We had our daughter tested for food intolerances last year, and her reaction to egg were skyrocket high. (Thankfully, she doesn’t react to the majority of food she eats on a regular basis, which is a sign that her gut is in good shape). She is slightly intolerant to gluten, so we have been keeping her gluten-free for the most part. Gluten-free and egg-free makes for some interesting baking, but it can be successful (the above picture is egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free pancakes – and they were yummy too!).
When you combine the gluten-free and the egg-free together, it does become a little more complicated, but today I wanted to share some of the substitutes you can make for egg-free baking. I’ve been filing these suggestions away, and thought some of you might find them helpful too! Thankfully, there are many good substitutes. And, for those of you who also have to bake “egg-free”, I’d love to hear your experience and advice.
There are two things to consider when replacing eggs, the “lift” eggs give a product and egg’s binding properties. Some of the following don’t help give good rise, but do bind. You may want to add about 1/2 teaspoon more baking powder per recipe to help prevent it from being too dense. Most of these options are vegan as well.
Per egg:
Seeds: 1 tablespoon ground or whole chia or flax seed soaked in 3 tablespoons of water for 15 minutes.
Fruit and squash: ¼ cup mashed ripe banana, mashed avocado, cooked winter squash, mashed potatoes, pureed prunes, applesauce, or other fruit puree.
Starch: Anything starchy will help bind a baked good together. This includes arrowroot powder (most natural), corn starch (use organic, or GMO-free), or potato starch (I have been experimenting with potato flour, since it is a “whole food”). Use 2 tablespoons per egg.
Gelatin or agar-agar: Unflavored Gelatin: Dissolve 1 tablespoon gelatin in 1 tablespoon of cold water. Beat in 2 tablespoons of boiling water until frothy. OR 1 tablespoon of agar agar powder +1 tablespoon of water; whip, chill and whip again – equals 1 egg. (Use agar-agar for vegan option)
Vinegar and baking powder: To help add rise, you can try the following: 1 tsp baking powder + 1 TBS water + 1 TBS vinegar.
The above are all ingredients I feel comfortable adding to my food. The following options I haven’t researched yet (if you have any information to give, please do!)
Ener-G Egg replacement (gluten-free): Follow package instructions
Xanthan gum: Whip together 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum in 1/4 cup water
I’ve mostly used chia seeds and squash or fruit purees. I have been trying to avoid any “extra” ingredients, but I do find that arrowroot or other starch really helps with gluten-free baked goods, though not necessary in regular, egg-free wheat products. While this has been working well for me, I do find that the end result is a bit heavy. Not a problem in our family (my daughter really doesn’t notice), but I have been working on a baked donut recipe for her birthday that we will be sharing with friends, so I am experimenting to see if I can make it a bit lighter in texture.
We have truthfully been mostly sticking to making pots of rice and quinoa to eat, rather than concentrating on the more time consuming task of baked goods. But, every kid needs pancakes or a cupcake sometimes!
Does anyone bake egg-free? I’d love to hear your advice/experience/thoughts!
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Kate
we use bananas & enerG egg replacer for egg allergy in our gluten & dairy free baking:) happy to know we are not alone!
Kate
we use bananas & enerG egg replacer for egg allergy in our gluten & dairy free baking:) happy to know we are not alone!
Corry
I thought I read something somewhere about being able to boil the root of common mallow, and then use the resulting liquid to replace egg white? Not sure how exactly, but I thought that would be really cool, if true, since it’s a common weed.
Tina
Hi,
We’ve been on GAPs for a few years…it’s really a way of life for us now.
My youngest was VERY allergic to eggs, my middle child was also allergic to
Eggs when we first started on GAPs diet. We also have gluten, peanut, Tree nut
And most common seed allergies so we can’t use flax seed, chia etc.
My little didn’t do well with the energ replacer at all. We generally stick to either mashed banana or butternut squash for egg replacing, sometimes even just coconut oil for baking etc.
Something very interesting that we found out about egg allergies is that they often go together with soy allergies, as in our case. My middle can eat pasture raised organically fed chicken eggs if the chickens are fed organic feed NOT containing soy, but she reacts to soy fed eggs even if they are organically fed. My youngest can’t eat organic chicken eggs, but can eat guinea fowl eggs. Interstingly enough, they both used to be ok with duck eggs, but then started reacting. I recently found out the person we were buying duck eggs from had switched to commercial feed containing commercial soy (GMO) because of the cost, and that is when they started reacting to the duck eggs.
