Flax and chia eggs explained
Flax and chia eggs explained
The main challenge for plant-based cooking is the fact that eggs are off-limits. While not everyone loves them (I have never been a massive fan except for shakshuka), they are very useful; especially when baking! Luckily, some very clever people have come up with a great egg alternative that is very accessible and works well in things like cakes, veggie burgers and pancakes. You can use this method in every recipe where an egg is used as a binder (to hold the whole show together).
The replacement is ground flax or chia seeds (often referred to as flax/chia meal) with a few tablespoons of water and a few minutes in the fridge. Chia seeds are much more gelatinous and therefore do not really require chilling, but the drawback is that they are not the cheapest things to buy.
Flax seed with water (commonly called a flax egg) looks like an unlikely egg replacer until you put it into the fridge for 15 mins. The cold thickens the mixture considerably and makes it ready for use. Furthermore, both flax and chia seeds are extremely nutritious so don’t feel bad for sneaking them into your recipes.
Flax seeds are rich in micro-nutrients, dietary fiber, magnesium, vitamin B1 and omega-3. In addition to what flax seeds offer, chia seeds have copious amounts of phosphorus, calcium and the antioxidant selenium; which is has been linked to lower cancer and heart disease risk. According to the highly entertaining book about running, Born to Run, it is one of the reasons that the Tarahumara are the incredible athletes that they are so why not give flax and chia eggs a try.
- 1 tbsp of flax seeds or chia seeds
- 3 tbsp of water
- Grind flax or chia seeds in a coffee or a nut grinder. Don’t overdo it as seeds will start releasing their natural oils if processed for too long (like nuts) and you will end up with chia/flax butter instead:)
- Put ground flax or chia seeds into a bowl and stir 3 tbsp of water into it.
- Chill the mixture in the fridge for about 15 mins. If you are using chia seeds chilling isn’t necessary as they turn into ‘egg whites’ before your very eyes.
While 1 chia/flax egg is roughly equivalent to 1 medium (I assume) egg, you won't have much success if you take a standard cake recipe and replace 4 medium eggs with 4 chia/flax eggs. While chia/flax eggs have some properties of an egg, sometimes a recipe needs a combination of egg replacing methods (for example chia/flax egg for binding + silken tofu for structure/texture + extra/additional raising agents for rise) to be successful. It's best to just go by the recipe or if you are converting a non-vegan recipe yourself, use this equivalence as a guide but be prepared to make some other changes too. Hope this helps a little. x Ania
While this hack successfully allows you to make egg-free cakes, it isn't always as simple as taking a recipe containing eggs and subbing them for flax or chia eggs. The recipe needs to be created with flax/chia eggs in mind or often substantially altered if converted from an omni recipe. Plus, this is only one of many vegan egg substitutes (apart from aquafaba, fruit or veg puree, tofu, vegan yoghurt etc.) and it isn't always the best fit. Hope that helps! Ania
It's really hard for me to answer this. I suspect the texture was down the particular recipe and the ratios of individual ingredients rather than down to using aquafaba. I suggest asking the recipe author. Sorry I cannot be of any more help! Ania
I'm very new to plant-based cooking and am really pleased to find your recipes and tips.
You say you can whip up the chickpea brine like egg whites - does that mean you can actually cook it like meringue/pavlova?
And if you were baking sponge type puddings or cakes, which egg replacement method would you recommend?
Thanks for your help. Peggy
I'm delighted that you are trying plant-based cooking and that my blog is proving helpful! Yes, you can make meringue (recipe here) and pavlova (haven't got a recipe yet) with it and the most amazing chocolate mousse as well. There are many many possibilities and I'm excited for you to try them! As for egg-replacement in cakes, that's a more complicated question as it very much depends on the cake, but there are lots of ways to replace eggs: flax or chia egg, fruit or veg puree (apples, bananas, beetroots, sweet potato), silken tofu, vegan yoghurt and sometimes aquafaba. Hope that helps! Ania
It does miracles - check out this recipe https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/fluffy-vegan-chocolate-mousse/.
Fold in melted chocolate, chill and bam! chocolate mousse!
... though I am pretty sure this is not the first time you have hear of this :)
I love your pictures with this post. I have tried flex egg in the past and ended up with crunchy cookies. I am hoping the chia egg works better.
Stacey