Best Egg Substitutes for Cooking: Simple Swaps That Actually Work in Every Recipe

Running out of eggs right before starting your favorite recipe can feel like a kitchen disaster. Whether you’re dealing with empty cartons, dietary restrictions, or simply want to try something new, you don’t have to abandon your cooking plans.

The good news is that many common pantry ingredients can successfully replace eggs in most recipes, from baked goods to savory dishes. These substitutes work by mimicking eggs’ binding, leavening, or moisture-adding properties in different ways.

You’ll discover eleven proven egg alternatives that deliver real results, including plant-based options like flax eggs and aquafaba, pantry staples like applesauce and yogurt, and specialized commercial replacers. Each substitute works best for specific types of recipes, so you’ll learn exactly when and how to use them for the best outcomes.

Silken Tofu

Silken tofu makes an excellent egg substitute in many recipes. It has a smooth, custard-like texture that works well in baked goods and creamy dishes.

How much to use: Replace each egg with 1/4 cup of blended silken tofu. This ratio works best for cakes, muffins, and brownies.

The soft texture of silken tofu helps create moist baked goods. When you heat it with liquid, it becomes creamy and rich. This makes it perfect for recipes that need a smooth consistency.

Best uses for silken tofu:

• Dense baked goods like brownies and quick breads
• Pumpkin pie and custard desserts
• Chocolate mousse and puddings
• Sauces and dressings

For better results, puree the tofu before adding it to your recipe. Add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to help your baked goods rise properly.

Silken tofu works differently than regular firm tofu. Firm tofu is better for scrambled eggs and savory dishes. Silken tofu is your go-to choice for sweet recipes and smooth textures.

You can find silken tofu in most grocery stores. It comes in shelf-stable packages or refrigerated containers. Store opened packages in the fridge for up to five days.

This substitute works well if you’re vegan or have egg allergies. It adds protein to your recipes while keeping them dairy-free and cholesterol-free.

Unsweetened Applesauce

Unsweetened applesauce ranks as one of the most reliable egg substitutes in baking. It works by adding moisture and helping bind ingredients together.

How to Use:

• Replace 1 egg with ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• Mix it directly into your wet ingredients
• No special preparation needed

Best Uses for Applesauce

Applesauce doesn’t provide leavening like eggs do. Your baked goods will have a denser texture but stay moist and flavorful.

Choose unsweetened varieties to avoid throwing off your recipe’s sugar balance. If you only have sweetened applesauce, reduce other sweeteners in your recipe by 1-2 tablespoons.

The apple flavor stays very mild in most recipes. You won’t taste it in chocolate cakes or spiced muffins.

Pro tip: Applesauce works best when your recipe includes baking powder or baking soda for rising. These leavening agents make up for what the eggs would normally provide.

This substitute costs less than eggs and lasts longer in your pantry. Keep a jar on hand for last-minute baking projects when you run out of eggs.

Mashed Banana

Mashed banana works as a simple egg substitute that adds natural sweetness and moisture to your recipes. You can find this ingredient in most kitchens, making it one of the most convenient options available.

How to Use: Use 1/4 cup of mashed banana to replace one egg. Choose ripe bananas with brown spots for the best results. These bananas contain more sugar and create better texture.

Key Benefits:

• Adds natural moisture
• Creates dense, chewy texture
• Provides mild sweetness
• Works well in chocolate recipes

Important Notes: Your baked goods will have a subtle banana flavor. This works great in recipes where fruit flavors make sense. The banana also makes your treats more dense and moist.

Pro Tips: Mash your banana until completely smooth to avoid lumps. You might need to reduce other liquids in your recipe slightly since bananas add moisture. Store extra mashed banana in the freezer for future baking projects.

This substitute works especially well in breakfast items like muffins and pancakes. The natural sugars in bananas help with browning and create appealing color in your finished products.

Ground Flaxseed + Water (Flax Egg)

A flax egg is one of the most popular egg substitutes for baking. You make it by mixing ground flaxseed with water to create a thick, gel-like mixture.

How to Make a Flax Egg:

Mix the ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it becomes thick and gooey.

