How to Make a Chia or Flax Egg Substitute

I love eggs, but they are a common food sensitivity and therefore I often use chia or flax “eggs” in my baking instead of regular eggs. While these egg substitutes can’t be used to replace eggs where they’re the primary superstar in the recipe (ex: an omelette or scrambled eggs), they can be used to replace the function of eggs in many baked treats. In most recipes they work just as well as normal eggs, which are typically included in baked recipes as a binder to keep cookies, muffins, cakes and loaves from crumbling. Making a chia or flax egg substitute is extremely simple and as a bonus they both add extra fiber to your recipe!

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Even though making a chia or flax egg substitute is easy, you may be wondering how they differ from store-bought egg replacement powders. There are a couple of main differences, the first of which is cost. Since only a small amount of chia or flax seeds are required this option tends to be less expensive than purchasing an entire package of a conventional egg replacement powder. An additional benefit is that chia and flax eggs are unprocessed whole food ingredients that are good for your health instead of being processed and packaged like many store-bought egg replacement powders. Many of these powders contain ingredients that aren’t great for your health and typically contain common food sensitivities or allergens. For example, most conventional store-bought egg replacement powders are made from soy, wheat gluten, corn syrup or corn starch, potato starch or other allergenic and highly processed ingredients. Save yourself the trouble and instead follow the simple instructions below to make your own healthy chia or flax egg substitute!

How to Make a Flax Egg Substitute: 

To make a flax egg substitute, simply add 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds to 3 tablespoons of warm water for each egg that needs to be replaced. Combine the ground flax seed and water in a small bowl 10-minutes prior to adding it to your recipe so the flax seeds first become gelatinous and thicken into an egg white-like consistency.

You can easily grind your own seeds at home with either a coffee grinder or in a small food processor with a grinding blade attachment.  You will want to make sure to either grind your flax seeds immediately prior to use or to store your pre-ground flax seeds in the freezer. 

Unfortunately the oils in flax become rancid very quickly once the ground seeds are exposed to oxygen. If the oils in flax are oxidized (become rancid) they unfortunately become a health concern instead of providing health benefits. This problem can easily be avoided by purchasing whole, unground flax seeds and either grinding them in small batches immediately prior to use or grinding them in larger batches and storing the leftovers in your freezer. If you purchase seeds that have already been ground ensure they have been packaged in an airtight vacuum-sealed bag for maximal freshness and to prevent oxidation of the oils. Once you open the bag it should then be stored in the freezer.

How to Make a Chia Egg Substitute:  

Making chia eggs is similar to making flax eggs but is even easier because the seeds don’t need to be ground! Simply combine 1 tbsp of chia seeds with 3 tbsp of warm water for each egg to be replaced and allow the mixture to thicken for 10 minutes prior to using in your recipe.

Although I occasionally use chia seed eggs in my recipes, most often I use a flax egg substitute instead. Even after being combined with the water I find that the chia seeds have a bit of a remaining seedy crunch (similar to poppyseeds). This can be delicious in some recipes but isn’t always the best choice if being used to replace eggs in a cake batter or other tasty items where you want the final texture to be smooth. However, it can be a delicious addition to certain cookies and muffins!

I encourage you to experiment and determine which option you like best to replace eggs in your favourite recipes!  Popular Healthy Life Redesign recipes with egg substitutes include my ridiculously delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies and my tasty Banana Blueberry Muffins or Loaf (both of which are also gluten and dairy-free!).  

I hope you enjoy!

Did you know that food sensitivities cause symptoms like fatigue, bloating or IBS, weight-gain and skin concerns?

Discover which foods are the cause of your symptoms with my FREE GUIDE -   “A Naturopathic Guide To Identifying Your Food Sensitivities”!

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