I have zero resistance to freshly baked brownies. They’re rich, so moist, and that beautifully wrinkled, slightly cracked top gives them personality and makes them that much more drool-inducing. I can’t imagine a life without brownies and I would not wish that kind of atrocity upon anybody.
A few years ago I got a food allergy test done. Apparently, I am allergic to eggs. You see, I say apparently because I’d never experienced any reaction towards eggs. Plus what a nightmare it is for a baker to discover she’s allergic to eggs! I ignored my results and moved on.
My mother, however, was not as fortunate. She received the same results and not long after, the itching and rashes started. She had to give eggs up altogether and that’s when I realized I need to get my eggless baking game on, for her, for my future self, and really all of my vegan friends. Because we ALL deserve brownies!
In this article, I will show you why eggs are needed when making brownies and six methods you can use to replace them. I have included a tested recipe for each substitution that you can follow.
Let’s get you started!
The Purpose of Eggs in Brownies
Eggs serve two main purposes in baking brownies: make them moist, and help them rise.
When you look at the basic structure of an egg, you’ll find that it is composed of nearly 75% water, with proteins, fats, and minerals. The water content and also the fat are what make brownies moist, giving them their classic melt-in-your-mouth texture.
If you’re familiar with traditional brownies, you’d know that most recipes ask you to, how can I put it – to essentially “beat the crap out of your eggs”.
On top of this step being super satisfying and stress relieving, it also incorporates a lot of air in your brownie batter that gives it the lift without the addition of any chemical leavener.
And these, are the things that whatever replacement we decide to choose, has to do.
Egg Substitutes for Making Brownies
Can you make brownies without eggs? The answer is Yes! Here are the 6 ingredients you can use to substitute eggs in your brownies recipe. I’ve included a recipe for each that you can follow.
1. Baking Powder (and More Flour)
- Best for: Budget-friendly
- Recipe
“No weird ingredients”, she says.
Well, she is not wrong. If you’re a regular baker, you should easily be able to find all of the ingredients in this recipe in your pantry. Not that flaxseed, fruit puree, and avocados are weird, but you might not have them ready to go at all times.
In this recipe, Steph uses 2 ½ tsp of baking powder to give her brownie batter the lift it needs. Baking powder is a big no no in traditional brownie recipes because they tend to make the result cakey and dried out. We want a fudgy, chewy brownie, not a cakey one.
To combat that, Steph cooks a mixture of 1/3 cup of flour and one cup of water and incorporates this mixture in her batter. Although she never mentions the word Tangzhong or water roux, that is essentially what she’s created.
By cooking a portion of the flour in hot water, the starch gelatinizes and water is trapped in the mixture. The bread, or in this case our brownie, will become softer and stay moist as a result.
This method is great if you’re looking for a budget-friendly, allergen-free option.
2. Banana
- Best for: Sweet and moist
- Recipe
Bananas are amazing substitutes for eggs in brownie recipes. I personally love the taste of banana paired with chocolate, and it adds a natural sweetness to your brownie without the need for too much sugar.
Of course, for it to be sweet and moist, you need to use ripe bananas. The uglier the nastier the better because that’s when a banana releases the most flavor.
This recipe calls for one cup of mashed banana, which is about three medium-sized ones. The bananas and chocolate chips help to make your brownies super moist and gooey.
The recipe also calls for soymilk, which makes it suitable for anyone who’s going vegan or on a dairy-free diet as well.
3. Applesauce
- Best for: Gluten free and Paleo friendly
- Recipe
This one is a super easy 4-ingredient brownie recipe that uses unsweetened applesauce to replace eggs. It is gluten-free and paleo as well.
Applesauce is extremely high in water content. It’s an inexpensive replacement for eggs that works really well to bind different ingredients together.
The addition of applesauce makes this brownie extra moist, even more than the banana! However, because of the absence of any flour in this recipe, you won’t get the crispy top of a traditional brownie. Doesn’t make it any less tasty though if you ask me.
I definitely recommend trying this recipe if you’re on a strict diet and just need a quick brownie fix.
4. Yogurt / Buttermilk
- Best for: Fudginess
- Recipe
For this method, you want to use plain full fat yogurt and buttermilk. Both are relatively neutral in taste and help to add fat and moisture to your brownie.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can always opt for homemade buttermilk. To make one cup of buttermilk, mix one tablespoon of white vinegar with one cup of milk.
The yogurt, buttermilk, and apple cider vinegar in this recipe is all acidic ingredients. Adding baking soda which is a base, as instructed in the recipe, creates a chemical reaction that causes air bubbles to form. This provides the leavening your brownie needs, without the eggs.
This recipe is best for those who are keen on the cracks, taste, and fudginess of a brownie, without the eggs or any other flavor that can be overpowering.
5. Ground Flaxseed
- Best for: Vegans
- Recipe
Honestly, you can never go wrong with a Tasty recipe. They’ve worked for me every, single, time.
The Tasty team’s vegan brownie recipe uses the classic vegan egg replacement, flax eggs. Simply mix two tablespoons of ground flaxseed with six tablespoons of water, setting it aside until you get a gel-like mixture.
The water helps make your brownie moist and the natural fat in the seeds replaces that of an egg yolk. The best part, it tastes like nothingness. The recipe also calls for a teaspoon of baking powder for some additional lift.
This recipe will make a decadent brownie and people will have no idea it’s vegan.
6. Avocados
- Best for: Cake-like brownies
- Recipe
I was so excited when I came across this one. It’s two of my favorite foods put together!
For Erika’s recipe, eggs are replaced with one cup of mashed avocados along with a teaspoon of baking powder. The avocado gives the brownie a velvety texture while the baking powder helps the brownie rise.
Avocado is a great source of healthy fat in this recipe. Another source of fat in the recipe is its ½ cup of milk, which you can also substitute with nut milk to make it dairy-free.
This recipe yields a relatively cakey batch of brownies. You will get the cracked film on top, it will look and taste like a regular brownie with just a hint of avocado. But keep in mind that you should use ripe avocados because unripe avocados can turn bitter when cooked.
FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about baking brownies without eggs.
What happens if you make brownies without eggs?
When you make brownies without eggs, it’s likely that you will have to add a chemical leavening agent to help them rise. Doing so can result in a less fudgy, cakier brownie.
Can you make a brownie mix without eggs?
Sure you can! You can draw some inspiration from this article or go check out my egg substitute article. It will tell you exactly what you’ll need to replace each egg.
Can I replace eggs with Mayo in brownies?
Adding mayonnaise to brownies is common and can give your brownies a more complex flavor and additional creaminess. Replacing eggs with mayonnaise in your brownie is less common but still possible.
You can replace each egg in your recipe with three tablespoons of mayonnaise. Keep in mind that mayonnaise is made with eggs so do not use this method if you have an egg allergy.
Final Thoughts
Brownies are too good to be quit or avoided by anyone. This list gives you six egg substitutes for brownies. I hope they can make your diet at least a little bit easier and more enjoyable.
Are you also someone suffering from egg allergy? Are you vegan? Share with us your go-to eggless brownie recipe in the comments section below!
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