Eggs are
healthy and nutritious foods that contain numerous health benefits. They are
common and known across several culture. Eggs are versatile foods and can be
used in different kinds of cooking, especially for baking where almost every
baking recipe requires eggs. However, despite all these characteristics of
eggs, most people still avoid eggs. Fortunately, there are healthy egg
substitutes that can be used as replacement for eggs. These substitutes are as
healthy as eggs themselves, such that you will not get to lose out on the
nutritious benefits of eggs.
This article
elaborates on the different alternatives and substitutes for eggs.
Reasons
Why People May Need to Replace Eggs
The most
common reasons why people prefer to avoid eggs are;
·
Dietary
preferences
·
Allergies
Egg
Allergies
Eggs are
part of the most common food allergies in young children and infants. However,
research holds that about 50% of children with egg allergy will outgrow the
allergy by the time they grow up to be 3 years old and above and about 60%
outgrowing it at age 5. Other studies found that it may take as long as 16
years before eggs allergy is finally outgrown in some people.
Vegan
Diet
Vegan diet
involves the abstinence from eating animal flesh and their products. Vegans
choose not to eat dairy, meat, eggs and other animal products. Some of the
various reasons vegan refuse to consume animal product may include health
purposes or environmental factors. Other times, it could be as a result of
religious beliefs or ethnic beliefs about animal rights.
Healthy
Eggs Substitutes
If you are
allergic to eggs, bake with these instead, they are perfect substitutes for
eggs;
Applesauce
Apple sauce
as the name implies is made from apples. Ingredients like nutmeg and cinnamon
are added to the sauce to improve the quality of its taste and flavor.
Applesauce is an effective egg substitute, especially for baking. The best way
to use applesauce for baking is by using unsweetened applesauce in order to
control the amount of sugar in the recipe. Or, you can use sweetened applesauce
and bake without sugar in your recipe. Either ways, your recipe would turn out
to be as sweet as expected.
Mashed
banana
This is
another popular alternative for eggs. Mashed banana also adds banana flavor to
your finished products. This way, it is serving both as eggs and as additional
flavor. Other fruits like avocado work as perfectly as mashed bananas do, but
they may not add flavor to the finished products. In addition, mashed bananas
and other puree fruits may not give the golden-brown color you get when you use
eggs to bake, the product would rather be moist and dense. Mashed banana is
best for all kinds of cake.
Chia
seeds and flaxseeds
Both chia
and flax seeds are highly nutritious and healthy for human consumption. They
contain properties like omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and other special and
effective compounds. Seeds can be prepared and grinded at home or you can buy
already-made seeds from stores for your cooking. While using chia and flax
seeds to bake, ensure to whisk them properly until the dough has fully absorbed
them, as this would make the baked products heavy and dense. In addition, it
gives a nuttier kind of flavor and is best in pancakes, breads and cookies.
Commercial
egg replacer
A lot of
commercial egg replacers are being sold in the market nowadays. They are made
from potato starch, leavening agents and tapioca. They are also great for
baking and do not in any way affect the flavor of the baked product. Mix 2 to 3
tea spoons of the commercial egg replacer powder with warm water before use.
Vinegar
and baking soda
Mixing
vinegar with baking soda is an awesome substitute for eggs. Their mixture
brings about a chemical reaction that produces water and carbon dioxide, which
in turn make baked products airy and light. This mixture is best for baking
quick breads and all kinds of cakes.
Buttermilk
or Yoghurt
Using
unflavored yoghurt can substitute eggs without traces. In addition, butter milk
does as much job as eggs do in baking. They are best for baking muffins and
cakes.
Arrowroot
powder
Arrowroot
plant a tuber plant that is common in South America. Being a tuber plant, it
has high starch content. This starch content is extracted from it and sold as
powder or flour. Arrowroot powder looks exactly like corn starch and can be
used for different kinds of cooking. 3 tea spoons of arrowroot powder can
replace one egg successfully without traces.
Aquafaba
This is the
water content that is left after cooking beans and other legumes. It is similar
to the liquids found in canned chickpeas and beans. It does the job of raw egg
whites and are great substitutes for eggs in many recipes. It works perfectly
in recipes that require only egg whites, like marshmallow and macaroons.
Nut
butter
Nut butter
has a similar taste with cashew, peanut and almond butters and can be used as
eggs substitutes. Though it may give your product a nutty taste, but still
makes it tasty and nice. It is perfect for pancakes, brownies and cookies. It
is advisable to use creamy nut butters, rather than chunky ones, so that your
ingredients mix well enough and hold the baked product together to prevent them
from falling apart.
Carbonated
water
Carbonated
water may not only add moisture to the dough, but can also leaven it. When
carbonated water is used to replace eggs, the dough produces air pockets that
give room for spaces that will later allow the dough to rise while it is in the
oven. This egg substitute works best for
all kinds of cakes and breads.
In
conclusion, eggs are healthy parts of various kinds of diets. However, it is
quite unfortunate that most people avoid them due to certain reasons like
environmental and health factors. The good news about eggs for people who avoid
them is, eggs can be substituted, especially for baking. These egg substitutes
also serve as much nutrients and benefits as eggs themselves. Trying out egg
substitutes can also improve your baking experiences and give you denser,
lighter and fluffier baked products.
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