I had a great question on my blog recently asking about the size of eggs I use. So let’s learn all about eggs and their use in baking. Let’s be honest, I am a complete science nerd when it comes to baking! I love diving deep into the ‘why’ behind each ingredient. We’ll also look at egg substitutes and why I choose certain ones over others in egg-free and vegan recipes.
Photo by Estudio Gourmet on Unsplash
This post was originally published in March 2023 and has been updated in April 2024 to include new photos and more helpful tips.
Table of Contents
The Purpose of Eggs in Baking
Eggs are generally one of the main components in baking, alongside sugar, flour and butter. But do you know the role of eggs in baking? From a scientific viewpoint, there are 6 most common reasons:
- Moisture
- Richness
- Colour
- Binding agent (structure)
- Leavening agent
- Flavour
Does Size Matter?
I’m a huge fan of precision baking as I prefer to bake by weight to better control the outcome of my baked goods. However, when it comes to eggs, I’m ok with the assumption that most eggs of the same size weigh roughly the same, give or take a few grams.
The larger the egg, the more moisture, richness, and leavening it will add. For example, let’s take a cake recipe that uses 2 eggs. If the cake turned out denser than you’d hoped, you can add an extra egg next time. Fewer eggs in recipes usually create a more fudgy consistency. Brownie recipes, for example, don’t tend to include more than 2 eggs.
You can also use larger eggs in a recipe to give a more cakey, springy consistency. (large instead of medium, extra large instead of large etc). It’s also why cookies usually only use 1 egg (or none at all), as they are a drier baked good.
Egg Sizes
I usually use large eggs in my baking, which are equivalent to approximately 50g once removed from their shell. Did you know that the difference between egg sizes isn’t that great? In most of my recipes, you can use the next size up or down without noticing too much difference. Plus I will always mention substitution recommendations for an egg-free version.
Photo by Erin Larson on Unsplash
Medium eggs are about 1/4 tsp less in volume than a large egg. What this essentially means is that there will be less liquid and marginally less richness to your baked good. You wouldn’t notice unless you are using a recipe that is full of eggs where the difference soon adds up. A great example is some of my traybakes which use 4 eggs to help create their fluffy texture.
Extra large eggs – I’ll be honest that I’ve never baked with extra large eggs. Mainly because they are more expensive and large eggs tend to be on sale most often. That being said, extra large eggs will have slightly more volume than large eggs, about 1/4 tsp. You may need slightly more flour to balance the extra moisture in some recipes, like cookies, but for most recipes, it’s not a deal breaker.
Remember that this is a general guide to sizes as eggs are not all created equally. And that’s exactly as it should be if you ask me! You may find some slight variation in the sizes, especially if you use farm fresh eggs or have your own chickens.
For some great egg-rich desserts, check out these recipes:
- the perfect butterscotch traybake cake
- my delicious frangipane-filled cherry bakewell tarts
Egg Storage Tips
There is always a great debate about whether eggs should be stored in the fridge. I’m from the UK originally where you will find eggs stored outside of the fridge sections in grocery stores. It is also common for people to store them in a carton or egg holder on the kitchen counter.
Yet in Canada (where I now live) they are always stored in the fridge. Health Canada recommends that only refrigerated eggs should be purchased and eggs should always be stored in the fridge and used by the date stamped on them (or on the carton).
But did you know that there’s a great way to check whether your eggs are fresh enough to use? I store mine in the fridge and if they are not used within the recommended date, I always test them to check their freshness. You’d be surprised how long eggs stay fresh! All you need is a jug of room-temperature water and some eggs to carry out the float test.
If they float, toss them as they are past their best. If they sink, they are fresh enough to use. It’s that simple!
Egg Substitutes in Baking
Having dietary restrictions does not mean that you have to miss out on wonderful desserts. There are many great alternatives for eggs in baking. But how do you know which to use?
One of the most important parts of my role as an experimental baker is to work out what each element of a recipe does so that I can work with the remaining ingredients to determine the most suitable substitution. In terms of eggs, it might be richness, moisture, colour or even to help bind the ingredients together.
Here are my 8 favourite egg substitutes:
1. Apple Sauce
Apple sauce is my go-to egg replacement when recipes ask for 1 or 2 eggs. With one egg roughly weighing 50 grams, I sub with 50 grams of unsweetened apple sauce. I have also experimented with flavoured apple sauce when the baked good can handle extra flavours, like brownies or a fruit-based loaf like banana bread.
Our kids are fans of apple sauce pots with hidden veggies so I’ll often throw one of those into a cake. Top Tip: one snack-size apple sauce pot is usually between 100 and 110 grams so I add the whole pot where 2 eggs are needed.
Apple sauce is not a great substitute for cakes which use 3 or more eggs, such as my coffee maple layer cake. In this recipe, which calls for 4 eggs, you would need to use 4 flax eggs (4 tbsp flax meal and 60 ml of water). Or a combination of plant-based buttermilk to add richness and apple sauce (for moisture). This particular cake needs richness and moisture; if you just used apple sauce, the mixture would be too wet and wouldn’t rise properly.
