Have you ever wondered how to make flax eggs for vegan or egg-free baking recipes? Check out my guide below which covers how much flaxseed to use per egg, my top tips on making flax eggs, as well as their common uses in baking.
Baking with Flax Eggs
In many of my vegan baking recipes, I turn to flax eggs as a pantry-friendly, plant-based egg replacer. Flaxseeds create a gel when mixed with water, resulting in a binder which helps gluten-free / egg-free recipes hold together once baked. I've always got some ground flaxseed on hand and it's so simple to quickly mix up a flax egg to use in a whole host of quickbread, pancake and muffin recipes, making them one of my most often used egg substitutes!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
Ground flaxseed - Also known as linseeds, are small, golden or brown, teardrop-shaped seeds. They're high in dietary fiber, omega-3 fats, and protein. When ground to a coarse meal and mixed with water, they produce a gel which can be used as an egg substitute in baking.
Chia seeds or psyllium husk can work instead of flax to make vegan egg replacers. Check out my Flaxseed Substitutes Guide for more info.
Water - I tend to use water straight from the tap, as long as it's safe to consume. Otherwise filtered or bottled water should be used. You can use warm or hot water as this can cause the flax to gel more quickly, if you're in a hurry.
How to Make Flax Eggs
Step 1: Add the ground flaxseed and water to a small bowl. Stir well until fully combined.
Step 2: Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, until thickened and gel-like.
Step 3: Use in place of 1 egg in baking recipes. Flax eggs work best in recipes like muffins, quick breads, cookies, pancakes, and bars.
How to use flax eggs as an egg substitute
Flax eggs can be used in a variety of baking recipes. If you're new to egg-free baking, it's always best to look for recipes which already use flax eggs or have a note to say that the recipe will work when using them as a substitute. Once you've got to know your way around a few egg-free recipes, you can more easily tell when swapping in a flax egg will work. Here are some examples of recipes that I like to use them in:
- Muffins and quickbreads - Their nutty flavor and wholesome texture makes flax eggs great for using in things like my Chocolate Chip Muffins and Banana Bread.
- Pancakes, waffles and French toast - Adds a lightly toasty flavor and helps bind the ingredients in pancake or waffle batter. Can also be used to help thicken French toast batter in lieu of eggs.
- Cookies - Flax eggs can hold cookie dough together and add moisture, helping the baked cookies retain their shape and a soft texture. Try it out in my Oatmeal Coconut Cookies!
- Bars and brownies - Some egg-free brownie or cookie bar recipes may call for a flax egg to bind the ingredients together. It's worth noting that substituting flax eggs in classic brownie recipes may not work (as eggs are a pretty vital component), so it's best to seek out a recipe that's been developed to use flax eggs e.g. my Cosmic Vegan Brownie recipe.
- Cakes - You can use flaxseed in certain cake recipes (e.g. classic chocolate cakes or simple snack cakes), but only if eggs aren't a major component. They won't work in things like chiffon or genoise sponge cakes as these rely too heavily on the eggs for their structure.
Recipe tips
- If you only have whole flaxseeds you can grind them up in a coffee grinder, spice grinder or high-speed blender to make ground flaxseeds.
- Ground flaxseeds can quickly go rancid due to their high fat content (especially if you live in a warm climate). You can store ground flaxseed in the freezer to help it stay fresh for longer.
- You can get brown or golden flaxseeds which work the same but produce a different color in the final recipe. Ground brown flaxseeds will produce more visible dark flecks in your food, whereas golden flax will be less visible.
- Letting the flax and water sit allows the flaxseeds to gel properly which is what helps to bind the other ingredients in the recipe together.
- Flax eggs primarily replace the moisture and binding properties that eggs provide in baked goods. If eggs are needed for lift (e.g. in whipped cake batters or souffle), flax eggs won't work as a substitute.
FAQs
One tablespoon of ground flaxseed (mixed with 2 ½ tablespoons water) is used to replace one large US egg.
The mixture should look like a slightly thick, gloopy gel (similar in texture to raw egg whites), with a speckled, translucent brown or golden color.
Ground flaxseed should gel in 5 minutes when mixed with room temperature water. You can speed this up by using hot water, if needed.
No, flax eggs have a mild nutty, toasty flavor that is more similar to other nuts and seeds. They don't have the same savory, sulfurous note that eggs contain.
More Recipes Using Flaxseeds
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📖 Recipe
How To Make Flax Eggs
Instructions
- Add the ground flaxseed and water to a small bowl. Stir well until fully combined.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, until thickened and gel-like.
- Use in place of 1 egg in baking recipes. Flax eggs work best in recipes like muffins, quick breads, cookies, pancakes, and bars.
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