Egg yolk substitutes
Egg yolk substitutes — 8 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called yolk, yolks, egg yolk only, yolk of egg
Use Aquafaba + neutral oil
1 tbsp aquafaba + 1 tsp oil for every yolk
For a batter or a dough where the yolk is adding richness and holding things together, use 1 tbsp aquafaba plus 1 tsp neutral oil per yolk. For a vinaigrette, 1 tsp of Dijon mustard emulsifies it instead. For a stirred custard, 2 tsp of cornstarch per yolk thickens it. But in hollandaise, homemade mayonnaise or creme anglaise, nothing here does the yolk's job, and that is worth knowing before you start.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Whisk 1 tbsp aquafaba with 1 tsp neutral oil until slightly cloudy, then add to the mixture.
- Best for —
- when the yolk was enriching a batter or dough
Checked 22 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what’s the egg yolk doing?
Pick your caseIs the yolk holding a sauce together, thickening it, or just making a batter richer?
You need something with an emulsifier in it. Aquafaba works from a recipe written for it, and 1 tsp of Dijon mustard will hold a vinaigrette on its own. Amounts are on for mayonnaise and for salad dressing.
Notes on aquafaba + neutral oil or Dijon mustard
1 tbsp aquafaba + 1 tsp oil per yolk
Cornstarch will thicken the liquid, but it thickens differently: hot, it turns glossy and it slumps as it cools rather than setting silky. Use 2 tsp per yolk with 1 tsp of butter for the missing fat, and see for custard before you start.
Notes on cornstarch + butter
2 tsp + 1 tsp butter
This is the forgiving case. 1 tbsp aquafaba plus 1 tsp oil per yolk works, and so does 1 tbsp of heavy cream if dairy is fine. Recipe-specific notes are on for cookies and for pie crust.
Notes on aquafaba + neutral oil or heavy cream
1 tbsp aquafaba + 1 tsp oil per yolk
Raw shell egg carries a salmonella risk, so switch to pasteurized eggs or to aquafaba, neither of which needs cooking. There is more on this at for raw applications.
Notes on aquafaba + neutral oil
1 tbsp aquafaba + 1 tsp oil per yolk
There is no substitute. These sauces need an emulsifier that also thickens as it warms, and no plant gel or puree does both. Make a butter sauce that does not need yolks, or wait until you have eggs.
Work out which of the yolk's three jobs your recipe is using. If it is holding a cold sauce together, you need an emulsifier: mustard for a dressing, aquafaba or soy lecithin for mayonnaise. If it is thickening a hot liquid, you need starch, and you should expect a pastry cream rather than a silky custard. If it is only making a batter richer, 1 tbsp of aquafaba plus 1 tsp of oil, or 1 tbsp of cream, is enough. If it is a warm butter emulsion, there is no substitute at all.
A yolk is a fat-and-water package held together by lecithin. That lecithin is why one yolk can turn ¾ cup of oil into mayonnaise, and the fat is why an extra yolk makes pasta richer and cookies chewier. Its protein also sets at 149-158F/65-70C, which is what thickens a custard into something that coats a spoon.
Fat & richnessprimary
About 5 g of fat per yolk coats the flour and softens the crumb: it is why an extra yolk makes a cookie chewier and a pasta dough silkier.
Emulsifyingprimary
Lecithin coats droplets of oil so they cannot rejoin each other, which is the entire reason mayonnaise stays creamy instead of separating into oil and vinegar.
Thickeningsecondary
Warmed slowly, yolk protein unfolds and thickens a liquid to the point where it coats the back of a spoon, which is what creme anglaise and a custard ice cream base are built on.
