably moister, denser and more fudgy, and both reduce the rise, so a cake made this way sits lower and slices heavier. Applesauce is fairly neutral; banana unmistakably tastes of banana, which is welcome in brownies and muffins and wrong in a vanilla cake.
Best for
brownies and dense chocolate cakes, muffins and loaf cakes, oat bars
Cut a tablespoon or two of sugar from the recipe, since both add sweetness. Add 1/4 tsp baking powder per egg to claw back some of the lost lift, and do not use this in more than two eggs' worth.
6Silken tofu, blended smooth
Different texture
Use ¼ cup blended silken tofu for every egg
Brings protein and richness rather than just starch, which makes it the best choice for anything custardy: brownies, cheesecakes, dense chocolate cakes and quiche-style bakes.
What changes
It contributes no lift at all and it holds a lot of water, so the result is fudgy and dense, and in a light sponge it produces something closer to a pudding.
Best for
brownies, baked cheesecakes, custard-style fillings, dense chocolate cakes
Blend it completely smooth first, because lumps of tofu do not disappear in the oven. Use silken, not firm, and drain off any pooled water before measuring.
7Real eggs
Different taste
Use 1 egg for every egg's worth of replacer, according to the packet
Worth stating, because plenty of people find egg replacer in a recipe they have no reason to avoid eggs in.
What changes
If nobody eating has an egg allergy and there is no vegan requirement, one egg replaces one egg's worth of replacer and the result will be better in every respect: more lift, more browning, better structure and richer flavour.
Best for
any recipe where eggs are not being avoided for allergy or dietary reasons
Never make this swap for someone else without asking. Egg allergy is one of the more serious food allergies and is not a preference.

What is Egg Replacer Powder?

Egg Replacer Powder is Egg replacer powder is a boxed blend of starches, usually potato starch and tapioca starch with a leavening agent, that stands in for eggs in baking and is sold under names such as Ener-G Egg Replacer, Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer and Orgran No Egg.

Cooking tips

Know what the powder is and is not doing. Commercial egg replacer covers two of the several jobs an egg does: it binds, because starch glues a crumb together, and it lifts a little, because of the leavening in the blend. It does not provide richness, browning, emulsification or the protein structure that sets a custard or holds a meringue, which is why some recipes cannot be converted at all.
Three eggs is roughly the ceiling. In a recipe calling for one or two eggs any of these swaps works well; at four or more, the eggs were providing structure rather than moisture and no amount of starch or flax gel will hold the thing up. Look for a recipe designed to be egg-free instead of converting one.
Egg-free bakes brown much less, because the proteins and sugars that give an egg-washed crust its colour are simply absent. Brush the top with plant milk mixed with a little maple syrup for colour, and expect to bake five minutes longer, judging doneness by a skewer rather than by how brown the top looks.
Let the batter stand ten minutes before it goes in the oven when you are using a starch or seed gel. The starches keep hydrating and thickening, and a batter that rests gives a noticeably better crumb than one rushed straight into the tin.
The one thing aquafaba does that nothing else here does is whip. If a recipe needs whipped whites, folded meringue or a mousse, aquafaba is not merely the best of these options, it is the only one, and it works genuinely well.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the egg out?

Sometimes. In a recipe with one egg and a decent amount of other liquid, such as a muffin or a quick bread, you can often leave it out and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra liquid plus 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, and the result will be a little crumblier but fine. In a recipe with two or more eggs, or in anything that depends on egg for setting, leaving them out will fail.

Is egg replacer the same as the liquid egg substitute sold in cartons?

No, and this catches people out. Powdered egg replacer contains no egg at all and is made for vegan and egg-allergic baking. Liquid egg substitute in a carton is egg, usually mostly egg whites with colour and stabilisers, sold as a lower-cholesterol option. If you are avoiding eggs for allergy or ethical reasons, the carton is not for you.

Does egg replacer work for meringue?

No. Starch-based egg replacers cannot trap air the way egg white protein does, and no amount of whipping will produce meringue from them. Aquafaba is the substitute that does work here, whipping to genuinely stiff glossy peaks, though it takes longer than egg white and benefits from a pinch of cream of tartar.

Which substitute is best for cookies?

A flax egg, comfortably. Cookie dough needs binding above everything else, and flax gel binds better than any of the alternatives while its slight nuttiness suits chocolate chip, oatmeal and spice cookies well. The cookies will spread a little less and stay slightly softer in the centre than an egg version.

Do I need to add extra baking powder?

Usually yes, and this is the most common reason home conversions come out flat. Commercial egg replacer includes a leavening agent, while a flax egg, a chia egg or a plain starch slurry does not. An extra 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder per egg replaced puts back the lift, and it is a small enough amount that it will not leave a metallic taste.

Related substitutes

More eggs substitutes

Egg Replacer Powder substitute

Other egg replacer powder substitutes

2Chia egg

3Aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas

4Cornstarch or potato starch slurry plus baking powder

5Unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe banana

6Silken tofu, blended smooth

7Real eggs