How to Make a Flax Egg for Vegan Baking, Veggie Burgers, and More

What is a flax egg?

• Simply put, a flax egg consists of ground-up flaxseeds (flaxseed meal) and water. Once mixed, the flaxseed meal turns gelatinous. This consistency makes for a perfect 1:1 egg replacement in both sweet and savory recipes alike.
• While a flax egg adds moisture and acts as a binding agent, it does not act as a leavening agent. So, while it is a great option for a lot of recipes, it doesn't work for everything.

Which types of recipes can I use flax eggs in?

• When it comes to flax eggs, a general guideline is to only use them in recipes where they’ll play a supporting role. Think of things like cakes, muffins, cookies, loaves, brownies, French toast, or pancakes.
• For savory recipes, try using flax eggs in veggie burgers or meatless “meatballs.”

Which types of recipes should I not use flax eggs in?

• Since flax eggs have a different texture from chicken eggs, they cannot be used in egg-centric recipes like custard, quiche, omelets, frittata, crêpes, etc.
• You should consider using a different egg substitute such as aquafaba in delicate recipes like pavlova, meringue, macarons, or soufflé.

Which type of flaxseed is best?

• You can use whichever flaxseed variety you have on hand! You might prefer the neutral flavor and color of golden flaxseeds, but regular flaxseeds work the exact same.

Can I use whole flaxseeds?

• You cannot make an actual flax egg with whole flaxseeds because the gelatinous substance is contained within the coating. However, you can easily make your own flaxseed meal from whole flaxseeds. It’s actually better to store the flaxseeds whole since they last for much longer than a flaxseed meal.
• All you need to do to make a flaxseed meal is grind the whole flaxseed in a blender or spice grinder for about 30 seconds. The end result should appear somewhat like gritty almond flour.

Flax Egg

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal ($0.04)
• 2 ½ tablespoons room temperature water

Instructions

1. Add the flaxseed meal and water to a small bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside for 5-10 minutes.
2. Your flax egg is now ready to use in cakes, muffins, cookies, and more!

• If you are using whole flaxseeds, 1 tablespoon yields about 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of flax meal.