Setting & gellingsecondary
Held above about 158F/70C the same protein sets firm, giving a baked custard, a quiche or a lemon curd its sliceable body.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 large egg yolk| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 large egg yolk | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquafaba + neutral oilwhen the yolk was enriching a batter or dough | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp neutral oilTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Dijon mustardvinaigrette and creamy salad dressing | 1 tsp Dijon or smooth yellow mustardYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Cornstarch + butterpastry cream and pie fillings | 2 tsp + 1 tsp butterYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Heavy creamcookies, scones and enriched doughs that only wanted richness | 1 tbspYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Applesauce + neutral oilsweet batters where the yolk was one of several eggs | 1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce + 1 tsp neutral oilYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Flaxseed gelvegan cookies and bars that used a yolk for chew | 1 tsp ground flaxseed + 1 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes, plus 1 tsp neutral oilYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 7 | Silken tofuchilled vegan tarts and cheesecake-style fillings | 2 tbsp, blended completely smooth, plus 1 tsp neutral oilYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 8 | Soy lecithinvegan mayonnaise and creamy dressings | ½ tsp + 1 tsp neutral oilYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Aquafaba + neutral oil
less rich and slightly less savory; the buttery note a yolk gives is missing
Chickpea liquid supplies proteins that hold an emulsion together and the added oil stands in for the yolk's fat, which is the pair that gets closest to what a yolk was doing.
- Covers
- Fat & richness
- Emulsifying
- Misses
- Thickening — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 1 tbsp aquafaba + 1 tsp neutral oil for 1 large egg yolk (about 1 tbsp, 18 g)
- Then
- Whisk the two together before they go into the mixture, so the oil is already dispersed. For mayonnaise, use 3 tbsp of aquafaba and drizzle the oil in a thread while blending.
- Best for
- when the yolk was enriching a batter or dough, vegan mayonnaise made from a recipe built for it, cookies and enriched breads
- Texture
- close in a batter, thinner and lighter in a sauce, and it will not thicken over heat at all
- Look
- everything comes out paler: no yellow in the crumb, and a mayonnaise that is bright white rather than ivory
- Prep
- Whisk 1 tbsp aquafaba with 1 tsp neutral oil until slightly cloudy, then add to the mixture.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
- The oil is not optional: aquafaba on its own is fat-free, and a yolk is about 5 g of fat. Leave it out and cookies come out cakey and pale.
- Use liquid from unsalted chickpeas, and do not use the water you rinsed drained chickpeas in.
- For mayonnaise, work from an aquafaba recipe rather than converting yolk amounts: 3 tbsp of aquafaba will carry about ¾ cup of oil, but it needs a blender and a slow drizzle.
Aquafaba's usefulness here is that it emulsifies at all. What it cannot do is get thicker as it warms, and that single gap is why custard-style recipes fail with it.
Up to 2 yolks in a batter. It never thickens or sets with heat, so no custards, no quiche, no lemon curd, no warm butter sauces.
Dijon mustard
noticeably mustardy and sharper
Mustard carries its own emulsifiers in the seed coat, so a teaspoon will hold a vinaigrette together the way a yolk does, with a flavor of its own attached.
- Covers
- Emulsifying
- Misses
- Fat & richness — not covered
- Thickening — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 1 tsp Dijon or smooth yellow mustard for 1 large egg yolk in a dressing
- Then
- Whisk the mustard with the vinegar and salt first, then add the oil in a slow thread. Adding the oil first is why home dressings split.
- Best for
- vinaigrette and creamy salad dressing, when you need the oil and vinegar to stay combined and nothing else, the swap you can make right now with what is in the fridge door
- Taste
- noticeably mustardy and sharper; excellent in a salad dressing and wrong in a dessert
- Texture
- the dressing is thinner and less creamy than a yolk-based one, though it holds together
- Look
- cloudy and pale yellow rather than glossy and rich; it may separate after a day in the fridge and needs re-shaking
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
- It brings no fat, so if the recipe was relying on the yolk for body, add 1 tbsp of yogurt or 1 tsp of mayonnaise as well.
- Cut any other mustard in the recipe by the same amount so it does not taste sharp.
- It will not emulsify a warm sauce. Hollandaise needs the yolk's protein as well as its lecithin.
The most underrated fix on this page: most people looking for an egg yolk substitute for salad dressing already have mustard, and it solves the problem outright.
Cold dressings only. Not for mayonnaise as the sole emulsifier, and never in a sweet recipe.
Cornstarch + butter
cleaner and less rich; the eggy, faintly savory depth of a real custard is gone
A starch to do the thickening and a little butter to put back the fat, which between them make a pastry-cream style filling instead of a silky custard.
