The perfect egg substitute – with a printable table

Chicken eggs are used in cooking and baking, among other things, for binding, loosening and thickening. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives for those who want to avoid eggs. It is now child's play to veganize recipes and continue to enjoy old favorite recipes. But what is the perfect mixing ratio of each alternative? Which egg substitute do I use for which dishes? Our guide will tell you.

What alternatives are there? An overview

In addition to the “natural” alternatives to chicken eggs, which we’ll get to in a moment, there are also processed egg substitutes. These are usually powder mixtures that consist of locust bean gum, lupine flour, corn starch, sunflower protein or similar. The powder is whipped with a little water and can then be used instead of egg for various recipes. These products can be found in more and more grocery stores.

If you want to replace a chicken egg, you don't have to go to the supermarket first. Eggs can also be replaced with a variety of foods from the pantry or refrigerator.

It is important to think beforehand which function the egg should be used in the respective recipe. Is it for loosening, binding or thickening? Or is it more about the taste of egg or about achieving a yellow color? For these different functions, some of the alternatives are more suitable than others. However, there is usually more than one way to achieve the desired result. Then you should just try out what you like best.

To name the alternatives that will be discussed today, here is a small list (starting with the foods that you most likely already have at home):

Bananas, Flour, mineral water, turmeric, Baking soda and vinegar/lemon juice, Vegetable Milk, applesauce, Aquafaba (chickpea water), linseed, Chia seeds, Silken tofu, Corn starch, locust bean gum, soy flour, Chickpea flour, Kala Namak.

I think it makes most sense to group the egg alternatives according to their function. The function therefore forms the first table column. The required food is then listed with its mixing ratio or quantity. This is followed by comments on preparation, dishes for which the egg substitute is suitable and other comments. You can scroll the table below from left to right (to see all columns) or view it as a PDF.

Here you can find the table as a PDF to print out.

The perfect egg substitute…

function	Groceries	1 egg =	preparation	particularly suitable for	note
for binding	Flaxseed (crushed)	1 tbsp flaxseed + 3 tbsp water	Mix and let swell for about 10 minutes	dark pastries, brownies, cakes,	regional alternative to chia seeds
	Chia seeds	1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water	Mix and let swell for approx. 5 minutes	Bread dough, cookies, savory pastries	not so suitable for cake batter
	soy flour	1 tbsp soy flour + 2 tbsp water	touch	Sweets including cakes, waffles, cookies, brownies, pasta dough	Available in many supermarkets and organic markets, very light taste
	Chickpea flour	1 tbsp chickpea flour + 2 tbsp water	touch	savory dishes such as quiches or casseroles, vegan omelettes	-
for loosening when baking	Baking soda + vinegar/lemon juice	2 tbsp baking soda + 1 tbsp vinegar/citric acid for 500g flour	mix	Cakes, cake bases, bread	-
	Mineral water (carbonated)	according to recipe (see note)	add	particularly loose dough, e.g. sponge cake	Information about a 1:1 mixing ratio depends on the recipe
	Flour + baking powder + oil + water	2 tbsp flour + 2 tbsp baking powder + 2 tbsp oil + 2 tbsp water	mix	Muffins, pancakes, cakes	suitable for pastries where 1 egg needs to be replaced
for juicy cakes and pastries	banana	½, ripe banana / 60g	mash with a fork	Cakes, pancakes, waffles, cookies	the riper the banana, the better (but also the more flavor and sweetness)
	applesauce	3 tbsp / 60-70 g applesauce	add it as it is	Sweets, cakes, pastries, brownies	fairly neutral taste
	Plant drink	3-4 tbsp plant drink	just add it	Cookies, shortcrust pastry	particularly suitable for pastries where only 1 egg needs to be replaced (compensates for a lack of moisture)
to thicken	Cornstarch	2 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp water	touch	Puddings, sauces, pastries	-
	Locust bean gum	1 teaspoon locust bean gum + 40 ml water	When preparing pastries: add locust bean gum to the dry ingredients, add the water to the liquid ingredients	Pastries, cakes, sweet and savory sauces	Binds without boiling, no taste of its own
for scrambled eggs or quiches	Silken tofu	50-60 g silken tofu	puree	Scrambled eggs, quiches, cheesecakes, frittata	provides moisture and suppleness; available in health food stores
for egg whites	Aquafaba (chickpea water)	25-30 ml aquafaba ≙ 1 egg white	Drain the chickpeas and reserve the water; For biscuits etc. add directly, beat for about 3-6 minutes with a hand mixer or food processor to create the egg white effect	Chocolate mousse, macaroons, meringues, cookies	The “giggle snow” cannot be beaten for too long – it becomes stiffer the longer it is beaten
for the yellow color	turmeric	desired quantity (see note)	Stir in or marinate	savory dishes such as scrambled tofu, quiches, spaetzle	very small quantities taste little
for egg flavor	Kala Namak salt		Replace some of the “normal” salt in the recipe with kala namak	Scrambled tofu, quiches	available in health food stores