Your Guide to Vegan Eggs and Egg Replacers (Updated 2020) (VZ 317)

Finding a good replacement for eggs isn’t as hard as it might seem! In this episode of our podcast, we talk all about vegan eggs and egg replaces. You can listen here or read on for a quick summary.

 

What are vegan eggs? 

The term “vegan eggs” essentially refer to anything that replaces eggs either as a main dish or in a recipe. 

Vegan egg replacements can be either store-bought or homemade. Read on to learn about a few popular store-bought options, plus a few options for making vegan egg replacers at home.

 

 

How are vegan eggs made? (aka…what could possibly replace eggs?)

Ingredients in both commercial and homemade egg replacers vary widely. Many commercial products contain a thickening agent such as potato starch or tapioca flour, a leavening agent such as cream of tartar, and various other binding agents and/or preservatives. 

 

Are vegan eggs healthy? 

Just because a food is vegan doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy. It’s always important to check labels for natural, good quality ingredients. 

 

5 of the Best Off-the-shelf Vegan Egg Brands

This product seemed to be the most popular with our community when it came to off-the-shelf replacements. 

Per the package: 

• Made from plants
• 5 grams of protein per serving 
• Scrambles just like real eggs but is cholesterol-free, non-GMO, and contains no eggs or dairy

So, does Just Egg taste just like eggs? As of this writing, we haven’t personally tried it. However, after seeing the recommendations from our community and the positive reviews on Amazon, we’d bet money it absolutely does! 

 

2. Namaste Egg Replacer

Namaste was recommended by Andrea in our Peas and Carrots Society group on Facebook. 

It’s derived from citrus fiber, tapioca starch, arrowroot powder, cream of tartar, and sodium bicarbonate. 

Namaste does not contain wheat, gluten, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sulfates, sesame, mustard, potato, or corn. 

Based on the pictures, it looked to be mainly used in baking recipes so we’re not sure how scrambling up a mess of Namaste would turn out, but the recipes on their website look good. 

 

 

3. Ener-G

Ener-G is a powdered egg replacer that mimics the binding function of eggs in cooking and baking, but it’s completely egg-free. It can be used to replace both egg whites and yolks and contains no gluten, wheat, or cholesterol. It’s low in sodium and protein and is vegetarian and kosher.

One 16 ounce package equals approximately 100 eggs.

 

4. Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer

We love Bob’s Red Mill products! Their egg substitute is paleo and grain-free and contains no nuts, flours, starches, or seeds. It’s also gluten-free and kosher. 

This one won’t work as a scramble but does work well with baked items. 

 

5. Follow Your Heart’s VeganEgg

This product actually comes in an egg carton-looking container. It can be used for baking or for scrambled egg dishes. 

Follow Your Heart’s VeganEggs are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and dairy-free.

 

5 foods to substitute for eggs in baking and cooking

Way back in episode 68 of the podcast, we talked about vegan baking in general, but in this episode, we hone in on eggs specifically.

 

Banana

If you don’t like the flavor of banana (like Larissa doesn’t), you might want to move on to the rest of the list. Bananas make a great replacement for eggs in soft chewy baked good such as muffins or brownies. Just be sure to use ripe bananas. One medium ripe banana (mashed) can be used in place of one egg.

 

Flaxseed

Ellen from our Facebook group says, “When it comes to baking, I like to use one tablespoon flax meal plus 2.5 tablespoons of water (rest for 5 minutes before using) for a quick and easy egg replacer. Works great in brownies & cookies.”

Health Coach Darryl says, “When I am baking I almost exclusively mix flax seeds with water to make the replacement. When I’m making waffles or pancakes I use one tablespoon of applesauce for each egg. I do not like the product VeganEgg at all, and I think the box is corny. It smells like real eggs but it doesn’t taste like it at all. Now, this new JUST EGG is great for scrambled eggs!”

 

Applesauce

Caroline says, “PSA! APPLESAUCE as a replacement for eggs in fudge brownies is beyond INCREDIBLE!!! I honestly couldn’t tell a difference aside from the fact that it leaves you with THE freshest, “moist” (sorry but no better word for it?) tasting brownies for days upon days!!

Use one tablespoon of applesauce to replace one egg in baking recipes. 

 

Aquafaba

You may recall from the podcast that this is one of our all-time favorite words on the show! In case you’re still wondering what this is, aquafaba is essentially the liquid in a can of chickpeas. How cool is that? Not only can you eat the chickpeas but even the liquid can be used! 

What’s great about aquafaba is that it binds really well in recipes and can easily be used in baked goods.  If you cook your own chickpeas, save the cooking liquid; homemade aquafaba will keep in your fridge for two to three days.

Check out this awesome “Guide to Aquafaba” by Minimalist Baker, which includes some tricks and tips for using it in your recipes.

 

Tofu

Tofu is a versatile addition to any plant-based kitchen–it’s one of our refrigerator staples! 

Holly from our Peas and Carrots Society says that she loves scrambled tofu and gives a pro tip for making delicious scrambled tofu. She says, “I LOVE scrambled tofu. Rani black salt (ordered off Amazon, about $7) makes it taste extremely similar to eggs. I crumble up extra firm tofu and sprinkle it with some black salt, along with pepper, turmeric for the yellow color, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then I add in some green bell pepper and tomato, maybe some hash browns and veggie sausage, and you’ve got a tasty scramble.”

We hope this has provided you with multiple options for replacing eggs in your meals and baked goods. Some of these you may have to play around with a bit to see what suits you but the good news is you have plenty to experiment with!

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Further Reading and Resources Used for this Episode:

• 8 Awesome Vegan Baking Tips (VZ 288)
• The Joy of Vegan Baking (VZ 68)

 

Recipe of the Week

• The recipe this week is Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich from the Edgy Veg (edgyveg.com) It was recommended by Peas and Carrots member Steph who said, “I love this recipe. It actually fooled a bunch of omnis.”

 

Thanks for listening!

Peace and Veggies,
Vickie and Larissa

 

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