How to Make Brownies Without Eggs (And the Purpose of Eggs in Baking)

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Allergic to eggs? Going vegan and don’t like egg replacement? Maybe you’ve just run out of eggs and don’t know how to satisfy your sudden craving for some delicious, fudgy brownies.

Whatever pickle you find yourself in, I’m here to tell you: No need to opt for store-bought brownies just yet! You can still whip up some mouthwatering eggless brownies and not even notice the difference.

How, you ask? Read on to find out!

Why Do You Use Eggs in Baking?

If you’re like me, you own many recipe cards that you’ve used so much in the past that the paper is now wrinkled and may even have colorful thumbprints of the ingredients still on them!

But have you noticed that eggs are a common ingredient in baking? That a lot of desserts call for one, two, and sometimes three eggs?

It leaves you wondering:

What is it about the egg that makes the recipe, especially brownies, so special anyway?

Well, here are the three main purposes of eggs in baking:

1. A Binding Ingredient

Eggs contribute a number of important purposes when baking. They are used many times to bind the other ingredients together to make one cohesive unit rather than a bowl full of random items.

2. Adding Moisture to Dry Bakeries

In many recipes, especially brownies, eggs are used to add moisture to a recipe. 

You may already know this, but if a recipe doesn’t have enough moisture it can turn out to be a crumbly, dry mess—don’t think any cup of milk, no matter how big, can fix that!

3. A Leavening Agent

As a leavening agent, eggs provide air so that your brownies will rise just enough and have the right texture for the delicious treats that they are. I know for a fact that no one likes a flat brownie!

How to Replace Eggs in a Brownie Recipe: 12 Easy Substitutions 

While there are products on the market that are packaged and marketed as egg replacers, there are also many items you may already have at home that you can use as a substitute for eggs when making brownies.

And here’s a pro baker tip from yours truly:

What you replace your eggs with will depend on what their original purpose in the brownie recipe is.

Scratching your head? Well, stop, I’ll take you through it step-by-step below:

Pureed Fruits:

Replace each egg with 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce, canned pumpkin, mashed bananas, or pureed prunes.

Pureed Vegetables:

For each egg, add 1/4 cup of mashed avocado to bind the other ingredients together.

Silken Tofu:

Use 1/4 cup of silken tofu, whipped, for every egg it is replacing. This substitute provides a nice smooth texture.

Aquafaba:

This product is the liquid from canned beans. Weird, right? But hear me out: 

The liquid has almost the same consistency as an egg white. You can take 3 tablespoons of aquafaba to replace one egg. Personally, I recommend using the liquid from black beans or red kidney beans when making brownies. 

Check out Aquafabulous! for more ways to use aquafaba in recipes.

Arrowroot:

Lucky for us, this powder has the same consistency as cornstarch. Use 2 tablespoons of arrowroot combined with 3 tablespoons of water to take the place of each egg.

Substitutions for Eggs as a Moisture Element

Pureed Fruit:

Again, use 1/4 cup of fruit to replace each egg. Choose from unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas, dates that have been softened, pureed prunes (you can use baby food), or raisins that have been plumped up. 

You may have to bake your brownies a little bit longer with this substitute, though.

Oil and Baking Powder:

Combine one teaspoon of oil (vegetable or corn oil is recommended) with two tablespoons of water, and two teaspoons of baking powder as a replacement for one egg.

Nut Butter:

You can choose between almond, cashew, or peanut butter to replace an egg in your brownie mix. Substitute 3 tablespoons of nut butter for each egg called for in your recipe. 

Pro tip: Make sure the nut butter is creamy, however, and not chunky.

Carbonated Water:

Add 1/4 cup of carbonated water to replace each egg when making brownies and thank me later! It’s an excellent leavening agent and easily provides moisture to any recipe.

Substitutions for Eggs as Leavening Agents

Yogurt or Buttermilk:

Use 1/4 cup of yogurt or buttermilk to replace each egg when making brownies. From experience, I can say this will help to make the brownies airy enough as well as keep them moist.

Vinegar and Baking Soda:

You can also mix 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar with 1 teaspoon of baking soda to replace one egg in your eggless brownie recipe.

Additional Replacements for Eggs in Brownies

Flaxseed:

Flaxseed is a vegan replacement for eggs. When making eggless brownies mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed powder with 3 tablespoons of water when replacing each egg.

Vegetable Oil:

This method is only good if you’re replacing one egg or your brownies will be too oily. Add 1/4 cup of vegetable oil to replace one egg when making brownies.

How to Store Eggless Brownies

Eggless brownies are still brownies! So, store them just like you would regular brownies.

Don’t know how? Here’s the run-down:

Brownies, whether eggless, flourless, or missing any other key ingredient, could last at least 3-5 days at room temperature—provided that they’re kept in an airtight bag or container.

Refrigerated though, brownies could last up to a week and still be fresh next to a warm cup of milk.

Can You Freeze Eggless Brownies?

Absolutely! It’s pretty easy to do this too and it follows similar steps you’d take to freeze any type of bakery or dessert.

For starters, wait for your fudgy brownies to cool down so they’re no longer hot and steamy. Otherwise, you’ll be letting bacteria fester in those freezing temperatures.

After your brownie pan reaches a suitable temperature, cut it up into sizable portions. From here, you can either wrap each piece individually or split them into two airtight containers or freezer-safe bags. Your choice will depend on how many brownies you have.

The golden rule is, though:

Eggless brownies can stay in the freezer for up to 2 months before their quality and texture start to deteriorate—something we don’t want! So, make sure to consume them before then.

How to Reheat Frozen Eggless Brownies?

Brownies often turn out crumbly and dry, and even if you avoided this issue while baking, reheating frozen brownie slices is a sure way to mess up that airy texture you worked hard to achieve.

Then how do we avoid this issue, Sarah?

Let me tell you! You can either:

• Pop ‘em in the microwave: Easy and quick way to bite into these ASAP! Heat the brownies in 15-second increments so you don’t dry them out.
• Throw the slices in the oven: Make sure the oven is preheated to 300℉ before you glide in your baking sheet. Don’t leave the brownies in there for more than 4-5 minutes though!

Final Thoughts

No matter what the reason you have for replacing eggs when you’re making brownies just make sure you use one of the substitutions I mentioned above.

And here’s another pro tip before you go:

Don’t try to make your recipe by omitting the egg without the substitution or you won’t be happy with the result. Even with a boxed mix, you can still use any of the above substitutions.Speaking of box mixes, make sure to try one of these creative ways to spice up a brownie box mix!

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