How to Veganise: Eggs

A guide to replacing eggs in your cooking and baking

Eggs are a staple ingredient in a lot of non-vegan cooking and baking – in fact, it’s hard to think of classic cake recipes from your pre-vegan days that don’t call for a few eggs. They always seem to be part of a cooked breakfast, whether scrambled, poached, boiled or fried. They go into pancake and waffle batter, into quiches, sandwiches, and soufflés, and we get through an awful lot of them. According to industry data, in the UK alone last year we ate 11.7 billion eggs.

For those transitioning to a vegan diet, replacing eggs can often be challenging. This can especially be the case for long-term vegetarians who tend to rely heavily on eggs for protein (eggs contain roughly 13 grams of protein per 100 grams). Foregoing that fried egg in your cooked breakfast can be fairly easy, but adapting your favourite recipes that call for egg can be a little more challenging. To help out, we’ve put together a list of some easy vegan replacements for eggs. Here’s a handy list of ingredients with some advice on how best to use them.

Tofu

One of the first vegan breakfast dishes people hear about is scrambled tofu, and you really can create a fantastic scrambled egg substitute using squished firm tofu and some choice spices and seasonings. When it comes to replacing eggs in baking, try using firm un-pressed tofu with a little chickpea flour in stodgy savoury dishes like quiche. Silken tofu, which has a much softer texture, is ideal for binding in sweeter or lighter dishes. For every egg that a recipe calls for, try using two to three tablespoons of whisked silken tofu.

Cornflour

Cornflour, or cornstarch, is often used as a thickener in gravies and sauces. So wherever a recipe calls for eggs to be used primarily as a binding agent, whisk two generous tablespoons of cornflour with an equal amount of water to replace one egg.

Fruit
If you’ve ever made egg-free banana bread, you’ll know that bananas are a brilliant egg substitute when it comes to baking. You only need around half a small banana to replace one egg, and most recipes will require such a small quantity that the bananas won’t impart any unwanted flavour. Apple sauce is another fruit-based friend when it comes to taking the place of eggs in your recipes. The thick and sticky sauce does a brilliant binding job, and you can make your own from scratch or buy it in jars very cheaply almost anywhere. Other fruit purees like apricot or peach will usually work just as well, and you can choose according to what flavours will best compliment your dish. For savoury dishes use tomato puree.

Dairy-free yoghurt

Soya, coconut, almond, the list goes on. Whichever plain dairy-free yoghurt takes your fancy, try using 60ml/one-quarter of a cup to replace one egg in sweet or savoury recipes.

Egg replacer powder

There are a few brands of egg replacer powder, and you can usually find at least one in your local health food shop and even in some supermarkets. Normally one heaped teaspoon is the equivalent of one egg, and these powders are extremely versatile.

 

Taken From May 2015 (Issue 5) Vegan Life Magazine

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