Egg & Dairy Replacements

November 25, 2007 // No Comments

When I first discovered that I was allergic to egg yolks & whites and whey, I set out to find replacements. Below are what I discovered through many different trials.

Egg Substitutes

The first thing to determine in your recipes is whether the egg is being used for binding, leavening (lift & lightness), and/or taste. Once you’ve determine that, you’ll have an easier time of determining a replacer.Here’s a table of egg replacers in baking that I’ve tried. One of my favorites is using soy lecithin. All entries below equal 1 whole egg. Other egg replacers are noted below the table.

What Where When
2 T flax seed and 3 T water. Grind the flax seed in a coffee grinder; mix the ground flax seeds with the water in a blender and blend until smooth. Baked goods Binding & Leavening
1/2 T tapioca flour, 1/2 T potato starch, 1/8 t baking powder, 1/16 t xanthan gum, 1/4 c water, and 1 t canola oil. Whisk all ingredients together. Works well in baked goods, especially ones that are light colored Binding & Leavening
2 T starch (potato, tapioca, arrowroot, corn, soy flour) and 1/4 c water. Use in baked goods Binding & Leavening
2 t baking soda and 2 T water Use in baked goods Leavening
1 t psylium seed husk and 1/4 c water. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Use in baked goods Binding & Leavening
1/4 c fruit puree (such as apple, pear, pumpkin, or bananas) and 2 t baking powder. Mix thoroughly. Use in sweet baked goods. Each will leave a specific flavor so keep that in mind when choosing which fruit you want to use. If you are not concerned about the leavening, remove the baking powder. Binding & Leavening
2 T soy lecithin (granules or liquid) and 1/4 c water. Blend well. Use in baked goods Binding & Leavening
1/4 c soy yogurt Use in baked goods Binding & Leavening
1/4 c whipped or beaten silken tofu Use in place of a large number of eggs such as for a quiche; takes on the flavor of the other ingredients Binding
3T okara and 1T water. Blend well. Use in place of large eggs such as for a quiche; use to replace eggs in baking bread, brownies, cakes and cupcakes; takes on the flavor of the other ingredients Binding
1 t Ener-G Egg Replacer and 2 T water. Mix thoroughly. Works best in crispy baked goods such as cookies Binding & Leavening
2 T water, 1 T canola oil, 2 t baking powder. Mix thoroughly Baked books Binding & Leavening
1/4 c mashed potatoes, tomato paste, or rolled oats Vegetarian “meat” loaves or anything savory Binding & taste
2-4 T water Baked goods that are flat such as cookies and pancakes Taste

Other substitutions for eggs:

  • Egg Whites: Mix 1 T agar agar powder with 1 T water, whip and chill. Whip again.

    N.B.: I’m not a fan of powdered agar agar. While it does have 5x the gelling powder of flakes & bars, it’s also highly processed and tends to leave a bad taste in the finished dish. Whenever possible, I use bars or flakes instead but I have not have much luck in that regard in replacing egg whites.

  • “Egg” Salad or Scrambled “Eggs”: Use 1/4 c cubed firm tofu or 1/4 c okara per egg in the recipe.

Dairy Substitutes

I’ve found that dairy substitutes are much easier to make than egg.

What With When
Butter or Margarine Flax oil —OR— Udo’s Oil —OR— Nut butters —OR— Apple sauce —OR— Earth Balance Whenever butter is called for except for Udo’s Oil which should not be heated
Buttermilk 1 T lemon juice or apple cider vinegar1 c plain warm soy or rice milk —OR— 1 c plain soy yogurt—OR—1 3/4 T cream of tartar1 c plain soy milk Any time buttermilk is called for in a recipe
Cheddar, shredded Vegan Gourmet brand “cheeses” Whenever you need cheese to melt. No other vegan cheese melts like Vegan Gourmet.
Cottage Cheese Crumbled Firm or Extra Firm Tofu or use Okara In lasagnes and other dishes
Mayonnaise Vegenaise if you prefer mayonnaise; Nayonaise if you prefer Miracle Whip Whenever mayonnaise is called for in a recipe
Milk Plain soy, rice or nut milk Any time milk is called for in a recipe
Mozzarella, shredded Vegan Gourmet brand “cheeses” Whenever you need cheese to melt. No other vegan cheese melts like Vegan Gourmet.
Ricotta Cheese Crumbled Firm or Extra Firm Tofu or use Okara In lasagnes and other dishes
Shortening Earth Balance shortening Whenever shortening is called for in a recipe
Sour Cream Tofutti Sour Cream —OR— Soy yogurt —OR— process 3/4 c silken tofu or okara, 2T lemon juice, 3T canola oil, 2t brown rice vinegar, and 3/4 t salt in a food processor until smooth Any time sour cream is called for in a recipe
Yogurt Soy yogurt Any time yogurt is called for in a recipe

This post has also been made into a separate page on BlueDogBlog.com. It’s a question that I’m frequently asked by both vegans and people with allergies so I wanted to make it as easy as possible to find.

© 2007 Rebecca Novelli — Blue Dog’s Blog is powered by Wordpress