Studies do show that soy passes into the eggs so may be that is part of the allergen issue.
T~
Tina
Hi,
We’ve been on GAPs for a few years…it’s really a way of life for us now.
My youngest was VERY allergic to eggs, my middle child was also allergic to
Eggs when we first started on GAPs diet. We also have gluten, peanut, Tree nut
And most common seed allergies so we can’t use flax seed, chia etc.
My little didn’t do well with the energ replacer at all. We generally stick to either mashed banana or butternut squash for egg replacing, sometimes even just coconut oil for baking etc.
Something very interesting that we found out about egg allergies is that they often go together with soy allergies, as in our case. My middle can eat pasture raised organically fed chicken eggs if the chickens are fed organic feed NOT containing soy, but she reacts to soy fed eggs even if they are organically fed. My youngest can’t eat organic chicken eggs, but can eat guinea fowl eggs. Interstingly enough, they both used to be ok with duck eggs, but then started reacting. I recently found out the person we were buying duck eggs from had switched to commercial feed containing commercial soy (GMO) because of the cost, and that is when they started reacting to the duck eggs.
Studies do show that soy passes into the eggs so may be that is part of the allergen issue.
T~
Stephanie
Hi, I have a son who is allergic to wheat and egg whites. I often make him normal muffin recipes except i use half oat flour and half light buckwheat or brown rice flour. I usually use the ener-g replacer and flax seeds instead of the eggs. I also sub honey for the sugar. Using a baked donut recipe sounds like a great idea, the past few times I tried to fry wheat free egg free donuts, they have all flown apart in the oil !
Rebekah
Question: what are some true signs that your child has food intolerances or allergies?
Diana
I’m wondering the same thing…
Celeste
Rebekah and Diana there is a terrific site: http://www.foodintol.com/food-sensitivities that may help answer your questions. They have a feature on the site called, “Solve My Symptoms” and it will give you an idea of all the different ways food allergies and food intolerances may be affecting your child.
Michelle
I have used Ener-G with OK results and the chia seed with great results but just realized that was in wheat-contains products. I have to cook egg and dairy free for my boys and I, egg, dairy, peanut and gluten free for my niece and now reducing the gluten and yeast in my own diet. Makes for some interesting cooking. 🙂
Kika
Yes, we bake egg-free b/c my youngest is allergic to them. I almost always simply remove the egg and add about an equivalent amount of apple sauce. It is true that our pancakes are less fluffy but we are used to them. Cookies, muffins, loaves all work just fine this way although can be a tad crumblier. The trick is to add sufficient moisture to the recipe as seen in vegan recipes. The one treat that I think just doesn’t work egg-free is brownies 🙂
Maria
Pancakes can become fluffy by covering them with a lid immediately after pouring the batter because of its naturally air-pocket nature. Potato starch can be used as a rue (thickener) for the batter.
Rachel
My husband is allergic to eggs, but he loves brownies. So we have been searching for over a decade for a good egg replacer in brownies. Today we tried the Xantham gum as shown above, and it worked perfectly!! Xantham gum moistens, binds & levens, all the functions of an egg needed for perfect brownies. I just used a box mix, but it would probably work for any brownie recipe. Thanks for this blog! It really helped!
Merrie-Ann
We started our journey as egg free in 2004 and are now milk, egg, nuts, halibut, sesame and corn syrup free. Wanting to try gluten free as it really helps my IBS. This is my favourite egg substitute: 1-1/2 tbsp oil; 1-1/2 tbsp water; 1 tsp baking powder. Mix together until it fizzes and then add it to your recipe.
Kat
Ener G does make things more fluffy… It even works in meatloaf but if replacing more than 2 eggs in any recipe you’ll have to be careful with egg subs.
Carly
Yep – we are allergic to eggs (except now that I’m reading the comments, I’m suspecting it might be soy feed fed to the chickens). I use either fruit (applesace, banana, pumpkin) or chia eggs (ground chia + water). Those work for us in most instances. Except for something like quiche. =)
Carly
OH – and we don’t use EnerG egg replacer because it has corn in it. :/ We don’t do gluten, dairy, soy, egg, corn or flax.
Elizabeth doherty
Elizabeth I was wondering if you could help me I just found out i can’t have gluten egg dairy soy corn beef nuts bananas oranges apples and fish I need help with breakfast foods baking and general cooking can you help please
Lauren
Interesting comments about the soy and egg links. I’ll have to look into it for my sons have issues with soy and eggs. We’re a house free of gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, vanilla, maple, kiwi fruit, so far!
I’ve been experimenting with bakes. Remember the soft, spongy and fluffy kind of yester-gluten-year? Well, like someone else wrote above, anymore than 2 eggs is a risk for disaster of gummy and gooey. More like a sticky pudding, which can be useful if that’s what you’re after. However, replace 1 – 2 eggs with a replacer of your choice and then replace 1/2 – 1 cup of the liquid (milk or water) in the recipe with a soft drink / soda / fizzy drink. It doesn’t have to be a sugar laden one, you can still use soda water. I do. I add maybe a tablespoon of sugar if I’m making my own cake mix (because I try not to make the cakes too sweet), but leave it out if using a packet mix.
The egg replacers give the mix the binding ability, but the soda water give the leavening agents that boost that’s lacking with regular cake mixes. Try it and tell me how you go!
I miss brownies and yummy vanilla custards! Actually, I miss SOOOOOO MUCH! :O
But I enjoy learning heaps about food too! 🙂
Vivian
OMG! soooo helpfull! my kid can not eat eggs and we just star a glutten free lifestyle. Thank u for this SO great tip. I’m from Venezuela!
Hollie Eastman
Thanks for the info on what gelatin can replace! Baking my pumpkin pie-wheat free, egg free- and I’ve used Ener-g brand for years in baking with great results!
Hollie:)
Oresta Talbot
My stepson is allergic to eggs, and we have played this out every way we can find. For us, we have learned to use bananas, applesauce, fat free sweetened condensed milk (when we use this we omit the sugar the recipe calls for) but one of our new favorites we have found was yogurt. My stepdaughter and I tinkered and found that if we use yogurt (and sometimes one of the other items listed above) we still get the rise from most baked goods, and you can’t tell its egg free. Sometimes the taste is far better than when it has the eggs in it!
jody
What are your measurements for yogurt = 1egg? Thanks for the great idea 🙂
Lisa
I have tried several different egg replacers: soda and vinegar, flax seed, garbanzo beans and applesauce, as well as a few others that I can’t remember. No matter which kind, the pancakes do not cook in the middle. The edges are cooked but that is it. It is rather disgusting. I need to know the recipe for the pancakes in the picture pretty please?!
Monique
I am new to gluten-free baking because so many things give me migraines. Oat flour is great but I am cutting back on it due to getting backed up. Darn. Anyway, I use applesauce with oat flour when making muffins and lactose free milk. However, I’m not sure what to use in recipes that already have applesauce as an ingredient. I have flax meal and did a flax egg once. It’s not goody like using the seeds and hot water, but I don’t want to have to crush seeds every time. Any advice? Thanks!
Jenna
Hi Kimi, I was so relieved and excited to see this post (I found on google even though I’m a subscriber!). Because I am a busy mom who is trying to relieve symptoms of aggressive (and painful) RA with diet (and other natural plus medical modalities) and have found, through a comprehensive food sensitivity test, that I should stay away from eggs, diary, gluten and a host of other foods I was eating on a daily basis, i.e., coconut, almonds, fermented foods, etc. Your tips for egg replacements seem to be a simple, yet crucial, link to unfolding the mystery that is cooking for my family! As a extremely low energy, high expectations kind of person striving to raise two young daughters by hand instead of package, I’m often overwhelmed and I almost give in every day to fast food, big box temptations. So thank you for being a port in the storm!
Linda
Kim.
I would like to know if there is a substitute for a gluten free flour?
I cannot eat anything with wheat, gluten and eggs, my husband cannot eat anything with corn, corn starch, eggs and tapioca?
Can I get your recipe for the egg free pancakes? Did you use coconut flour?