The step by step guide to how to make a flax egg. Can replace a regular egg in vegan baking for cakes, pancakes, muffins and more!
Knowing how to make a flax egg is a crucial part of vegan baking.
When I figured out that you could use one of these babies to replace a regular (chicken) egg in vegan baking, well…to say I was excited would be a massive understatement.
And YES, they work like a freaking charm I tell ya!
Of course you can’t go whipping them up like egg whites or anything – for that you can use aquafaba – check out our recipe for vegan meringue.
They do very well to replace chicken eggs in baking though.
So when you want to make a cake or pancakes or muffins or cookies (like these vegan gingerbread cookies), the humble flax egg is your firm friend.
And oh – how easy!
And what’s also awesome? Flax seeds are good for you! Omega 3’s yay!
So not only are you getting a very handy little baking friend here, you’re also adding some solid healthy goodness to your baked goods.
Ideal for use in this easy vegan chocolate cake, the best vegan pancakes, vegan crepes and more.
Check out the ‘how to’ pictures below plus our ‘how to’ video.
What Goes Into A Flax Egg:
Ingredient Notes
- Ground flaxseeds – also known as flaxseed meal. As you can see above, it’s coarsely ground flaxseeds. You can also make it up yourself from whole flaxseeds (more on that below).
- Hot water – using hot water (straight from the kettle) speeds up the whole process so that the flax egg reaches the ‘gloopy’ stage really quickly (within a minute usually). You can use cold water, but in that case you need to let the flax egg sit for 10 minutes or more before it gets gloopy.
How To Make It
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add ground flaxseeds to a bowl.
- Add hot water.
- Stir it together.
- Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
- And your flax egg is ready to use!
A Few Notes About Flax Eggs
Flax eggs will usually only replace 1 to 2 chicken eggs in a recipe. If a non-vegan recipe has something like 4 chicken eggs in it, then you might not be able to use 4 flax eggs to replace them. The reason being eggs firm up when baked, flax eggs are more watery and won’t act like an egg in that way. So your end result may lack structure and may also be too wet.
So if you are trying to replace more than 2 eggs from a non-vegan recipe, you would likely use flax eggs to replace two of the eggs and then make other adaptations to the recipe to account for that.
In that way it may be better for you to look for an alternative recipe to veganize that only uses 1 to 2 eggs rather than trying to veganize a 4 egg recipe. Or just find a vegan recipe to follow instead!
Sometimes eggs don’t need to be replaced. We have plenty of recipes where we just don’t use any egg replacements at all.
You must use ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal. Flaxseed flour is a different thing. I have tried using flaxseed flour to make a flax egg and it’s not the same. It can work in a pinch but generally it turns out quite lumpy and it’s really just not the same.
Make Your Own Ground Flaxseed
If you can’t get ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal in your country but you can get regular whole flaxseeds, then you can make your own ground flaxseed meal by placing the whole flax seeds into the blender and pulse blending them until you have ground flaxseed meal.
You don’t want to over-blend and turn it into flour. It should look like what you see in the ingredients photo above.
Storing Tips
It’s so quick to make up a flax egg that it’s best to make them up as you need them. However, you can also store a flax egg covered in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Vegan Recipes That Use Flax Eggs
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- The Most Amazing Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Vegan Bran Muffins
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Flax Egg
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed also known as Flaxseed Meal
- 3 Tbsp Hot Water
Instructions
- Add the tablespoon of ground flaxseed to a bowl.
- Add 3 tablespoons of hot water from the kettle (just boiled).
- Allow to sit for a minute or two – using hot water makes the thickening process much faster, and it usually gets to the right (gloopy/gelatinous) consistency in only about one minute.
- Use it in place of an egg in recipes, it’s not an exact science, but usually 1 for 1, so 1 flax egg replaces 1 chicken egg in a recipe.
Video
Notes
- This recipe won’t work for things like vegan meringues! You definitely can’t whip it.
- However, in cakes and quick breads and pancakes and muffins, it works perfectly!
- It’s best to make one up fresh each time you need it. However, you can store it covered in the fridge for 1-2 days if needed.
Super! This far exceeds the previous recipe I had used that called for cold tap water and a five minute wait. By using just boiled water, and having the act of making the flax “egg” the last step in one’s mise en place, you’re right ready to start working on putting together whatever baked goods you’re working on without the interruption to your flow of having to make the egg or—instead of being interrupted—having to wait for the egg before starting.
Thanks Elizabeth, yes the hot water speeds it up hugely! 🙂
I’ve been using this recipe for years and always mean to review it but forget!
Anyway, it’s been such a godsend for me. It’s allowed me to adapt loads and loads of my pre-vegan favourites so easily.
Most importantly, my grandmother used to cook what she called ‘fruity buns’ – they were a staple during my childhood and she passed the recipe to me when I was old enough to bake them myself. I made them for her funeral in 2015, and for my wedding later that year. I became vegan at the start of 2017 and despaired at the idea of never having them again (they contain egg but are otherwise vegan). I’ve been using this flax egg recipe to replicate them ever since I found it, and they’re magnificent. Thank you SO SO MUCH for bringing one of my favourite recipes back to me. I am really grateful.
So happy to hear that Sam! Thanks for the wonderful review!
Hi dear, thank you for such nice recipes. About the flax, I just wanted you to know that I make vegan cake using whole wheat rice flour and is a great “STICKER” for the dough.
Kind regards
Hi! Do I need to reduce my overall wet ingredients to compensate for the flax eggs? Thanks!
It depends on the recipe, but likely yes.
Hi, if i dont have flaxseed meal, is that ok to change it to egg replacer? and how much do I need for 2flax eggs in egg replacer?
1 flax egg replaces 1 regular egg. So if you want to replace 2 flax eggs then use as much egg replacer as you’d use to replace 2 regular eggs.