What Is A Flax Egg?

A flax egg is a mixture of ground flaxseed and water and is used as an egg substitute in vegan baking.

How To Make A Flax Egg

Flax eggs are very easy to make and require just two ingredients – water and ground flax seed. One flax egg is made by mixing one tablespoon of ground flax seed with three tablespoons of water. It is then left for a few minutes so the flax seed soaks up the water which gives it a thick, gel like consistency. Despite the name it does not contain any egg which makes it perfect for vegan baking.

What Makes It A Good Alternative

A Flax Egg is a good alternative to egg because it has a similar consistency to egg. The flax seed soaks in the water which makes it gloopy and thick so it is good for binding other ingredients. It does not help create rise in vegan baking though so for things like cakes it is better to use a different egg substitute like apple sauce.

How To Use A Flax Egg

I use flax egg in my cookie recipes. Cookies do not require a lot of lift like a sponge cake does and so flax egg works well to bind the ingredients together and adds moisture. Flax eggs generally replace chicken eggs 1:1 meaning if the recipe calls for one egg you can substitute it for one flax egg.

Tips

• You must use ground flax seed rather than whole flaxseed for the best results.
• Ground flax seed is sometimes called ground linseed.
• You can make a similar egg alternative with chia seeds. This is commonly known as a chia egg.
• Flax egg is not the best alternative to use in cake recipes. For cakes the job of the egg is to create a rise and a fluffy texture. For this I would use applesauce.