Best vegan substitutes for egg

Why this works

An egg contributes structure (protein coagulation), lift (whipped air and steam), binding, moisture, emulsification, browning, and richness, and no single replacer covers all of those jobs at once. Aquafaba is the only common replacer that whips to a meringue and is King Arthur's recommended starting point when in doubt; it carries lift but adds little structure on its own. Flax and chia eggs add body and bind, work well in soft, low-rising bakes (cookies, brownies, dense muffins, quick breads, most yeast breads except enriched doughs like brioche), and are not the right choice for light, fluffy cakes. Silken tofu and fruit or vegetable purees add moisture and some binding but no lift, and they shine in already-dense bakes like brownies and quick breads. Commercial egg replacer powders are starch-and-leavener blends that give cookies and standard cakes both a little structure and a little lift, but they cannot mimic the protein network of three or more eggs in a structurally fragile recipe. As a rule of thumb these swaps are reliable for recipes that call for one or two eggs; recipes calling for three or more eggs (sponge cakes, pound cakes, popovers, custards, soufflés) are unlikely to succeed with a one-for-one replacer swap regardless of which replacer you choose.

Why this works

An egg contributes structure (protein coagulation), lift (whipped air and steam), binding, moisture, emulsification, browning, and richness, and no single replacer covers all of those jobs at once. Aquafaba is the only common replacer that whips to a meringue and is King Arthur's recommended starting point when in doubt; it carries lift but adds little structure on its own. Flax and chia eggs add body and bind, work well in soft, low-rising bakes (cookies, brownies, dense muffins, quick breads, most yeast breads except enriched doughs like brioche), and are not the right choice for light, fluffy cakes. Silken tofu and fruit or vegetable purees add moisture and some binding but no lift, and they shine in already-dense bakes like brownies and quick breads. Commercial egg replacer powders are starch-and-leavener blends that give cookies and standard cakes both a little structure and a little lift, but they cannot mimic the protein network of three or more eggs in a structurally fragile recipe. As a rule of thumb these swaps are reliable for recipes that call for one or two eggs; recipes calling for three or more eggs (sponge cakes, pound cakes, popovers, custards, soufflés) are unlikely to succeed with a one-for-one replacer swap regardless of which replacer you choose.

Why this works

An egg contributes structure (protein coagulation), lift (whipped air and steam), binding, moisture, emulsification, browning, and richness, and no single replacer covers all of those jobs at once. Aquafaba is the only common replacer that whips to a meringue and is King Arthur's recommended starting point when in doubt; it carries lift but adds little structure on its own. Flax and chia eggs add body and bind, work well in soft, low-rising bakes (cookies, brownies, dense muffins, quick breads, most yeast breads except enriched doughs like brioche), and are not the right choice for light, fluffy cakes. Silken tofu and fruit or vegetable purees add moisture and some binding but no lift, and they shine in already-dense bakes like brownies and quick breads. Commercial egg replacer powders are starch-and-leavener blends that give cookies and standard cakes both a little structure and a little lift, but they cannot mimic the protein network of three or more eggs in a structurally fragile recipe. As a rule of thumb these swaps are reliable for recipes that call for one or two eggs; recipes calling for three or more eggs (sponge cakes, pound cakes, popovers, custards, soufflés) are unlikely to succeed with a one-for-one replacer swap regardless of which replacer you choose.

Why this works

An egg contributes structure (protein coagulation), lift (whipped air and steam), binding, moisture, emulsification, browning, and richness, and no single replacer covers all of those jobs at once. Aquafaba is the only common replacer that whips to a meringue and is King Arthur's recommended starting point when in doubt; it carries lift but adds little structure on its own. Flax and chia eggs add body and bind, work well in soft, low-rising bakes (cookies, brownies, dense muffins, quick breads, most yeast breads except enriched doughs like brioche), and are not the right choice for light, fluffy cakes. Silken tofu and fruit or vegetable purees add moisture and some binding but no lift, and they shine in already-dense bakes like brownies and quick breads. Commercial egg replacer powders are starch-and-leavener blends that give cookies and standard cakes both a little structure and a little lift, but they cannot mimic the protein network of three or more eggs in a structurally fragile recipe. As a rule of thumb these swaps are reliable for recipes that call for one or two eggs; recipes calling for three or more eggs (sponge cakes, pound cakes, popovers, custards, soufflés) are unlikely to succeed with a one-for-one replacer swap regardless of which replacer you choose.

Why this works

An egg contributes structure (protein coagulation), lift (whipped air and steam), binding, moisture, emulsification, browning, and richness, and no single replacer covers all of those jobs at once. Aquafaba is the only common replacer that whips to a meringue and is King Arthur's recommended starting point when in doubt; it carries lift but adds little structure on its own. Flax and chia eggs add body and bind, work well in soft, low-rising bakes (cookies, brownies, dense muffins, quick breads, most yeast breads except enriched doughs like brioche), and are not the right choice for light, fluffy cakes. Silken tofu and fruit or vegetable purees add moisture and some binding but no lift, and they shine in already-dense bakes like brownies and quick breads. Commercial egg replacer powders are starch-and-leavener blends that give cookies and standard cakes both a little structure and a little lift, but they cannot mimic the protein network of three or more eggs in a structurally fragile recipe. As a rule of thumb these swaps are reliable for recipes that call for one or two eggs; recipes calling for three or more eggs (sponge cakes, pound cakes, popovers, custards, soufflés) are unlikely to succeed with a one-for-one replacer swap regardless of which replacer you choose.