How to Make Flax Eggs (Easy Egg Replacer)

A flax egg is an easy vegan substitute for eggs in recipes where eggs are called for like pancakes, muffins and veggie burgers. It requires two basic ingredients — flaxseed meal and water — and only takes a few minutes to prepare. Flax eggs are naturally vegan, gluten-free and nutritious. Jump to the Flax Egg Recipe or read on to see how we use flax eggs in our own kitchen.

How to make a flax egg

If you have a recipe that calls for one or two eggs and you need that recipe to be egg-free, flax eggs might be your answer. When making flax eggs in our own kitchen, this is the ratio we use.

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water = 1 egg

Stir the flaxseed meal and water together in a small bowl, and then place into the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened.

*If you do not have flaxseed meal, try chia seeds. Use 1 tablespoon of chia seeds as a substitute to the tablespoon of flaxseed meal.

What is flaxseed meal?

Flaxseed meal is ground or milled flaxseeds. You can buy whole flaxseeds and grind them yourself or flaxseed meal. When shopping for flax eggs, I buy flaxseed meal (I have Bob’s Red Mill flaxseed meal in the kitchen right now).

Flaxseeds come from the flax plant (it’s actually very beautiful and you might have even walked by a plant or two in your neighborhood). Flaxseeds are highly nutritious. There are two types of flaxseed: golden and brown. Both varieties work wonders in the kitchen. Flaxseeds are

• Nutrient dense
• High in omega-3 fatty acids
• High in fiber, 1 tablespoon has 3 grams
• Contain high-quality plant protein
• Rich in lignans (antioxidant and estrogen properties that may help reduce risks of cancer)

How to use flax eggs

First, as a recipe developer, I do need to share a tiny disclaimer. Substitutions, especially in baking, can be tricky. Eggs are superstars in baking. They provide structure, flavor and color to baked goods, and so substituting them and achieving excellent results isn’t always as straight-forward as we’d like. I’ve provided the general substitution guidelines for flax eggs below.

That said, when you make substitutions to tested recipes — like replacing an egg with a flax egg — there is always the possibility that the original results of that recipe will be lost. We deal with substitutions a lot on Inspired Taste and while we are major fans of using flax eggs, we have found that it is sometimes necessary to tweak an original recipe a bit to make the substitution work.

There are also more egg substitutes available. We love flax eggs, but depending on the recipe you are using, you might find that a different egg substitute produces better results. Some of our favorites are chia eggs, aquafaba (chickpea cooking or canned liquid) or a store-bought egg replacer.

We recommend using flax eggs in these types of recipes

In general, if the recipe you are trying to make egg-free is flour based and calls for one or two eggs, like pancakes or muffins, you should be able to use flax eggs. Baking recipes that call for more than two eggs, like airy cakes, may not work as well when the eggs are substituted since flax eggs do not help with leavening.

Pancakes and waffles are great options for flax eggs. We’ve swapped the egg for a flax egg in our pancakes recipe many times and been very pleased with the results.

Muffins and quick breads are also a great option for flax eggs. I love these banana blueberry muffins (which work nicely with the substitution) and while I have not made the substitution myself, our readers have made these strawberry muffins vegan-friendly thanks to a flax egg.

Veggie burgers and bean or grain patties will usually be very happy with a flax egg instead of an egg. Our veggie burgers are a great example. We call for two eggs in that recipe and readers have made them with two flax eggs and been very pleased.

Baked oatmeal or baked casseroles that call for an egg are also good options for flax eggs. Take our strawberry banana baked oatmeal, for example. In that recipe, we ask that you add one egg. This helps to firm up the oatmeal. In that recipe, you can absolutely substitute a flax egg.

How about cakes and cupcakes? Here’s where I get a little nervous generalizing how egg substitutions will work in the recipes. There are lots of methods out there for making cake. Some have a dense crumb, while some are light and airy. In general, when it comes to more complicated baking recipes, I recommend finding a recipe that’s been developed to be egg-free. If you do want to substitute flax eggs for eggs in cakes and cupcakes, be ready for a little tweaking.

Can you cook flax eggs like eggs? No, flax eggs are not exactly like eggs so they won’t fry or scramble in a pan. If you are looking for a plant-based scrambled egg, try our tofu scramble instead.