Can You Make Brownies Without Eggs: 14 Excellent Substitutes

Making brownies without eggs sounds like a tough ask, surely the crumbling, chewy and fudgy texture of the decadent brownie won’t be the same without its key component. However, there are many egg substitutes for recipes like these, in order to achieve a similar texture and flavour, that is arguably more delicious than usual. So, can you make brownies without eggs? Keep reading to see how that is possible.

Table of Contents

• What Happens if There’s no Eggs in Brownies?
• What is the Purpose of Eggs in Brownies?
• Can I Use Butter instead of Egg?
• Egg Substitutes for Brownies
  • Baking Powder
  • Banana
  • Applesauce
  • Buttermilk
  • Ground Flaxseed
  • Avocados
  • Vinegar
  • Nut Butter
  • Condensed Milk
  • Protein Powder
  • Silken Tofu
  • Carbonated Water
  • Aquafaba
  • Arrowroot Powder
• What are Box Brownies?
• What is the Purpose of Eggs in Baking?
• How to Replace Eggs in a Brownie Recipe?
  • Moisture
  • Binding
• How to Make Brownies without Eggs?
  • • Ingredients
    • Method
• Making Brownies Without Eggs
• FAQs

What Happens if There’s no Eggs in Brownies?

If you don’t replace your egg with a substitute that is advised in your brownie recipe, then the air in your brownies can become trapped, causing them to rise and achieve a fluffy texture. Traditionally, brownies are supposed to be solid and dense, so if it’s a fluffy brownie, we have a problem!

What is the Purpose of Eggs in Brownies?

The egg in your brilliant brownies, is what helps them attain a moist texture, as well as allowing the brownies to rise while they’re baking. Looking at the basic structure of an egg you’ll find that it is mostly liquid, with proteins, fats and minerals. The water and fat content are the basic elements of helping the brownie emerge deliciously moist.

Can I Use Butter instead of Egg?

Fortunately, butter is a great alternative to eggs in brownies. You might find that it is best to opt for creamy nut butters, instead of a solid slab of butter. The creamy nut butters combine perfectly with the other ingredients of the brownies. If you’re inclined to using nut butter instead of eggs, then you can add three tablespoons of nut butter to each egg you’re replacing in your recipe, translating to 60 grams of nut butter per egg.

Egg Substitutes for Brownies

There are many ingredients you could use in place of eggs when making brownies. Some of these are great for a moist consistency, whilst others take a more sweeter approach. Let’s take a look at the delicious substitutes that are available for baking.

• Baking Powder
• Banana
• Applesauce
• Yoghurt/Buttermilk
• Ground Flaxseed
• Avocados
• Vinegar
• Nut Butter
• Condensed Milk
• Protein Powder
• Silken Tofu
• Carbonated Water
• Aquafaba
• Arrowroot Powder

Baking Powder

Using a couple tablespoons of baking powder in place of eggs can give your brownie batter the lift it needs. However using baking powder as a sole ingredient in place of eggs, will give you a dry and cakey texture instead of the perfectly chewy, and fudgy result. To achieve that, you’ll need to add a little flour and water, combining this into your brownie mixture. On the other hand, you could cook a portion of the flour in hot water, trapping the water in the brownie mixture, which allows the baked brownie to emerge deliciously soft and moist.

Banana

Bananas are a fantastic substitute for eggs in brownie recipes, especially when they’re paired with chocolate. Bananas provide a distinct yet natural sweetness to your brownies without the need for too much sugar. Of course for it to adhere to the sweet yet moist textures, you’re going to have to use ripe organic or regular bananas. No matter how ugly or nasty it may appear to be, there’s hidden deliciousness in those grotesque bananas!

One cup of mashed banana with its seeds, combined with chocolate chips help make your brownies super moist and gooey. You can even add some soy milk to the mix!

Applesauce

Applesauce is excessively high in water content, and an inexpensive replacement for eggs that is great at binding ingredients together. Adding applesauce makes this brownie beautifully moist – more than the banana! However, the absence of any type of flour in this recipe will prevent you from achieving a crispy top of the traditional brownie. Although it doesn’t minimise any of its tastiness!

Buttermilk

The best egg substitute that will provide the perfect fudgy consistency, is sour cream or buttermilk. For this method, you’re going to use plain full-fat yogurt or sour cream and buttermilk. Both are neutral in taste and help add fat and moisture to your brownie. If you don’t have store-bought buttermilk, you could make some yourself, by mixing one tablespoon of white vinegar with one cup of milk.

Ground Flaxseed

Ground flaxseed is an excellent substitute for eggs in this brownie recipe. Simply mix two tablespoons of ground flaxseed with six tablespoons of water, allowing it to settle into a gel-like structure. The water helps keep your brownie moist, whilst the natural fats in the flax seeds replace the texture of an egg yolk. The best part about these additional ingredients is that they taste of nothing, so you won’t be able to detect a difference in the taste or texture of your brownies whatsoever. An extra spoon of baking soda will help your brownies achieve that much needed lift.

Avocados

Replace the eggs with one cup of mashed avocado, as well as a teaspoon of baking powder. The avocado provides the brownie with a wonderful velvety texture, while the baking powder helps the brownie rise. Avocados are a great source of healthy fat, with another fat component being 1/2 a cup of milk which can be substituted with nut milk if desired. When baked the brownies will have a wonderful cakey texture, with a hint of avocado.

Vinegar

Adding vinegar to your brownies might sound strange, but when you combine this with water and baking soda it works like magic. Vinegar adds a tad flavor that is strongly required from the absence of egg. Replacing one egg with 15 grams of vinegar will do the trick. You can opt for apple vinegar if you’re looking for a healthier option.

