I like to eat, eat, eat pumpkins and bananas

I know that’s not how the song goes but when you are baking Top 8 allergen free you sometimes need to improvise. Just like the song, substitutions work well with just a little bit of trial and error or just plain luck like eggs for example.

Eggs are the great glue that holds most recipes together and when you remove it, things becomes a little less stable. All baked goods need a binder that sticks the ingredients together and without that key ingredient you just have flat, mushy, warm blobs in a pan. They may be incredibly delicious blobs but still blobs… We can only make so many “puddings” before people think we are a one trick pony.

This means that skipping eggs in most recipes will make the final product a fail and who really wants to waste all their time, ingredients and effort to make a complete flop? Instead of wasting all that energy, you just need to find something to replace the egg that can hold the recipe together.

The simplest thing is a swap such as a medium banana or some pumpkin purée. Please make sure the can you grab is purée and not pumpkin pie filling! It may taste delicious but it is not a great substitute. The consistency of the baked good using these substitutions are very similar but sometimes they can have a fruity flavor. Some people are very happy to have a healthy and safe option with that bit of flavor but for those with a very discerning palate it can be a little off putting or even too strong of a flavor to enjoy the rest of the item.

There are also store bought egg replacers, like Namaste, EnerG, or Bob’s Red Mill. They can be used but I feel they are a bit too difficult to get the ratios right for my particular needs and recipes. For some people, these are amazing and open up a whole world of recipes that may have been closed to them due to their dietary restrictions or allergies. I have found they work well if you only need to switch the egg out of a recipe but when you are keeping Top 8 allergen free an egg replacer along with the other substitutions or replacements it loses it’s binding properties.

Flax “eggs” and baking soda “eggs” (see below to see how to make them) have been working great for most of my recipes but tend to be less effective when more than two eggs are being replaced. For example, my family’s carrot cake recipe is already dairy free but requires four eggs! My many egg substitutes that I use just don’t quite cut the mustard with this quantity…

Many of the egg substitutes I use can be mixed and used together; banana and a flax “egg” or pumpkin purée  and a baking soda “egg” to cut down on the fruit flavoring that might become too strong to some without losing the binding properties needed to keep the recipe together in the first place. This is also a great option when you only have a bit of each in your fridge or pantry and you just don’t have the time or energy to go to the supermarket to stock up on your supplies.

Here’s an easy list with the quantities to make an “egg”:

* Pumpkin purée: 1/3 cup

* Apple Sauce: 4 oz

* Banana: 1 medium mashed ripe banana

* Flax: 1 tablespoon flax meal and 2.5 tablespoon water

* Baking Soda: 1 teaspoon baking soda ,1 tablespoon white vinegar, and 1 tablespoon water

* Store bought egg replacers: follow directions on the box

What egg substitutes do you use in your recipes? Let me know your favorites!