Eggs substitute

Best substitute

Flax Egg

1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp water

Best for when the egg's job is to hold the mixture together

Needs a tweak

It depends on which of the egg's four jobs your recipe is using, and on how many eggs it calls for. For binding and moisture in cookies, muffins, pancakes, quick breads or meatballs, a flax egg works: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed plus 3 tbsp water per egg, left 5 minutes to thicken. These swaps hold for one or two eggs. A recipe built on three or more eggs, or one where the egg sets the dish, cannot be swapped at all.

Other eggs substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Commercial Egg Replacer
Needs a tweak
1 ½ tsp + 2 tbsp water
A dosed blend of starches and raising agents made to bind and lift a batter, and the most consistent option across different recipes because the guesswork has been done for you.
What changes
Special tripveganvegetariandairy-free
Best for
when you want the same result twice, plain vanilla and white batters where flax flecks would show, seed and nut allergies
Taste
neutral
Texture
drier, crumblier
Covers
Moisture & hydration
Binding
Misses
Aeration — not covered
Setting & gelling — not covered
Prep. Whisk 1 1/2 tsp powder into 2 tbsp water until smooth, then add to the batter.
The only option here that was designed for the job rather than borrowed from another one, which is why it is the safest choice in an unfamiliar recipe.
3Plain Yogurt
You'll taste it
Use ¼ cup for every egg
Thick, slightly acidic dairy that carries moisture and enough body to hold a crumb together, and whose acid gives baking soda something to react with.
What changes
Likely in your cupboardvegetariangluten-freenut-free
Best for
when you want a moist, tender crumb rather than a chewy one, chocolate cake, spiced muffins and coffee cake, the swap you can make without going to the shop
Taste
slightly tangy
Texture
moist, tender
Covers
Moisture & hydration
Binding
Misses
Aeration — not covered
Setting & gelling — not covered
Full-fat yogurt does the job better than nonfat, because part of what the egg brought was fat. Buttermilk or sour cream works the same way at the same amount.
4Unsweetened Applesauce
You'll taste it
Use ¼ cup for every egg
Cooked fruit puree that adds water and pectin, so it keeps a sweet batter moist while doing very little of the egg's binding work.
What changes
Likely in your cupboardveganvegetariandairy-free
Best for
sweet batters where moisture matters more than structure, muffins, banana bread and snacking cakes, when you have no flaxseed and no shop nearby
Taste
slightly sweet
Texture
denser, moister
Covers
Moisture & hydration
Misses
Aeration — not covered
Binding — not covered
Setting & gelling — not covered
Mashed pumpkin or sweet potato puree works the same way at the same amount, and pear or prune puree does too if you want the color darker.
5Mashed Ripe Banana
You'll taste it
Use ½ banana for every egg
Sticky fruit puree that both moistens and glues a little, at the cost of tasting unmistakably of banana in the finished bake.
What changes
Likely in your cupboardveganvegetariandairy-free
Best for
when banana flavor is welcome anyway, banana bread, oat cookies, pancakes and brownies, the swap that needs nothing but fruit you already have
Taste
banana
Texture
dense, fudgy
Covers
Moisture & hydration
Binding
Misses
Aeration — not covered
Setting & gelling — not covered
The flavor is the whole decision. In banana bread it is free; in a Victoria sponge it is the reason people can tell something was swapped.
6Chia Egg
You'll taste it
1 tbsp chia + 3 tbsp water
Chia seeds soaked in water swell into a firm gel that binds like a flax egg but sets thicker, so it weighs the crumb down slightly more.
What changes
veganvegetariandairy-free
Best for
when you have chia but no flaxseed, dark, wet batters where the seeds disappear, energy bars and oat cookies that are meant to be dense
Taste
neutral
Texture
denser, gelatinous
Covers
Moisture & hydration
Binding
Misses
Aeration — not covered
Setting & gelling — not covered
Prep. Stir 1 tbsp chia seeds into 3 tbsp water and leave 10 minutes until it thickens to a gel.
Interchangeable with a flax egg in almost any recipe, one step behind it because the gel is firmer and the seeds show.
7Aquafaba
You'll taste it
3 tbsp + 1 tsp oil
The starchy, protein-rich liquid from canned chickpeas, which whips into a foam like egg white and is the only substitute here that can hold beaten air.
What changes
veganvegetariandairy-free
Best for
when the egg is beaten and the air is the point, meringue, mousse, macarons and cocktail foam, light cakes where a flax egg would be too heavy
Taste
neutral
Texture
light, airy
Covers
Moisture & hydration
Aeration
Misses
Binding — not covered
Setting & gelling — not covered
Prep. Measure 3 tbsp from the can; whip with cream of tartar for 5-10 minutes when the recipe needs a foam.
3 tbsp is one egg white's worth, and that single fact is where most aquafaba failures start. For meringue work, see our egg white page rather than this one.
8Silken Tofu
You'll taste it
Use ¼ cup for every egg
Soft, high-water tofu that purees to a texture close to raw beaten egg and gives creamy body to a dense bake or a savory filling.
What changes
veganvegetariandairy-free
Best for
when you want creamy body rather than lift, dense cakes, brownies and cheesecake-style fillings, savory tarts and vegan scramble
Taste
neutral
Texture
creamy, dense
Covers
Moisture & hydration
Binding
Misses
Aeration — not covered
Setting & gelling — not covered
Prep. Blend 1/4 cup silken tofu until completely smooth before adding it to the mixture.
The only option here that behaves like something between a yolk and a custard base, which is why it turns up in vegan cheesecake and nowhere near a sponge.
9Baking Soda + Vinegar
In a pinch
1 tsp soda + 1 tbsp vinegar
Not a substitute for the egg at all, but a burst of carbon dioxide that stops an eggless cake coming out squat, for the day when the pantry is genuinely empty.
What changes
Likely in your cupboardveganvegetariandairy-free
Best for
when you have literally nothing else and the cake is already mixed, single-layer chocolate cakes and cupcakes
Taste
neutral to soapy
Texture
open, crumbly
Misses
Moisture & hydration — not covered
Aeration — not covered
Binding — not covered
Setting & gelling — not covered
Listed because it is all over the internet as an egg substitute, and it is not one. It is a leavening patch on a cake that has lost its structure.