- Covers
- Fat & richness
- Thickening
- Misses
- Emulsifying — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 2 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp butter for 1 large egg yolk in a custard or cream
- Then
- Slake the cornstarch in 1 tbsp of cold milk, whisk it into the rest, bring it to a boil for a full minute, then beat the butter in off the heat.
- Best for
- pastry cream and pie fillings, when the custard will be served cold in the dish it set in, a thickened dessert you need to be reliable rather than delicate
- Texture
- thicker and more gelled, and it can turn stringy if you reheat it
- Look
- opaque and paler, with a matte surface instead of a glossy sheen, and it slumps rather than holding a soft mound
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free
- Contains
- dairy
- It must boil for a full minute or it tastes chalky and thins back out as it cools.
- Add the butter off the heat at the end, or the starch will not set properly.
- Do not use it in a thin pouring custard: cornstarch goes gluey at pouring consistency, so change the dessert instead.
Every classic pastry cream already uses both yolks and starch. Dropping the yolks and keeping the starch gives you the set without the silk, which is a fair trade in a tart and a poor one in creme anglaise.
Thickened, chilled desserts only. It does not emulsify, so never in mayonnaise or hollandaise, and it will not set a baked custard or a quiche.
Heavy cream
rich and dairy-forward rather than eggy; a cleaner, sweeter kind of richness
Cream puts back the fat and a little of the richness the yolk was there for, without doing any of its emulsifying or thickening work.
- Covers
- Fat & richness
- Misses
- Emulsifying — not covered
- Thickening — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 1 tbsp heavy cream for 1 large egg yolk in a batter or dough
- Then
- Stir it in with the other wet ingredients. If the dough was already soft, hold back 1 tsp of the recipe's other liquid.
- Best for
- cookies, scones and enriched doughs that only wanted richness, pasta dough and mashed potato, when you have cream in the fridge and no eggs at all
- Texture
- tender and soft, with slightly less chew than an extra yolk would give
- Look
- a paler, creamier crumb with none of the yellow tint a yolk contributes
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free
- Contains
- dairy
- 1 tbsp of cream carries about 5 g of fat, close to a yolk's, but it is mostly water: cut 1 tsp of other liquid in a soft dough.
- It brings no color, so brush the top with cream too if the recipe expected a golden crumb.
- Do not expect it to hold a sauce together. In a dressing or a mayonnaise it will simply separate.
The honest reason this works is that a lot of recipes add a yolk purely for fat. When that is all it was doing, cream is simpler than anything else here.
One or two yolks in a batter or dough. It cannot emulsify or thicken, and it is not dairy-free.
Applesauce + neutral oil
faintly fruity and slightly sweeter, hidden by cocoa or spice
A small measure of fruit puree with oil whisked in, which covers a yolk's moisture and fat in a sweet batter and nothing else about it.
- Covers
- Fat & richness
- Thickening
- Misses
- Emulsifying — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce + 1 tsp neutral oil for 1 large egg yolk (about 1 tbsp, 18 g)
- Then
- Whisk them together first. Match the volume: a yolk is 1 tbsp, so the ¼ cup of applesauce often quoted for a yolk adds around 3 tbsp of extra liquid and makes the crumb wet.
- Best for
- sweet batters where the yolk was one of several eggs, when you have no aquafaba, no cream and no seeds, muffins and quick breads
- Texture
- moist but softer and less chewy, with none of a yolk's silkiness
- Look
- a paler crumb with no yellow tint, and a slightly damper, closer texture at the center
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
- Keep to 1 tbsp of applesauce per yolk. Using ¼ cup, as many sources say, overshoots a yolk's volume by about three times and gives a soggy middle.
- Add ¼ tsp of baking powder per yolk replaced if the crumb needs help rising.
- Use unsweetened applesauce, or cut 1 tsp of the recipe's sugar per yolk.
Included with a corrected amount because the figure usually quoted for it is three times too large, which is why so many people report a wet, heavy result.
Sweet batters only, one or two yolks. It does not emulsify or set, so no dressings, no custards, no curd.
Flaxseed gel
faintly nutty and toasty
A thick flaxseed gel that binds and holds moisture in a bake, and which cannot emulsify a sauce or thicken a custard however carefully you heat it.
- Covers
- Thickening
- Misses
- Fat & richness — not covered
- Emulsifying — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 1 tsp ground flaxseed + 1 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes, plus 1 tsp neutral oil for 1 large egg yolk in a baked mixture
- Then
- A yolk is about a third of a whole egg's volume, so use a third of a flax egg. Add the oil separately, because flax gel carries almost no usable fat for the crumb.
- Best for
- vegan cookies and bars that used a yolk for chew, binding a savory mixture where the yolk was the glue, when you have flaxseed and nothing else
- Texture
- chewier and slightly gummy, with a heavier crumb
- Look
- brown specks through the crumb, a flatter top, and no yellow at all
- Prep
- Stir 1 tsp ground flaxseed into 1 tbsp water, rest 5 minutes, then whisk in 1 tsp oil.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
- Use a third of the usual flax egg per yolk: a whole one is sized to a whole egg and will make the crumb gummy.
- Add 1 tsp of oil per yolk to cover the fat, or the bake comes out dry.
- Never use it in hollandaise, mayonnaise or a stirred custard. It has no emulsifier and it does not coagulate.
This is the row the internet reaches for first and the one that fails most spectacularly when it lands in a sauce. In cookies it is genuinely useful.
Baked mixtures, up to 2 yolks. A chia gel behaves the same way at the same amount with darker specks.
Silken tofu
neutral to faintly beany; cocoa and citrus cover it, vanilla does not
Blended silken tofu gives creamy body and pale color, which suits a chilled filling and does nothing for a sauce that has to hold oil.
- Covers
- Thickening
- Misses
- Fat & richness — not covered
- Emulsifying — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- 2 tbsp silken tofu, blended completely smooth, plus 1 tsp neutral oil for 1 large egg yolk
- Then
- Blend, do not mash. Any grain left in the puree reads as chalky specks in the finished dish.
- Best for
- chilled vegan tarts and cheesecake-style fillings, creamy pasta sauces where you want body without dairy, when creaminess matters and structure does not
- Texture
- creamy and soft-set, never silky the way a yolk custard is, and it can weep liquid after a day
- Look
- opaque off-white with no yellow, and a matte rather than glossy surface
- Prep
- Blend 2 tbsp silken tofu smooth with 1 tsp neutral oil.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
- Contains
- soy
- Add 1 tsp of oil per yolk: silken tofu is low in fat and a yolk is not.
- Season more assertively. Tofu mutes salt and acid noticeably.
- For anything sweet, add 1 tsp of sugar per yolk replaced to cover the beany edge.
Best thought of as a creamy filling base rather than a yolk swap, which is why it turns up in vegan cheesecake recipes and nowhere near a hollandaise.
Cold and gently cooked dishes. It softens on heating rather than setting, so no quiche, no baked custard, no warm emulsion.
Soy lecithin
close to neutral, with a faint beany bitterness at higher amounts
The same class of emulsifier the yolk itself relies on, sold on its own, so it holds a cold emulsion together while bringing no fat, no protein and no flavor.
- Covers
- Emulsifying
- Misses
- Fat & richness — not covered
- Thickening — not covered
- Setting & gelling — not covered
- Amount
- ½ tsp soy lecithin (granules or liquid) + 1 tsp neutral oil for 1 large egg yolk used as an emulsifier
- Then
- Blend the lecithin into the water phase, vinegar or lemon juice, until it disperses before you add any oil.
- Best for
- vegan mayonnaise and creamy dressings, when an emulsion keeps splitting and you want the one missing component, cooks who already keep it for bread or chocolate work
- Texture
- holds together but stays thinner than a yolk emulsion
- Look
- pale and matte rather than the glossy ivory of a yolk sauce
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free
- Contains
- soy
- Disperse it in the water or acid first. Added to oil it clumps and does nothing.
- It contributes no body, so a mayonnaise made with it needs a starch or a spoon of aquafaba as well to feel thick.
- Start at ½ tsp. More does not emulsify better and gives a slippery, slightly bitter finish.
Worth buying if cold emulsions are a recurring problem in your kitchen, and not worth a special trip for one batch of dressing when mustard is in the fridge.
