As Easter comes around on the calendar, eggs are celebrated as a symbol of the season. While eggs are packed with nutrients and a great source of essential fatty acids and protein in a balanced vegetarian diet, if you’re vegan you’ll only be able to enjoy the dark chocolate variety.
Which might not seem such a hardship, except that if eggs are off the menu for health or ethical reasons a great many sweet and savoury dishes suddenly appear to go off limits too, especially if you’re new to cooking without eggs.
According to the latest figures, egg sales are growing strongly and in the UK in 2019 we consumed 36 million eggs every day. But many of these eggs are hidden away in a huge variety of commercial products and homemade recipes, from cakes to noodles, mayo to meringues, which presents a real ethical minefield for anyone keen to avoid them.
Eggs are often used to fulfill a practical purpose in a recipe, such as binding ingredients together or helping to make batter rise or to add a light, airy texture. In the past, many people believed eggs played a unique role in recipes such as cakes and couldn’t be replaced, but in recent years, experimental cooks have proved this isn’t the case and now we have plenty of egg-free options available. But if you’re new to cooking without eggs, especially baking, – it’s probably best to start with vegan recipes written specifically without eggs – or using alternatives instead – to avoid expensive mistakes!
Baking
There are a variety of commercial egg replacement products on the market, but it’s cheaper and better for you to use natural ‘real’ ingredients instead. The founder of the Vegetarian Cookery School and experienced chef Rachel Demuth says: ‘To replace eggs and milk or buttermilk in baking we use soya or coconut yoghurt for a slightly sour taste and light texture, which is great to use in muffins, scones and soda bread. For a good rise add a ¼ tsp of bicarbonate of soda too.’
Rachel also recommends using fresh and dried fruit as a substitute. ‘Mashed banana, apple purée and soaked puréed dates all work well as an egg substitute in puddings like cakes, fruit loaf cakes, pancakes and muffins. They also add flavour and sweetness in different ways. They work well as binders giving a moist texture to your baking. But remember that adding too much can make your bake dense and heavy.’
While puréed fruits and vegetables such as apple, sweet potato, squash and banana can all work well in ‘squidgier’ bakes such as cakes, brownies, muffins and fruit loaf cakes, they usually won’t be suitable for recipes that should be crisp such as biscuits or cookies. Instead, animal rights charity Viva recommends using a commercial egg replacer for biscuits, while most experts seem to agree it’s best not to attempt recipes with more than three eggs with an egg replacement product. Alternatively, look for specifically egg-free biscuits.
Veggie dessert expert Kate Hackworthy agrees that replacing eggs in baking can involve a little trial and error but is perfectly possible. ‘I have replaced eggs with chia and flax seeds ‘eggs’ in baking, and also with pureed vegetables. However, my favourite vegan cake recipe doesn’t use any substitute at all, and has no unusual or hard to source ingredients. It’s moist, fluffy and simple to make, showing that you really don’t need to break any eggs to bake a cake. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend just omitting eggs in a cake recipe, but with this one the balance of extra bicarb and a little lemon juice in the dairy free milk ensures it rises well and stays moist. It’s my go-to cake recipe for vegans and non-vegans as you really can’t taste any difference.’
Find Kate’s cake recipe at https://veggiedesserts.co.uk/best-vegan-chocolate-cake/
How to make flax and chia ‘eggs’
Using flax seeds to replace egg works well if you don’t want flavour or sweetness added as it has a neutral flavour and when water is added have a gloopy consistency.
For general cakes, grind flax seeds until powdered and then mix them with water to make a batter.
- To replace 1 egg – mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax in 3 tablespoons of water.
- Flax batter works well in chocolate brownies, gluten free baking and to help bind pastry.
Chia seeds work in the same way as flax seeds but you can use them whole. Just mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to 3 tablespoons of water.
Meringues and marshmallows
If you want to make meringues, marshmallows, macarons or mousse or even mayonnaise, conventional recipes use whipped egg whites to give that light, fluffy texture. This is where you can use the lightness and air bubbles of whipped aquafaba instead.
Aquafaba is the thick liquid that you usually drain off from a can of chickpeas, but amazingly it has a protein structure that works similarly to egg white. Rachel says: ‘For meringues, simply whisk with a drop of lemon juice. Use an electric whisk for five minutes to form soft peaks, then add equal amounts of sugar, spoon by spoon, whisking well between each addition of sugar. Tinned chickpeas work very well for this, but you can also use butterbean and cannellini beans. Use a white or pale bean for the least beany colour and flavour and make sure you use water only varieties – check for no added salt or sugar.’
Binding savoury recipes
Eggs are also used in recipes for binding ingredients together. Vegan recipe developer Chava Eichner says: ‘When it comes to replacing eggs the most important thing to consider is what function the egg has in each recipe. I really like using chickpea (gram) flour in savoury recipes like burgers and fritters instead of egg. It binds well and is a nutritious, natural replacer that I can get from my local supermarket. However, it’s important to know that it has a slightly strange, metallic taste when it’s raw. Once it’s cooked that disappears completely – it’s just something to be aware of.’
Tarts, tortilla and quiches
These often use eggs in the pastry and to set the filling, but it’s perfectly possible to make both without eggs. A simple pastry can be made with just flour, vegan margarine, salt and water – or try rye flour, which binds even more easily with water without egg.
For the filling, gram flour once again saves the day. ‘There are a few options for eggless quiche fillings but the one we like best is based on a batter made with gram flour,’ says Rachel. ‘The batter sets firm and has an ‘eggy’ consistency and a neutral taste so can take up what ever flavour you fancy.’
Animal welfare charity Peta also suggests using silken tofu as a substitute in recipes such as quiches or custards. ‘To replace one egg in a recipe, purée 1/4 cup of soft tofu. It’s important to keep in mind that although tofu doesn’t fluff up like eggs, it does create a texture that’s perfect for “eggy” dishes.’
Pancakes
There are lots of options for replacing eggs in pancakes – using mashed ripe banana is popular and adds flavour and nutrients to the mix. You can also try using a flaxseed ‘egg’ – see box – or switch your usual white flour pancake recipe for socca pancakes, made with gram flour. These are so easy to make and don’t use any eggs, plus they’re great for both sweet and savoury dishes.
Three delicious egg-free recipes
Vegetable Picnic Tarts
Gram flour is brilliant for making vegan tartlets. A gram flour batter is great for making an egg-free tart as it sets firm and has an ‘eggy’ consistency and a neutral taste so can be combined with whatever flavour you fancy. This same gram flour batter can be made into French Socca.
Spanish potato tortilla
Discover how to make this classic dish without eggs. In Spain this dish is traditionally cooked with eggs, but this is a vegan version made with a gram flour batter. It tastes just as good and I don’t even think you would know it is egg-free.
Butternut and spring greens tart
A vibrant vegan tart packed with goodness. The squash filling of this vibrant spring vegetable tart is so rich and creamy you won’t notice or miss any eggs or dairy.