Best Substitute for Eggs in Muffin Recipes

I've tried of lot of muffin recipes and omitted eggs using a variety of substitutes. Thankfully, muffins are fairly resilient when altering ingredients as are most other quick breads and there have been few disappointments.  For the most part, you can have success with a number of egg substitutes, but there is one that works the best for me.

I've found that with muffins and most other quick breads my favorite substitute for an egg is:

• Two heaping tablespoons of applesauce and one additional teaspoon of baking powder added to the dry ingredients.  

It will work well with one to two eggs.  It often works for three eggs, but the results start to become a little less predictable when you substitute that many.  I wouldn't try it with four eggs, however you will rarely come across a muffin or quick bread that calls for more than three eggs anyway.  If you have to double a recipe, try making the second batch in another bowl to keep the quantity of eggs per batch to three or less.

Why is it my favorite?  Applesauce and baking powder are easy to find and inexpensive.  The applesauce makes the muffins moist and binds the ingredients together.  The extra baking powder gives the muffins a little leavening or in other words, helps the muffins to rise without the egg.

In some cases you don't need the extra baking powder, or you can cut the baking powder down to a half teaspoon per egg, but this depends on the recipe.  Too much baking powder can leave an undesirable taste in your baked goods.  Not enough leavening can cause the baked good to fall, or be too dense and wet.

If it's a muffin recipe with one egg, give this a try.  Tell me how it works for you.  It is my favorite for basic muffin recipes.

Here are a couple of recipes I altered and were a hit at our home:

Blueberry Muffins (egg and diary free)

Bran Muffins (egg and dairy free)


One more hint.  If you use whole wheat flour (I often use half whole wheat flour), you may need to add additional liquid to your recipe (try somewhere between 2 TBS to 1/4 cup to start).  It seems to soak up more liquid than all-purpose flour.

Good luck!

What is the best egg substitute?

If only there was a one word answer to this question!  Eggs play so many roles in baking and cooking, that it entirely depends on what you are making as to what egg substitute will be the best for that recipe.  Eggs are used primarily in baking as binding and leavening agents, but eggs also add color, texture, flavor and richness.  They can be used as a thickener in custards and creams and even to glaze bread. 

Below is a list of common egg substitutes used for baking:

• Egg Replacers (Ener-G Foods, Orgran No Egg, or Bob’s Red Mill )
• ¼ cup applesauce (or 2 tbsp applesauce + 1 tsp baking powder)
• 1 tbsp ground flax +3 tbsp water (let sit until thick)
• 1 ½ tbsp oil + 1 ½ tbsp water +1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp gelatin +1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp yeast + ¼ cup warm water
• ½ mashed banana
• ¼ cup silken tofu
• 1 tsp baking soda +1 Tbsp water + 1 Tbsp vinegar

While it is wonderful to have so many options, it can be a little overwhelming to choose which egg substitute will be best for your recipe.  In the next several posts, we’ll explore the benefits and limitations of each of the above egg substitutions so you can feel empowered to try altering your favorite recipes!

Foodily.com - The Most AMAZING Recipe Search Engine

Why is this the most AMAZING recipe search engine, you ask?  Well, if you are reading this blog, then you know how hard it is to work around a number of different ingredients for food.  Suppose you could search millions of recipes by asking a search engine NOT to include the ingredients you avoid?  Show me cake recipes without dairy or eggs.  Or maybe I'm in the mood for pasta without cheese.  Or maybe you'd like a bread recipe without gluten.  No problem! 

Check out foodily.com.  It is my new favorite website and by far one of the most helpful sites I have come across in years!  You will be amazed at how many new recipes you can find without looking through handfuls of cookbooks.  Foodily.com searches through tons of websites and blogs for recipes and they give you ratings and even pictures to help you have confidence in what you are about to try.  I can't say enough how excited I am about this site.  Give it a try and tell me what you think!  I hope you'll love it as much as I do!

Spotting the Allergen: Egg Protein

An individual with an allergy to eggs can be allergic to either the egg white, egg yolk or both.  An allergic reaction to egg whites is caused by one of four proteins: ovomucoid, ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, or lysozyme.  A reaction to egg yolk is caused by one of three different proteins: livetin, apovitillin, or vosvetin.

Manufacturers are required to list the word “egg” on the ingredients if the product contains any form of egg, so it is unlikely that you need to have memorized all of the names of egg proteins that could exist in a particular food.  It is still worthwhile to be familiar with some of the words you might see on an item’s ingredients that mean the egg protein is present.

Food containing eggs:

• dried egg
• powdered egg
• egg solids
• egg white
• egg white solids
• egg yolk
• eggnog
• mayonnaise
• meringue
• Simplesse

Ingredients containing egg protein:

• albumin or albumen
• globulin or ovoglobulin
• ovomucin
• livetin
• lysozyme
• ovalbumin
• surimi
• vitellin
• silici albuminate
• ovomucoild
• ovotransferrin
• ovovitella or ovovitellin

It is surprising how many types of food can contain eggs, and an ingredient list is not always handy.  Below is a list of food you should be diligent in checking (and double checking!), as these often contain eggs in some form.

