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When we make baked treats, the major things we want to be sure we get right are the taste and the texture. But another part of the equation is how it looks—we do eat with our eyes first, right? This is why I'm showing you how to make a vegan egg wash for baking so you can make all of your baked goods look almost too pretty to eat.

Almost!

Fresh rolls just out of the oven, sitting on a cooling rack that were brushed with a vegan egg wash before baking.

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What is the Point of an Egg Wash?

The main point is to give your finished product that beautiful golden brown colour. It's not mandatory, but it's nice to have rolls or buns with those pretty golden tops.

Your vegan egg wash can also be used as a way to make toppings stick, like grainy turbinado sugar or sesame seeds or to make edges stick together if you're making something like hand pies.

There is a whole scientific explanation on how and why food browns with and without things like vegan egg washes (it's called the Maillard reaction), but I won't bore you with all of that.

If you are interested, though, like I was, you can read the Wikipedia page on the topic.

What Can Be Substituted for an Egg Wash?

There are several ways you can make a vegan egg wash for baking, but my go-to for sweets is maple syrup and non-dairy milk, mixed together.

Agave syrup can also be used in place of the maple syrup but since I always have maple syrup on hand, that's what I use.

A tablespoon of maple syrup being poured into a white bowl to make a vegan egg wash.

Just mix the two ingredients (see below for proportions), brush onto your recipe, and bake.

Vegan egg wash being brushed onto rolls with a blue silicone brush.

Other alternatives you can use for a vegan egg wash:

I have always had the best results from using the non-dairy milk + maple syrup mix, but if you don't have maple syrup or agave on hand, you can also use the following on their own:

aquafaba
soy milk
almond milk
coconut milk

Fresh rolls just out of the oven sitting in a baking pan, rolls were brushed with vegan egg wash before baking.

Those are all the ways you can make a vegan egg wash for sweet baked goods, but how about savoury baked treats? What can be substituted for an egg wash in those cases?

How to Make a Vegan Egg Wash for Savoury Baking

If the recipe browns on its own as it bakes, you can brush on a little neutral flavoured oil when it comes out of the oven to give it that finishing glow, as I do with my whole grain vegan spelt rolls. (<-- click that link to see what they look like).

For things that need a little help browning, you can brush with coconut oil or aquafaba before baking, to give it the perfect finish.

If you like this recipe, you may also like these:

Vegan Hot Cross Buns (those are the buns you see in the images on this page!)
How to Make a Flax Egg (A Vegan Egg Substitute for Baking)
How to Whip and Use Aquafaba
How to Make Vegan Buttermilk
Coconut Raisin Vegan Scones
Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls