I have been really itching to bake lately, but after my last failed attempt at baking cookies using powdered egg replacer, I have been sort of avoiding it (unless the recipe is totally egg-free in the first place, like this yummy vegan coffee cake).
I was SO excited to find a recipe for an egg replacer I could make myself in Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s The Joy of Vegan Baking that I just had to try it out! It’s so easy and I just happened to have the ingredients already on hand – flax seeds and water.
Vegan baking experts seem to all agree that it’s not a good idea to try to replace more than 3 eggs in a recipe – the results will usually be disappointing. That is possibly what my problem was using the powdered egg substitute, though I honestly don’t remember which recipe I tried or how many eggs needed replacing. I do seem to remember a funny after-taste, though.
I found a new oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that only had one egg in it, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I’ll share that recipe another time, but let me just say they turned out perfectly using this homemade flax seed egg replacer!
HOW TO MAKE FLAX SEED EGG REPLACER
(makes 1 ‘egg’):
1 TBS ground flax seeds + 3 TBS water
It’s recommended that you grind your own flax seeds instead of buying them pre-ground* (in the form of flaxseed meal). You can use a coffee grinder, or do it by hand with a mortar and pestle.
Once your flax seeds are ground into a meal, add the water and whisk until you get a gooey consistency.
You could also use a blender. Either way, be sure to clean up right away – this stuff dries hard as a rock!
You may need to let the mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken up before using it.
Store the flaxseed egg replacer in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
HOW MUCH FLAX SEED EGG REPLACER TO USE IN A RECIPE
3 Tablespoons = 1 egg
Remember, try to avoid replacing more than 3 eggs in any recipe for the best results.
NOTES:
* I will admit, I used flax seed meal because I already had it, and it worked great. The reason it’s recommended that you use freshly ground whole flax seeds is that apparently in ground form, the exposure to oxygen breaks down the oils and releases free radicals much faster – in other words, it will go rancid very quickly. Good to know!
If you grind up more flax seeds than you need, you should store the flaxseed meal in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer instead of the pantry.
Recommended Reading:
Chloe’s Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way
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