Cold emulsions only. It emulsifies and nothing else: no thickening with heat, no setting, no richness.
Don’t swap it here
4 cases- Hollandaise, bearnaise or sabayon.Make a sauce that does not need yolks, such as a browned butter with lemon, or wait until you have eggs. If you need it vegan, start from a recipe designed that way rather than swapping into this one.
- Stirred custards: creme anglaise, custard ice cream base, creme brulee, lemon curd, zabaglione.Use a cornstarch-thickened pastry cream or a coconut-milk based recipe written without eggs, and accept it as a different dessert.
- SafetyRaw yolk dishes: homemade mayonnaise, Caesar dressing, tiramisu, mousse, steak tartare.Use pasteurized eggs, or aquafaba, which needs no cooking at all.
- Replacing a yolk with ¼ cup of applesauce, banana or tofu, as many sources suggest.Match the volume: 1 tbsp of puree plus 1 tsp of oil per yolk, and cut 1 tsp of the recipe's other liquid if the batter looks slack.
Safety
2 notes- Raw egg
Raw or lightly cooked yolks, as in homemade mayonnaise, Caesar dressing, tiramisu and mousse, can carry salmonella. Use pasteurized eggs or aquafaba for those dishes, especially for anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immunocompromised.
Source — FDA: What You Need to Know About Egg Safety (opens in a new tab)
- Allergen
Silken tofu and soy lecithin both contain soy, and heavy cream and butter are dairy. Aquafaba is chickpea liquid, so treat it as a legume.
If it went wrong
4 fixes- The mayonnaise or aioli split into oil and watery liquid.The oil went in faster than the emulsifier could coat it, or the emulsion got too warm.Start again in a clean bowl with 1 tbsp of aquafaba, or a fresh yolk, or 1 tsp of Dijon, and drizzle the broken mixture into it in a slow thread, whisking constantly. It comes back almost every time.
- The custard went grainy and looks scrambled.It passed about 185F/85C, so the yolk protein set into curds instead of thickening smoothly.Blend it and pass it through a fine sieve immediately: you will get a thinner but usable cream. Next time keep it below 180F/82C, stir constantly, and use a probe thermometer rather than the pan's look.
- The vinaigrette separates within minutes of shaking it.No emulsifier in it at all, or the oil was added before the acid was seasoned and emulsified.Whisk 1 tsp of Dijon with the vinegar and salt first, then add the oil in a slow thread. It will hold for days in the fridge.
- Cookies made without the yolk came out cakey and pale instead of chewy.The yolk's 5 g of fat went missing, and fat is what shortens the crumb and helps it spread.Add 1 tsp of oil or 1 tbsp of cream per yolk you left out, flatten the dough before baking, and expect a slightly paler bake because no yolk means less browning.
Measure it
7 measures- 1 large egg yolk18-20 g = about 1 tbspThe single most useful number here: most substitute amounts quoted for a yolk are far larger than the yolk itself.
- Yolk compositionabout 55% water, 27% fat, 16% protein, roughly 5 g of fatAny swap that brings no fat needs 1 tsp of oil or 1 tbsp of cream added alongside it.
- Emulsifying power1 yolk will hold about ¾ cup (180 ml) of oilThat is the mayonnaise limit. Push past it and the sauce breaks.
- Where yolk sets149-158F/65-70C; a stirred custard coats a spoon at 175-180F/79-82C and curdles above about 185F/85CCheckable with a probe thermometer, and the reason custards are the one thing you cannot fake.
- Whole egg versus yolks1 whole egg stands in for 2 yolks in a batterIt brings about 20 g of extra water and no more fat, so cut 1 tbsp of the recipe's other liquid.
- Adding a yolk on purpose1 extra yolk per 2 cups of flourThe standard trick for chewier cookies, silkier pasta and a softer enriched dough, and the effect you are trying to reproduce when you swap one out.
- Leftover yolks2 days in the fridge, covered with a film of cold waterOr freeze them with a pinch of salt or sugar, which stops them turning gluey.
Questions
8 questionsWhat is the best substitute for egg yolk?
