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?
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This is brilliant!
Tried it today when I made cornbread and it worked great. My granddaughter is allergic to eggs; shared this with her parents.
Thank you much!
Forgot to mention that I used plain sparkling water as an egg substitute in my cornbread. 😜 Brilliant!
Does anyone know how up to how many eggs the carbonated water can substitute? I’ve done three and it has been fantastic.
Hi Thank you for this. Can i use this substitute for cakes?
AYO
I’ve read in another article that egg substitutes in cake and bread,that it won’t rise as good. But substitutes are fine with everything else.
Thankyou So Much for including a section on egg substitutes!
I need a butter and milk substitution. eggs ok. i love your recipes.
I use Country crock olive oil plant butter and Chobani regular or extra creamy Oat Milk to substitute for milk and butter in cakes and puddings
I think you’re supposed to grind the flaxseeds, so I’m not sure this test is 100% fair to the flax option! I love using ground flax in oatmeal cookies, but I think I’ll try the carbonated water the next time I do a lighter colored cookie. Thanks.
I used the baking powder/water/oil combo for my cookie mix and they turned out wonderfully. Why would I go back to using eggs?
Thanks.
I’m interested in your advice about high altitude baking. Your website is awesome. Is there something I can refer to on your website?
https://iambaker.net/high-altitude-baking-tips/
Thank you for these substitutions. Just paid $8.16 for 18 eggs today (didn’t check the price first). Thought it had to be a mistake when it rang up. Nope. Will definitely be trying your substitutes, as well as making treats that don’t call for eggs for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for sharing. Do share more recipes for vegan and vegetarians.
Linda