Best Uses:

• Muffins and quick breads
• Cookies and brownies
• Pancakes and waffles
• Dense cakes

Flax eggs work great as a binding agent in recipes. They help hold ingredients together just like regular eggs do. However, they won’t add much moisture or help your baked goods rise.

Nutritional Benefits: You get extra fiber and omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed. This makes your baked goods more nutritious than using regular eggs.

Tips for Success: Use ground flaxseed meal instead of whole seeds. Whole seeds won’t create the gel texture you need. If you only have whole seeds, grind them in a coffee grinder first.

Store unused ground flaxseed in your refrigerator to keep it fresh. It can go bad quickly at room temperature.

Flax eggs work best in recipes that call for 1-2 eggs. Using too many can make your baked goods gummy or heavy.

Chia Seeds + Water (Chia Egg)

Chia eggs are one of the most popular egg substitutes in vegan baking. They work by combining ground chia seeds with water to create a gel-like mixture.

How to Make a Chia Egg:

• Mix 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water
• Let sit for 5 minutes until it becomes thick and sticky
• Use as a 1:1 replacement for one egg

You need to use ground chia seeds instead of whole ones. Whole chia seeds won’t break down properly and create the right texture.

Chia eggs work best in recipes that need binding. They add structure to baked goods and help hold ingredients together.

The mixture has a mild, nutty flavor that won’t change the taste of your recipe. Chia seeds are also packed with omega-3s, fiber, and protein.

Pro tip: Make your chia eggs fresh each time you bake. They work best when used within 30 minutes of mixing.

This substitute works well for most home baking projects. You can replace up to 2-3 eggs in a recipe without affecting the final result too much.

Commercial Egg Replacers

Commercial egg replacers are specially made products that work better than homemade swaps in most recipes. You can find them in the baking aisle at most grocery stores.

These products contain a mix of ingredients that copy what eggs do in recipes. Most include starches, psyllium husk, and leavening agents like baking soda.

Popular brands include:

• Ener-G Egg Replacer
• Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer
• JUST Egg (liquid version)
• Simply Eggless

Commercial replacers work great for baking because they help your cakes and muffins rise properly. They also bind ingredients together just like real eggs do.

Key benefits:

• Consistent results – Same outcome every time
• Easy to use – Just follow package directions
• Long shelf life – Keep for months in your pantry
• No prep work – Ready to mix right away

Most powder replacers use a simple formula. Mix one teaspoon of powder with 2-3 tablespoons of water for each egg you need to replace.

Liquid egg replacers like JUST Egg work best for scrambles and quiches. Use about 3 tablespoons per egg in your recipe.

You can store opened powder replacers in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Liquid versions need refrigeration and last about a week once opened.

Commercial replacers cost more than homemade options but save you time and give better results in tricky recipes like angel food cake or soufflés.

Aquafaba (Chickpea Brine)

Aquafaba is the liquid from canned chickpeas or the water left after cooking dried chickpeas. This cloudy, slightly thick liquid works as an excellent egg substitute in many recipes.

You can use aquafaba straight from the can without any preparation. It contains proteins and starches that help bind ingredients together, just like eggs do.

Basic Substitution Ratios:

• 3 tablespoons aquafaba = 1 whole egg
• 2 tablespoons aquafaba = 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon aquafaba = 1 egg yolk

The liquid works best in baked goods like cookies, cakes, and muffins. You can also whip it into peaks for meringues or use it to make vegan mayonnaise.

Best Uses:

• Binding agent – Add directly to cookie or muffin batter
• Whipped substitute – Beat for 10-15 minutes to create foam for mousses
• Emulsifier – Mix into salad dressings and sauces

Fresh aquafaba from your own cooked chickpeas often works better than canned versions. The homemade liquid tends to be thicker and more effective for whipping.

Store unused aquafaba in your refrigerator for up to one week. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays for longer storage.

This substitute works well for people with egg allergies or those following vegan diets. It adds minimal flavor to your recipes while providing similar binding properties to eggs.

Yogurt (Plain Dairy Or Non-Dairy)

Yogurt works as an excellent egg substitute in many recipes. It adds moisture and helps bind ingredients together.

