Egg Replacer Powder (Compare to Ener-G®)

If you've got an allergy to eggs, baking can be tough. Thankfully, there are options out there to make your egg-free baking life simpler, like this egg replacer powder.  It's a homemade version of one of the best egg replacers that I have ever used.

I love making homemade versions of pricey store-bought items, like homemade coconut butter, homemade coconut milk, or homemade almond butter.

Well, imagine my glee when I figured out how to replace the expensive powdered egg substitute that we'd been buying for years.

This egg replacer recipe is for everyone – whether you, or someone you know, has a food allergy, or if you have ever run out of eggs while in the middle of a recipe.

Of courses, if you run out of eggs in the middle of a recipe you can run to the store, but having an egg substitute on hand is a much more frugal way to go.

The Making of this Egg Substitute

Ever since my son was diagnosed with a life-threatening food allergy to egg whites (and other foods) at the age of 5 months, baking and cooking have become a bit of a challenge.

At first, it felt completely daunting to me.

How on earth was I supposed to bake without eggs?

Well, the truth is, his (and my) other later dietary changes have proven to be even more challenging (going gluten-free and even sugar-free) than the “egg issue”.  And on top of that, his autism (Asperger's Syndrome) diagnosis was an even harder issue to navigate than the food allergies ever were.

However, adopting an individual's or family's diet to meet special needs is still a very real challenge. So real that it causes a great deal of stress on whoever is responsible for taking care of the meals.

This is actually one of the main reasons that I started this blog –to make food preparation easier and more wholesome for those dealing with special dietary needs.   Because I know how hard it is to deal with all of this and I need easy solutions wherever I can find them.

You too, huh? If I can get it done quicker, healthier, and cheaper, then I am all over it.

And I really enjoy helping others meet this challenge as well.

Finding a good substitute for eggs in baking and cooking can be a bit of a chore, but there are a number of options.  One of my long-time favorites was Ener-G's Egg Replacer.

It's a powdered egg substitute that can be used in quite a few dishes that call for eggs, egg whites, or egg yolks.

I bought this product for years, but typical of my “Can I do this myself” mentality, one day I set out to see if I could make this powdered egg replacer myself.  The main reason I wanted to do it was to save money, but the other is that there is one ingredient in their product that wasn't entirely desirable so I wanted an alternative.

Well, it worked.

I found a recipe for powdered egg replacer on the internet, made some changes, and now I have a quick, easy, cheaper and additive-free way to replace eggs in loads of recipes including cookies, cakes, cupcakes (like these Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes) and more.

The inspiration for this recipe was a blog called Celineyum, which unfortunately is no longer online.

Other Egg Substitutes

There are other egg substitutes that can work as well, but it all depends on what the eggs' purpose is in the recipe.

This powdered egg replacer works as a binder and as a leavening agent so it works quite well in almost all baking recipes.

Other options are:

• bananas
• flax eggs
• chia eggs
• gelatin eggs
• yogurt
• tofu
• cornstarch (please use non GMO, organic like this brand)
• pureed fruits
• buttermilk
• applesauce
• vinegar and baking powder
• pumpkin

and more!

Addressing Carbohydrate Concerns

The only issue with this powdered egg replacer is that it is high in carbs. Typically, this kind of starch is considered to be pretty unhealthy, but there is some interesting information that has come out to possibly counter this thinking.

You can use all or mostly all arrowroot instead of the other starches, as it is thought to have helpful nutritional qualities, but there is more information coming out about other starches like tapioca and potato starch in the resistant starch realm.

From what I'm reading, you should try to purchase raw starches if this is a consideration for you.

So as long as you aren't on a low carb diet, though this seems at first glance that this is an egg replacer that is devoid of nutrition, that might not entirely be the case.

Starches vs Flours

It's very important to get the correct ingredients for this recipe. Which leads to the questions, “Is tapioca starch the same as tapioca flour” and “Is potato starch the same as potato flour?”

The answers to these questions is confusing but here they are. Tapioca starch is the same as tapioca flour, however potato starch is not the same as potato flour.

Potato flour is the whole potato dried up and ground. Potato starch is just the starch portion.

Tapioca flour/starch is the ground up root of the cassava (yuca/manioc) plant. It's the same thing that makes up tapioca pearls.

How to Use

• To substitute for 1 egg, use one rounded 1/2 tablespoon egg replacer powder and 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) water (filtered water preferred). If your recipe calls for egg whites beaten stiff, beat the egg replacer powder with water until somewhat stiff (this won't work for heavily egg-white-based dishes like meringues, however. Believe me, I learned this the hard way when I tried making a meringue with this. Hint: It didn't turn out at all like a meringue :-).)

• For recipes calling for egg yolks, use 1 rounded 1/2 tablespoons egg replacer powder with 1 tablespoon water.

• To substitute for 1 egg white, use 1/2 tablespoons egg replacer powder and 2 tablespoons water.

Note: I often use a rounded half tablespoon when baking, but use whatever amount you'd like.

Recipe Notes and Substitutions

• Time Saving Tip: Rinsing the spoon off after using this replacer gets tedious really fast. I leave a ½ tablespoon spoon in my container at all times. See my post on Saving Time with Measuring Tools.
• Tip Card: I recommend putting a little card with the measuring instructions on the outside of your Powdered Egg Replacer container so that it will always be handy when you need it!
• Act Fast: You should always get whatever you are making into the oven or onto the stove as soon as possible after mixing in the egg replacer. It tends to lose its effectiveness the longer you wait (due to the leavening agents in it).
• Tapioca Alternatives: You can substitute cornstarch or arrowroot for the tapioca starch with I think minimal difference. You could also sub out the potato starch, but it is a bit “heftier” than the other starches so I would use it if you can. You could also possibly use white flour for either, but then your egg replacer will not be gluten-free.
• Typically it's recommended to blend the water and egg substitute powder together prior to adding to a recipe, but I have done it both ways and had it work out.
• For a homemade baking powder option, see Aluminum & Corn-Free Baking Powder.

Special Diet Notes

• whole30 – this recipe is whole30 compliant if you use my homemade baking powder
• paleo & AIP – Although some say that potatoes are paleo, you can use arrowroot or additional tapioca for the potato starch for AIP or paleo. Just note that the recipe might not work quite as well.

Looking for other handy dandy allergy-friendly kitchen subs?  How about these:

• Homemade Coconut Milk
• Easiest Almond Milk Ever
• Powdered Sugar Substitute
• Homemade Rice Milk
• Easy Chocolate Chips (dairy free with sugar-free option)
• Homemade Vegetable Broth

I'd love to hear how this works for you!