How to Make a Chia Egg

A chia egg is an easy egg substitute made with chia seeds and water. It works best as a binder in cookies, muffins, quick breads, and similar baked goods. Here’s how to make one, when to use it, and when it won’t work well.

What Is a Chia Egg?

Chia seeds are the same sees that were popular for making chia pets years ago. However, in the case of chia egg, you're not growing a plant; you're only using the seed.

A chia egg is a vegan egg substitute made from combining chia seeds (either ground or whole) to make a a gelatinous substance that acts as a binder (something that holds things together) for baked goods. After adding chia seeds to water, the seeds get slimy, and cling (bind) to things—kind of like raw egg. That's why they can be used instead of eggs as a binder.

A chia egg is quite similar to a flax egg. In either case, you are using seeds and water to make an egg alternative.

We’ve used egg substitutes for many years, mostly due to our oldest’s life-threatening egg allergy (and a similar reaction I experienced for a time during my struggle with severe Lyme). While we've both improved, we still rely on egg substitutes often. We typically use this powdered egg replacer, but chia eggs are a simple option we use from time to time.

Chia Egg Ratio

1 chia egg = 1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water
Let sit 5–10 minutes until thick and gelled. It may take a little longer if using whole seeds or colder water.

This replaces one regular egg in most baking recipes.

Ground chia will result in a smoother, more gelatinous texture that is more like eggs, while whole seeds are more crunchy and also more visible in baked goods.

When to Use a Chia Egg

Basically, you use a chia egg, or other egg substitute, if you need to or want to avoid eggs due to a food allergy, intolerance, sensitivity, or if you've just happened to run out of eggs in the middle of baking.

You can use chia eggs (or flax eggs) as an egg replacer in baked goods like cookies, biscuits, muffins, quick breads, and more. We've used them in this Flax Bread.

Chia eggs are also really handy as binders in dishes like meatloaf and meatballs.

A chia egg works best in recipes that don’t rely heavily on eggs for structure or lift, especially in recipes that call for all-purpose or whole wheat flour as opposed to grain-free flours.

When Chia Eggs Don't Work Well

• cakes needing lift (try this Powdered Egg Replacer instead)
• meringues
• soufflés
• recipes that use coconut flour
• recipes that rely heavily on eggs (such as those using 3 or more eggs)

Just as with flax eggs or gelatin eggs, the interior of the food will be heavy and too moist and will not rise the way it should.

Chia Eggs versus Flax Eggs

While chia eggs and flax egg are pretty similar, there are some differences to be aware of.

• Grinding: You have to grind flax seeds in order to make flax eggs, but you don't have to grind chia seeds to make chia eggs. You can grind them, if you like, but it's not necessary.
• 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.
• Cost: Chia seeds, while they have many benefits over flax seeds, do cost quite a bit more than flax seeds.
• Storage: Flax seeds need to be stored in the fridge or freezer, whereas chia seeds can often be stored at room temperature for a decent amount of time. So if fridge space is at a premium, you might want to opt for chia eggs.
• Appearance in baked goods: Black chia seeds are typically quite dark and don't blend into baked goods as well as flax eggs, especially when using them whole and even moreso when comparing them to golden flax seeds. If you'd like to not see chia seeds in your finished product, you can use white chia seeds instead.

Tips for Best Results

• Don’t soak the seeds ahead of time—mix with water right before using so they gel properly
• Let the mixture sit 5–10 minutes until thick
• Ground chia creates a smoother texture, but whole seeds work too
• White chia seeds are less visible in baked goods
• Best for recipes using 1–2 eggs

Recipe and Chia Notes

• Although states that you should let the chia egg sit for 5 – 10 minutes. Actually, you can even make chia eggs the night before if you like to save on same day prep time.
• If you make the chia egg the same day that you'll use it, I recommend making it at the start of your baking so that it's ready to use when it comes time to add it to the rest of the ingredients.
• If possible, I recommend non-irradiated organic chia seeds.
• When considering how much to buy, note that one pound of chia seeds will make about 45 egg substitutes.

I'd love to hear what you think after trying out this chia seed egg substitute!