Not sure what a flax egg is or how to use it? This simple guide explains how to make a flax egg and offers tips on when you should and shouldn’t use one.
A few weeks ago I got a question on my Facebook page that said ‘What is a flax egg and how do I make one??!’. As a vegan, it seems like something you just know, right?
But non-vegans and a lot of people who don’t do egg-free baking are probably like ‘Um, but really what is it? An egg made of..not egg?’. Well, yes!
I know it seems silly if you have been using flax eggs for a while, but for those who haven’t here’s an easy how-to on what it is, when to use it, and the do’s and don’ts of using the flax egg. Let’s hop to it!
How to Make a Flax Egg
A flax seed egg is just one part flax seed mixed with three parts water, easy. Ground (make sure it’s ground!) flax seed does an awesome job at gelling up when it is combined with water, emulating the ‘gel’ and binding nature of a traditional egg in vegan baking recipes.
The flax seed egg also gives back the correct amount of moisture to recipes, ensuring that your vegan baked goods don’t get too dried out or crumbly.
I always like to picture the amount of  water/liquid that an egg would give to a recipe and think about how I need to replace that within the recipe. I’ve seen the ratios vary from recipe to recipe, but I’ve had the best luck with using the 3:1 ratio.
This ratio gives you the best gelling and the lest amount of ‘too much water’ scenario, which can make or break a recipe.
The general rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons water = 1 ‘egg.’ Let sit for 5 minutes before using.Â
When to Use Flax Eggs
Flax eggs can be used in a multitude of vegan baking recipes, but I find that they are best in a recipe when they won’t be detected. Think brownies (chocolate always covers anything up), chocolate chip cookies, quick breads, and some cakes.
I wouldn’t use flax eggs in a vegan vanilla cake or a delicate dessert, such as a crepe or cream pie.
Recipes that can easily hide the flax eggs are a wonderful way to incorporate them, without giving them a weird texture or messing with the flavor.
Hearty recipes, like bran muffins or anything loaded with other nuts and seeds, are great for flax eggs too since they have a lot going on in them anyway.
Tips on How to Make a Flax Egg
Do’s:Â Do make sure you mix up your flax egg ahead of time! Nothing is worse than getting halfway through a cookie recipe and realizing that your flax egg isn’t gelled properly. Then you have to measure, mix, let sit, etc.
I always prepare my flax egg first, then pull out the rest of my ingredients while it sets up (am I freaking anyone out by talking about it gelling? I hope not!).
If you do forget to make it ahead of time, I wouldn’t recommend just dumping it all in without letting it set. At this point, you are just dumping water and flax seed into your recipe and who knows how that will turn out.
Don’t ruin your cookies like that, do it right!
Don’ts:Â Don’t assume that flax eggs are always going to be able to replace regular eggs! I know they are great for some recipes, but not all of them. If you are trying to convert a non-vegan recipe to vegan, I wouldn’t use them in, say crepes, or something that is designed to be very eggy.
Past using them to sub for more than 2 eggs, things get a little wonky and don’t work out quite right.
I have never subbed in flax eggs for more than 2 eggs, but I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has. Also, don’t forget to measure!
I just eyeballed the measurements a few times for recipes and things just don’t turn out correctly. If you are going to make a flax egg, just make it right.
That about covers it! I’ve only been using flax seed eggs since I’ve been doing vegan baking, so if anyone else has any tips or tricks I would love to hear them!
Also, totally not sponsored, but I am currently using and love Bob’s Red Mill ground flax seed meal for baking and making a good flax egg. I’ve also found huge bags of ground, good quality flax seed meal at TJ Maxx, which sounds odd, but they are an amazing value.
Go figure!
Did I cover everything? Let me know if you have any other questions or want to know anything else about flax eggs.
They sound so weird, but were really a game changer for me when I started veganizing recipes.
If you are looking to do some vegan baking of your own with flax seed eggs, I’ve included a few recipes below that I’ve used them in successfully. Happy baking!
Previous Flax Egg Recipes on Heart of a Baker:
Brown Sugar Almond Streusel Bread
4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
More Vegan Baking Tips You’ll Love:
The Most Common Vegan Egg Substitutes
thenomadicvegan says
Hi Abby,
This is a really helpful tutorial. Have you ever had a problem with ground flax seed going rancid? I always buy them whole and grind them in a coffee grinder as needed, as I’ve read that they go bad quickly once ground.
The Frosted Vegan says
Hi Wendy! I keep mine in the freezer, which helps it from going rancid. I’ll add a note into the post about that!
Nancy Beckham says
Thank you so much for this article! You explained the function of flax eggs, how to make them and then told us what kind you’ve been using and provided recipes. Those last two features are often left out. No one should ever feel that the basics have been covered too often. Yours may be the first blog post a new vegan or new vegan baker ever reads. Thanks again!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Nancy, I love helping others with the vegan baking journey! 🙂
Julia says
Beautiful tutorial, girl! I just made a vegan “meatloaf” the other day using flax eggs and it turned out soooo marvelously! Love this informational post!
The Frosted Vegan says
Oh heck yeah! I want to come over and try that meatloaf!
Heidi Kokborg says
Great post! Thanks for the tips 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Heidi! 🙂
Gabriel @ The Dinner Special podcast says
This is awesome Abby! Thanks so much for dropping some science on folks like me who aren’t vegan! Great series.
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Gabe! I love the food science stuff, so I’m happy others can geek out with me 🙂
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
I love using flax eggs in baking! Thanks for sharing the science behind them!
The Frosted Vegan says
I’m glad you love them as much as I do Amanda!
hipfoodiemom says
A flax egg?! I love this Abby!! I never knew about this!
The Frosted Vegan says
I’m so glad it helped! I’ll have to come over to Madison and we can bake together someday! 🙂
Kathryn @ The Scratch Artist says
What a great resource Abby. I love using flax eggs.
The Frosted Vegan says
Thanks Kathryn, Enjoy!
Patricia Shea says
Thanks so much for this info – I tried making flax eggs many years ago when the ‘recipe’ said to grind the seeds until they broke down into the jelly substance – I did eventually get there but it took a good 15 minutes in my cuisinart and nearly blew the motor so thanks for this updated way to do it! Off to pin for later reference 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
Oh geez, already ground flax seed is the way to go!
Jim says
6-10 seconds in a coffee grinder works great with my giant bulk purchase of whole flax seeds that I keep in the freezer.
Patricia Shea says
Do you have a similar post for substituting apple sauce for butter please 🙂
The Frosted Vegan says
Hi Patricia! I don’t actually, but I’ll put it on my list of potential posts for the future 🙂
Ima says
I have used flax eggs for a bread recipe calling for 2 eggs and 5 egg whites. I used 5 flax eggs instead. It was perfect. I also use the golden flaxseed meal instead of the brown and I grind it up even finer with a few whirls in my coffee grinder. I’m going to try it to substitute as an egg dip before breading too and was thinking more water so it not quite as thick. I haven’t found anything to help breading stick like eggs do. Thank you for your informative blog.
Heart of a Baker says
So glad this helped!