One of the most common questions I get is about how to find an egg substitute in my keto baking recipes. While I personally don’t have an egg allergy and have lots of keto egg recipes here on Wholesome Yum, I’m all for providing people with options. Eggs are naturally vegetarian, but they aren’t vegan, and some people avoid them for other reasons. That’s why I’m publishing this post about how to make a flax egg. This flax egg recipe is super quick to make and can be used as an egg replacement in baked goods. Once you know the flax egg ratio to use, you can easily scale it up or down, depending on how many vegan flax eggs you need.
What Is A Flax Egg?
A flax egg is a vegan egg replacement that can be used in baked goods and many recipes in place of an egg. Typically flax eggs are made using regular flax seed meal, but I highly recommend using golden flax seed meal. It has a much more mild, neutral flavor.
What is the flax egg ratio?
Are flax eggs a one to one ratio? That’s a common question – and the answer is no. The flax egg replacement ratio that I have found works best is 1:3: One tablespoon flax meal to three tablespoons water.
How To Make a Flax Egg
It’s beyond easy to make a flax egg substitute! Here’s what to do:
Combine water and flax seed meal. I used a a small bowl from this convenient nesting set.
Whisk together. It will look watery, like this:
Refrigerate. Let the flax egg sit for 15 minutes to let it thicken before using. It will look much thicker and gooey.
There are tons of questions about flax egg replacements, so I’m going to do my best to cover them all here for you.
Can you use a flax egg for baking?
Yes, you can definitely use flax meal eggs in baking recipes. In fact, that’s the primary reason for making flax eggs – to replace the structural job of chicken eggs.
Is there a flax egg substitute?
Another option for egg replacements is to make a chia seed egg. They work similarly to the flax eggs, but instead use chia seed. (Use the same amount of chia as you would flax seed meal.)
Can you use whole flax seeds?
Yes! Simply grind them into a meal consistency in a coffee grinder or food processor. In fact, because flaxseed meal goes bad fairly quickly, grinding the seeds yourself is a great solution.
Can you double or triple the flax egg recipe?
Yes! Multiply it by as many times as you need.
What is the difference between a flax egg vs. chia egg?
Both flax and chia eggs work well as egg substitutes, but flax eggs are made with flax meal and chia eggs are made with chia seeds. Chia eggs have a stronger binding ability than flax eggs, but otherwise they are pretty similar and can be used interchangeably.
Flax egg vs. egg: what is the difference?
A flax egg is an egg replacement, meaning that it can do the structural work that eggs do, but are a great replacement if you can’t eat eggs or prefer a vegan alternative. The nutrition of a flax egg and an egg will be different as well. In terms of how they work in recipes, they do vary a bit. See the section on ways to use flax eggs below.
How does flax egg nutrition info differ from real eggs?
Surprisingly, flax eggs and real eggs are only slightly different in the nutrition aspects that people on a keto diet care about most – carbs and calories. Here is the comparison:
Large chicken egg: 72 calories, 0.4g total carbs, 0.4g net carbs [*] Flax egg: 55 calories, 3g total carbs, 0.2g net carbs
So, a flax egg has slightly fewer calories and net carbs than a chicken egg, but more total carbs. They are close to equivalent! Flax eggs also offer the benefit of omega-3 fatty acids and minerals, including phosphorus, potassium, manganese, copper, and iron [*].
Flax Egg Storage Instructions
Can you make flax eggs ahead?
You can make this flax egg recipe ahea, but because it’s so quick to make and doesn’t actually last very long in the fridge, I would recommend making them fresh.
How long will a flax egg last?
The flax egg replacer will last 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze a flax egg?
You can also freeze this flax egg substitute recipe for 3-4 months. TIP: If you’re mixing up a batch of ground flaxseed eggs, store them in an ice cube tray. Pop them out as needed!
Do Flax Eggs Really Work?
Yes, absolutely! Now that you know how to make a flax egg, you probably want to know where you can use them. Here are some general tips on when they work well and when they don’t:
Flax eggs work for:
Muffins Brownies Chaffles Brownies Simple cookie recipes Any recipe that uses eggs as a binder, but not in a huge amount
Flax eggs don’t work for:
Recipes that require whipped egg whites to create lift and structure, such as angel food cake or cloud bread. Flourless recipes, such as flourless chocolate cookies or flourless chocolate cake. Actual egg dishes, such as an omelette or frittata. Recipes where egg is the primary ingredient. Flax eggs work best for binding, but they won’t be a star on their own.
TIP: As a general rule of thumb, flax eggs work best in recipes that call for 1 or 2 eggs, versus ones where lots of eggs are needed.
Recipes That Can Use Flax Eggs
Here are some recipes to get you started:
Keto Blueberry Muffins – Quick, easy, and ultra moist! Swap in your flax eggs and these will be vegan in addition to low carb, keto, and paleo. Keto Zucchini Bread – Moist, sweet, and prepped in just 15 minutes. Chaffles – Chaffles are cheese waffles made with cheese, egg, and other things added for flavor and texture. You can easily replace the egg with a flax egg! Keto Brownies – Swap in a flax seed meal egg for super gooey brownies. Low Carb Banana Bread – No one will ever know this is keto. Naturally paleo, gluten-free, sugar-free, and healthy. Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies – These are soft and chewy, and need just one egg replaced with flax egg. Flax Seed Crackers – These don’t use any eggs at all, but use the same idea of combining flax with water to make a dough.
Golden Flax Seed Meal – Highly recommend this over the regular kind, for the most neutral flavor in your baked goods. Small Bowl – These glass nesting bowls are something I use everyday. No matter how many egg replacements you need, you’ll have the perfect size bowl. Ice Tray – Freeze any extra flax egg replacements in this ice tray so you can pop them out as needed.
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