Check your case

How many eggs does the recipe call for, and what happens to them?

One or two eggs, stirred into a batter or a mixture: cookies, muffins, quick breads, brownies, pancakes, waffles, meatballs, veggie burgers, meatloaf.
This is the case every swap on this page is built for. Use a flax egg for binding, or yogurt or applesauce when the recipe is sweet and you want moisture. Recipe-by-recipe amounts are on cookies, muffins, brownies, pancakes and meatloaf.
Jump to Flax Egg, Commercial Egg Replacer or Plain Yogurt
Three or more eggs, and the batter is thin or the recipe has little other structure: sponge cake, angel food, chiffon, popovers, choux, souffle, a plain omelette.
Stop here. At three eggs and up the egg IS the recipe: there is nothing else holding the crumb together or lifting it. No amount of flax gel or applesauce will do this. Find a recipe written to be eggless instead, such as the ones behind vegan, rather than converting this one.
The egg has to set the dish: quiche, custard, flan, creme brulee, lemon curd, a custard ice cream base, bread pudding.
Nothing on this page coagulates the way egg protein does. Silken tofu will give you a savory tart that is pleasant but is not a quiche, and a cornstarch-set pudding is a different dessert with its own recipe. Choose the dish, not the swap.
Jump to Silken Tofu
The egg is whipped to a foam and that foam is the dish: meringue, pavlova, macarons, mousse, marshmallow, a cocktail foam.
That is the white's job, not the whole egg's, and aquafaba is the one substitute that foams. The amounts and the longer whipping time are on our egg white page and its meringue guide.
Jump to Aquafaba
You want scrambled eggs, an omelette, or mayonnaise.
These are not substitutions, they are different recipes: crumbled firm tofu with turmeric for scramble, aquafaba-and-oil for mayonnaise. Start from scrambled or mayo rather than swapping into an egg recipe.
Jump to Silken Tofu or Aquafaba

Count the eggs first. One or two, stirred into a batter, and any swap on this page can work: pick flax for binding and yogurt or applesauce for moisture. Three or more, or an egg that sets or whips the dish, and the honest answer is that this recipe cannot be converted; find one written without eggs. Choosing by flavor similarity is what goes wrong, because the egg's flavor is the least important thing it was doing.

Don’t substitute eggs here

When to keep looking rather than swap

The recipe calls for three or more eggs and has little else holding it up: sponge, angel food, chiffon, popovers, choux pastry, souffle, meringue.
At that ratio the egg is the structure and the rise, not an ingredient in a batter. Every swap on this page binds or moistens; none of them can build a foam strong enough to be the cake.
Instead. Use a recipe that was written without eggs rather than converting this one. There is no ratio that makes an eggless angel food cake work.
The egg is what sets the dish: quiche, custard, flan, creme brulee, lemon curd, custard ice cream, bread pudding.
Egg protein coagulates between about 145F and 185F/63C and 85C and turns liquid into a sliceable solid. Flax gel, applesauce and aquafaba never coagulate: they stay soft no matter how long you bake them.
Instead. Make a version built on cornstarch or agar, or a silken tofu tart, and accept it as its own dish. Do not bake an unset custard longer, because you will only curdle the dairy.
Mayonnaise, hollandaise, aioli or any warm butter emulsion.
The lecithin in the yolk is what keeps the oil and water together. Flax gel and applesauce have no emulsifier, so the sauce splits into a greasy puddle.
Instead. Make aquafaba mayonnaise from a recipe designed for it, such as mayo, and see our egg yolk page for warm sauces.
You are trying to bind burgers, meatballs or fritters with applesauce, banana or aquafaba.
None of those three glue a shaped mixture together, so the patties fall apart in the pan.
Instead. Use a flax egg, or 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs plus 1 tbsp of water per egg, which binds a savory mixture perfectly well.

Substitution calculator

Scale a swap to your recipe, or convert cups to grams

What is Eggs?

Eggs is about 75% water by weight, with protein in the white that whips into a foam, protein in the yolk that sets firm when heated, and the fat and lecithin that keep a batter smooth, which is why one ingredient can bind, moisten, lift and set all at once.

Cooking tips

Count the eggs before you choose anything. One or two is a substitution problem; three or more is a different recipe.
Ask what happens to the egg in the method. Stirred into a batter means bind and moisten. Beaten to a foam means air. Baked in a dish on its own means set. Only the first of those has a workable swap.
Flax and chia eggs must sit until they are actually gel, 5 minutes for flax and 10 for chia. Using them straight away is the single most common mistake.
Every puree swap is wetter than an egg and carries no fat: cut 2 tbsp of the recipe's other liquid per egg replaced and add 1 tsp of oil.
Egg also browns the crust. If you replace it, brush the top with plant milk, cream or maple syrup or the bake will look pale.
3 tbsp of aquafaba is one egg WHITE. For a whole egg, add 1 tsp of oil to cover the yolk's fat.
Add 1/4 tsp of baking powder per egg replaced in anything that is meant to rise, because no substitute here lifts as well as a beaten egg.
For savory mixtures, 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs plus 1 tbsp of water binds as well as any of the fancier options and costs nothing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best egg substitute for baking?

For binding in cookies, muffins, quick breads, brownies or pancakes, a flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed plus 3 tbsp water per egg, left 5 minutes until it gels. For a moist cake where you also want tenderness, 1/4 cup plain yogurt or unsweetened applesauce per egg. For the most consistent result across unfamiliar recipes, a powdered commercial egg replacer. All three hold for one or two eggs and none of them work in a recipe built on three or more.

How many eggs can I substitute in one recipe?

One or two. Past that the egg stops being an ingredient in the batter and becomes the structure: a three-egg sponge has almost nothing else holding it up, and a custard or quiche relies entirely on egg protein setting between 145F and 185F/63C and 85C. If your recipe needs three or more eggs, look for a recipe written to be eggless rather than converting the one you have.

How do I make a flax egg?

Stir 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed into 3 tbsp of water and leave it 5 minutes. It is ready when it thickens and pulls into strings off the spoon, like raw egg white. It must be ground flaxseed, not whole seeds, which bind nothing. Use it while it is still a gel; if it stiffens into a paste, whisk in a teaspoon of water.

Can I use applesauce instead of eggs?

In a sweet batter, for one egg, yes: use 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, cut 2 tbsp of the recipe's other liquid and add 1 tsp of oil plus 1/4 tsp of baking powder. Applesauce brings water but almost no binding and no fat, so the bake comes out denser, moister and flatter. It will not hold burgers, meatballs or fritters together, and replacing two or more eggs with it gives a wet, pudding-like crumb.

Does aquafaba work as a whole egg?

Only with an adjustment. 3 tbsp of aquafaba is the equivalent of one egg WHITE, so using it for a whole egg silently removes the yolk's fat and lecithin: add 1 tsp of neutral oil per egg. Aquafaba is the only substitute here that whips into a foam, which makes it the right choice for meringue and mousse, but it never coagulates, so it cannot set a quiche or a custard.

What can I use instead of eggs in meatballs or veggie burgers?

A flax egg, or 2 tbsp of dry breadcrumbs plus 1 tbsp of water per egg, which binds a savory mixture just as well. Chill the shaped mixture for 30 minutes before cooking so it firms up. Do not use applesauce, banana or plain aquafaba here: none of them glue a shaped mixture and the patties will break up in the pan.

Are there recipes where you simply cannot replace the egg?

Yes, and it is worth knowing them before you start. Anything whipped where the foam is the dish (meringue, pavlova, macarons, souffle), anything the egg sets (quiche, custard, flan, creme brulee, lemon curd), anything built on three or more eggs (sponge, angel food, chiffon, popovers, choux) and warm emulsions (hollandaise, mayonnaise). For those, cook something else or start from a recipe designed without eggs.

Why did my eggless cake come out dense and flat?

Two reasons, usually together. The swap was wetter than the egg it replaced, and nothing added the air a beaten egg contributes. Cut 2 tbsp of other liquid per egg replaced, add 1/4 tsp of baking powder per egg, bake 25F/15C cooler for slightly longer, and replace only one egg where you can. A flatter top and a closer crumb are normal with any egg substitute, not a sign you did it wrong.

Related substitutes

More eggs substitutes

Eggs substitute

Other eggs substitutes

2Commercial Egg Replacer

3Plain Yogurt

4Unsweetened Applesauce

5Mashed Ripe Banana

6Chia Egg

7Aquafaba

8Silken Tofu

9Baking Soda + Vinegar