Egg white substitutes
Egg white substitutes — 5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called egg whites, albumen, liquid egg whites, pasteurized egg whites, unbeaten egg white
Use Aquafaba
3 tbsp for every egg white
Aquafaba is the only common substitute that whips. Use 3 tbsp of the liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas per egg white, add 1/8 tsp cream of tartar, and expect to beat it three to five times as long as you would egg white. If the white is only binding a coating or a dough, a flax egg does that job instead, and nothing in the puree family will ever foam.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Drain 3 tbsp per white, chill, then whip with cream of tartar for 5-10 minutes to stiff peaks.
- Best for —
- when you need it to whip and cannot use egg
Checked 22 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what’s the egg white doing?
Pick your caseAre you beating the white to peaks, or just stirring it in?
Aquafaba is the only pantry option that foams, and meringue powder or dried egg white powder is the closest thing to the real ingredient. Full amounts and whipping times are on for meringue.
Notes on aquafaba, meringue powder or dried egg white powder
3 tbsp per egg white
Use meringue powder. It is the standard for royal icing precisely because it dries rigid and is safe uncooked; aquafaba icing stays softer and takes far longer to set.
Notes on meringue powder
2 tsp + 2 tbsp water
Raw shell egg carries a salmonella risk, so this is the case where the substitute is also the safer choice. Use pasteurized carton egg whites, meringue powder, or aquafaba, which needs no cooking at all. Cocktail-specific amounts are on for cocktails.
Notes on aquafaba or meringue powder
3 tbsp per egg white
No foaming needed, so a flax egg or a commercial replacer is fine, and so is 2 tbsp of water plus 1 tsp of oil for breading. This is the one branch where the cheap options genuinely work.
Notes on flax egg or commercial egg replacer
1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp water
Stop. At that point the whites are the whole structure and a substitute foam is not strong enough to hold a cake up. Bake something else, or find a recipe written without eggs.
One question decides it: are you beating the white to peaks or not? If you are, only aquafaba, meringue powder and dried egg white powder are in the running, and each needs its own handling. If you are not, the white was only gluing or wetting the mixture and a flax egg or a commercial replacer will do it. Fruit purees belong in the second group only, whatever else you read.
An egg white is protein dissolved in water and almost nothing else. Beaten, those proteins unfold and wrap around air bubbles, holding a foam up to eight times the starting volume; heated, they link into a rigid solid. That is why the white is what lifts a pavlova and what dries royal icing hard, and why fat, even a speck of yolk, ruins it.
Moisture & hydrationsecondary
It is nearly 90% water and no fat, so it wets a mixture without enriching it, which is why a white-only omelette or cake tastes lean.
Aerationprimary
Beating unfolds the proteins so they form skins around air bubbles, which is the entire lift in a pavlova, an angel food cake and a souffle: there is no other raising agent in them.
Bindingsecondary
Brushed on or stirred in, it glues: it makes breadcrumbs stick to a cutlet and holds a macaroon or a nut brittle together.
Setting & gellingsecondary
The protein coagulates at about 145-150F/63-65C, which is what turns a beaten foam into a crisp meringue shell and what makes royal icing dry hard enough to stack cookies.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 large egg white| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 large egg white | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquafabawhen you need it to whip and cannot use egg | 3 tbsp, the liquid drained from a can of unsalted chickpeasTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Meringue powderroyal icing that has to dry hard enough to stack | 2 tsp + 2 tbsp warm waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Dried egg white powderwhen you want plain egg white with no added sugar or starch | 2 tsp + 2 tbsp warm waterTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Flax eggwhen the white was only binding, not whipping | 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes to a gelYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Commercial egg replacerplain batters where flax flecks would show | 1 ½ tsp powdered egg replacer + 2 tbsp water, or the amount on the boxYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Unsweetened applesauce | not for whipping — 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce, and only in a sweet batterNot for this | Not for this |
Aquafaba
faintly beany when raw and neutral once baked or sweetened
The starchy liquid from canned chickpeas, whose dissolved protein and starch will form a foam that behaves remarkably like beaten egg white.
