How do you bake without eggs?
First, we need to understand what eggs do — and it’s a lot.
Eggs, sugar, wheat, and butter are the backbone of traditional baking. With just those four ingredients, entire bakeries are built and reimagined across cultures. That’s magik. That’s power.
So before anything else, I hold reverence for these ingredients and what they bring to the table — because each one plays many roles.
Let’s explore eggs.
Eggs add fat, structure, color, air. They’re protein, which means they give elasticity. And when I’m working with vegan and gluten-free ratios, I group them with liquids — so they also bring moisture.
In a previous post, I mentioned the go-to substitutes for new vegan bakers: chia and flax seeds. But when you want to go deeper, there’s more.
There’s aquafaba — the brine from chickpeas or beans. It binds, traps air, and creates lift in delicate bakes like sponge cakes. Sometimes you need a stabilizer like cream of tartar or protein powder to hold the structure, but not always.
You can also use starches. When mixed with water, they form a slurry that bakes into a gummy texture — it binds and helps hold air.
I know — baking vegan and gluten-free feels like solving a puzzle.
It’s mysterious.
It’s creative.
And my best advice?
Follow your intuition.
We’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible when those four traditional ingredients aren’t invited into the kitchen.
