Plant-Based Egg Substitutes

Do the high prices and unavailability of eggs have you scrambling to find alternatives for baking and high-protein meals?

Don’t panic! And don't worry if you're not ready for a backyard flock of laying hens. The plant world has some "egg-cellent" ideas for you!

Chickpeas and Beans

For baking, few plant-based egg alternatives are better than aquafaba, the cooking liquid from garbanzos (chickpeas) and other beans. If you don’t have time to cook up a mess of beans, a 14-ounce can of chickpeas will yield about ½ cup of liquid, which you can whip into a fluffy addition to breads and other baked goods that call for egg whites. Cooking liquid from other types of beans, such as our Papa de Rolo, Adventist Pole, or Limas such as Christmas Pole or Kurzer’s Calico bean, will also work.

Aquafaba also makes swell vegan mayonnaise!

Kurzer's Calico Traveler Lima Beans

Soybeans

Many plant-based bakers also substitute a mixture of soy milk and maple syrup for the egg wash used for brushing the top of bread loaves just before baking. Making soy milk from scratch is so rewarding, and it takes only two ingredients – dried soybeans and water.

Fresh soybeans – edamame – are great as a high-protein, low-calorie snack, and preparing them is as easy as making a hard-boiled egg. We offer two beautiful varieties, Tankuro and Chiba Green. You can also use them to make your own tofu, which makes a wonderfully easy protein-based breakfast scramble and many other fabulous dishes.

Tankuro Soybeans

Amaranth

We think amaranth deserves to be much more widely grown and eaten! The highly nutritious seeds are nutty, naturally gluten free, versatile, and pack more than twice as much protein by weight than corn or rice. Amaranth is a ‘pseudo grain’ that can be popped, cooked into porridge, added to soups, or made into flour. As a bonus, the leaves are also highly nutritious and tasty. Our collection of amaranth varieties includes Pink Beauty, Elena’s Rojo, Aurelia’s Verde, and Golden Giant.

Pink Beauty Amaranth

Pumpkin (or any Squash) Puree

If you don’t mind a little pumpkin flavor in your baked goods, consider swapping ¼ cup of pumpkin puree for each egg in your recipe. Check out all of our pumpkin and squash varieties here.  Don't have time to cook and puree the pumpkin? Use canned or frozen!

Winter Essex Hybrid Squash

Potato Puree

Because of their starch content, cooked and pureed potatoes are good at holding things together, and they can be used as a binder in dishes such as meatloaf, meatballs, or any casserole that calls for eggs. Look for varieties that are higher in starch content, such as Russet Burbank or Yukon Gold.

Yukon Gold potatoes

Applesauce

Just a quarter cup of applesauce in place of each egg called for in the recipe will help hold your cakes and quick breads together!

Chia or Flax Seeds

A tablespoon of ground flax or chia seeds mixed with hot water will work in place of each egg your cookie or cake recipe calls for.

Cornstarch, Potato Starch, Arrowroot, or Agar-Agar

Puddings, custards, and other dishes can easily be thickened with refined starches. You probably already have cornstarch in your kitchen, and potato starch is often available in larger grocery stores. Arrowroot (made from the kudzu vine) and agar-agar (made from seaweed) are available in many specialty grocery stores or online.

Main Takeaways:

• You don't have to be a full-time vegan to appreciate the many plant-based egg substitutes for your baking and dining needs!
• Whether you use fruit, vegetable, or seed purees, bean cooking liquid, or soymilk and maple syrup, there are plenty of plant-based ways to feed your family without eggs.

Eggs are getting harder to find in some areas. Don't let it stop you from baking and cooking!