Egg vs. Egg Replacer

Anyone ever tried using an egg replacer instead of real eggs when baking? 

Egg replacers like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer are great alternatives for vegans and those with egg allergies. I’ve seen some beautiful cakes and muffins online that used them, but how well do they work for the average person at home? 

I am a self-proclaimed Non-Baking Cook.  Whenever I see the words yeast, fondant, crust and crumb, I keep moving!  And because of my self-proclaimed title, I thought my results would be a realistic take on what the average cook or "non-baker" might get when using an egg replacer.  To keep the process simple and consistent, I picked up two of the same boxed muffin mixes at the grocery and headed to the kitchen. 

The Muffin Test

I prepared both mixes as directed on the box; however, in one batch, I used the Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer.  I wanted to see how the muffins would compare in appearance, texture, and most importantly, taste. 

As I expected, the egg replacer was really easy to prep.  The instructions say to mix 1 tablespoon of the powder with 2 tablespoons of water and let it sit—I did just that. After one minute, I had a thick, gummy egg replacer goo.  I’m not going to lie—it definitely had an unpleasant smell.  It was also hard to get rid of some of the clumps of powder in the mixture; however, it didn’t seem to matter since I was putting it in a muffin mix.  It may effect your product if you use the egg replacer for a different method though. 

Let's see how the two muffin batches compared.

Appearance

As you can see in the picture, the muffins look different from each other.  The muffins made with egg resembled the picture on the box and what you would expect a muffin to look like.  The egg replacer muffins were more sunken in.

Texture

The egg replacer muffins were more dense and moist than the muffins made with egg.  I honestly expected the opposite since the egg replacer made the muffin batter a little thicker than the muffin mix prepared with egg.

Taste

I was happy to find that both of the muffins tasted about the same.  When I made my children (and a few friends!) taste test them blindly, the muffins made with eggs were voted to taste slightly better.  The egg replacer muffin had a slightly bitter aftertaste, which seemed to overpower the banana flavor of the muffin a little bit.  I think if you weren’t comparing the muffins side by side, you probably wouldn’t notice the slight difference in taste, however.

So what’s the final verdict?

Personally, I am going to continue to use the good ol’ incredible edible egg in my food prep; however, if you are in the market for a good egg replacer either because of allergies or food preference, you may find that the egg replacer would taste better in a sweeter product, such as a cake or brownie mix.  It may even work better in a chocolate chip muffin mix.  I think the egg replacer needs something that is just a little bit sweeter to mask the bitter aftertaste.

Have you ever used an egg replacer?  Did you find similar results?  Which brand did/do you use? I want to know what you think!