Egg substitutes, and what each one costs you in protein
Applesauce and flax bind a cake but replace almost none of an egg's 6 g of protein. Which egg substitute works for baking, and which keeps the protein.
How they compare, per one egg replaced
Most substitute guides tell you what works and stop there. If you are choosing partly on macros, here are the numbers side by side.
Only Greek yogurt comes close to an egg on protein. Aquafaba, applesauce and mashed banana carry almost none, which is the trade nobody mentions when they recommend them for binding, and the reason a vegan bake often needs its protein from somewhere else.
| Per one egg replaced | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One large egg | 72 | 6.3 g | 0.4 g | 4.8 g |
| Greek yogurt, 60 g | 59 | 5.9 g | 2.2 g | 2.4 g |
| Silken tofu, 60 g | 34 | 3.3 g | 1.2 g | 2 g |
| Chia egg | 58 | 2 g | 5 g | 3.7 g |
| Flax egg | 37 | 1.3 g | 2 g | 3 g |
| Mashed banana, 60 g | 53 | 0.6 g | 13.5 g | 0.2 g |
| Applesauce, 60 g | 25 | 0.1 g | 6.8 g | 0.1 g |
| Aquafaba, 3 tbsp | 5 | 0.4 g | 1 g | 0 g |
Typical values, rounded. Brands vary, so treat these as estimates for comparing options rather than exact figures.
Every option, and when to use it
ReciPop picks one swap because it is optimising for your macro goal. Cooking is broader than that, so here is the full list including the ones the app does not reach for.
| Use | How much | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Greek yogurt, plain | 60 g, about a quarter cup, per egg | muffins, quick breads and cakes, and the only common option that keeps the protein Watch out: adds moisture and no lift, so it will not stand in for a whipped egg |
| Silken tofu, blended | 60 g, about a quarter cup, blended smooth, per egg | dense bakes, brownies and custards, and the best dairy-free option on protein Watch out: blend it completely or the crumb goes speckled, and it adds no lift at all |
| Flax egg | 1 tbsp ground flaxseed plus 3 tbsp water, left to gel for 10 minutes | binding in cookies, flapjacks and rustic bakes Watch out: noticeably nutty, slightly heavier crumb, and close to no protein |
| Chia egg | 1 tbsp chia seeds plus 3 tbsp water, left to gel for 10 minutes | the same binding jobs as flax, in darker bakes Watch out: leaves visible specks, so it is obvious in a pale sponge |
| Unsweetened applesauce | 60 g, about a quarter cup, per egg | moist cakes and muffins where you also want less fat Watch out: adds sugar and water, no protein, and no structure at all |
| Mashed banana | 60 g, about a quarter cup, per egg | banana bread, and bakes where the flavour is welcome Watch out: you will taste it, and it is the sweetest option here |
| Aquafaba | 3 tbsp of the liquid from a tin of chickpeas per egg | the only option that genuinely whips, so meringue and mousse Watch out: almost no protein, and it takes far longer to whip than egg white |
| Commercial egg replacer | follow the packet, usually 1.5 tsp powder plus 2 tbsp water | predictable binding when you bake without eggs often Watch out: mostly starch and raising agent, so it contributes nothing nutritionally |
Every egg substitute guide sorts by what works in a cake. Almost none of them mention that an egg is a protein source and most of its replacements are not.
One large egg carries about 6.3 g of protein. A quarter cup of applesauce carries about 0.1 g. Both will produce a perfectly good muffin, and only one of them leaves the recipe with the protein it had. If you are baking around an allergy or a vegan diet that trade is simply the cost of doing business. If you are swapping for health reasons, it is worth knowing which direction you are actually moving.
Substitute by what the egg was doing
An egg does three separate jobs, and no single replacement does all three.
Binding, holding a cookie or a burger together. A flax egg or a chia egg does this well: 1 tbsp of the ground seed with 3 tbsp of water, left for ten minutes to gel.
Moisture and tenderness in a cake or muffin. Applesauce, mashed banana, Greek yogurt or blended silken tofu all work at about 60 g per egg.
Lift, the structure in a sponge, a meringue, a mousse. This is the one that usually cannot be replaced. Aquafaba, the liquid from a tin of chickpeas, is the only common option that genuinely whips, and it takes noticeably longer to get there than egg white does.
If a recipe calls for three or more eggs, they are almost certainly doing structural work. Substituting all of them rarely ends well, and that is worth saying plainly rather than pretending otherwise.
The two that keep the protein
If protein is why you are here, the list is short.
Plain Greek yogurt, 60 g per egg, keeps about 5.9 g of the 6.3 g you lost. It is the closest thing to a like-for-like swap on macros. It adds moisture and a slight tang, and it gives no lift.
That figure assumes strained yoghurt, which is the whole basis of the swap. A British pot labelled Greek style has been thickened instead of strained, and it will not carry the protein this section is built on. Which is which.
