5 Storecupboard Egg Substitutions
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What happens when you run out of certain staples and can’t just nip to the shops?
In this post, I am going to look at five everyday ingredients that can be used as egg substitutions when baking.
While it can be easy to take something as simple as eggs for granted, one of my all-time favourite cake recipes doesn’t contain any eggs and honestly, you wouldn’t even realise unless you thought about it.
It just tastes like a delicious cake (if you want to check it out it’s this Chocolate chip and banana slice recipe from Delia Smith)
There are lots of reasons you might not want to use eggs in your baking – it could be that you’ve simply run out, have been unable to get them from the shops, are allergic, or you don’t want to eat animal products.
Also using up what we already have in is a great way to save money, prevent food waste and learn to be a bit more creative in the kitchen.
All of the items in the list are egg substitutions that I think the average person would have at least one or two of lurking somewhere at home.
While they do make great substitutes, they are just that, a substitute so just be aware that it could change the flavour or texture of the end product slightly.
There are some egg substitutions I haven’t covered here, as while some people may use them I didn’t feel the majority of people would have them in their store cupboards – these included chia seeds, agar-agar and ground flax.
5 Storecupboard Egg Substitutions
1. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter can be used as an egg replacer and is a storecupboard ingredient that lots of people will already have at home. Simply use three TBSP per egg that you wish to replace in the recipe.
Peanut allergies can be severe so bear this in mind if you’re baking for someone else!
2. Banana Can Be Used As An Egg Substitute
One of the easiest substitutes for eggs is to use bananas instead. The bananas should be well-ripened and mashed up before being added to the mixture in place of eggs. Use half of a banana for each egg that needs replacing in the recipe.
3. Apple Sauce As an Egg Replacement
Apple sauce is simple to make and can be used to replace eggs in some bakes. Of course, you could also use shop-bought apple sauce if you already have that in, just be aware that is quite high in sugar.
Apple Sauce To Egg Substitute Ratio
For each egg that needs replacing, use approx 32 grams (1/4 cup) of apple sauce. As apple sauce is quite sweet, you might want to reduce the sugar in your bake slightly to counter this.
Alternatively, you could make an unsweetened apple sauce specifically to replace the eggs in your bake before you get started.
4. Aquafaba (Egg White Substitute)
Aquafaba is the best egg white substitute should you need one.
If you’ve not heard of it, Aquafaba is the water in which chickpeas or other legumes have been cooked. If you have chickpeas in your storecupboard then making your own Aquafaba is fairly simple to do (see this recipe)
Aquafaba can be used to substitute egg whites in lots of recipes, such as meringues and marshmallows.
5. Egg Wash Alternative: Milk
If you’re looking for an egg wash substitute for a pastry-based dish such as a pie, then a little bit of milk will do the job just fine.
Place a little milk into a dish and brush over it with a pastry brush as you normally would with an egg. The type of milk doesn’t matter for this – it can be whole milk, semi-skimmed, or even skimmed.
Vegan Egg Wash Substitute
For vegan egg wash substitutes, plant-based milk such as almond milk, oat milk or coconut milk will work just as well.
You could also skip the egg wash altogether if it’s a product that will brown naturally while cooking and then use an oil-based glaze after cooking to give it a nice shiny finish.
