Egg substitutes in baking: what to use and when

Published 2026-10-19, updated 2026-10-21

No single ingredient replaces an egg, because an egg does several jobs at once. The trick is to work out which job the egg is doing in your recipe and pick the substitute that does that job. This guide gives the amounts to use in place of one large egg and which bakes each one suits.

What eggs do in a bake

An egg is about 50 g out of the shell (roughly 3 tablespoons), and it usually does more than one of these jobs:

Binding: proteins set when heated and hold crumbs, cookie dough and batters together.
Lift: whisked eggs trap air, and the proteins set around the bubbles. Whites do most of this.
Moisture: eggs are roughly three quarters water.
Richness and tenderness: the yolk carries fat and an emulsifier, which gives a softer crumb.
Colour and shine: eggs help browning and are used as a glaze.

A substitute that binds well (flax, chia) may add no lift. One that adds lift (whipped aquafaba) may bind weakly. That is why the best choice depends on the bake.

Amounts to replace one large egg

Substitutes for one large egg
Substitute	Amount for 1 egg	Mainly replaces	Things to know
Ground flaxseed	1 tablespoon (about 7 g) ground flaxseed whisked with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water; rest 5 minutes until gloopy	Binding, some moisture	Nutty taste and brown flecks. Gives no lift.
Chia seeds	1 tablespoon (about 12 g) chia seeds in 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water; rest 10 to 15 minutes	Binding, some moisture	Seeds show as dots unless ground first. Gives no lift.
Aquafaba (chickpea can liquid)	3 tablespoons (45 ml) for a whole egg, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) for an egg white	Binding, foam, lift	Neutral taste. Whips to stiff peaks with an electric mixer.
Unsweetened applesauce	1/4 cup (about 60 g)	Moisture, light binding	Gives a moist, slightly dense, tender crumb.
Ripe banana, mashed	1/4 cup (about 60 g)	Moisture, binding	Tastes of banana and browns faster.
Silken tofu, blended smooth	1/4 cup (about 60 g)	Binding, richness	Neutral taste. Dense, moist result.
Plain unsweetened plant yogurt	1/4 cup (about 60 g)	Moisture, tender crumb	Works best in recipes that also contain baking powder or baking soda.
Commercial egg replacer powder	Follow the packet	Binding, some lift	Usually starch-based and often made for cakes. Check the label for allergens.

Which substitute for which bake

Matching a substitute to the bake
Bake	Good choices	Worth knowing
Cakes and cupcakes	Plant yogurt, applesauce, blended silken tofu	Pale cakes show flax flecks, and flax can make the crumb heavy. Keep the raising agent (baking powder or soda) in the recipe.
Muffins, quick breads, pancakes	Flax, applesauce, banana	Banana suits banana bread and chocolate muffins; in plain vanilla bakes you will taste it.
Cookies	Flax, chia, aquafaba	Fruit purees make cookies softer and more cake-like. Flax or chia keeps them chewy.
Brownies	Flax, silken tofu, applesauce	Tofu tends toward fudgy; applesauce toward cakey.
Meringues, pavlova, mousse, whipped toppings	Aquafaba, whipped	Whip for several minutes to stiff peaks, add sugar gradually, and bake meringue low and slow. Any grease on the bowl stops it whipping.
Custards, quiche, cheesecake	Blended silken tofu, in a recipe written for it	Here eggs are the structure. Swap in a recipe designed without eggs rather than converting one.
Yeast bread and rolls	Often none needed	The egg mostly adds richness and colour. Replacing it with a little plant milk and a teaspoon of oil is a common approach.
Glaze for pastry or bread	Plant milk, or plant milk with a little maple syrup	Syrup helps browning and shine. Oil also works for a gloss.

Rules of thumb that prevent most failures

Replace eggs one for one only in recipes that use one or two. If a recipe needs three or more eggs, the eggs are the structure (sponge, angel food, souffle). Choose a recipe written without eggs.
Let flax and chia gel fully before adding them. A thin, watery mix has not finished working.
Use unsweetened applesauce, yogurt and similar. If you use a sweetened one, cut the sugar a little.
Mix until just combined. Do not whisk eggless batters hard once the flour is in.
Check doneness with a skewer rather than the clock, because moist substitutes can bake slightly slower.
Cool eggless bakes fully before cutting. Many set as they cool and look underdone when hot.
Egg-free is not allergen-free. Tofu and some yogurts are soy, and replacer powders vary. Read the label.

Egg substitutes in gluten-free baking

Gluten-free batters have no gluten network, so binding matters even more. Flax, chia and psyllium all form gels that help hold crumbs together, which is why they are common in gluten-free recipes. Start with the blends and xanthan gum guidance in the gluten-free flour blends guide, then replace the eggs using the table above.

What this guide is based on

The amounts in the first table are the commonly published rule-of-thumb figures for replacing one large egg. They are general cooking knowledge, not results from our own test baking, and results vary by recipe.
What eggs do in a bake (binding, lift, moisture, richness, colour) and the idea that proteins set around trapped air are general food-science knowledge.
Which substitute suits which bake is a judgement from how each ingredient behaves, offered as a starting point. We have not baked every combination for this guide.
A large egg weighing about 50 g without its shell is the usual reference size; egg sizes vary by region.