Blended silken tofu, 60 g per egg, keeps about 3.3 g and is the best dairy-free option. Blend it completely smooth, or the crumb ends up speckled.
Everything else on this page is a texture solution, not a nutrition one.
What each one is actually for
Applesauce is the lightest option at about 25 kcal per egg replaced, and it cuts fat as well. Use it in moist cakes. It brings sugar and water and nothing structural.
Mashed banana behaves similarly but you will taste it, so keep it to bakes where banana belongs.
Flax and chia eggs are binders. Flax is nuttier and disappears into a wholemeal bake. Chia leaves visible specks, which is fine in a brownie and obvious in a pale sponge.
Aquafaba is the specialist. It is the answer for meringue and nothing else on this list comes close, but it contributes essentially no protein and very few calories.
Commercial egg replacer is mostly starch and raising agent. It is predictable and convenient if you bake eggless often, and it adds nothing nutritionally.
What if the recipe calls for two or three eggs?
The substitutes on this page are written per egg, and the honest answer is that they do not scale cleanly. This is the question nobody answers and it is where most vegan bakes go wrong.
One flax egg in a batch of muffins is invisible. Three flax eggs in one cake is a gummy, slightly damp crumb, because you have added three times the mucilage and none of the protein that would have set around it. The same is true of chia, and worse of banana and applesauce, where three portions of fruit puree also means a great deal of extra sugar and moisture.
Practical limits, from what each substitute is doing:
- Up to two eggs, most swaps on this page work as written.
- Three or more, split the job. Replace two with your binder of choice and the rest with something that carries structure rather than moisture, or pick a recipe that was designed without eggs in the first place.
- Aquafaba is the exception and scales further than the others, because it is doing the egg’s aerating job rather than just gluing the crumb together.
A recipe leaning on four or five eggs is usually leaning on them for structure, and at that point you are not substituting an ingredient, you are asking a different cake to exist.
Can you use Greek yogurt instead of eggs?
For moisture and binding in a muffin or a quick bread, yes, and it is the one swap here that keeps most of the protein, which is the argument the top of this page makes. It will not aerate anything, so it cannot stand in for a whipped egg in a sponge, and it will not set a custard.
Can you use egg whites instead of whole eggs?
Yes, and it is a different trade from everything else here. You keep almost all the protein and lose the fat and the emulsifying power that lives in the yolk. Bakes come out slightly drier and paler. Two whites for one whole egg is the usual ratio, and it works best in something already moist.
Where this leaves you
For a cake, applesauce is the easiest swap in the cupboard. For a cookie, a flax egg. For meringue, aquafaba or nothing. For keeping the protein, Greek yogurt, then silken tofu.
And one honest note, because the rest of the internet does not make it: an egg is not an ingredient most people need to replace for health reasons. It is cheap, it is a complete protein, and at about 72 kcal it is not a large part of anyone’s day. If you are replacing eggs because of an allergy, a vegan diet, or because you have simply run out, everything above applies. If you are replacing them to eat better, check the table first, because several of the popular swaps move you further from a high-protein plate rather than closer to one.
Figures are estimates from typical ingredient values rather than measurements, and they shift with brand and with how much liquid a recipe already has. The direction holds even when the exact number does not.
Common questions
It depends on what the egg was doing. For binding, a flax egg or 60 g of applesauce works. For moisture in a cake, applesauce or mashed banana. For whipping, only aquafaba behaves like egg white. If you want to keep the protein, use 60 g of plain Greek yogurt or blended silken tofu, which are the only common options that come close.
For most cakes and muffins, 60 g of unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana per egg is the easiest swap from a normal cupboard. For cookies, a flax egg binds better. Neither adds lift, so do not use them in a recipe that leans on whipped eggs for its rise.
One egg is roughly 60 g of applesauce, 60 g of mashed banana, 60 g of Greek yogurt, 60 g of blended silken tofu, or one flax or chia egg made from 1 tbsp of the ground seed and 3 tbsp of water. Use the table above to pick on texture and macros rather than at random.
Substitute by function. Binding is flax, chia or a commercial replacer. Moisture is applesauce, banana, yogurt or tofu. Lift is aquafaba, or nothing. A recipe using three or more eggs is usually relying on them for structure, and no substitute will hold it together.
Mostly no, and this is the part rarely mentioned. One egg carries about 6.3 g of protein. Applesauce has around 0.1 g, mashed banana about 0.6 g, and a flax egg about 1.3 g. Only Greek yogurt at roughly 5.9 g and blended silken tofu at roughly 3.3 g keep a meaningful amount.
There is no single answer, because it depends what you are optimising. Applesauce is the lightest at about 25 kcal and cuts fat. Greek yogurt keeps almost all the protein. Silken tofu is the best dairy-free option on protein. An egg itself is not an unhealthy ingredient, so if you are replacing it for macros rather than allergy or diet, check the table before assuming the swap is an improvement.