Eggs are pricey these days (and prices are expected to go up 20% in 2025). As a vegan for many years, I have lots of experiences with substituting eggs in recipes. Below are some substitutions with estimated pricing (If a dozen eggs are $4.50, each egg is 38 cents.)

  • Applesauce (18 cents per “egg”) – this works great as a replacement in sweet baking recipes like muffins and cakes. Use around 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg. I generally just sub one for one, although I think you’re supposed to reduce the sugar a bit to account for the sweetness of the applesauce. I’ve also seen some replacement recipes suggest adding 1/2 tsp of baking powder as part of this substitution. Since I don’t otherwise have much of a need for applesauce, I generally keep a box of single serve containers so that I don’t have to open a whole jar. (Each container is 4 oz, which equates to 2 eggs.)
  • Flax seed (13 cents per “egg”) – This is great for recipes that use egg as a binder (such as meatloaf) and when baked goods that aren’t sweet. I mix a tablespoon of flax seed meal with 3 tablespoons of water and let that sit for a few minutes until it thickens.
  • Egg Replacer (15 cents per “egg”) – Company’s like Bob’s Red Mill make a powdered egg replacer that works in a similar way as flax.
  • Aquafaba (free?) – aquafaba is the liquid from chickpeas (either canned or from cooking dried chickpeas). It works great as a thickener for sauces. For instance, when I veganized Chrissy Teigen’s miso pasta, I used 3 tablespoons of aquafaba in place of the 3 eggs. Believe it or not, aquafaba also works great for meringue or angel food cake! If you were planning to cook with chickpeas anyway, you would have otherwise thrown away the liquid, and you can freeze the liquid in ice trays so you can use it anytime! (You could make this chickpea pot pie or chickpea burger patties or chickpea masala.) Chickpeas often are a good substitute for chicken, so if you find that chicken is getting pricey (more on that below), you can often just do a one for one replacement.
  • Tofu (14 cents per “egg”) – scrambled tofu is a great and easy alternative to scrambled eggs. I take a block of extra firm tofu and just crumble it with my hands and sauté it in a pan with a little oil. My fast version is to just add a few spices (garlic powder, onion powder, dried chives) and cook for 5 minutes or so. My slower version is to sauté onion and bell pepper and then add the tofu. To better resemble eggs, add a bit of turmeric (for color) and kala namak (black salt) for that eggy/sulfur taste. Extra firm Tofu also works as a direct replacement for hard boiled eggs in egg salad. Tofu is also a great replacement for eggs in dishes like fried rice. Silken tofu works great for egg dishes like quiche.
  • Just Egg ($1.12 per “egg”) – OK, this is a pricier option than actual eggs, but the Just Egg patties come pre-cooked so all you have to do is put them in the toaster and they are ready to put on a breakfast sandwich. The liquid version makes faux scrambled eggs and is a bit less expensive (around 90 cents per “egg”). So think of this as the luxury splurge version of egg alternatives.

Why are eggs so pricey?!

H5N1 (aka bird flu) is spreading across the United States. When it hits farms, the chickens are culled, reducing egg (and chicken) supply. (Note that H5N1 is also spreading among dairy cows so could impact dairy supply and pricing as well.) The US federal government has halted all communications from health agencies, which means that organizations like the CDC, FDA, and NIH aren’t communicating with the public, farmers, and scientists about the current information about H5N1 and how to reduce its spread. So at the moment, the future is unclear.

(I used Amazon’s affiliate links so I might get a commission if you buy stuff).

Categories: How To

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *