Okay, we don’t know how much eggs are costing in your region, but we are going broke trying to satisfy our sweet tooth with baked goods, and for what? There are lots and lots of egg substitutes when it comes to baking, and budget-friendly girlies don’t gatekeep, so let’s get started.
First things first, why are eggs even used in baking? As we know baking is just one big science experiment where each ingredient has its own special purpose. Eggs have several major functions. Eggs offer a good amount of fat which gives baked goods both flavor and texture, egg whites give structure to your finished baked good, and last but certainly not least, eggs act as binders.
Cakes and Cupcakes
Whether it’s for a birthday, the big game, or Valentine’s Day, cupcakes seem pretty necessary to us, but as most of us know, cakes and cupcakes call for eggs. If you’re working on a heart-shaped cake or bougie cupcakes for your office crush, for each whole egg your recipe calls for you can sub in:
- ½ a medium banana, mashed
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) applesauce (pro tip: use unsweetened applesauce and keep in mind that applesauce can make your baked good dense, so if you need to lighten things up, add ½ teaspoon of baking powder)
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) silken tofu
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) buttermilk (no buttermilk? Make your own at home by combining 1 cup of whole milk and 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar or lemon juice, then let it sit until it curdles.)
Cookies
With the recent Crumbl cookie obsession, we have personally been obsessed with baking Crumbl copycats. (And let us tell you, there is a Crumbl cookie for every occasion!) If you’re baking cookies but don’t want to fork over the money for a mere one or two eggs you can sub in:
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) yogurt (most non-dairy yogurts will probably be too thin for baking, but you can use thick Greek-style plant-based yogurt if you need to)
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) carbonated water
Seasonal Substitute
If you’re baking something more seasonal, pumpkin puree also works as an egg substitute in bread, cakes, cookies, etc. Here is how you’ll sub in pumpkin puree:
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) pumpkin puree for every egg