I took my favorite sugar cookie recipe and substituted 4 different common egg substitutes to see which one would work best in texture, flavor, accessibility to ingredients, and overall satisfaction. After making this recipe 5 times I found that there are pros and cons to each! You might be surprised by which one won the overall satisfaction test!
Egg Substitutes
How many times have you been ready to make a recipe and realize you are missing one ingredient?!? It’s definitely frustrating, especially if you have actually started mixing the other ingredients! And, right now, it may be harder to run out to the store and grab a dozen eggs. Plus, they are getting more and more expensive. So, I thought I would try a few substitutes for eggs using ingredients that you probably have on hand.
My base was my Amish Sugar Cookies recipe, which you will find below. The only ingredient I substituted was the egg.
For each substitution, I will let you know the measurement(s) of the ingredients used in place of the egg. I will also give you our opinions on the end results based on our scientific (not really) 5-star (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) scale.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed has lots of nutrients and can be beneficial to our bodies. It is loaded with antioxidants and can also help lower cholesterol and help with heart health. Just remember, before baking with the flaxseed, you need to soak it in water for about 5 minutes. Then you’ll need to grind the flax seeds into a fine powder. A coffee or spice grinder works well for this. Then whisk the ground flaxseed in the water until it appears gelatinous. This helps get the most nutritional value out of the flaxseed.
Egg Substitute: 1 large egg = 1 tablespoon flaxseed + 2 tablespoons water (to soak the flaxseed for 5 minutes).
Overall Satisfaction: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Texture: The cookie was still light and airy
Flavor: The flaxseed is noticeable when not ground and gives a slightly nutty flavor. Ground flaxseed is not as noticeable.
Accessibility to Ingredients: Flaxseed and ground flaxseed are fairly inexpensive and have a long shelf life. You can usually only find it in grocery stores.
Banana
A lot of times, bananas just sit on the counter and get too ripe to eat. But, did you know there is another option besides using the ripe bananas for banana bread? It can actually be used as an egg substitute. So, mash up a banana and put it to good use!
Egg Substitute: 1 large egg = 1/4 cup mashed banana
Overall Satisfaction: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Texture: The texture was consistent with the sugar cookie, but don’t let looks full you. There was no way to hide the banana flavor.
Flavor: There is a distinct banana flavor in this cookie, so it was definitely the farthest away (taste-wise) from the original.
Accessibility to Ingredients: Bananas do not have a long shelf life, but they can be frozen to use at a later date. Plus, they are easy to find at most grocery stores and gas stations.
Seltzer Water (Carbonated Water)
You could use any sort of carbonated water for this substitute (club soda, seltzer water, sparkling water, etc.). Just make sure it is not flavored seltzer water–we didn’t have a taste test on that substitution! But, maybe a lemon sparkling water would give a hint of lemon in your sugar cookie. If you try it, let me know!
Egg Substitute: 1 large egg = 1/4 cup carbonated water
Overall Satisfaction: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Texture: The cookie was light and fluffy, very consistent with the original.
Flavor: This was one of the ‘winners’ in the taste test. It was very consistent with the original sugar cookie recipe.
Accessibility to Ingredients: You can find carbonated water at gas stations, grocery stores, and in people’s homes if they have a machine to carbonate water.
Baking Powder, Oil, and Water Combination
Most people have baking powder, oil, and water around, so this is possibly the most accessible substitute for an egg in a recipe.
Egg Substitute: 1 large egg = 2 tablespoons water + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 teaspoon oil
Overall Satisfaction: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Texture: This batch of cookies did not rise like the original recipe, but it still held out as one of the favorites.
Flavor: The flavor had a bit of a tangier flavor than the original sugar cookie, but it was still a popular choice in our taste test.
Accessibility to Ingredients: Most people have baking powder in their cupboard. Plus, you can find it at most stores and it has a long shelf life.
Once you have tried one or two (or all) of the egg substitutions, I want to know what you think! What was your favorite? Were you able to ‘trick’ anyone into thinking the cookies were made using the original recipe (with an egg)? What will be your go-to substitute for your future baking recipes?
More Popular Egg Substitutes
Applesauce: 1 egg = ¼ cup applesauce
Aquafaba: 1 egg = 3 tablespoons aquafaba
Yogurt: 1 egg = 1/4 cup yogurt
Pumpkin Puree: ¼ cup canned pure pumpkin puree = 1 egg
Base Amish Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (288g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup 1 stick or 113g) salted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (112g or 4 ounces) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (63g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper. (I bake them at 350°F in a convection oven)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, oil, and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Reduce speed to medium and add the egg (or your egg substitute), mixing just until combined.
- Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
- Reduce speed to low and add the flour in three additions, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Using a scoop that holds 2 tablespoons of dough, drop batter onto the baking sheet, spacing at least an inch apart.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until the edges begin to darken.
- Let cool on baking sheet.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I used apple cider 3/4 cup instead of milk. Absolutely delicious.
I have a grandson with severe egg allergies (and banana plus other stuff). A few things I use as substitutes are Greek yogurt, cream cheese, apple sauce, apple butter. I could even use pumpkin according to what it is. Thank you for suggestions on egg replacement.
For an egg subsitute I have used 1tbs vinegar mixed with 1tsp of baking soda for many years. Works great. Just do not try to scramble this for breakfast.
Aquafaba (water from a can of unsalted beans – typically garbanzos) is also an excellent egg substitute. With this you can even make a meringue. Three tbls equal one egg.
thank you 🙂 My baking has improved greatly by using your recipes and your hints/knowledge.
A common missed opportunity for an egg substitute: mayonnaise — and most people have it on hand.
Of course the determining factor in what should be used is what the purpose in the egg is for. If it is leavening some options work, if it is to and moisture without being too wet and hold things together, that requires a completely different option. (for cookies that are otherwise leavened with baking powder or baking soda a good substitute for the egg is sweetened condensed milk (a trick I learned from a vegetarian friend 15 years ago).
I keep chickens so I’m rarely out of eggs.
Love all the substitutions for an egg. Very handy.
I see a couple suggestions for mayonnaise as a substitute but just want to point out that it is made with egg…. so if you’re looking for a substitute for an allergy or if you’re going vegan don’t use mayo.
A substitute that i also use is applesauce. 1 large egg = 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. I use this for my rolls. I have wanted to try flaxseed, and I use banana for some recipes.
I am definitely going to give this a try. My father is allergic to eggs and I always send homemade treats as gifts. I steer completely away from “egg” recipes and now I don’t have to! Thank you SO much! He’s going to love being a taste tester for new items sent.
Love your enthusiasm and sense of adventure in cooking! Love seeing what you’ve thought of next! Happy holidays Susan