Eggs are in so many recipes, so what do you do if you need to avoid egg in your diet?
Luckily there are quite a few true and trusted ways to keep baking without egg.
What options suit you may depend on your individual dietary needs.
AQUAFABA
The water in tinned legumes (such as chickpeas) is actually quite useful as an egg replacer.
Three tablespoons of chickpea water can be used in recipes in place of one egg.
Works brilliantly as a binder in foods such as fritters. Can even use to make egg free meringues!
Freeze in one egg portions in the ice cube tray for easy grab use.
NUTRITION INFO:
Suitable for the low food chemical/ failsafe elimination diet.
Legumes and thus the legume water contain FODMAPs (oligo-saccharides-GOS) so not suitable for the low FODMAP diet.
PEAR PUREE, APPLE SAUCE OR MASHED BANANA
Use ¼ cup of apple sauce or pear puree or mashed banana instead of one egg for an easy substitute in a wet mixture.
Useful in foods which are sweet such as cookies and sweet biscuits. Just reduce added sugar to take into account the natural sugar in the apple sauce, pear puree or mashed banana.
One of my favourite recipes is buckwheat pancakes using 1/3 cup of pureed pear: Ingredients: 1 cup buckwheat flour, ¼ cup pear puree, ¾ water.
Place 1 cup buckwheat flour + ¼ cup pear puree in a bowl. Slowly add water (1/4 cup doses) while stirring to combine. Fry in a large greased frying pan. Top with butter or tolerated margarine & pure maple syrup. QUITE YUM! NUTRITION INFO:
Pear is the only fruit low in salicylates so the best choice if you are limiting salicylates.
Banana is the low FODMAP choice out of the three, just make sure it is just ripe because ripeness increases the fructose content. Both apples and pears are high in FODMAPs, in the case of apple, there is excess fructose while pear contains two main FODMAPs: fructose and sorbitol. Not a problem unless you are sensitive to these specific FODMAPs.
OIL+ BAKING POWDER + WATER
Sounds too simple but works a treat in baked goods such as biscuits. Simply use 1 ½ tablespoons of vegetable oil + the same amount of water + 1 teaspoon of baking powder instead of one egg.
That is it!
NUTRITION INFO:
For low chemical/failsafe diet use low chemical oil such as rice bran oil
Low in FODMAPs
CHIA SEEDS
Yep- chia seeds are just useful for everything!
Mix one tablespoon of chia seeds with three tablespoons of water in place of one egg and rest for 20 minutes before using.
Best in breads or biscuits containing grains or as a thickener in sauces.
NUTRITION INFO:
Not suitable for the low chemical/failsafe diet
Low in FODMAPs
FLAXSEEDS (Linseeds)
Use flaxseeds or linseeds instead of egg and bump up those essential omega-3 fatty acids while you are at it.
Mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons of water to substitute one egg and rest for 20 minutes before using.
Really improves texture but as imparts a unique flavour, best suited to oat or bran type of baked foods as well as dense cakes.
NUTRITION INFO:
1 tablespoon of flaxseeds is low in FODMAPs but take care as 2 tablespoons is high (oligosaccharides/fructans)
Flaxseeds are high in salicylates and amines
Flaxseed oils are sometimes ok on the elimination diet in limited quantities to help boost omega 3 fatty acids.
COMMERCIAL EGG REPLACER
Orgran no egg- egg replacer can be useful and suit many diets as it is low in FODMAPs and suitable for the low chemical or strict failsafe elimination diet.
Use 2 teaspoons of egg replacer per egg in a recipe for a better result.
REFERENCES
RPAH elimination diet handbook: with food and shopping guide. Anne Swain, Velencia Soutter, Robert Loblay, 2011 (revised edition).
Monash University low FODMAP app. Version 2.0.9. Accessed 03/06/2018.