This Is The Best Egg Substitute You Can Buy

There are plenty of reasons you might want or need an egg substitute in a recipe. Whether you're trying to "vegan-ize" a dish that uses eggs or we somehow find ourselves in another national egg shortage, using an egg substitute is a great option; however, not all of them are created equal. Here at Mashed, we ranked egg substitutes based on their versatility, convenience, and ease of use. We should note that we're not talking about egg substitutes that you can cook up and eat scrambled or fried — instead, we examined the best egg substitutes that can give your baked goods a bit of rise and moisture.

While many common pantry staples can serve as egg substitutes in a pinch, we found that commercial egg replacers like the ones from Bob's Red Mill or Ener-G are the best option, mainly because they're so convenient. These commercial egg replacers typically include several other common egg substitutes in their ingredients, like psyllium husk, starches, and leavening agents like baking soda. These help give baked goods a little bit of rise and help hold ingredients together the same way that eggs do. Having this mixture of ingredients ready to go in your pantry makes the convenience of commercial egg replacers virtually unmatched.

While it's true that some other egg substitutes might create better results for specific recipes, commercial egg replacers are incredibly versatile and provide satisfactory results in a variety of applications. In most cases, just add water (the amount depends on whether your recipe calls for egg whites, egg yolks, or whole eggs) and add it to your recipe. Beyond their straightforward use, they don't add any strange or unwelcome flavor to recipes the way tofu, avocado, or aquafaba (the liquid in canned chickpeas) might.

The best part about commercial egg replacers, though, is that they arguably have a much longer shelf life than substitutes like the aforementioned avocado and tofu or those that require milk or mayo (which also aren't vegan in their standard form). Some commercial egg replacers are shelf-stable (no refrigeration required) for up to three years! This is especially beneficial for people who only need an egg substitute for occasional baking projects. For us, that convenience and simplicity can't be beat.