Use plain yogurt instead of flavored varieties. Vanilla or fruit flavors can change your recipe’s taste in unexpected ways.

How Much to Use

Replace each egg with 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. This ratio works well for most baking recipes.

Best Recipe Types

Yogurt works great in:

• Muffins and quick breads
• Cakes and cupcakes
• Pancakes and waffles

It creates moist, tender results. Your baked goods will have a slightly tangy flavor.

Dairy-Free Options

Soy yogurt is the top non-dairy choice. It has similar protein content to regular yogurt.

Other options include coconut, almond, or oat yogurt. These work well but may add subtle flavors to your recipe.

Pro Tips

Greek yogurt contains more protein than regular yogurt. This makes it especially good for structure in baked goods.

Avoid using yogurt in recipes that need eggs for leavening, like soufflés. It works best when eggs provide moisture and binding.

Room temperature yogurt mixes easier into batters than cold yogurt straight from the fridge.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk works as an egg substitute when you need to add moisture and help your baked goods rise. It contains acid that reacts with baking soda to create lift in recipes.

Best Uses:

• Pancakes and waffles
• Muffins and quick breads
• Cakes that need extra moisture

How to Use Buttermilk as an Egg Substitute

Replace each egg with 1/4 cup of buttermilk. You’ll get the best results in recipes that already call for baking soda or baking powder.

The acid in buttermilk helps create a tender texture. Your baked goods will have a slight tangy flavor that works well in breakfast items and sweet breads.

What to Expect

Buttermilk adds more liquid to your recipe than eggs do. You might need to reduce other liquids slightly or add a bit more flour to balance the batter.

This substitute works better for binding ingredients than for leavening. If your recipe relies on eggs for rise, combine buttermilk with an extra 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.

Buttermilk substitute works best when eggs aren’t the main structure of your recipe. Skip this option for recipes like custards or meringues where eggs provide the primary texture.

Nut Butters

Nut butters work well as egg substitutes in many baking recipes. They add moisture and help bind ingredients together.

Use 3 tablespoons of any nut butter to replace one egg. Peanut butter is the most common choice, but almond butter and cashew butter also work well.

Best uses for nut butter egg substitutes:

• Cookies
• Brownies
• Energy bars
• Muffins
• Quick breads

Nut butters make baked goods denser and chewier. This texture works great in cookies and brownies where you want extra richness.

The flavor will come through in your final product. Peanut butter adds a nutty taste that pairs well with chocolate recipes. Almond butter gives a milder flavor.

Tips for using nut butters:

• Choose smooth varieties over chunky
• Mix well to avoid lumps
• Reduce other fats slightly since nut butters contain oils
• Expect darker colored results

Your baked goods may spread less when using nut butter substitutes. This happens because nut butters are thicker than eggs.

Creamy nut butters work better than crunchy ones for smooth batters. Save chunky varieties for recipes where texture won’t matter as much.

Consider the flavor profile of your recipe before choosing a nut butter. Cashew butter has the mildest taste if you want less nutty flavor.

Cornstarch Or Arrowroot + Water

Cornstarch and arrowroot powder work as simple egg replacements when you need a quick fix. Both create a thick mixture that adds moisture and helps bind ingredients together.

Basic Recipe:

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 3 tablespoons water
• Mix until smooth and thick

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken properly. It should look gooey before you add it to your recipe.

Best Uses:

• Cookies and bars
• Muffins and quick breads
• Pancakes and crepes
• Recipes where eggs add moisture

These starches work well as binders in baked goods. They help hold your ingredients together just like eggs do.

Key Differences: Arrowroot powder creates a slightly clearer mixture than cornstarch. It also works better in acidic recipes like those with lemon juice or vinegar.

Cornstarch costs less and you can find it in most grocery stores. It works great for most basic baking needs.

Pro Tips: Make sure to mix the powder completely with water before adding it to your batter. Lumps will create uneven texture in your finished product.

Both options are gluten-free and work well for people with dietary restrictions. They won’t change the flavor of your baked goods.

This substitute works best when eggs provide moisture rather than rise in your original recipe.