Food often containing eggs:

• baked goods (e.g. breads, crackers, doughnuts, French toast, muffins, pancakes, pretzels, waffles, brownies, cakes, cookies)
• glazes for baked goods such as pretzels or bagels
• egg substitutes (often these are substitutes for whole eggs but still contain egg whites)
• lecithin
• macaroni
• pasta
• marzipan
• marshmallows (especially marshmallow spreads)
• nougat
• breading and batters for frying (e.g. chicken nuggets, schnitzel, country-fried meats)
• meatloaf
• meatballs
• sausage
• foaming agents for drinks such as beer, lattes, or cappuccinos
• Orange Julius
• root beer
• Ovaltine
• makeup
• shampoo (e.g. Sunsilk)
• medicine (including flu vaccine)
• taffy
• cream-filled pies or cream-filled candies
• custard
• ice cream
• icing / frosting
• pudding
• sherbet
• sauces (Bearnaise, Hollandaise, Newburgh, or other cream sauces)
• salad dressings (e.g. Caesar, Ranch)
• soups (noodle soups, clear soups and broth, Chinese egg-drop soup)
• fudge
• fritters
• macaroons
• tarter sauce
• wines (cleared with egg whites)
• soufflés
• malted cocoa drinks
• griddle cakes

The above list is a combination of several sources and personal experience.  A cut-out list including most of the foods and ingredients mentioned above can be found at kidshealth.org.

Dairy Free Taco Soup Recipe

Learning to manage a dairy allergy requires a shift in thinking when it comes to cooking for your family.  It can feel like every recipe includes a dairy product.  You would be surprised how many times a great recipe is still a great recipe when the dairy products are omitted or substituted for other non-dairy alternatives.

One of our favorite soup recipes, Taco Soup, called for cheddar cheese and sour cream, as items to be served with the soup.  We found that it tasted great without the extra cheese so we continue to make it as one of our staple allergy free recipes.  When my husband craves something cheesy or creamy we let him add it to his own bowl, and then everyone’s happy!

Click here to get the recipe:

Taco Soup (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free,fish-free, wheat-free, gluten-free)

Spotting the Allergen: Milk Protein

It seems ironic that the food on which most babies thrive, can be dangerous and even fatal for others.  Milk is the most common food allergy in children, affecting 2.5% of children under 3. An allergic reaction is triggered by proteins in cow’s milk called caseins.  In many cases it is obvious which foods contain dairy products, but is surprising how many seemingly “dairy-free” products contain casein.  Even though it is required by law for manufacturers to list "milk" on the product label if applicable, it is still worthwhile to be familiar with the following foods and ingredients.

Food containing milk:

• Butter, butter fat, butter oil, butter flavoring, butter acid, butter ester
• Buttermilk
• Cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Cream
• Curds
• Custard
• Ghee
• Half-and-half
• Milk in any form (evaporated, powdered, etc)
• Pudding
• Racaldent (strengthens teeth)
• Sour cream
• Sour milk
• Yogurt
• Frozen yogurt
• Goats milk (has a similar protein to cow’s milk)
• Brown sugar flavoring

Ingredients containing milk protein:

• Casein, calcium casein, casein hydrolysate, magnesium casein, potassium casein, rennet casein, sodium casein, caseinates (all forms)
• Lactalbumin, lactoalbumin phosphate, lactablobulin, lactose, lactoferrin, lactulose
• Whey, whey hydrolysate
• Diacetyl
• Tagatose (sweetener)
•  

Ingredients that DO NOT contain milk protein:

• Calcium lactate
• Calcium stearoyl lactylate
• Cocoa butter
• Cream of tartar
• Lactic acid (lactic acid starter culture may contain milk)
• Oleoresin
• Sodium lactate
• Sodium stearoyl lactylate

Food often containing milk:

• Canned fish
• Chocolate
• “High-energy” foods with high-protein flour or added protein
• Margarine
• Processed meats
• Seasoned potato and tortilla chips
• Seasoned French fries
• Homemade jams/jellies
• Bouillons

Likelihood of Outgrowing Food Allergies

It is possible that children with food allergies will outgrow their allergies or become less sensitive over time.  While it is estimated that 8% of children inthe U.S. have at least one food allergy, only about 3% of adults do.  These numbers may offer a little bit of hope:

• Milk : 80% of children outgrow the allergy by age 16.

• Egg: 68% of children outgrow it by age 16.

• Peanut: 20% outgrow it by the age of 6.

• Tree Nut: 9% who outgrow it by age 6.

While it is encouraging to know that many children will outgrow their allergies over time, it is important to be prepared mentally and emotionally for the chance that this might not be the case for your own child.  This is especially true if your child has a nut allergy, which is far less likely to be outgrown. 

In our case, I was certain we wouldn’t have to worry about our son being in anyone else’s care since I was confident he would have outgrown his allergies before we sent him to school.  It’s been hard to make that mental and emotional leap to thinking this might be a permanent challenge rather than a temporary one.  Maybe it’s better not to know the numbers so it is a pleasant surprise when your child outgrows an allergy, rather than a sore disappointment when they don’t.  Perhaps it’s a little foolish but I like to hold onto the hope I see in those numbers. :)

The bottom line is whether or not your child outgrows the allergy, prepare and educate yourself and those around you, especially anyone who will be in the care of your child.  Your confidence in managing the allergy will benefit you and your family for the duration of the challenge, whether short or long.

Helpful Resources:  Allergy Stats