Nut Butter

Cashew, peanut or almond butter are great options you might want to consider when looking for a substitute for eggs. 60 grams of nut butter are enough to replace one egg, bearing in mind that this ingredient is enough to affect the taste of your brownies, so choose one that will suit your preference.

Condensed Milk

Condensed milk is an essential ingredient for all sorts of desserts and might be one of the most amazing substitutions for eggs. Although you might not want to add too much and risk having your brownies too sweet. About 30 grams of condensed milk can be substituted for one egg.

Protein Powder

Protein powder can replace eggs binding the rest of the ingredients together, and providing the moisture required for these delicious brownies. Another great reason to add this to your batter is that it comes in different flavors, allowing you to dictate between the flavors available, depending on what you want your brownies to taste like. An egg contains about 5 to 8 grams of protein, so you can replace one egg with the same amount of protein powder, but you’ll need to add some water, to make up for the liquid that comes with the egg.

Silken Tofu

Naturally, tofu tends to be rather mild, and this creamy version is even more flavorless. It’s a great addition to brownies without providing an overpowering taste. 60 grams of silken tofu is enough to replace 1 egg. Tofu is great for vegans because it’s rich in protein, much like eggs.

Carbonated Water

Carbonated water is great to create the perfect rise in your brownies, with the fluffy texture we all know and love. With the carbonate trapping the air inside, 60ml of water can substitute one egg.

Aquafaba

Essentially, aquafaba is the liquid left over from cooking chickpeas or white beans, which is normally used as an egg white replacement. When whipped it can trap air, creating a lovely foam that will eventually help your brownies achieve a fluffy crumb. Generally you should add one egg with 45ml aquafaba.

Arrowroot Powder

Arrowroot powder can bind all the ingredients together and, at the same time provides the brownies with more moisture. One egg can be replaced with about 30 grams of arrowroot powder mixed with 45ml of water.

What are Box Brownies?

Many people prefer box brownies, mainly because of the simplicity of their recipe. Having all the ingredients required to make the brownies, in one box is probably the easiest ask which makes them a common favourite amongst many. Usually, the recipe will call for an egg, or butter if necessary, and when you’re intending to substitute the egg for something else, you’ll stick to the same recipe, but add your egg substitute whether that is a little extra baking soda and flour, or a little condensed milk, depending on the number of eggs your recipe calls for.

What is the Purpose of Eggs in Baking?

Most people are quite attached to their favourite recipes, that they reveal when they’re ready to bake something special for the day. One of the very common ingredients in baked goods is an egg or two, but what is so important about the egg? Well it seems that eggs contribute to many essential purposes when baking. They are used several times as a binding element, making one unit rather than many. In many recipes, like brownies, eggs are used to add moisture, so that the brownie doesn’t emerge as a crumbly, dry mess.

As a leavening agent, eggs provide air so that your brownies will rise with the perfect texture allowing you to enjoy these delicious treats with your choice of beverage, whether its iced tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, these fudgy, chewy brownies never disappoint.

How to Replace Eggs in a Brownie Recipe?

Previously, we had discussed the potential substitutes for eggs for a brownie recipe. However these few, yet special components are in no way presumed to be limited to brownies, when their job is so much more! They can provide the moisture, consistency, and leverage you need for potential use in many other recipe you desire.

As a leavening agent you can use a 1/4 cup of yoghurt or butter milk to replace each egg required in the recipe. This will help your baked goods achieve the airy and moist texture they require.

Vinegar and baking soda are great leavening agents – mix 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar with 1 teaspoon of baking soda, in place of one egg, in your brownie recipes.

Here are substitutes for the following necessitites:

• Moisture
• Binding

Moisture

Choose from unsweetened apple sauce, mashed bananas, softened dates, pureed prunes to add moisture to your recipes. Alternatively, you can combine one teaspoon of oil with two tablespoons of water and two teaspoons of baking powder as a replacement for an egg.

Nut butter is also a great substitute for eggs, especially when looking to achieve that wonderfully moist texture. Make sure the nut butter is creamy and not chunky.

Similarly, carbonated water is great for added moisture, though it works great as a leavening agent as well.

Binding

Pureed fruits and vegetables work a treat to bind the ingredients together, as one egg would do. Choose from applesauce, pumpkin, mashed bananas, pureed prunes, and avocados, depending on the subtlety of the flavours you hope to achieve.

Arrowroot has the same consistency as corn starch, and works as a great replacement for egg. You want your mixture to keep that thick consistency that is attained when you would combine egg into the recipe.

How to Make Brownies without Eggs?

Whether you’re going vegan, or simply going dairy-free for other health reasons, these egg-free brownies will provide you with that irresistibly, chocolatey bite minus the forbidden ingredients. This recipe substitutes bananas for eggs and uses soy milk, as well as dairy-free chocolate chips, providing that classic brownie flavour with a hint of banana. This recipe is a great way to use too-soft bananas, as they add excellent moisture to the batter. If you’re a little fond of some added texture, then why not throw in some chopped walnuts for good measure.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups unrefined cane sugar
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk or almond milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark dairy free chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease your baking dish and set it aside
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well mixed.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, soy milk, canola oil, and vanilla extract
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined
5. Fold in the dairy free chocolate chips
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan
7. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes
8. Allow the brownies to cool completely before they’re cut into squares
9. Serve and enjoy

Making Brownies Without Eggs

A great substitute helps keep the consistency of the brownies as they are normally enjoyed, with a moist, fudgy centre, combined with an irresistibly chewy texture. Eliminating eggs from your recipe is never the end of the world, as long as its substitutes save the day!

FAQs