See Effective Egg Substitutes
Eggs are healthy and nutritious foods with numerous health benefits. They are common and known across several cultures. Eggs are versatile foods and can be used in different kinds of cooking, especially for baking, where almost every baking recipe requires eggs. However, despite all these characteristics of eggs, most people still avoid eggs. Fortunately, there are healthy egg substitutes that can be used as a replacement for eggs. These substitutes are as healthy as eggs themselves, such that you will not get to lose out on the nutritious benefits of eggs.
This article elaborates on the different alternatives and substitutes for eggs.
Reasons Why People May Need to Replace Eggs
The most prevalent reasons why people prefer to avoid eggs are;
Dietary preferences
Egg Allergies
Eggs are part of the most common food allergies in young children and infants. However, research holds that about 50% of children with an egg allergy will outgrow the allergy by the time they mature up to be 3 years old and above, and about 60% outgrowing it at age 5. Other studies found that it may take as long as 16 years before egg allergy is finally outgrown in some people.
Vegan Diet
A vegan diet involves abstinence from eating animal flesh and its products. Vegans choose not to eat dairy, meat, eggs, and other animal products. Some of the various reasons vegan refuse to consume animal products may include health purposes or environmental factors. Other times, it could be as a result of religious beliefs or ethnic beliefs about animal rights.
Eggs for Baking
Why do you think eggs are used for baking?
Eggs are used for baking because they contribute to the taste and texture of the baked products and also add flavor to baked products. The following are the usefulness of eggs in baking;
Binding; eggs help bind ingredients together. This binding is what gives the baked products their structure and prevents them from falling apart.
Moisture; eggs add moisture to the other ingredients used for baking. The liquid part of the egg gets absorbed into other ingredients, thereby creating moisture for the other ingredients.
Leavening; eggs help leaven doughs. When they are blended with other ingredients, they produce air pockets that give room for rising when the product is baked.
Flavor and appearance; eggs help improve the quality of the taste of other ingredients when they are exposed to heat. Eggs are also responsible for the golden-brown color of baked products.
Healthy Eggs Substitutes
Applesauce
Apple sauce, as the name implies, is made from apples. Ingredients like nutmeg and cinnamon are added to the sauce to improve the quality of its taste and flavor. Applesauce is an effective egg substitute, especially for baking. The best way to use applesauce for baking is by using unsweetened applesauce in order to constrain the amount of sugar in the recipe. Or, you can use sweetened applesauce and bake without sugar in your recipe. Either way, your recipe would turn out to be as sweet as expected.
Mashed Banana
This is another popular alternative for eggs. Mashed banana also adds banana flavor to your finished products. This way, it is serving both as eggs and as additional flavor. Other fruits like avocado work as perfectly as mashed bananas do, but they may not add flavor to the finished products. In addition, mashed bananas and other puree fruits may not give the golden-brown color you get when you use eggs for baking, the product would rather be moist and dense. Mashed banana is best for all kinds of cake.
Chia Seeds and Flaxseeds
Both chia and flax seeds are highly nutritious and healthy for human consumption. They contain properties like omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and other special and effective compounds. Seeds can be prepared and ground at home, or you can buy already-made seeds from stores for your cooking. While using chia and flax seeds for baking, ensure to whisk them properly until the dough has fully absorbed them, as this would make the baked products heavy and dense. In addition, it gives a nuttier kind of flavor and is best in pancakes, loaves of bread, and cookies.
Commercial Egg Replacer
A lot of commercial egg replacers are being sold in the market nowadays. They are made from potato starch, leavening agents, and tapioca. They are also great for baking and do not in any way affect the flavor of the baked product—Mix 2 to 3 teaspoons of the commercial egg replacer powder with warm water before use.
Silken Tofu
Tofu is condensed milk that has passed through rigorous processing and pressure and is now pressed into blocks solid blocks. Every Tofu’s texture depends on the amount of water content it has. When used for baking, it adds no flavor to the baked goods and also makes the finished product heavy. Cookies and brownies are the best recipes for the use of Tofu.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Mixing vinegar with baking soda is an awesome substitute for eggs. Their mixture brings about a chemical reaction that produces water and carbon dioxide, which in turn make baked products airy and light. This mixture is best for baking quick loaves of bread and all kinds of cakes.
Buttermilk or Yoghurt
Using unflavored yogurt can substitute eggs without traces. In addition, buttermilk does as much job as eggs do in baking. They are best for baking muffins and cakes.
Arrowroot Powder
Arrowroot plant a tuber plant that is common in South America. Being a tuber plant, it has high starch content. This starch content is extracted from it and sold as powder or flour. Arrowroot powder looks exactly like corn starch and can be used for different kinds of cooking. 3 teaspoons of arrowroot powder can replace one egg successfully without traces.
Aquafaba
This is the water content that is left after cooking beans and other legumes. It is similar to the liquids found in canned chickpeas and beans. It does the job of raw egg whites and is a great substitute for eggs in many recipes. It works perfectly in recipes that require only egg whites, like marshmallow and macaroons.
Nut Butter
Nut butter has a similar taste to cashew, peanut, and almond butter and can be used as egg substitutes. Though it may give your product a nutty taste, it still makes it tasty and nice. It is perfect for pancakes, brownies, and cookies. It is advisable to use creamy nut butter rather than chunky ones so that your ingredients mix well enough and hold the baked product together to prevent them from falling apart.
Carbonated Water
Carbonated water may not only add moisture to the dough but can also leaven it. When carbonated water is used to replace eggs, the dough produces air pockets that give room for spaces that will later allow the dough to rise while it is in the oven. This egg substitute works best for all kinds of cakes and loaves of bread.
Gelatin
Gelatin is an animal product that is derived from the collagen of cows and pigs. It is an unflavored powdered substitute for eggs. Mixing gelatin with water before use would provide extra satisfying results. Though gelatin may give you a stiffer product outcome, but adds absolutely no extra flavor to the baked product.
Soy Lecithin
Soy lecithin is derived from soybean oil and possesses binding properties just like eggs. It has the ability to hold ingredients together and preventing the finished products from falling apart.
Egg Whites and Egg Yolks Healthy Replacements
If, by chance, your recipe requires only one part of the egg, the following are substitutes for the two different and physical parts of eggs-white and yolk.
For egg whites, use aquafaba if your recipe requires just egg white and not the yolk.
For egg yolk, use soy lecithin as it is the best yolk substitute, just in case your recipe requires only egg yolk.
In conclusion, eggs are healthy parts of various kinds of diets. However, it is quite unfortunate that most people avoid them due to certain reasons like environmental and health factors. The good news about eggs for people who avoid them is, eggs can be substituted, especially for baking. These egg substitutes also serve as many nutrients and benefits as eggs themselves. Trying out egg substitutes can also improve your baking experiences and give you denser, lighter, and fluffier baked products.
waterbinary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solventMore (Definitions, Synonyms, Translation)
