Egg wash substitutes

Egg wash substitutes — 8 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Also called eggwash, egg glaze, pastry glaze, bread wash, vegan egg wash

Use thisBest of 8 options

Use Heavy cream or half-and-half

Brush on neat

Heavy cream is the closest thing most kitchens have: brush it on thin and you get most of the color with a soft satin sheen rather than a hard gloss. For a dairy-free wash, 1 tbsp of aquafaba with ½ tsp of maple syrup browns and shines better than any plant milk on its own. Milk browns lightly and dries matte, and oil gives sheen with no extra color at all.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Brush a thin, even film. Cream is thicker than egg wash, so it pools easily, and a pool bakes into a pale, greasy patch.
Best for —: when color matters more than gloss
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

Checked 22 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps

But first: what’s the egg wash doing?

Pick your case

Which part of the finish do you actually care about: color, shine, or making something stick?

Heavy cream is the best of the common options because fat and milk sugars both brown. Whole milk works and dries matte. Skim milk barely does anything.
Notes on heavy cream or half-and-half or milk
Brush on neat
Aquafaba is the answer, because it is the only common plant option with enough protein to dry into a film. Add ½ tsp of maple syrup per tablespoon to push the color.
Notes on aquafaba or plant milk + maple syrup
1 tbsp + ½ tsp maple
Anything watery will glue them: water on its own is enough, and milk or aquafaba does it while adding color. Do not use oil or melted butter here, because fat makes the surface slippery and the seeds slide off in the oven.
Notes on aquafaba, milk or water
1 tbsp + ½ tsp maple
Melted butter or oil is what you want, and it is not a compromise here: fat keeps the crust tender instead of setting it hard. Brush it on when the bread comes out of the oven as well as before.
Notes on melted butter or neutral oil
Brush on warm
Nothing matches whole egg or yolk for that, because only egg protein dries to a hard film. If you have eggs, use a yolk plus 1 tsp of cream. If you do not, accept a satin finish and choose aquafaba with maple.
Notes on aquafaba
1 tbsp + ½ tsp maple

Decide which part of the finish you care about, because no substitute delivers all three. For color, use heavy cream, or any wash with a little maple syrup whisked in. For gloss as well as color without egg or dairy, use aquafaba. For a soft crust, use melted butter, and brush it on again the moment the bread leaves the oven. For gluing seeds or sealing a pie edge, use something watery, never fat. And if you need the hard mirror gloss of a challah, only egg does that.

Job by job3 jobs

An egg wash is not an ingredient in the dough, it is a coating that changes what the crust looks like. Egg protein and sugar brown together in the oven, and the film dries to a hard gloss, so a wash does three things: it deepens the color, it makes the surface shine, and it glues seeds and pastry edges down. Every substitute gives up at least one of those.

Bindingsecondary

It is also glue: it holds sesame or poppy seeds and coarse sugar in place and seals the crimped edge of a pie or an empanada so it does not spring open.

Setting & gellingsecondary

The egg protein coagulates into a thin, hard film, and that film is what makes a challah or a lattice pie glossy rather than merely darker.

Browning & colorprimary

Protein and sugar in the wash brown on the surface long before the dough underneath would, which is what makes the difference between a pale bun and a deep mahogany one.

Every option, one card

Ranked · per 1 egg wash

Egg Wash substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 egg wash	Verdict
1	Heavy cream or half-and-halfwhen color matters more than gloss	About 2 tbsp heavy cream or half-and-half, straight from the cartonTweak it	Tweak it
2	Aquafabavegan bakes that need a real glaze	1 tbsp + ½ tsp maple syrup, whisked until slightly frothyTweak it	Tweak it
3	Milka soft matte crust rather than a shiny one	About 2 tbsp whole milkYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Melted butterdinner rolls, sandwich bread and naan that should stay soft	1-2 tbsp melted butterYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Maple syrup or honeysweet buns, babka and fruit pastries	1 tsp maple syrup or honey thinned with 1 tsp waterYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
6	Plant milk + maple syrupeveryday vegan baking	2 tbsp unsweetened soy or oat milk + ½ tsp maple syrupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
7	Neutral oilflatbreads, focaccia and savory pastry where olive oil belongs	1 tbsp, or olive oil where its flavor suitsYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
8	Watersealing the crimped edge of a pie or empanada	1 tbspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option8 options

Heavy cream or half-and-half

unchanged, slightly richer at the very surface

Cream browns well because it carries both milk sugars and milk protein, which makes it the closest common substitute for color, though it never sets to a hard shine.

