Short answer: in most recipes that use one or two eggs, you can replace each egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed stirred into 3 tablespoons of water, a quarter cup of applesauce, mashed banana or plain yogurt, or 3 tablespoons of the liquid from a can of chickpeas. The trick is to pick the swap that does the same job the egg was doing.
Below you’ll find a quick chart, then each swap explained, then what to use in cakes, brownies, cookies, pancakes and meatballs. And the question everybody asks: will plain oil do?
On this page: The chart · What was the egg doing? · The 10 swaps · Oil instead of eggs? · Recipe by recipe · Mistakes to avoid · Quick questions
Egg substitute chart: what replaces one egg
Every amount below replaces one large egg. Double it for two. If your measuring spoons have gone missing, our guide to how many teaspoons are in a cup will get you there.
| Swap | Replaces 1 egg | Best in | Skip it in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flax egg | 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes | Muffins, quick breads, brownies, cookies, pancakes, meatballs | Very light, airy cakes |
| Chia egg | 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water, rested 5–10 minutes | Muffins, oat bakes, pancakes | Pale cakes (the seeds show) |
| Applesauce, unsweetened | ¼ cup (about 60 g) | Muffins, brownies, spice cakes, quick breads | Crisp cookies |
| Mashed ripe banana | ¼ cup (about half a banana) | Pancakes, muffins, brownies, banana bread | Anything that shouldn’t taste of banana |
| Plain yogurt or buttermilk | ¼ cup | Cakes, cupcakes, muffins, quick breads | Dairy-free or vegan baking |
| Chickpea water (aquafaba) | 3 tbsp (2 tbsp for one egg white) | Cookies, brownies, and meringues when whipped | Recipes where a hint of bean would show |
| Oil + water + baking powder | 1½ tbsp oil + 1½ tbsp water + 1 tsp baking powder | Cakes, cupcakes, muffins, cookies | Anything that needs binding, like meatballs |
| Baking soda + vinegar | 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp vinegar | Fluffy cakes, cupcakes, quick breads | Dense or chewy bakes |
| Silken tofu, blended | ¼ cup | Brownies, dense chocolate cakes, cookies | Light sponges |
| Mayonnaise | 2–3 tbsp | Chocolate cake, boxed cake mixes | Egg allergies (mayo is made with egg) |
First, ask what the egg was doing
An egg does up to four jobs at once, and no single swap does all four. Pick by the main job:
- Holding things together in meatballs, burgers, brownies and cookies. Use a flax or chia egg, silken tofu, or a spoonful of yogurt.
- Making it rise in cakes, cupcakes and muffins. Use the oil, water and baking powder mix, or baking soda and vinegar.
- Keeping it moist in muffins, quick breads and brownies. Use applesauce, mashed banana, yogurt or pumpkin purée.
- Giving a shiny golden top to bread and pastry. Brush with milk, cream or melted butter instead of beaten egg.
One rule covers almost everything: egg swaps work best in recipes that call for one to three eggs. Past that, the eggs are the structure. Think custard, quiche, soufflé or angel food cake. A swap won’t hold those up, so look for a recipe written to be egg-free instead.
The swaps, one by one
1. Flax egg: the all-rounder
Stir 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed into 3 tablespoons of water and leave it for five minutes, until it turns thick and goopy, a lot like raw egg white. That gel is what does the binding. It works in muffins, quick breads, brownies, cookies and pancakes. It’s also the best thing to reach for when meatballs or veggie burgers need holding together and the egg box is empty.
Use ground flax, not whole seeds, which never release their gel. Golden flaxseed hides better in pale bakes than the brown kind.
2. Chia egg
Same idea: 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in 3 tablespoons of water, left for 5 to 10 minutes. It binds as well as flax, but the little seeds stay visible, so it suits oat bakes, muffins and pancakes better than a white cake. Grind the seeds first if you’d rather they disappear.
3. Applesauce
A quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce, about 60 g, replaces one egg. It adds moisture more than structure, so it’s at home in muffins, brownies, spice cakes and quick breads, which come out soft and a little denser. If sweetened applesauce is all you have, trim the recipe’s sugar slightly.
4. Mashed banana
A quarter cup of mashed ripe banana, about half a medium banana, replaces one egg. It’s lovely in pancakes, muffins and brownies. The catch is obvious: everything will taste a little of banana, so use it where that’s welcome.
5. Plain yogurt or buttermilk
A quarter cup of plain yogurt or buttermilk per egg keeps cakes, cupcakes and muffins tender. Use plain rather than flavored, and full-fat if you have it.
6. Chickpea water (aquafaba)
The liquid in a can of chickpeas behaves remarkably like egg white. Use 3 tablespoons for a whole egg in cookies and brownies, or 2 tablespoons for one egg white. Whip it and it forms soft peaks just like egg whites, enough to make meringues. The faint bean smell bakes out.
7. Oil, water and baking powder: for lift
For each egg, mix 1½ tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1½ tablespoons of water and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. This one is about rise rather than binding, so it suits cakes, cupcakes, muffins and cookies. Make sure it’s baking powder, not baking soda. They aren’t interchangeable.
8. Baking soda and vinegar: for fluffy cakes
Per egg, stir 1 teaspoon of baking soda into the dry ingredients and 1 tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar into the wet ones. They start fizzing the moment they meet, so mix, pour and get the pan in the oven straight away. Good for light cakes, cupcakes and quick breads.
9. Silken tofu
Blend a quarter cup of silken tofu until completely smooth for each egg. It tastes of almost nothing and adds body, which suits brownies, dense chocolate cakes and cookies.
10. Mayonnaise, if you’re out of eggs but not mayo
Two to three tablespoons of mayonnaise can stand in for an egg in chocolate cake and boxed cake mixes, because mayo is mostly oil and egg anyway. That’s also exactly why it’s not an option for anyone avoiding eggs because of an allergy.
Can you use oil instead of eggs?
Not on its own. Oil adds fat and moisture, but it doesn’t bind and it doesn’t make anything rise, so a cake made with plain oil in place of eggs tends to come out greasy and flat. Turn it into the oil, water and baking powder mix above, though, and it works for one or two eggs in cakes, muffins and cookies.
And the other way round? Eggs aren’t a good stand-in for oil either. They set as they bake, so a batter with extra eggs instead of oil turns out spongier and drier. If a recipe is short on oil, melted butter, applesauce or plain yogurt are better fixes. For picking the right oil in the first place, see our guide to the top 10 cooking oils.
What to use, recipe by recipe
- Cakes and cupcakes: yogurt or buttermilk, the oil, water and baking powder mix, or baking soda and vinegar for a light sponge. For chocolate cake, mayonnaise works well if an allergy isn’t the reason you’re skipping eggs.
- Brownies: a flax egg, applesauce, banana or silken tofu. Fudgy brownies forgive almost anything, which is why an egg-free batch of brownie pie is an easy place to start.
- Cookies: a flax egg or 3 tablespoons of aquafaba. Applesauce makes cookies softer and more cake-like, so skip it if you want them crisp.
- Pancakes and waffles: mashed banana or a flax egg, plus an extra ½ teaspoon of baking powder for lift. Try it on our vanilla cinnamon buttermilk pancakes.
- Muffins and quick breads: applesauce, banana, yogurt or a flax egg. These are the most forgiving bakes of all.
- Meatballs, meatloaf and burgers: a flax egg, or breadcrumbs soaked in a splash of milk. Both hold the mixture together. Chilling shaped meatballs for half an hour helps them firm up before cooking.
- Breading and coating: skip the egg wash and dip in milk, buttermilk or a thin layer of mayonnaise before the flour or crumbs.
- A glaze on bread or pastry: brush with milk, cream or melted butter instead of beaten egg.
Mistakes to avoid
- Replacing too many eggs. One or two is easy and three is pushing it. Beyond that, find an egg-free recipe.
- Skipping the rest. A flax or chia egg needs its five minutes to thicken, or it won’t bind.
- Using baking soda without an acid. Soda needs the vinegar to work. On its own it doesn’t lift and it leaves a soapy taste.
- Adding extra fruit “to be safe”. More banana or applesauce doesn’t mean more binding. It means a heavier, gummier bake.
- Expecting an identical result. Egg-free bakes usually come out a little denser and paler than the originals. Delicious, just different.
Quick questions
How do I replace just an egg white or just a yolk?
For one egg white, use 2 tablespoons of aquafaba. For a yolk, use about 1 tablespoon of aquafaba.
Can I use water instead of an egg?
Plain water adds moisture but nothing else, so the bake will be flatter and more crumbly. If water is all you have, the oil, water and baking powder mix is a much better bet.
Which egg substitute is best for baking?
If you only keep one in the pantry, make it ground flaxseed. It binds, it keeps well in the fridge, and it works in most everyday bakes.
Do egg substitutes change the taste?
Banana does, noticeably. Applesauce and yogurt are mild, flax is slightly nutty, and aquafaba, silken tofu and the oil mix are close to neutral.
Kitchen Kit
- Measuring cups and spoons, for getting the swap amounts right
- A digital kitchen scale, because ¼ cup of banana is easier to weigh than to measure
- Mixing bowls
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