- Covers
- Moisture & hydration
- Aeration
- Binding
- Misses
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 3 tbsp aquafaba, the liquid drained from a can of unsalted chickpeas for 1 large egg white (2 tbsp, 30 g)
- Then
- Whip it with 1/8 tsp cream of tartar for 5-10 minutes, three to five times as long as egg white, until it holds a peak that does not fold over when you lift the beater.
- Best for
- when you need it to whip and cannot use egg, vegan meringue, mousse and macarons, cocktail foam, where nothing needs to be cooked
- Texture
- a softer, slacker foam that deflates sooner: a mousse holds a day rather than two, and baked meringue is more brittle and less chewy in the center
- Look
- whips glossy white but slightly less voluminous; baked shells dry a shade off-white and can bead or weep syrup where egg white would stay matte
- Prep
- Drain 3 tbsp per white, chill, then whip with cream of tartar for 5-10 minutes to stiff peaks.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, alcohol-free
- Allow 5-10 minutes of beating rather than 2-3. It looks like it is not working for the first several minutes and then suddenly turns white and thick.
- Add 1/8 tsp cream of tartar per 3 tbsp. Without an acid the foam collapses within the hour.
- Use the liquid from unsalted chickpeas. Salted brine tastes savory in a dessert, and the water you rinse drained chickpeas in is not aquafaba.
- If the canned liquid looks thin, simmer it down by about a third and cool it completely before whipping.
- For a baked meringue, add the sugar more slowly than usual, 1 tbsp at a time, and bake 25F/15C lower for longer.
Cans vary. Chickpeas in plain water give the thickest liquid, and a can that has been in the fridge whips faster than a warm one.
It foams but it never coagulates into set protein, so it cannot be the structure of an angel food cake and will not dry hard as royal icing.
Meringue powder
very slightly sweeter and faintly of vanilla in flavored brands
Dried egg white blended with sugar, cornstarch and a stabilizer, made for exactly this job, and pasteurized so it is safe in an icing nobody bakes.
- Covers
- Aeration
- Binding
- Setting & gelling
- Misses
- Moisture & hydration — not covered
- Amount
- 2 tsp meringue powder + 2 tbsp warm water for 1 large egg white
- Then
- Whisk it to a smooth slurry and let it stand 2 minutes to hydrate before you start beating. Check your tin: some brands specify 1 tbsp of powder per white for a stiffer royal icing.
- Best for
- royal icing that has to dry hard enough to stack, when the icing or frosting will not be cooked, a meringue you want to behave predictably
- Texture
- stiffer and more stable than fresh egg white, and royal icing made with it dries harder
- Look
- bright opaque white with a matte finish when dry; a piped meringue holds its ridges more sharply than fresh white does
- Prep
- Whisk 2 tsp powder into 2 tbsp warm water, rest 2 minutes, then beat as you would egg white.
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free
- Contains
- egg
- It already contains sugar, so cut the recipe's sugar by about 1 tsp per white replaced if you are making a sweet meringue.
- Use warm water, not cold, or the powder stays gritty.
- It whips stiffer than fresh white: for royal icing thin it back with water 1 tsp at a time until a ribbon drawn across the surface disappears in about 15 seconds.
This is the option professional cookie decorators use, and the reason is stability rather than convenience: the icing sets hard on schedule every time.
It is dried egg, so it is not vegan and not egg-free. It brings almost no water, which is why the amount includes its own.
Dried egg white powder
neutral, indistinguishable once baked
Pure pasteurized egg white with the water removed and nothing added, so once rehydrated it is the same ingredient rather than an imitation of it.
- Covers
- Aeration
- Binding
- Setting & gelling
- Misses
- Moisture & hydration — not covered
- Amount
- 2 tsp dried egg white powder + 2 tbsp warm water for 1 large egg white
- Then
- Sprinkle the powder over the water rather than the other way round, whisk, and leave it 5-10 minutes to rehydrate fully before beating.
- Best for
- when you want plain egg white with no added sugar or starch, strengthening a fresh-white meringue that has to hold overnight, a shelf-stable tin for baking when you have no eggs in
- Texture
- very close to fresh white, marginally stiffer and slower to reach soft peaks
- Look
- the same clean white foam; baked meringue browns and crisps just as fresh white does
- Prep
- Sprinkle 2 tsp over 2 tbsp warm water, whisk, rest 5-10 minutes, then beat.
