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    Home » Resources » How To

    How to Make a Flax Egg (A Vegan Egg Substitute for Baking)

    Published: Jul 26, 2017 · Modified: Dec 6, 2018 · By: Gwen Leron
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    Need a vegan egg substitute for baking? Here's a step-by-step that will walk you through how to make a flax egg, plus answer all your flax egg questions.

    If you need a vegan egg substitute for baking, flax eggs are a great choice. Here's a step-by-step that will walk you through (and show you!) how to make a flax egg, plus I'll answer all your flax egg questions.

    Whole flax seeds in a bowl to show how to make a flax egg.

    In vegan baking, there are many ways to substitute eggs and my favourite vegan egg substitute for baking is the flax egg. (Another favourite is aquafaba, click here to read all about using aquafaba!)

    In this post, I'm going to show you how to make a flax egg and answer some of the questions I've received about them. So read from beginning to end and if you have a flax egg question I haven't answered in this post, ask me in the comments! (There's even a little video showing how to make it!)

    I can't take credit for coming up with this method, it has been around for a long time, but I'm thankful for it because every baking recipe on this site, to date, includes flax eggs as a vegan egg substitute.

    I prefer them over the other options because they're reliable, easy to make, and they leave no taste in most recipes (see more about that below).

    Making a Flax Egg for Vegan Baking

    Learning how to make a flax egg isn't difficult. All you need to make a substitute for 1 small egg is two ingredients: ground flax seeds and water.

    There are a few variations when it comes to making them, and one popular way is to whisk and then refrigerate the mixture anywhere from 5-30 minutes.

    I have never refrigerated my flax eggs and they've never failed me, so the method I'm going to show you here is the way I have always made them.

    A small container holding ground flax seeds needed to show how to make a flax egg.

    Whole or Pre-Ground Flax Seeds...Which is Best?

    To make flax eggs, you'll need ground flax seeds. I prefer to buy whole flax seeds and grind when needed. I bake a lot, so I have a small, inexpensive coffee bean grinder that I bought many years ago (similar to this one) and it's strictly used as my flax seed grinder.

    If you don't have a grinder and cannot grind your own flax seeds, that's OK. You can buy pre-ground flax seeds. If you do buy them pre-ground, note that they have a shorter shelf life than the whole seeds because of the oils released when they're ground.

    Keep your ground flax seeds in the refrigerator or freezer so they last as long as possible.

    Which is Better for Flax Eggs? Brown or Golden Flax Seeds?

    I've always used brown flax seeds because they're easier to find where I live, but you can also use golden flax seeds interchangeably.

    The only difference between the two, when used for flax eggs, is the appearance (kind of like white vs. brown eggs...same thing, different appearance).

    I prefer to use golden flax seeds to make my flax eggs in recipes that are lighter in colour to avoid dark spots in the finished recipe. For example, in my vegan baked lemon doughnuts, I use golden flax seeds.

    A very minor thing, and it makes no difference to the taste or texture, it's just a preference and totally your call.

    Ground flax seeds in a tablespoon measure needed to show how to make a flax egg.

    Once you have your ground flax seeds, you need water. Always add the ground flax seeds to your mixing bowl first and then add the water. Reversing this order can lead to lumps that aren't very easy to whisk away.

    What Does a Flax Egg Look Like?

    Once you've whisked the ground flax seeds and water, the mixture will still be very watery. But once you let it stand for at least 5-10 minutes, it will thicken and get the gelatinous consistency of a regular egg.

    A bowl with a whisked flax egg showing how to make a flax egg.

    The longer you let the mixture sit, the thicker it becomes. I've let it sit for longer than 10 minutes on a few occasions and they still worked perfectly fine in my recipe.

    So don't stress if you pass the 10 minute mark. And you can mix up more than one flax egg at a time, they don't need to be done separately.

    After showing how to make a flax egg, this is the finished product clinging to a wire whisk.

    When to Use a Flax Egg

    Flax eggs are great for vegan baking, but they have their limitations. Obviously, you aren't going to use a flax egg to whip up meringue, macarons, or scrambled eggs!

    There are other vegan ingredients you can use to make those things (see my southwest tofu scramble breakfast tacos recipe!).

    The best use for flax eggs is as a binder to bake up sweet recipes and I also use them as a binder in some savoury recipes, like veggie meatless loaf, veggie burgers, or vegetable fritters.

    When to NOT Use a Flax Egg

    There are times when flax eggs won't work. One instance is in recipes that call for three or more eggs. I've only used flax eggs for recipes that have called for 2 eggs. Know that your recipe may not work out if you're using it to replace 3 or more eggs.

    I also don't recommend using flax eggs as an egg replacement in recipes that use coconut flour. That is a whole other situation that deserves its own post 🙂

    For recipes that are lightly flavoured, a flax egg may not be the best choice. On their own, flax seeds have a light, nutty flavour and in the majority of recipes, you won't taste them at all.