Covers: Binding; Browning & color
Misses: Setting & gelling — not covered

What these mean

Amount: about 2 tbsp heavy cream or half-and-half, straight from the carton for 1 egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water)
Then: Brush a thin, even film. Cream is thicker than egg wash, so it pools easily, and a pool bakes into a pale, greasy patch.
Best for: when color matters more than gloss, scones, biscuits and pie crust, the swap you can make without leaving the kitchen
Texture: a softer crust than egg wash gives, and no crackle
Look: good golden color with a soft satin sheen instead of a hard gloss, and no sharp definition on a scored or braided top
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free
Contains: dairy

Brush it thinner than you would an egg wash: cream is heavier and streaks if you flood the surface.
For more color, whisk ¼ tsp of maple syrup or honey into the 2 tbsp: the extra sugar browns at a lower temperature.
Half-and-half and whole milk both work; skim milk browns very little because most of what browns is the fat and protein.

This is the one substitute a stranger is unlikely to notice on a scone. On a braided loaf, where the gloss is the point, they will.

It is dairy, and it will not seal a pie edge shut the way egg protein does.

Aquafaba

neutral once baked; slightly savory if the chickpeas were salted

The liquid from canned chickpeas carries enough protein to dry into a thin glossy film, which makes it the only dairy-free and egg-free wash that gives shine as well as color.

Covers: Binding; Setting & gelling; Browning & color

What these mean

Amount: 1 tbsp aquafaba + ½ tsp maple syrup, whisked until slightly frothy for 1 egg wash
Then: Whisk it just enough to loosen, not to foam, or the bubbles dry as visible dots on the crust.
Best for: vegan bakes that need a real glaze, gluing seeds and coarse sugar down, when you want gloss without egg or dairy
Texture: a thin crisp film, close to egg wash but less brittle
Look: glossy and golden but a shade lighter than whole egg, and it holds the definition on a braid or a scored top better than any dairy wash
Prep: Whisk 1 tbsp aquafaba with ½ tsp maple syrup until just loosened, then brush thinly.
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free

Add ½ tsp of maple syrup or agave per tablespoon. Aquafaba alone browns noticeably less than egg.
Use liquid from unsalted chickpeas, or the crust tastes faintly savory.
Give it two thin coats, the second about 10 minutes into the bake, for the closest thing to an egg gloss.

The one genuinely surprising option here: it works because it is protein in water, which is exactly what an egg wash is.

Two thin coats is the ceiling; a thick one dries with a slightly wrinkled, papery surface.

Milk

unchanged

Whole milk gives light color and a matte, homely finish, and it is what most home bakers already use on a scone without thinking about it.

Covers: Binding; Browning & color
Misses: Setting & gelling — not covered

What these mean

Amount: about 2 tbsp whole milk for 1 egg wash
Then: Brush thinly and wipe any drips off the tray: milk that pools on the baking sheet scorches and smells burnt.
Best for: a soft matte crust rather than a shiny one, scones, soda bread and simple buns, sticking seeds on when you have nothing else
Texture: a softer, thinner crust with no crackle at all
Look: light golden and distinctly matte; a braided or scored top loses its definition and looks blurred rather than defined
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free
Contains: dairy

Use whole milk. Skim gives almost no color because the fat and protein are what brown.
Add ¼ tsp of maple syrup or sugar per 2 tbsp if you want it noticeably darker.
Expect to bake 2-3 minutes longer to reach the color you would have got from egg.

Milk is the default answer everywhere online, and it is fine, but it is a lighter and flatter finish than an egg wash, not an equivalent one.

It cannot seal pastry edges and it will not gloss anything.

Melted butter

buttery at the surface

Melted butter browns a little from its milk solids and keeps a crust tender rather than setting it, which makes it right for soft breads and wrong for pastry that should shine.

