How to Substitute Eggs in a Recipe

Posted on May 25th, 2009 by Marck

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You may be watching your cholesterol, or you had a bad experience with eggs from a previous dish, or you may not like eggs at all. Many delicious and healthful recipes require eggs, but you don’t need to give up recipes with eggs in them just because you don’t eat them. Here are some interesting ingredients you may use in place of eggs in recipes.

Why Use Egg Substitutes?

Not all people like eggs. Some may not like the flavor, or some may be watching their cholesterol levels. Eggs are nutritious when consumed in moderate quantities, although the yolk can contain a very high level of cholesterol. Doctors sometimes recommend that people with excess cholesterol problems stop consuming eggs altogether.

Some eggs may look fresh, but they may harbor dangerous Salmonella bacteria. Recipes that contain raw eggs, like Caesar’s salad, sukiyaki, and Hollandaise sauce may also cause stomach problems or indigestion. Egg substitutes may not taste like eggs, but they do work in the same way as eggs would in a recipe.

Egg Substitutes

While you can’t use an egg substitute to make a proper omelette or to make scrambled eggs, you can use them for recipes where eggs are used for texture and not flavor. Here are some egg substitutes you can try:

Flour: Many starch-based products can be used to thicken soup, stews, and stir-fry in place of eggs. You can use cornstarch, potato starch, or all-purpose flour dissolved in water to act as a thickener. Two tablespoons of starch is equivalent to one egg.
Soy-based products like tofu, soy starch, and soy flour can be added to dishes in place of eggs. Fresh tofu can be blended or processed, and used in place of eggs for fresh Caesar’s salad dressing.
Fruit and seeds can be used to flavor a baked dish heavy in eggs, and can also help make the cake light and fluffy. Try using bananas, flax seed, or sunflower seed in cake batter in place of eggs.

Just because you don’t like eggs or are not allowed to eat them doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy recipes and dishes made with them. Thanks to egg substitutes, healthy and flavorful dishes can be made even in the absence of eggs.