    In lightly flavoured recipes, your best bet may be a chia egg, which is made the same way (same measurements of whole or ground chia seeds and water) and has no taste at all.

    Before you head down to the recipe, watch the short video in this post that I put together showing exactly how I make a flax egg. (above or on the side if you're on desktop or below if you are on mobile or tablet!)

    Did you watch it? Learning how to make a flax egg is super easy, right? Here are the recipes shown at the end of that video. They're perfect to try out your new flax egg making skills!

    • Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies
    • Vegan Gluten Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts
    • Coconut Raisin Banana Bread
    • Vegan Gluten Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
    • Easy Vegan Gluten Free Pancakes
    • Easy Vegan Gluten Free Waffles

    Questions? Let me know in the comments!

    A picture of the ingredients needed to show you how to make a flax egg.
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    5 from 2 votes

    How to Make a Flax Egg (A Vegan Egg Substitute for Baking)

    Here's a step-by-step that will walk you through how to make a flax egg for your vegan baking. This recipe will replace one small egg in a recipe. Be sure to read all the info above and the notes below.
    Prep Time:11 minutes
    Total Time:11 minutes
    Author: Gwen Leron
    Course: Ingredient
    Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Servings: 1

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (see note below)
    • 3 tablespoons water , room termperature or lukewarm

    Instructions:

    • Add the ground flax seeds to a small bowl, first.
    • Add the water second.
    • With a fork or a whisk, mix for about 1 minute so flax and water are combined and there are no lumps.
    • Set aside for 10 minutes.
    • After 10 minutes, mixture will be this and have the consistency of a regular egg. Whisk again and after that, it's ready for your recipe.

    Video:

    Recipe Notes:

    • Read all of the info above before getting started.
    • This recipe will make one flax egg which is an equal replacement for 1 regular egg. The recipe can be doubled, if needed.
    • Either brown or golden flax seeds can be used to make a flax egg. The only difference between the two is the colour. I like to use golden flax seeds in lighter coloured recipes, like my vegan baked lemon doughnuts.
    • I prefer to buy whole flax seeds and grind them up as I need them because they last longer.
    • Nutrition info is for 1 flax egg, based on the recipe as it is written and is to be used only as a rough guide. Click here to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.

    Nutrition Info:

    Serving: 1flax egg | Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.4mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?If so, please share a picture with me on Instagram! Tag @delightfuladventures and hashtag #delightfuladventures. I can't wait to see!

    More How To

    • How to Make Vegan Buttermilk
    • How to Measure Flour Correctly
    • How to Whip and Use an Aquafaba Egg Replacement
    • How to Make Aquafaba

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Becky says

      December 02, 2020 at 12:56 am

      Thank you for this detailed and helpful post!

      Reply
      • Gwen Leron says

        December 02, 2020 at 12:32 pm

        You're welcome, Becky! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Laura says

      June 15, 2020 at 2:10 am

      Greetings to you!
      Have you ever tried psyllium powder as an egg replacer?
      There is a recipe on the back of a bottle that I got at Whole Food.
      I've heard that the psyllium powder is very, very good for people that have digestion problems. I am new at using it. Thank you very much. I love your website and I am new to your blog.

      Reply
      • Gwen Leron says

        June 15, 2020 at 1:58 pm

        Hi Laura! Welcome! I personally have not used psyllium powder as an egg replacer but I so know it can be done. Each egg replacer has it's own unique characteristics, so I'd love to play around with it in the future to see how it works in cookies, cakes, and everything else. If you do try it, please come back and let me know how it reacted in your recipes and how you like working with it!

        Reply
    3. Elle says

      June 09, 2020 at 6:51 pm

      Hi, Gwen.
      Have you tried substituting flax eggs in a layer cake recipe that calls for two eggs? Or would you use aqua faba?
      Love your blog!

      Reply
      • Gwen Leron says

        June 10, 2020 at 11:45 am

        Hi Elle, yes, I have substituted flax eggs in cake recipes that called for two eggs and the cake turned out just fine. I wouldn't go above two, though. I haven't tried doing it with aquafaba (yet), but this has been something I have been wanting to experiment with a bit. Let me know how things go when you make your cake, and thanks so much for your kind words about the site! 🙂 Any other questions, please ask!

        Reply
    4. Nancy Pena says

      May 28, 2018 at 3:05 am

      Hello! Thank you very much for sharing your recipes. Will you have any recommendations for egg substitute with coconut flour recipes?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says

        May 30, 2018 at 11:06 am

        Hi Nancy! You're very welcome! I don't use coconut flour a lot in my baking. If you are using a very small amount of coconut flour in your recipe along with another flour, flax eggs should work fine, the problem is when it's just coconut flour being used, which I don't do because I haven't figured out how to use it in a way that works for me and my recipes. If I figure it out, I will definitely share 🙂

        Reply
    5. Patricia says

      April 01, 2018 at 2:43 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for this! I am new to vegan baking and have heard of flax eggs but wasn't really sure about them. You have convinced me! And the video was great to actually see it being done.

      Reply

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