Covers: Browning & color
Misses: Binding — not covered; Setting & gelling — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1-2 tbsp melted butter for 1 egg wash
Then: Brush it on in a thin film and get the tray straight into the oven. Butter that sits cools and beads, and it dries in patches where it beaded.
Best for: dinner rolls, sandwich bread and naan that should stay soft, brushing on after baking as well as before, when flavor at the surface is what you want
Taste: buttery at the surface, which is often an improvement on a dinner roll and out of place on a fruit pie
Texture: soft, tender crust with no crispness
Look: uneven, patchy sheen that dulls as it cools, with only light color and visible bead marks where the butter pooled
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free
Contains: dairy

Brush it a second time the moment the bread leaves the oven: that is where most of the flavor and shine comes from.
Keep it thin. A thick coat of butter runs down the sides and fries the base.
Do not use it under seeds or coarse sugar; fat is slippery and the topping falls off.

Butter is a finishing fat rather than a wash. Used before AND after baking it is genuinely better than an egg wash on a soft roll, and it is the wrong tool on a pie.

Soft breads only. Not a glaze, not a glue, and not for anything that needs a defined pattern on top.

Maple syrup or honey

clearly sweeter at the surface, with maple or honey flavor

A thinned sugar syrup that browns fast and dries sticky-glossy, which reads as shine even though nothing is setting into a film.

Covers: Binding; Browning & color
Misses: Setting & gelling — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 tsp maple syrup or honey thinned with 1 tsp water for 1 egg wash
Then: Thin it, or it bakes into sticky dark spots. On a bake longer than 25 minutes, brush it on in the last 10-15 minutes instead of at the start.
Best for: sweet buns, babka and fruit pastries, when you want visible shine on a dairy-free bake, the last ten minutes of a bake that is coming out too pale
Texture: slightly sticky and chewy where it dried, not crisp
Look: high shine and a fast, deep, red-brown color that can go too far if you apply it early
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free

Sugar browns at a lower temperature than protein, so drop the oven 25F/15C or apply it late in the bake.
Thin it 1:1 with water. Neat syrup sits in beads and burns before the crumb is done.
It adds sweetness, so use it on sweet doughs and not on a savory pie.

This is the trick behind most bakery buns: the shine on a finished bun is usually a syrup brushed on hot, not the wash it went in with.

Sweet bakes only, and never at the start of a long bake at 400F/200C or above.

Plant milk + maple syrup

very slightly sweet at the surface

A plant milk with a little sugar whisked in, which is the everyday dairy-free wash for color when gloss is not the point.

Covers: Binding; Browning & color
Misses: Setting & gelling — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 2 tbsp unsweetened soy or oat milk + ½ tsp maple syrup for 1 egg wash
Then: Whisk and brush thinly. Use soy if you have it: it has the most protein of the common plant milks, so it browns the most.
Best for: everyday vegan baking, a matte, evenly golden finish, sticking seeds and oats to a loaf
Texture: a soft crust with no crackle
Look: even light-golden matte color, no gloss, and blurred definition on scored or braided tops
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, nut-free
Contains: soy

The maple syrup is doing most of the work; plain almond milk browns very little because it is low in both protein and sugar.
Use unsweetened and unflavored, or vanilla notes turn up on a savory pie.
Add 2-3 minutes to the bake to reach the color you wanted.

Soy browns best, oat next because of its sugars, and almond least. That ranking is the whole difference between a good vegan wash and a disappointing one.

Color only. If you need shine, use aquafaba instead.

Neutral oil

neutral, or grassy with olive oil

Oil wets the surface so it catches the light, and because it contains no protein and no sugar it adds no color whatsoever.

Misses: Binding — not covered; Setting & gelling — not covered; Browning & color — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 tbsp neutral oil, or olive oil where its flavor suits for 1 egg wash
Then: Brush the thinnest film you can and bake immediately. Oil does not brown, so this is a sheen, not a glaze.
Best for: flatbreads, focaccia and savory pastry where olive oil belongs, when you want a sheen and the recipe is already dark enough, vegan puff pastry, where fat suits the layers
Texture: slightly crisper on a flatbread, softer on bread
Look: a faint sheen that dulls as it cools, no added color, and no gloss or crackle at all
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free

Expect no extra color at all: if the bake needs to look darker, this is the wrong choice.
Do not use it under seeds, which will slide off a greasy surface.
On a long bake, brush again halfway through, because the first coat is absorbed.

The right choice on focaccia and the wrong one on a pie lid, and the difference is not subtle: a pie brushed with oil comes out looking raw.

Sheen only. It replaces none of the three things a wash is for.

Water

unchanged

Plain water glues seeds and seals pastry edges and does nothing else, which is occasionally exactly what you need.