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free
- Contains
- egg
- Give it the full rehydration time. Beaten too early it foams poorly and leaves gritty specks.
- Add 1/8 tsp cream of tartar per white, as you would with fresh, and beat on medium until frothy before going to high speed.
- It has no sugar in it, unlike meringue powder, so make no change to the recipe's sugar.
Sold as dried or powdered egg whites and often labelled for use in royal icing; unlike meringue powder it contains no sugar or starch, so it is the closer match to a recipe's raw white.
It is egg, so it is neither vegan nor safe for an egg allergy.
Flax egg
faintly nutty, hidden by breadcrumbs, chocolate or spice
A flaxseed gel that glues a mixture together the way an unbeaten white does, with none of the whipping ability that most people miss the white for.
- Covers
- Moisture & hydration
- Binding
- Misses
- Aeration — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes to a gel for 1 large egg white
- Then
- Use it only where the white was stirred in or brushed on. Do not try to beat it: it cannot hold air and never will.
- Best for
- when the white was only binding, not whipping, making breadcrumbs stick to a cutlet, cookies and bars that used a white as glue
- Texture
- denser and slightly chewier; a coating comes out softer than one set with egg protein
- Look
- brown flecks in a pale mixture, and a breading that browns less and looks duller than an egg-white one
- Prep
- Stir 1 tbsp ground flaxseed into 3 tbsp water and rest 5 minutes until gel-like.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
- For breading, thin the gel with 1 tbsp of water so it brushes on evenly instead of sitting in lumps.
- It adds no lift, so add ¼ tsp of baking powder per white replaced in anything meant to rise.
- A chia gel behaves the same at the same amount, with visible dark specks in a pale mixture.
Worth knowing which problem you have: if you opened this page because you wanted to whip something, flax is not the answer, and if you wanted glue, it is a good one.
Binding only, and up to two whites. It will not foam, will not dry hard, and cannot make a meringue at any amount.
Commercial egg replacer
neutral
A starch and raising-agent blend that binds a batter reliably and, in most brands, does not whip at all.
- Covers
- Moisture & hydration
- Binding
- Misses
- Aeration — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 1 ½ tsp powdered egg replacer + 2 tbsp water, or the amount on the box for 1 large egg white
- Then
- Whisk smooth before use. A few brands are sold specifically as whippable; ordinary starch-based replacer is not one of them.
- Best for
- plain batters where flax flecks would show, seed allergies, when you want the same result every time
- Taste
- neutral
- Texture
- slightly drier and more crumbly than a white, with no springiness
- Look
- very close in a batter, and visibly flat wherever the recipe expected a foam
- Prep
- Whisk 1 ½ tsp powder into 2 tbsp water until smooth.
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, nut-free
- Read the box before you plan a meringue: if it does not say it whips, it does not.
- Most brands already contain a raising agent, so do not add extra baking powder as well.
The advantage over flax here is cosmetic and allergen-related rather than functional: no specks, no seeds, same job.
Binding only, up to two whites. Not a meringue or royal icing option.
Unsweetened applesauce
slightly sweet and faintly of apple
Fruit puree that contributes water and a little sweetness, listed here because it is so often recommended and because it does none of the things people actually need a white for.
- Covers
- Moisture & hydration
- Misses
- Aeration — not covered
- Binding — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce, and only in a sweet batter for 1 large egg white
- Then
- There is no method that makes this foam. If the recipe beats the whites, this row is the wrong page for you.
- Best for
- adding moisture to a sweet batter and nothing else, when the recipe stirs in one white and you cannot get to a shop
- Texture
- wet and dense with no structure at all
- Look
- flat and pale: whipped into a bowl it stays a puddle of puree, and in a bake it gives a sunken top and a damp crumb
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
- Add ¼ tsp of baking powder per white replaced, because applesauce contributes no lift whatsoever.
- Cut 1 tbsp of the recipe's other liquid, since 2 tbsp of puree is wetter than 2 tbsp of white.
Whipping is the reason most people notice they are out of whites, and no fruit puree can foam. It is on the list so you do not waste an evening finding that out.
Never where the white is beaten, never in meringue, mousse, macarons, royal icing or angel food. Mashed banana behaves the same way and tastes stronger.
