What are flax eggs? And why use them? Here’s a simple guide on how to make a flax egg, plus why it’s a great trick to know, even if you’re not a vegan!
Reasons why flax eggs are great for baking
First, they are a great substitute if you run out of eggs or don’t use them.
Flax eggs also provide fiber and Omega-3s.
They are low carb and can therefore be used by those following a keto diet.
And the best part? They let you eat raw cookie dough or brownie batter!
You may also like: Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
How do you use flax eggs?
You can use flax eggs in so many different recipes, including french toast, pancakes, cookies, muffins, cupcakes, veggie burgers, brownies…
I like to use them in my Healthy Chocolate Cake Recipe.
(Sounds crazy, but it’s really good!!)
Watch the flax egg recipe video, above
The best vegan egg substitute
Even if you’re not a vegan, this is still a great trick to know!
If you’ve ever run out of eggs while baking, flax eggs are something you can always keep on hand.
They’re healthy, cheap, gluten free, soy free, paleo, and super easy to make. My mother is a teacher and uses them for school, cooking boxed cake mixes with flaxmeal instead of chicken eggs so there’s no risk of salmonella and the finished products are suitable for those who have egg allergies.
As a bonus, flax seeds are low in net carbs—most of their carbs are from fiber—and provide protein, iron, and are 100% cholesterol-free.
Try using them in these Black Bean Brownies
How to make flax eggs
Whisk 1 tbsp flaxmeal with 3 tbsp water in a small bowl.
Refrigerate at least 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate overnight. It will thicken and develop a gel-like consistency. After this time, it’s ready to use like an egg.
These vegan eggs can be used to replace one large egg (about 50-60g without the shell). If you want to replace multiple eggs, simply double or triple the recipe.
Can you use whole flaxseeds? Can you use chia seeds?
If you only have whole flaxseeds on hand, you can easily make your own flaxmeal.
Just process the seeds in a blender or food processor until finely ground. Both brown or golden flax are fine to use to make flax eggs.
You can use chia seeds in the same way you’d use a flax egg. Simply grind the seeds into powder, then use the chia meal in place of flax.
Above, you can use flax eggs to make this Vegan French Toast
Benefits of flax seeds
One tablespoon of ground flax has about 36 calories, 1.3 grams protein, 1.9g fiber, iron, magnesium, B vitamins, manganese, copper, potassium, alpha-linolenic acid, lignans, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Studies show adding flax to one’s diet may help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, high cholesterol, diabetes, and that they can also help reduce inflammation.
Do flaxmeal eggs work?
They’re a great way to veganize many desserts, breakfast recipes, and pastries that call for one or two eggs, and one flax egg can be substituted in a 1-to-1 ratio for one regular egg.
Foods where they typically work well include cakes, muffins, cookies, and brownies – for example, this is my favorite Vegan Brownies Recipe.
They cannot be equally substituted for eggs to make dishes such as scrambled eggs, fried eggs, frittatas, or omelettes. The raw batter will taste a little bit nutty, but flax eggs have a neutral flavor that you most likely won’t notice at all in most recipes such as pancakes or baked goods.
How To Make A Flax Egg
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 3 tbsp water
Instructions
- To make a flax egg, whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes (or cover and refrigerate overnight), during which time it should become thick, with a gel-like consistency. After this time, it’s ready to use like eggs. The recipe above is equal to one large egg. Feel free to double if more flax eggs are needed.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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JOY CHATTERJEE says
Yummy & Delicious, will definitely try at our kitchen , thanks for sharing
Inga says
Amazing to see that linen is not only the best fabric, but flax seeds are great ingredient for healthy and tasty food recipes!
Lindsey says
Is the reftigerating necesary?
Jason Sanford says
Yes that will help it gel while it sits and chills.
Jane Grasso says
You say “They cannot be equally substituted for eggs to make dishes such as scrambled eggs, fried eggs, frittatas, or omelettes. ” but can they cooked that way at all, and just not be quite like real eggs?
Thank you.
Jason Sanford says
They can! You have to add other ingredients, and they are usually chickpea flour based, but flax omelettes or flax frittatas are definitely a thing if you google them for recipes. Or Katie has her “eggy” bread or flourless cheese bread, both of which have a texture that will make you think eggs were used https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/10/11/eggy-breakfast-bread/
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/05/20/flourless-cheese-bread/
Sissy says
Hi there. To make this egg substitute can I use Ground Flaxseeds? Or does it have to be Flaxseed Meal? Thank you for your response.
Jason Sanford says
They are the same thing, so yes you can use them 🙂
suzanna says
How do you cook the flax egg? Do you just eat it raw?
Jason Sanford says
You use it in place of 1 egg in baking. It’s not a sub for something like scrambled or fried eggs, unfortunately.
Brenda says
I love this! Will do this more frequently.
My banana bread was as awesome as ever!
Courtney Scott says
Hi! Can I use stevia instead?
Jen says
??? what for?
Jennifer
Riya says
Wow ! Now I can have vegan cakes. Thanks for sharing!
Pam says
The flax eggs were easy to make and they worked perfectly in the vegan cake I made for my son’s birthday. Thank you!
joe says
I make my flax eggs in 1 min and no chilling. Using the usual 1 egg formula that is 1T ground flax with 3 T usually I use 2 1/2 T for a thicker version. water and pop in MW until boiling for 5 secs. Cool.
MarY says
This is great however I’m concerned that this flax egg only has 1.3 g of protein. If I’m used to getting the average 6-7 g of protein how would I be able to ge the same amount of protein short of having at least four times one flax egg. How will this affect my weight?
Brandon says
I am not vegan but do have a really bad egg intolerance which sucks as I am on a keto lifestyle and used to love eggs… but this is a great replacement for the eggs needed in keto deserts. Grazie mille ☺️