Covers: Binding
Misses: Setting & gelling — not covered; Browning & color — not covered

What these mean

Amount: 1 tbsp water for 1 egg wash
Then: Brush it on where you need seeds to stick, or where two pieces of raw pastry have to seal to each other.
Best for: sealing the crimped edge of a pie or empanada, sticking seeds when you have no dairy and no chickpeas, a deliberately pale, rustic crust
Texture: a slightly crisper, drier crust
Look: pale, matte and floury: it will look distinctly underbaked next to an egg-washed version
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard
Suits: vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free

Accept that the crust stays pale. If you want color as well, dust the top with a little sugar over the water on a sweet bake.
Use it sparingly on pastry: too much water makes the surface soggy and the layers stick.

Worth knowing because water is the correct sealant for raw pastry to raw pastry, and fat is the wrong one.

A glue and nothing more. Never where the recipe's appearance depends on browning.

Don’t swap it here

4 cases

You need sesame seeds, poppy seeds, oats or coarse sugar to stay on top, and you are reaching for melted butter or oil.Use aquafaba, milk, or plain water, all of which dry tacky enough to hold a topping.
Sealing a pie edge, an empanada, a turnover or a hand pie shut.Brush the join with water, which is a real sealant for raw pastry, press it firmly and crimp. Egg white is better still if you have an egg.
You want the deep, hard, mirror-gloss finish of challah, brioche or a lattice-topped pie.If you have any egg at all, use a yolk beaten with 1 tsp of cream, which is the darkest and glossiest wash there is. If not, use aquafaba with maple and accept a satin finish.
Brushing a honey or maple wash on at the start of a 45-minute bake at 400F/200C or above.Apply it in the last 10-15 minutes, or drop the oven by 25F/15C and tent the top with foil once it reaches the color you want.

Safety

2 notes

Infant
Honey must not be given to infants under 12 months, including honey that has been baked into food. If you are baking for a baby under one year old, use maple syrup for the wash instead.
Source — CDC: Infant Botulism (opens in a new tab)
Allergen
Cream, milk and butter washes are dairy. Soy milk contains soy, and aquafaba is chickpea liquid, so treat it as a legume. A wash sits on the outside of the bake, so it cannot be picked off or ignored by someone avoiding an allergen.
Source — FDA: Food Allergies (opens in a new tab)

If it went wrong

4 fixes

The crust came out streaky, patchy or dull instead of evenly shiny.The wash pooled in the low spots, or melted butter beaded up and dried in islands, or it was brushed on and then left to sit before baking.Nothing will fix it after the bake, but a second thin coat 10 minutes into the next one evens it out. Brush thinly, wipe the excess from the crease of a braid, and get it into the oven straight away.
The seeds all fell off and are sitting on the baking tray.They were pressed onto a fatty surface: butter or oil rather than a watery wash.Brush the baked surface with a little warm honey or maple thinned with water and press the seeds back on while it is hot. Next time use aquafaba, milk or plain water, and press the seeds in firmly before baking.
The top went dark, almost burnt, while the inside was still raw.A sugar wash, honey or maple, applied at the start of a long hot bake.Tent it loosely with foil for the rest of the bake and lower the oven 25F/15C. Next time brush the syrup on in the last 10-15 minutes instead.
The crust is far paler than the recipe photo.A wash with little protein or sugar in it: skim milk, almond milk, oil or water.Whisk ½ tsp of maple syrup into 2 tbsp of whatever wash you used, brush a second coat on 10 minutes before the end, and give it 2-3 extra minutes in the oven.

Measure it

8 measures

How much wash you need1 large egg + 1 tbsp liquid covers about 2 dozen rolls or 2 pie crustsThis is why nobody measures a wash: you use roughly 1 tbsp per loaf or pie and throw the rest away.
Whole egg + 1 tbsp waterthe standard wash: golden, glossy, crispThe all-purpose version, and the baseline every substitute here is being compared against.
Whole egg + 1 tbsp milk or creamdeeper golden, softer sheenFat mutes the gloss slightly and adds color. Good on scones and enriched buns.
Yolk + 1 tsp creamthe darkest and glossiest wash there isWhat challah, brioche and lattice pies use. Nothing on the substitute list matches it.
Egg white + 1 tsp waterpale, very shiny, crisp; the best glueAlmost no browning because the color comes from the yolk. Use it when you want shine without extra color.
What actually brownsprotein and sugar, togetherThis ranks every substitute: cream beats whole milk beats skim; soy milk beats oat beats almond; oil and water brown not at all.
Sugar washesadd ¼ to ½ tsp maple syrup, honey or sugar per 2 tbsp of any dairy-free washThe cheapest way to close the color gap between a plant wash and an egg one.
Brush thicknessa thin, even film with no poolsPooled wash bakes into pale, wrinkled patches, and wash that runs onto the tray scorches and smells burnt.

