Gel eggs (chia or flax) are my secret weapon in egg-free baking.
The last few days I have been working like a mad woman cooking and shooting food. A huge [HUGE] thank you goes out to my sister who has been visiting … and doing dishes … and playing sous chef … and entertaining my kids. Without her I wouldn’t have been able to nail 15 shots in two days!
Needless to say, I am a little pooped.
So, today I’m keeping it simple and sharing a tip for those who have never heard of or used gel eggs as egg replacers in baking. Way back when, I used the powder Ener-G egg replacer, but it wasn’t until I began using chia and flax eggs that my gluten-free, egg-free baking really took off.
This “recipe” is for making one egg replacer. You are pretty safe using gel eggs in most baked goods that call for two eggs or less. Gel eggs “bind.” Unfortunately they do not add much in the way of fluff as would be achieved with eggs in a souffle or sponge cake. Nor would I make a quiche with gel eggs (ewww gross)!
I encourage you to experiment and play. Gel eggs may not work in every recipe, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. My go-to special occasion birthday cake mix is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix. I substitute the dairy milk with any non-dairy substitute and the eggs with gel eggs. The results are fantastic! Moist, great crumb, great flavor! Here’s what they turn out like!
To make gel eggs only requires one tool—a grinder like a Magic Bullet or coffee/spice grinder for grinding the raw, whole chia or flax seed to meal. I use the later—a cheap-o one I picked up at Target.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon chia meal or flax meal (seeds that have been ground)
3 tablespoons water
Instructions
Whisk meal and water together and let stand 5-10 minutes until thick, gelatinous and gloppy.
Use in baking as you would one egg.
Notes
Chia and flax seeds may be purchased online and at most natural grocery stores. Always start with fresh seeds. I never buy pre-ground. The fragile oils go rancid quickly. Grind seed just before using. Leftover gel may be kept refrigerated. Use within 3 days. Store whole seed in airtight containers. Chia may be kept in a cool dark place for years. Flax seed is best refrigerated. Opt for White Chia and Golden Flax. The darker varieties can leave your baked goods with a pepper-flaked appearance. Some sources suggest that the refrigeration of the gel for 15 minutes is a must. Too high-maintenance and I don't notice a difference
30 comments
Yey! thanks! but no way of having a spongy sponge cake! I'm fed up of baking gluey extra moist even jelly-like basic cakes, no way with flax seeds/chia! or am I doing something wrong?? I just want to enjoy a simple delicious vanilla taste spongy cake. I miss the spongyness!!!!! Do I need to really consider about looking for gf, sf,ef,df (gluten/soy/egg/diary free?) bakery classes? my morale is so low 🙁
(thanks for the reading, I needed to ask/tell someone!)
I LOV Eflax eggs. We use them everytime we need an egg! Didn't know you could use chia though. Excited to find that out!
I've been using psyllium husk powder and it works wonderfully. It's just 1 tsp psyllium husk powder with 1/4 cup of water stirred well and added immediately to the mixture (it'll seize up). It's really gelatinous, so you can even use it with coconut flour (see Spunky Coconut's blog). I tried using it in brownies and it was too gelatinous for that, but works great in cakes.
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Thanks Suzanne!!! I have been using it, too. But want to experiment a bit more with it before adding it to this post. You are right, you have to act fast before it sets up :). xoLexie
Girls! so then, how can I make this??? https://www.google.es/search?q=sponge+cake&hl=en&newwindow=1&prmd=imvnse&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8KJsULjfDsS0hAey74GoCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1392&bih=609 this egg sub is really ok? thanks, thanks, thanks!!!! 🙂
Leave it to Lexie to make chia slurry look beautiful. 🙂 I'm glad you're making headway with your big project! Keep up the great work.
Ha ha Hallie. That shot took me a bit. You know another tough one … whipped coconut cream! : ) The easiest things are the hardest to shoot. xoLexie
Hmmm.. This Chia egg recipe makes me so excited. I love the idea on how to make it. It's very simple but I think very worthy to taste.
Thanks for sharing.
I was just trying to explain a flax egg to a friend of mine. I had no idea you could do the same with chia too!
Jennifer … well now your friend has another option : ) Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. xoLexie
Chiara, have you tried Ener-G egg replacer powder? It is helps your cake to be light instead of so dense if that is what you are trying to achieve. If you find a GF recipe or mix that requires 2 or less eggs it works great. I hope this helps.
Hmm, this looks interesting and I want to try it out. What is the measurement of the gel to a whole egg? Is it 1/4 cup of gel is one egg? Or is the product of the 1 T ground see plus 3 T water equivalent to one egg?
Hi Linda,
Both 🙂 A medium egg is generally 1/4 cup and the comb of 1T + 3T = 1/4 cup or one egg.
Hope you like using gel eggs 🙂
xoLexie
Can you just mix it directly into a batter and let it sit?
Sarah, you get more of a true "egg" when it sits. It soaks up the water and gels up. xo
Has anyone used the liquid from a can of beans (garbanzo, white beans, etc.)? I have tried it successfully in pancakes but nothing else. How does it compare to chia/flax in other baked recipes?
What is the shelf-life of baked goods made using chia eggs? I am planning to make these for an upcoming birthday and I am wondering how far ahead they can be made. Thanks!
Hello Angela, I would say as long, if not a bit longer than egg-based. There is nothing about a gel egg that can "go bad" like an egg would. That said, most gluten-free baked goods are at their best (better texture) when eaten within a day or two. Freezing is another option—bake and freeze (cupcakes for example) and then thaw and decorate the day you will be eating them. I hope that helped 🙂
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I love chia eggs, they work so well, even without grinding them up. I’ve never tried it with flax though. I’ve noticed flax tends to be gloopier than chia when I add it to other things. Does it make any difference to the texture in baking?
Hi Matt, I have not noticed much a of a difference in texture of a baked good.