It depends on the job. For richness in a batter or dough, 1 tbsp of aquafaba plus 1 tsp of neutral oil, or 1 tbsp of heavy cream. For a vinaigrette, 1 tsp of Dijon mustard, which emulsifies on its own. For a custard or pastry cream, 2 tsp of cornstarch plus 1 tsp of butter per yolk. For hollandaise or a stirred creme anglaise, there is no substitute worth attempting.
How much of a substitute equals one egg yolk?
Match the volume: a large yolk is about 1 tbsp, or 18-20 g. That means 1 tbsp of aquafaba plus 1 tsp of oil, 1 tbsp of cream, 1 tbsp of applesauce plus 1 tsp of oil, or 2 tbsp of blended silken tofu. The commonly quoted ¼ cup of puree per yolk is roughly three tablespoons too much liquid, which is what makes the middle of the bake wet.
Can I use egg whites instead of egg yolks?
Not as a like-for-like swap. Whites are protein and water with no fat, and the fat and lecithin are the whole point of the yolk, so a white will not enrich a dough or emulsify a sauce. Two whites in place of two yolks gives a leaner, drier, paler result. If you have whole eggs, one whole egg stands in for two yolks in a batter; cut 1 tbsp of the recipe's other liquid to allow for the extra water.
What can I use instead of egg yolk in mayonnaise?
Aquafaba, from a recipe written for it: about 3 tbsp will carry ¾ cup of oil, blended with the oil drizzled in a thread. ½ tsp of soy lecithin does the same job with less body. Do not use flax gel, applesauce or tofu, none of which emulsify. If your only worry is the raw egg, pasteurized eggs let you keep the original recipe unchanged.
Is there an egg yolk substitute for custard?
Only if you accept a different dessert. Yolks thicken a custard because their protein unfolds between about 149F and 180F/65C and 82C, and nothing plant-based does that. Cornstarch will thicken the liquid: use 2 tsp plus 1 tsp of butter per yolk, boil it a full minute, and you get a pastry cream that sets firm and glossy rather than a silky pouring custard.
Can I use flaxseed gel instead of egg yolk in hollandaise or mayonnaise?
No. Flax gel binds and holds water, but it contains no emulsifier and does not set with heat, so hollandaise will separate into butter and liquid and mayonnaise will never come together. Flax is a good yolk substitute in cookies and bars at 1 tsp of ground flax to 1 tbsp of water plus 1 tsp of oil, and a poor one in anything you pour over asparagus.
How do I separate egg yolks from whites?
Crack the egg on a flat surface rather than a rim, then tip the yolk gently between the shell halves and let the white fall into a bowl below, or pour the whole egg into your cupped hand and let the white run through your fingers. Separate them cold, straight from the fridge, because a cold yolk holds together better. Any yolk that gets into whites you plan to whip will stop them foaming.
Does leaving out the yolk change how a bake looks?
Yes, in two visible ways. The crumb loses its yellow tint and comes out pale, and the crust browns less, because the yolk's protein and fat are part of what browns. If you want the color back without the egg, brush the top with cream, plant milk or a little maple syrup before baking.
Tips for substituting egg yolk
8 tips- Measure against the real thing: a large yolk is about 1 tbsp, so any substitute quoted at ¼ cup is four times too much.
- Every fat-free swap needs fat added back. 1 tsp of neutral oil or 1 tbsp of cream covers a yolk's 5 g.
- For a dressing that keeps splitting, whisk 1 tsp of Dijon into the vinegar and salt before any oil goes in. That one change fixes most vinaigrettes.
- For an emulsion of any kind, add the oil in a thin thread and keep everything at room temperature: heat and speed are what break sauces.
- A stirred custard is done at 175-180F/79-82C and curdles above 185F/85C, so use a probe thermometer instead of guessing.
- If you only need to lose the raw egg rather than the egg entirely, pasteurized eggs solve the problem without changing the recipe.
- Freeze leftover yolks with a pinch of salt or sugar, one per ice cube slot, or they set to a gluey block.
- In cookies and pasta, the yolk is mostly fat and color. Accept a paler result and add the fat back rather than chasing the yellow.
Sources — FDA: What You Need to Know About Egg Safety (opens in a new tab), USDA FoodData Central (opens in a new tab)