Don’t swap it here
4 cases- Angel food cake, chiffon cake, a large souffle, Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream: anything calling for six or more whites.Bake something else today, or use a recipe developed to be eggless from the start. This is not a ratio problem.
- Royal icing that has to dry rock hard: decorated cookies, gingerbread houses, anything stacked or posted.Use meringue powder, which is what this job was designed around, and which is pasteurized so the uncooked icing is safe.
- SafetyAny raw or uncooked egg white being served to someone pregnant, very young, elderly or immunocompromised.Use pasteurized carton egg whites, meringue powder, or aquafaba, none of which need cooking.
- Any recipe where you were going to whip a fruit puree, yogurt or silken tofu into peaks.Use aquafaba if you need a foam, or change the recipe to one that is not built on beaten whites.
Safety
2 notes- Raw egg
Raw shell egg whites can carry salmonella, and uncooked uses such as cocktail foam, mousse and royal icing never get hot enough to kill it. Use pasteurized carton egg whites, meringue powder or aquafaba for anything served uncooked, particularly for anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immunocompromised.
Source — FDA: What You Need to Know About Egg Safety (opens in a new tab)
- Allergen
Meringue powder and dried egg white powder are egg products and are not suitable for an egg allergy or a vegan diet. Aquafaba is chickpea liquid, so treat it as a legume, and check commercial replacer labels for soy and wheat.
If it went wrong
4 fixes- The whites, or the aquafaba, will not whip past a froth.Almost always fat: a trace of yolk, an oily bowl, or a plastic bowl that has held butter. Aquafaba that is too thin does the same thing.Start again in a metal or glass bowl wiped with vinegar and dried. There is no way to save a foam that has fat in it. If it is aquafaba, reduce the liquid by a third on the stove, cool it completely, and try again.
- The meringue looks grainy, curdled or watery instead of glossy.Overbeaten: the protein has been stretched past the point where it can hold the water, so it is squeezing it out.Beat in one fresh unwhipped white (or 1 tbsp of aquafaba) on low speed until it comes back to a smooth gloss. Stop as soon as it does.
- Baked meringue beads with syrup or weeps a puddle underneath.Sugar added too fast so it never dissolved, or the oven was too hot, or it was cooled in a humid kitchen.Rub a little between your fingers before baking next time: if it feels gritty, keep beating. Bake at 225F/110C and leave it in the switched-off oven to cool with the door ajar.
- The aquafaba mousse or foam deflated within an hour.No acid, not enough beating, or sugar added before the foam had structure.Rewhip with 1/8 tsp cream of tartar per 3 tbsp and beat a full 8-10 minutes before adding anything. Serve aquafaba desserts the same day: they do not hold like egg white.
Measure it
9 measures- 1 large egg white30 g = 2 tbsp; about 8 whites make 1 cupBuying whites in a carton, measure 2 tbsp per white, or weigh 30 g.
- Egg white compositionabout 88% water, 11% protein, no fatThe no-fat part is the important one: fat is what stops a foam forming.
- Whipping volume6 to 8 times the starting volumeOne white becomes roughly 1 cup of stiff foam, which is why a speck of yolk costs you so much.
- Cream of tartar1/8 tsp per egg white, or ½ tsp per 4 whitesAcid keeps the foam from collapsing. ½ tsp of lemon juice per white does the same job.
- Meringue sugarabout 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar per white for a French meringueAdd it a spoonful at a time once soft peaks form, or it weeps syrup in the oven.
- Where egg white sets145-150F/63-65CBelow the temperature a yolk sets, which is why the white of a fried egg firms first.
- Aquafaba equivalence3 tbsp = 1 large egg whiteBeat it three to five times as long as egg white, with 1/8 tsp cream of tartar per 3 tbsp.
- Powder equivalences2 tsp meringue powder or dried egg white + 2 tbsp warm water = 1 whiteSome royal icing brands specify 1 tbsp of powder per white for a stiffer set. Follow the tin.
- Stiff peakthe peak stands upright when you lift the beater and does not fold at the tipSoft peak folds over; stiff peak stands. Overbeaten looks grainy and starts to separate.
Questions
8 questionsWhat is the best egg white substitute?
