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Get It NowOne of the most common questions I get asked is “what can I use as an egg substitute in my baking recipes?” While I personally don’t have an egg allergy, I’m all for providing people with options — like my flax egg recipe! Eggs are naturally vegetarian, but they aren’t vegan, and some people avoid them for other reasons. Or maybe you just ran out? That’s why I’m going to show you how to make a flax egg and the best uses for it. I’ve got the best ratio for your recipes!
Why You’ll Love My Flax Egg Recipe
- Egg replacement – Let’s be real. The primary reason you’d make this is because you either can’t have eggs or don’t have any. It’s an easy solution and works in many situations!
- Neutral taste – Flax eggs don’t taste like much of anything, except maybe a mild nutty flavor. I find it pleasant and it compliments most baked goods nicely.
- Creates a moist and chewy texture – While this alternative won’t provide leavening like real eggs do, it does help with structure, moisture, and chewiness factor.
- Quick and easy – My flax egg recipe takes all of 2 ingredients and 2 minutes prep time! The mixture does need to sit for at least 15 minutes, but I usually just prep the other ingredients I’ll be using with it while I wait — or make them ahead.
- Good for you – Flaxseeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. Plus, they are gluten-free.
- Flexible – Once you know the flax egg ratio to use, you can easily scale it up or down. But I’ve found that some uses are better than others, so I’ll cover those for you below.
How To Make A Flax Egg
This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
This substitute is typically made using regular ground flaxseed meal, but I highly recommend using golden flaxseed meal. It has a more mild, neutral flavor. This is my top tip for best results!
If you only have whole flaxseeds (regular or golden), you can make ground flax seeds out of them. Simply grind into a meal consistency in a coffee grinder, spice grinder, or food processor. I don’t recommend using them whole to make flax eggs, though.
- Mix the flaxseed meal and water. Simply whisk them together in a small bowl, or a larger one if you’re making more at a time. My second picture below shows how it looks initially — very thin.
- Let it thicken. Refrigerate the mixture to let it thicken before you use it in recipes. My 3rd picture below shows how it looks afterward — like a thick, viscous gel. You can use my flax egg recipe after 15 minutes, but I find it works even better after 1 hour.
The Perfect Ratio
I use 1 part flaxseed meal and 3 parts water to make my flax egg substitute:
1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons of water = 1 large egg
If you need to replace more than one egg, just multiply the amounts above by the number you need. However, in my experience flax eggs work best as an egg substitute in recipes that call for only 1 or 2 eggs.
You can also make chia eggs by using the same ratio of ground chia seeds and water!
Storage Instructions
- Store: You can totally make this flax egg recipe ahead. Just keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze these for up to 3-4 months. I keep my batches in a silicone ice cube tray in the freezer, so that I can pop them out as needed.
Best And Worst Uses
Now that you know how to make flax eggs (and how easy they are), you probably want to know where you can use them! Here are my tips on when they work well and when they don’t:
Use Flax Eggs For:
A flax egg will work well in any recipe that uses eggs as a binder, but not in a huge amount and not as the primary ingredient:
- Muffins, quick breads, and cakes – These are one of my best uses for a flax egg! I don’t notice a big difference compared to using regular eggs. (Try my healthy options without refined sugar, like zucchini muffins, keto blueberry muffins, almond flour banana bread, or almond flour cake!) However, they will be a bit more dense than those made with eggs, because they don’t have leavening properties of eggs.
- Brownies – Brownies (including my coconut flour brownies) made with this egg alternative will be more dense and fudgy. I think this is a great thing — fudgy brownies are the best!
- Most types of cookies – With the exception of specialty cookie types, like meringues or macarons, they work great for most cookie recipes. Try them in my healthy oatmeal cookies.
- Pancakes – Yes, my flax egg recipe can work with pancakes (including my popular keto pancakes). Just keep in mind they will be more fragile and harder to flip.
- Waffles – Making waffles with this substitute will turn out less airy compared to using eggs, but still delicious. I’ve even used it for my chaffles!
- Snacks & Bars – Energy bites, bars, and granola! This vegan egg substitute makes the perfect binding agent for these.
- Crackers – You can use them as a binder in most cracker recipes, or make my flax seed crackers that don’t call for any eggs to begin with.
Don’t Use Them For:
Although they work in a lot of recipes, you can’t use flax eggs for everything. Here’s are ways that have not worked for me:
- Whipped egg recipes – You can’t use them for recipes that require whipped egg whites to create lift and structure, such as angel food cake, soufflé, meringues, macarons, or cloud bread. You’re better off using aquafaba if you need a sub for those.
- Flourless recipes – Flour helps provide structure and binding with the eggs. So, recipes such as flourless chocolate cookies, flourless chocolate cake, or protein bread won’t work with this substitute.
- Light and airy desserts – Since flaxseeds don’t have the leavening properties of eggs, they are not a good fit for desserts that need a light and airy texture, such as delicate pastries.
- Custards, puddings, and ice cream – Avoid using them for these because the result will be grainy and not creamy.
- Egg-based sauces – Flax eggs won’t emulsify, so they won’t work for making my homemade hollandaise sauce or mayonnaise.
- Recipes where egg is the primary ingredient – Flax eggs work best for binding, but they won’t be a star on their own. This one might be obvious, but using this substitute to make scrambled eggs, omelettes, or frittatas will not produce the result you are looking for!
Do you have other ways that you use these? Let me know in the comments below!
Flax Egg Recipe
Learn how to make a flax egg recipe with the perfect ratio and an easy trick for best results. Use it in all kinds of egg-free recipes!
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flax seed meal and water.
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Refrigerate for 15 minutes before using in recipes.
Did You Like It?
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 flax egg (entire recipe)
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
13 Comments
Gail
0Tried this out for my vegan brownie recipe, and it worked great! The brownies turned out moist and fudgy, just how I like them. So delicious!
Evie
0I have never used flax as an egg substitute but my son went vegan so this was an exceptional way for me to make his favorite muffins! They turned out light and fluffy and tasted great!
Karen
0This worked great in our favorite banana bread. Easy to do in a pinch. Thank you so much!
Crystal
0Hello, I Absolutely Love what you do it makes life so much easier for people like me that have to be on Low Carb diets. so Thank you! I do have a question? Is the ratio for the chia seeds the same for the Flax meal egg? and do the chia seeds need to be ground up before adding the water? Thank you in advance.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Crystal, Use the same amount of chia as you would flax seed meal.
Jere Cassidy
0I have seen recipes calling for flax eggs but really didn’t know what this was. Thanks for sharing and know I know how easy this is to make.
Beth
0This is great! I can’t wait to give this a try! I’m allergic to eggs so this is perfect!
Cathleen
0This is so perfect. I’m always running out of eggs in my house, so I appreciate this as alternative. Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
Andrea Metlika
0This was so informative. Thank you. Now I can make this myself.
Alison
0I love using flax eggs in baking since I’m vegan. Perfecting the art of making a flax egg is super important!
Francine
0Hi! I tried to use a flax egg to make mayonnaise. It is supposed to work but it did not. Do you have any tricks to make mayonnaise?
Thank you
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Francine, I’m sorry, I don’t think flax eggs can work in mayo. It is my understanding that flax eggs should really only be used as a substitute for eggs in baking.
Michelle
0Omg! I had no idea about this! Thank you so much for this! I was in desperate need, as our little one has an allergy!