Egg replacer powder substitutes

The most reliable everyday swap and the one most vegan baking is built on. The soluble fibre forms a thick gel that binds a crumb the way egg protein does, so cookies hold together and muffins do not fall apart. What changes is visible and honest: a slightly nuttier flavour, small brown specks throughout, a marginally denser and moister crumb, and a bake that browns a little less on top.

Best for

muffins and quick breads, cookies and brownies, pancakes and waffles, veggie burgers and meatballs

Grind whole flaxseed fresh if you can, since preground meal loses its gelling power as it ages. Use golden flaxseed rather than brown if the specks bother you in a pale cake.

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. 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.

The most versatile of the lot and the only one on this list that whips. 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.

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. 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.

Adds moisture and binds acceptably, and it is the swap most likely to already be in the house. 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 ¼ tsp baking powder per egg to claw back some of the lost lift, and do not use this in more than two eggs' worth.

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. 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.

Worth stating, because plenty of people find egg replacer in a recipe they have no reason to avoid eggs in. 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.