It depends on whether you are whipping it. For a foam, aquafaba is the best pantry option at 3 tbsp per white, beaten 5-10 minutes with 1/8 tsp cream of tartar. For royal icing or any uncooked icing, meringue powder at 2 tsp plus 2 tbsp warm water per white. For plain binding, a flax egg. No fruit puree can replace a beaten white, whatever ratio you see quoted.
Can I use aquafaba instead of egg whites?
Yes for whipping, with two caveats. Use 3 tbsp per white and expect to beat it three to five times as long, with 1/8 tsp cream of tartar to hold the foam. But aquafaba does not coagulate the way egg white protein does: it foams and then stays foam. That means it works for mousse, macarons and cocktail foam, deflates sooner than egg white, and is not strong enough to be the structure of an angel food cake.
How much aquafaba equals one egg white?
3 tablespoons, which is the liquid from roughly a third of a standard can of chickpeas. Use the liquid from unsalted chickpeas, chill it first, and if it looks watery simmer it down by a third and cool it before whipping. The same 3 tbsp is also quoted as one whole egg, which is why whole-egg recipes need 1 tsp of oil added to cover the missing yolk.
What can I use for royal icing without raw egg whites?
Meringue powder, at 2 tsp powder plus 2 tbsp warm water per egg white, though some brands specify 1 tbsp of powder per white for a stiffer icing, so follow the tin. It is pasteurized dried egg white with sugar and starch, so the uncooked icing is safe and it dries hard enough to stack cookies. Pasteurized carton whites are the other safe route. Aquafaba icing works but stays soft much longer.
Can I substitute egg whites in meringue or pavlova?
Aquafaba is the only common substitute that will do it: 3 tbsp per white, beaten with cream of tartar for 5-10 minutes, sugar added slowly, baked at about 225F/110C. The shell comes out more brittle, slightly off-white, and less chewy in the middle, and it may bead syrup in humid weather. Meringue powder and dried egg white powder both work and are real egg. Nothing else on this page foams.
How is an egg white different from a whole egg or an egg yolk?
The white is protein and water with no fat, so it whips and it sets firm. The yolk is where the fat, the lecithin and the color are, so it emulsifies and enriches but does not foam. If a recipe wants two whites and you only have whole eggs, one whole egg will do for two whites when the white is just binding or wetting the mixture, but never when it has to be whipped, because the yolk's fat will stop the foam.
Do applesauce or banana work as egg white substitutes?
Only as moisture in a sweet batter, and even then only for one white. They cannot foam at all: fruit purees have fat, fiber and pulp instead of the dissolved protein a foam needs. Since whipping is usually the reason a recipe calls for whites in the first place, treat these two as the wrong tool rather than a compromise.
How many egg whites is too many to substitute?
Two is a sensible ceiling for binding, and any recipe calling for six or more whipped whites cannot be converted. An angel food or chiffon cake has no other structure and no other raising agent: it depends on egg protein setting rigid around the air you beat in. Choose a different recipe rather than scaling up a substitute.
Tips for substituting egg white
8 tips- Fat is the enemy of every foam here. Use a metal or glass bowl, wipe it with vinegar, and discard any white that catches a speck of yolk.
- 1 large egg white is 2 tbsp or 30 g, so you can measure a substitute against it instead of guessing.
- Aquafaba needs 5-10 minutes of beating and 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar per 3 tbsp. It looks like a failure for the first few minutes.
- Add sugar a spoonful at a time only after soft peaks form, and stop when a pinch rubbed between your fingers feels smooth rather than gritty.
- Whites whip higher at room temperature and separate more cleanly when cold, so separate them straight from the fridge and then let them stand 30 minutes.
- For royal icing, meringue powder is the reliable choice: it is pasteurized, so the icing is safe uncooked, and it dries hard enough to stack cookies.
- Leftover whites keep 4 days covered in the fridge and freeze for months; freeze them in an ice cube tray, one white per cube, so you can count them later.
- If a recipe uses whites only for binding, 2 tbsp of water plus 1 tsp of oil will make breadcrumbs stick well.
Sources — FDA: What You Need to Know About Egg Safety (opens in a new tab), USDA FoodData Central (opens in a new tab)