How to Make a Flax Egg & How to Use It
A flax egg is probably the most popular vegan egg substitute right now. It is not only vegan, but also keto, gluten-free, paleo… you name it.
How to substitute flax egg for real egg?
For most recipes the substitution ratio is 1:1, meaning 1 flax egg is equivalent to 1 real egg.
When does it work to substitute flax egg for real egg?
You can usually substitute flax egg for a real egg in recipes where the egg is used as a binder. This means it works well in:
pancakes
waffles
brownies
cookies
many cakes
fritters
meatballs (depends on the recipe)
When can you not substitute flax egg for real egg?
Not all recipes work well with flax eggs. Flax eggs are not a good substitute for real eggs when:
They are not a good substitute for whipped egg whites.
When you expect your eggs to provide structure and volume.
Often does not work with nut-based flours.
Does not work well in recipes that are based on eggs, like fried eggs, shakshuka or frittata.
Flax Egg Recipe: Step by Step
Making a flax egg is easy and requires only two ingredients - flax seeds and water, with a 1:3 ratio.
Here is how to make a flax egg:
Ingredients:
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
3 tbsp water
Directions:
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and gently stir.
Let the mixture sit for 10-30 minutes. If you don’t want to use the egg immediately, you can store it in the fridge for up to 12 hours.
The mixture will thicken and get a bit slimy, similar to a real egg. This means your flax egg is ready and you can use it now in your recipe.
Notes:
You need fresh flaxseed meal in order for this recipe to work. This means, use within 6 months after grinding your flaxseed.
You can also make this with store bought flaxseed meal. But again, make sure your flaxseed is fresh.
Use hot water if you want to speed up the process.
How to Grind Your Own Flaxseed Meal
Whole flaxseeds have a much longer shelf life than flaxseed meal. For that reason it is a good idea to buy a package of whole seeds, and grind a fresh batch of flaxseed each month or so.
Grinding your own flaxseed meal is easy, you need just two things:
Flaxseeds
Coffee grinder (spice grinder, or something similar)
For this recipe you really need a coffee grinder. Kitchen blenders and food processors usually don’t work well enough, even if you try to grind a high quantity of seeds at once. Or at least that’s my experience. Maybe it could work if you have a very powerful food processor, but my food processor didn’t work.
To make the flaxseed meal, all you have to do is add a few tablespoons to of seeds to your grinder and grind for around a minute. The meal has a coarse texture.
Store the meal in an airtight container in a cool dark place. To increase the shelf life, you can also store it in the fridge, if you have enough space. But it is not a requirement.
What does flax egg taste like?
Flax eggs have a very slimy texture, and not much taste. The taste of flax eggs is very mild and barely noticeable. It should not affect the taste of the recipe you are making.
Can you eat raw flax egg?
If the flax egg is prepared with fresh flax meal and you are not allergic to flax seeds, you can eat the flax egg raw. But it has a very slimy texture and not much taste, so I would not recommend it (unless you are constipated).
Why is my flax egg not thickening?
If your flax egg is not thickening, you probably just need to wait a few more minutes to thicken. If it does not thicken after half an hour on room temperature, it means that something probably went wrong. It could be that your flaxseed meal is too old.
Here are a few things you can try if your flax egg is not thickening:
Stir your flax egg one more time and wait another 15 minutes to see if the mixture forms a gel-like texture.
Place the egg in the fridge, to help it thicken.
Prepare the flax egg with hot water, instead of cold.
Stir the mixture very well, before you leave it to thicken.
Make sure your flaxseed meal is fresh.
Make sure the seeds are finely ground.
Can you use whole flaxseeds instead of flaxseed meal?
No, you can not substitute flaxseeds for flaxseed meal. The seeds need to be finely ground so they will be able to mix well with the water and form the egg-like texture.