Egg-Free / Vegan Gluten-Free Baking

11 Posted on May 11, 2012 - by Jules Shepard

Categories: Baking Tips, Blog Hop, Contests, Gluten Free 101

Tags: , Allergy Friendly, Baking Tips, Earth Balance Mindful Mayo, Egg-Free Baking, Ener-G Egg Replacer, Gluten-Free Blog Hop, Vegan, Veganaise

Egg-Free / Vegan Gluten-Free Baking

Consider the egg. It does so much for baked goods: it’s an emulsifier (preventing the separation of ingredients like oil and water); a texturizer; a tenderizer; a strengthener; an aid in leavening and in moisture. Eggs help make your baked goods smooth and creamy, light, fluffy and moist.

But what if you cannot use eggs or choose a vegan lifestyle? For many people living gluten-free, adding restrictions like no dairy or no eggs, puts them over the edge. No need to fret! You just need a quick primer in egg substitutes!

(See yesterday’s post for dairy-free substitutes!)

Tips:

One trick to transforming many recipes to egg-free is to choose the right pan. Many quick breads, muffins and cakes will not have the same structural integrity without real eggs, so cheat a little bit and give your recipe more support by using smaller pans or muffin tins.
In any given recipe calling for more than two eggs, reconsider if you really must try it egg free.
In recipes calling for 3 eggs or more, try not to use more than two recipes of the same substitute (e.g. replace 3 eggs in a recipe by using two recipes of egg substitute #1 plus one recipe of egg substitute # 6 – see below).
Keep the fat in your recipes to help stand in for the lack of eggs, especially in recipes calling for more than 2 eggs. Thus, in a recipe calling for 3 eggs and milk, use egg substitutes and milk like coconut or almond which have more fat and body than a milk like skim dairy or rice milk.

Substitutes

Like gluten-free flours, there is no one-egg-substitute-fits-all for every kind of recipe. Try some of my preferred substitutes in your gluten-free baking to see which works best for you!
(Note: each substitute given will replace one large egg)

Egg-Free Gluten-Free Bread made with Flaxseed Meal + Water Egg Substitute

Mayonnaise

Best for: Casseroles, Dressings and Quick Breads
Egg-free mayonnaise dressing alternatives help bring lots of salads, baked goods and casseroles back to the table for those avoiding eggs. Look for Follow Your Heart Vegenaise® or Earth Balance® Mindful Mayo as reliable and readily available alternatives for these recipes.

Ener-G® Egg Replacer

Best for: Cookies, Cakes and Quick Breads
Pre-made Ener-G® egg replacer is gluten and egg free; the manufacturer states that this product is free of gluten, wheat, casein, dairy, egg, yeast, soy, nut, and rice. Note: most other commercial egg replacer products like Bob’s Red Mill contain wheat gluten and are NOT gluten-free.

Although this product is billed as a substitution for a full egg, egg white, or egg yolk, I personally do not like its performance as an egg yolk substitute, largely because this egg substitute is fat-free and yolks are largely comprised of fat. In recipes calling for yolks, try using this egg substitute plus 1 teaspoon canola oil to improve the texture of your dish.

Homemade Egg Substitute #1
Best for: Quick Breads, Cakes, Brownies and Some Cookies:

1 Tablespoon milk powder (dairy, soy or Dari-Free®)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons warm water

Homemade Egg substitute #2:
Best for: Quick Breads, Cakes, Brownies and Some Cookies:

1 Tablespoon canola oil
2 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

Homemade Egg substitute #3:
Best for: Quick Breads, Cakes, Brownies and Some Cookies:

¼ cup yogurt (dairy, soy or coconut work best)
¼ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

Homemade Egg substitute # 5:
Best for: Savory Dishes and Cheesecakes

¼ cup firm or extra firm silken tofu, blended in a food processor or blender
½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

Homemade Egg substitute # 6:
Best for: Quick Breads, Brownies and Pancakes:

¼ cup mashed, very ripe bananas, or apple purée, apple butter, applesauce or canned pumpkin
½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

Homemade Egg Substitute #7:
Best for: Quick Breads, Yeast Breads, Batters and Some Cookies:

1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
3 Tablespoons very warm water

Once the flaxseed meal is added to the water, stir and allow it to gel and absorb all the water before adding to your recipe; you can speed this process along by heating over low heat until a viscous liquid is formed.

For more egg substitutes (including egg yolk substitutes) consult with my book, Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy.

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 11th, 2012 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Baking Tips, Blog Hop, Contests, Gluten Free 101. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

24 Comments

We'd love to hear yours!

Jessica B said: on May 11, 2012

Thanks for the helpful tips.
Reply
Paula said: on May 11, 2012

Thank you so much for the egg tips, we aren’t egg-free ourselves, but have friends that are, so I’m definitely going to reference this post!
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Penny said: on May 11, 2012

Thanks for breaking down which egg substitute works best in different recipes! That helps a lot!
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julie said: on May 11, 2012

great info thanks
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julie said: on May 11, 2012

I shared on facebook
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pat said: on May 11, 2012

thanks for all the egg tips. I have a grandson who cannot have eggs.
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Jena said: on May 11, 2012

Its great to see that there are some good substitutes out there incase I ever have to work a recipe without eggs. Many thanks once again!
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Emma said: on May 12, 2012

Thanks for all the egg replacer recipes!
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Cindy B. said: on May 12, 2012

Thank goodness I can still eat eggs! I love your tips though and will pass them along to friends who can’t eat eggs.
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Lynn said: on May 12, 2012

Thanks for great tips
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Natalie Callier said: on May 12, 2012

Great inof!! I can’t believe how smart and experienced you are. I would never be able to figure out how to make these substitutes. You ROCK!!
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- Jules said: on May 12, 2012
  
  Thanks everyone! So glad these tips will be helpful to you!
  Reply
Karen Carlo said: on May 14, 2012

How much vegan mayo is equal to 1 egg for recipes?
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Barbara G. said: on May 14, 2012

These are a life saver! (no pun intended)!
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Susan said: on May 17, 2012

I’m glad I don’t have to not use eggs in my baking – but it’s always good to have tips on what to do. Thanks!
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Wendi S said: on May 17, 2012

Great suggestions. My youngest has dairy and egg allergies, I’m definitely going to bookmark this post.
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Helen said: on May 18, 2012

Thanks for sharing!
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Angel R said: on May 18, 2012

Very thankful to be gluten free …
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Cindy W. said: on May 18, 2012

Great suggestions.
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Mary Beth said: on October 3, 2012

I’m very allergic to soy, and very sensitive to egg yolk as well. What can I use in a yeast bread recipe that calls for both tofu and a whole egg? I have IBS as well, and so I’m leery of flax seeds. Can anyone help?
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- Jules said: on October 5, 2012
  
  Mary Beth- you should take a look at my book, Free for All Cooking (http://www.amazon.com/Free-All-Cooking-Gluten-Free-Allergy-Friendly/dp/0738213950/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282151967&sr=1-1). I have an extensive section on how to substitute for eggs, with recommendations for using more than one substitute in a given recipe and for which substitutes work best for which kinds of recipes. I think it would really help you here!
  Reply
Rochelle said: on February 23, 2013

I have made two batches of my moms chocolate chip cookie recipe using your flour. They spread out paper thin and don’t turn out I am using Ener-G egg replacer as well. I made them with another GF flour and they turned out fine. I love your flour in everything else. What am I doing wrong?
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- Jules said: on February 26, 2013
  
  Hi Rochelle, if your mom’s recipe is spreading too thin, even with Ener-G, then I would add 1/4-1/2 cup more of my flour. Some other flours absorb more moisture in recipes — mine does not. So if your particular recipe is too thin, add a bit more of my flour and it should work fine. I would also suggest making sure the dough is plenty cold before baking, using cold cookie sheets and lining with parchment paper. Hope that helps and you can enjoy your mom’s cookies again soon!
  Reply