How to Make Flax Eggs

Knowing how to make flax eggs is an essential resource for all kinds of vegan baking. 

Following is a step-by-step tutorial plus lots of information about how to make this versatile vegan egg substitute and use it successfully in many applications.

If you or a loved one is allergic to eggs or not eating eggs for some reason, you know how life changing it can be. I know when our son was diagnosed with multiple life-threatening food allergies, it turned our world upside down.

He was covered in eczema as an infant and food allergies were the cause.

I had to learn how to cook without dairy, egg, and many nuts. I loved to bake so it was hard to get used to a new way of doing things.

Making my own dairy-free milk and egg substitutes like these flax eggs became pillars in my allergy-free kitchen.

Flax Egg Ratio

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 2½ tablespoons water = 1 egg.
Let sit 5–10 minutes until gel-like.

Ingredients

• Flax Seeds
• Water

Instructions

• Combine ground flax and water in a small bowl.
• Let sit for 5-15 minutes either at room temperature or in the fridge. 
• Use the flax egg in your recipe.

What Is a Flax Egg?

A flax egg is a vegan egg substitute made from — you guess it — flax. Basically, you combine ground flax seeds and some water to get a gelatinous mixture that works as a binder in many recipes that would otherwise use eggs for this function.

Flax eggs are 100% natural, vegan, gluten free, paleo, keto, low carb, and whole30.

Benefits of Using a Flax Egg

Eggs are a great source of nutrition, but if you can't eat them, well, you can't eat them. But flax eggs are at least a pretty nutritious addition to your egg-free recipe. Flax is:

• high in fiber
• low in carbs (if you're watching your carb intake, this is a plus for you)
• high in omega 3 fatty acids
• high in antioxidants
  and more

When to Not Use a Flax Egg

Even though flax eggs are quite versatile for vegan baking, there are times when a flax seed egg substitute simply won't work.

For the most part, you will get good results when using flax eggs in cookies, bars, biscuits, veggie burgers, pancakes, and even cakes (though flax eggs can be a little heavy for most cakes), but following are some times when using a flax egg isn't the best choice:

Recipes with a High Proportion of Eggs

Flax eggs simply won't work for recipes like meringue cookies or toppings for pies or these Coconut Flour Breakfast Bars that are made of a lot of egg whites. Another would be for flan or other such recipes when a large component of the recipe is egg yolks.

One exception is this Focaccia Flax Bread, but the reason for that is that the bread is made almost entirely from flax.

Flax eggs also don't work the best for recipes that need a lot of lift and/or are made of heavier flour like coconut and almond flour like this Grain-Free Coffee Cake. It works well using my Powdered Egg Replacer but is quite flat and gummy when using either a flax egg or chia egg. It tastes fine, but it's just not the same.

Coconut Flour-Based Recipes

I don’t recommend using flax eggs as an egg replacement in recipes that use coconut flour. Coconut flour is very dense and absorbs so much liquid that it almost always needs eggs in order to work properly.

Lightly-Flavored Recipes

For recipes that are lightly flavored, a flax egg isn't typically the way to go. On their own, flax seeds have a light, nutty flavor and in the majority of recipes, you won’t taste them at all. In light-flavored recipes, you would be better off using a chia egg, gelatin egg, or this Powdered Egg Replacer.

Please note that if your flax smells strong, it is likely rancid. Rancid flax has an almost fishy taste, especially when heating it; not something you want in your baked goods!

Flax Egg vs Chia Egg (Quick Comparison)

• Grinding: You have to grind flax seeds in order to make flax eggs, whereas you can either grind chia seeds to make chia eggs or not.
• Taste: Flax seeds have more of a flavor than chia seeds. So if you're making a more mild-flavored recipe, a chia egg replacer is likely the better option. However, golden flax has a more mild flavor than dark flax.
• Cost: Flax seeds are a more frugal option than chia seeds.
• Storage: Flax seeds need to be stored in the fridge or freezer, whereas chia seeds can often be stored at room temperature for longer.
• Appearance in baked goods: Flax seeds blend into baked goods better than chia seeds do.

Tips and FAQs

Make flax eggs first

It is best to mix the flax egg before starting work on the rest of your recipe so that the “egg” is ready to go when you need it.

Let them rest

While the instructions say to let the mixture set for 5-15 minutes, flax eggs should work even if you let the mixture sit longer–it gets thicker as time goes by.

Flax seed rancidity

Flax seeds go rancid much more easily than do coffee grinds so I recommend using a washable grinder like this one for this purpose. That grinder is the one that we have and I love it.

Do flax eggs rise?

While flax eggs are for binding baked goods and other things like pancakes, they don't work as a leavening agent. My Powdered Egg Substitute works better for that purpose.

Can you make flax eggs ahead of time?

Though I'm all for time-saving tips like this Measuring Tools Tip, Baking in Bulk, the Easiest Way to Peel Garlic, and my love of using a Pressure Cooker, grinding flax ahead of time is not a good idea.

Once flax is ground, it begins to go rancid very quickly. I've heard that it starts to go rancid / oxidize after only 3 days. If you grind it ahead of time, store it in the fridge or the freezer to preserve freshness.

Where to buy flax seeds

You can find raw flax seed in many healthy food stores as well as online. I recommend, if possible, that you only purchase organic flax seed and that you purchase it whole, not ground, for the reason mentioned above.

What's the difference between golden and brown flax seeds?

Golden flax is a more appealing color for most baking applications and its taste is a bit more mild and sweeter than regular dark brown flax seed. If you're making a lightly-colored baked good, then using golden flax seeds are a better choice.

Now that we've addressed almost everything you need to know about how to make a flax egg, here's how to do it!

Feel free to ask any questions about DIY flax eggs in the comment area below.