Egg Substitute for Cooking
Real substitutes for savory cooking -- meatloaf, meatballs, breading, and replacing eggs as the dish itself. Baking a cake instead? See the egg substitute for baking page.
This isn't the baking page, on purpose
Applesauce and mashed banana are the right answer if you're baking a cake. They're the wrong answer here. In savory cooking, an egg is almost always doing one of two completely different jobs: binding a meat or vegetable mixture so it holds its shape, or acting as glue for a coating before frying or baking. Neither job has anything to do with the moisture or mild sweetness applesauce and banana add -- which is why baking substitutes fail here, and why this is its own page rather than a section on the baking one.
Binding meat & veggie mixtures
For meatloaf, meatballs, and veggie burgers, the egg's job is purely structural -- it holds the mixture together so it doesn't fall apart in the pan or oven.
Real substitutes for 1 egg
Fine breadcrumbs + milk
1/4 cup fine breadcrumbs + 3 tablespoons milk per egg
The real binder for meatloaf and meatballs -- it holds the meat mixture together the same way an egg does, without the moisture-focused substitutes used in baking.
Plain mashed potato
1/4 cup mashed potato per egg
A gluten-free binder option for meatloaf and meatballs when breadcrumbs aren't an option.
Buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 tablespoons per egg, brushed on before breading
Helps breadcrumbs or flour coating actually stick when breading cutlets, fish, or vegetables before frying or baking -- a completely different job than binding a batter.
Breading & coating
Before breadcrumbs or a flour coating go on a cutlet, fish fillet, or vegetable, an egg wash is usually what makes them stick. Buttermilk or plain yogurt does the same adhesive job -- brush a thin layer on, then press the coating on as usual. It also adds a very slight tang, which most people don't notice once the dish is cooked.
Replacing eggs as the dish itself
Sometimes there's no baking or binding involved at all -- the eggs are the dish, like scrambled eggs or an omelet. That's a different problem entirely from substituting an ingredient in a recipe.
Tofu scramble
Crumble firm or silken tofu and saute it. A pinch of turmeric gives it the real yellow color; a small pinch of black salt (kala namak) gives it an actual eggy, faintly sulfurous smell and taste that plain salt doesn't.
Commercial liquid egg replacers
Products like JUST Egg are the closest 1:1 swap if you want something that pours, scrambles, and sets more like a real egg than tofu does.
Chickpea flour (besan) batter
Whisked with water into a thin batter, chickpea flour is the standard base for a vegan omelet -- it sets in a pan much the way egg does, with a slightly nutty flavor of its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of an egg in meatloaf or meatballs?
1/4 cup fine breadcrumbs mixed with 3 tablespoons milk per egg is the standard swap -- it binds the meat mixture the same way an egg does. Plain mashed potato (1/4 cup per egg) works as a gluten-free alternative.
How do I get breading to stick without an egg?
Brush the cutlet, fish, or vegetable with buttermilk or plain yogurt (about 2 tablespoons per egg it's replacing) before pressing on the breadcrumbs or flour. It works the same adhesive job an egg wash does.
Can I make scrambled eggs without eggs?
Yes -- crumbled firm or silken tofu sauteed with a pinch of turmeric (for color) and black salt/kala namak (for a real eggy sulfur note) is the standard base for a tofu scramble. Commercial liquid egg replacers like JUST Egg are a closer 1:1 swap if you want something that scrambles and sets more like a real egg.