Questions

8 questions

What is the best substitute for egg wash?

Heavy cream if you have it, brushed on thin: it browns well because it carries both milk fat and milk sugars, though it dries to a soft sheen rather than a hard gloss. For a vegan wash, 1 tbsp of aquafaba with ½ tsp of maple syrup is the closest thing to egg, because it has enough protein to dry into a film. Milk gives light matte color, and oil gives sheen with no color at all.

Can I use milk instead of egg wash?

Yes, and it is what most home bakers use on scones. Use whole milk, brush it thin, and expect a light golden, matte finish rather than a glossy one, plus 2-3 minutes more in the oven to reach the color you wanted. Skim milk browns very little. Whisk in ¼ tsp of maple syrup or sugar per 2 tbsp if you want it noticeably darker.

What does an egg wash actually do?

Three things, and each substitute gives up at least one. It browns, because its protein and sugars color the surface long before the dough would. It sets into a thin hard film, which is where the gloss comes from. And it glues, holding seeds on and sealing a pie edge shut. Once you know which of the three you need, choosing the substitute is easy.

What is a good vegan egg wash?

Aquafaba, the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas, whisked with ½ tsp of maple syrup per tablespoon. It is the only common plant-based option with enough protein to dry glossy. If you have no chickpeas, use unsweetened soy milk with maple whisked in: soy has the most protein of the plant milks, so it browns best, with oat next and almond last.

Can I use melted butter instead of egg wash?

On soft breads, yes, and it is genuinely good there: brush it before baking and again as soon as the bread comes out. But butter contains no protein or sugar to speak of, so it adds little color, dries patchy where it beads, and keeps the crust soft rather than crisp. Do not use it on pie pastry, and never under seeds, which will slide off.

How do I make seeds stick without egg wash?

Brush the surface with anything watery and press the seeds in firmly: aquafaba, milk, or plain water all work. Avoid butter and oil, which make the surface slippery so the seeds fall off in the oven. If they have already fallen off a baked loaf, brush it with a little warm thinned honey or maple and press them back on while it is hot.

Will any substitute give the same shine as egg wash?

Not quite. The hard mirror gloss comes from egg protein coagulating into a film, and the glossiest version of all is a yolk beaten with 1 tsp of cream. Aquafaba with maple is the closest substitute and gets most of the way there in two thin coats. Everything else gives color, sheen or softness instead. If gloss is the point of the bake, that is worth knowing before you start.

Do I have to use a wash at all?

No. A bake with no wash simply comes out paler and matte, which suits a rustic loaf or a floury-topped pie well. Brushing with plain water gives a slightly crisper crust, and a dusting of flour gives a deliberate matte finish. The one case where you cannot skip it is where the recipe needs the wash as glue, for seeds or for a sealed pastry edge.

Tips for substituting egg wash

8 tips

A wash is a coating, not an ingredient: brush a thin, even film and wipe out any pools, because pooled wash bakes pale and wrinkled.
Only protein and sugar brown. That single fact ranks every option: cream over whole milk over skim, soy milk over oat over almond, and oil or water not at all.
Whisk ½ tsp of maple syrup into 2 tbsp of any dairy-free wash to close most of the color gap with egg.
Never use butter or oil under seeds or coarse sugar. Fat is slippery and the topping ends up on the tray.
Water is the correct glue for sealing raw pastry to raw pastry, so use it on pie crimps and empanada edges even if you are washing the top with something else.
For soft breads, brush melted butter on before AND after baking; the second coat gives most of the flavor and shine.
On a bake longer than 25 minutes, apply any honey or maple wash in the last 10-15 minutes so it does not burn.
Two thin coats beat one thick one: brush again about 10 minutes into the bake for a more even shine.

Sources — CDC: Infant Botulism (opens in a new tab), FDA: Food Allergies (opens in a new tab)

Eggs drawer All ingredients