2. Aquafaba
Aquafaba is the official name for the brine (liquid) from a can of chickpeas. In recent years it has been heralded as one of the best natural substitutes for eggs. Personally, I think that it works better as an egg white substitute as it lacks richness but it will work in a pinch in cakes and cookies. I have had great success using aquafaba to make vegan meringues, vegan royal icing and vegan macarons. Use 50 ml or 1/4 US cup of aquafaba for the equivalent of 1 egg.
3. Avocado
Did you know that the superfood avocado is a great egg substitute for heavier baked goods like quick breads, chocolate muffins and brownies? It adds a creaminess to baked goods and healthy fats simultaneously. And avocado can often be used to sub butter AND egg at the same time.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
I recommend only using avocado as an egg substitute in darker-coloured batters unless you want a green tinge to your baking. Chocolate baked goods hide both the colour and slight flavour of the avocado and help to keep everything nice and moist. Cocoa powder tends to dry out baked goods so the addition of avocado can help to keep things fudgy. 1 ripe medium avocado (roughly 1/4 US cup) is the equivalent of 1 egg. Check out my vegan avocado brownies recipe to see why this ingredient works so well.
4. Banana
Ripe bananas work really well in muffins, cakes and quick breads where an egg is used for moisture and to bind everything together. 1 ripe mashed banana (roughly 1/4 US cup) replaces 1 egg.
I normally only use them in recipes where 1 or 2 eggs are required. Any more and they can make the batter too wet and will overpower any other flavours. My vegan banana bread is a staple in our household and I bake it weekly. Another great snack for our kids lunchboxes is our allergen free mini banana muffins.
5. Cornstarch
As a natural thickener when mixed with water, a cornstarch slurry is a great substitute when you need to make custards, pie fillings and cheesecakes. If you look at Bird’s Custard Powder (which happens to be dairy free), the main ingredient is cornstarch, yet when you make custard from scratch, you would normally use egg. To substitute one egg, use 1 tsp cornstarch with 3 tbsp (15ml) water.
6. Flax and Chia Egg
As I’ve mentioned, a flax egg is a great substitute in most baking recipes and I’ll often suggest it in my recipes. When you combine ground flaxseed with water, it creates a gloopy consistency that reacts similarly to eggs in baking. What I love about this option is that it is really inexpensive and easy to make. You can follow the same principles for a chia egg as well, using chia seeds.
To make a flax egg, stir 1 tablespoon of flax meal (ground flaxseed) into 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of water. Allow to rest for 10 minutes then use as directed in the recipe.
7. Plant Based Milk
I often use plant based milk in my baking where the egg is used purely to add richness and moisture (mostly in cookies, muffins, donuts and quick breads). I recommend using unsweetened plain milk so it won’t affect the sweetness or flavour.
Sometimes I’ll even add vinegar to curdle it to make buttermilk. Just add 15ml (1 tbsp) vinegar per 240 ml (1 cup) of milk, stir them let it for 10 minutes.
This is a great egg substitute in pancakes and donuts and especially in red velvet baked goods like our red velvet donuts where it adds an extra tang to the flavour.
8. Plant Based Yogurt
There are so many great plant based yogurts available from plain to flavoured and even greek style. I will often use a coconut or almond based yogurt in my cake recipes to add another layer of creaminess and lightness. It also works well to add moisture and to help bind the remaining ingredients together. My preferred ratio is 30g or 1/4 US cup of yogurt for 1 egg.
Bonus Substitute: Commercial Egg Replacers
Numerous store bought egg replacements are available and while I have heard very good reviews about them, I personally haven’t used them myself. I prefer to use the other methods listed above as I always have them on hand. If you wish to use store bought alternatives, follow the directions on the packaging.
Testing Different Substitutes
Check out this quick video showing the difference between eggs and two substitutes in my regular dairy free cupcake recipe. This is a great visual to show you how they react in a simple recipe.
Printable Egg Substitutes Chart
This handy chart is a great reference to know which substitute to use and how much to add to your recipe. Click the image to open a printable version and then pop a copy on your fridge.
Egg Free Baking
Our collection of egg-free recipes contains a variety of family favourites and traditional recipes. Here are some of my top egg free recipes:
- Perfect for any celebration – dairy free egg free vanilla cupcakes
- Make the fudgiest chocolate treat with my avocado mini brownies
- Kids will love my allergy safe strawberry lemonade sugar cookies
- Decorate your own egg free no spread cookies with my vegan royal icing
- No bake bitesize coconut bliss balls
Final Thoughts
Here’s a quick recap if you are planning on baking egg-free:
- Think about the purpose of the egg in your recipe. There are no hard and fast rules and I highly recommend experimenting to see how the substitutions work in your preferred recipe. My favourite replacement is apple sauce as we always have this in our pantry.
- It is easier to substitute fewer eggs in a recipe without a noticeable difference to the finished baked good.
- For recipes that use a lot of eggs, search for a vegan or egg-free alternative recipe rather than trying to replace the eggs.
I hope this article has encouraged you to try egg-free baking, So next time you’re reading a recipe and don’t have enough eggs in the fridge, or perhaps you want to change the texture slightly or sub for an egg-free option, I hope you’ll feel confident making changes based on my recommendations.
More Baking Science Tips
Like what you’re reading? Leave a comment below to let me know your preferred egg substitute. And don’t forget to check out more baking science tips.
Happy Baking!
