Ever since I started baking, I have used only bananas as a substitute for eggs. Bananas definitely give the moist texture for cakes and breads, but the drawback is the flavor of bananas is dominant in those baked goods. So whatever changes you make otherwise in the recipe, the end product tastes the same. For example my carrot cake and zucchini bread tasted similar. It was definitely very good, but we need some change right!
So I was searching in the net for egg substitutes and found this site very informative. I decided to start experimenting with the various egg replacements and this is my first one using flax seed meal. I add flax seed meal in my cereal (both cold and hot), salads and even in the chapathi flour. Being vegetarians walnuts and ground flax seed are the only sources of Omega 3 fatty acids.
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Recipe
Easy Eggless Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Packet Brownie Mix Of Your Choice (I Used Duncan Hines Chocolate Lover's Brownies Double Fudge. See My Notes For The Reason)
- ⅓ Cup Cold Water
- 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 Flax Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract (Not Mentioned In The Packet)
- ½ Cup Walnuts (Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (325F for glass pans) for 15 minutes.
- Empty brownie mix into bowl.
- Add ⅓ cup cold water.
- Add 3 tablespoons oil. (Actually ⅓ cup of oil was mentioned in the packet)
- In a small cup add the flax seed meal and slowly add the water and whisk it with a fork and add it to the brownie mix.
- I chose to add vanilla extract also.
- Stir everything until well blended (about 40-50 strokes)
- Now add the nuts and combine it once again.
- Generously grease the brownie pan. I used a non stick 8"x8" pan.
- Spread the mixture in the pan.
- Bake it anywhere between 30-38 minutes. (Check the instructions in the package for detailed baking time). I baked mine for 40 minutes. But I think I should have taken it around 38 minutes itself, because I had little cracks on the top. That was the only negative thing with these brownies, otherwise they were unbelievably moist and gooey. We did not taste the flax seed at all. Just be sure that the brownie cools out completely before you can cut into squares.
My Notes
- Buying the brownie mix - If you are a vegetarian, be sure to check the ingredients, because some brands contain lard, tallow (animal fat). The brand I chose did not have animal fat.
- I bought the double fudge brownies, which had a chocolate syrup pack, which had to be added to the brownie batter. But I omitted it because this was the first time I was going to bake brownies and that too without eggs. So I did not want to experiment too much.
- Checking the doneness of brownies: I read in the same book that inserting a toothpick to check the doneness does not work for brownies. Instead "the touch test" was recommended. When you touch the top of the brownies, it should not leave an indentation. If it does, the batter is still soft, so you need to bake it for another couple of minutes.
This my entry for Egg Replacement Event - Flax Seed Meal, hosted by me.
vidhya says
hi
can u tell me whether from boxed pineapple mix can we make it eggless by ading anything? i have a duncan hines pineapple cake mix which i want to make without adding eggs.
thanks
vidhya
Vidhya, as you have mentioned in the other comment, yogurt is a good egg substitute in boxed cake mixes. You could try the flax seed meal too.
Katie says
Thank you so much for the recipe, my daughter is allergic to eggs and I could not find anything that works as well as flax seed. My daughter is now in preschool and able to bring in brownies and other goodies for snack WITHOUT the egg! Thanks again!
You're most welcome Katie. Yogurt too works well with boxed brownie mix. Use 1/4 yogurt/buttermilk in place of 1 egg.
gina says
mine turned out weird too.
I'm not able to guess what the problem is Gina, because mine came out so well that even my husband's colleagues who are not vegetarians couldn't tell any difference at all.
Peng SC Shekar says
As I have previously work with Pilsbury professionally,
I am not an advocate of using box product though it may be
convenient and quicker. Replacement like flax plays the
role of a binder ingredient but they can increase the denseness
of your cake product. It is excellent for muffin, loaf cakes,
cookies and biscuits though. Look closely on any egg replacer
brand, you will notice potato starch or corn starch as the key
ingredients, so try that instead and experiment.
But you can try increasing liquid/juice/puree and include,
say 1/2 tsp baking powder to give it the needed boost and
another tablespoon of oil/butter if you are using ground flaxseed.
Remember the fats from the 'real' eggs has been taken out and you
need to make up for it.
Peng SC Shekar says
A sour/acidic agent eg sour cream/yogurt are also a fairly good alternative for the eggs. Just be sure to add in 1 tbsp of vinegar/apple cider. Potato starch,1 tsp per egg mix into the yogurt/cream will do the trick as it help bind up the cake mix and the vinegar helps fluff up the cake. I have also frequently used organic oat/flax milk to replace dairy product as well together with vinegar to replace liquid/milk in the recipes. Or you can use a half and half eg. juice, puree with liquid ingredients. Have fun trying!
That's true. I have tried the same recipe with yogurt as well and it turned out good too. I have also used vinegar instead of eggs and it gives fabulous results.
Peng SC Shekar says
I agree somehow using bananas as substitute can leave a rather noticeable scent. As I live in Malaysia, a varieties of bananas are easily available. I normally avoid buying the more
aromatic local bananas and go for the newer hybrid like the MONTEL or CAVENDISH, slightly under-ripen but not sappy. Over-ripen bananas will also contribute their scent to your cake.Moreover, you can't use bananas as a substitute for everything!!
Yes the flavor of bananas dominate if it is used as egg substitute, however mild it may be. So it should not be used unless one doesn't mind the banana flavor.
Rachel says
Is the Brownie Mix dairy free (incl milk, butter, etc)?
I think so. Don't remeber it for sure.
waa says
Is this vegan?
I think so, If I remember right. I did check for the ingredients in the mix.
asha says
Hi Madhu I tried the cake with flaxseed, I saw my cake rise then went flat what could be the reason, please help.
in one of the above reply diane says :
1 box of devils food cake mix plus 1 15oz can of pumpkin, mix, bake 20 mins @ 400 degrees.
thats all we mix or is there any thing else water, oil etc.
thank you
asha
Asha, mine too rised well and then flattened. Let me find out what the reason could be? Reg. Diane's recipe, I saw her reply to your query that water/oil is not required. I don't know if I deleted it by mistake.
Diane says
"that all we mix or is there any thing else water, oil etc."
Asha, that's ALL you mix! Do NOT add anything else,
this will ruin it. You'll notice that it's hard to mix, but
be diligent! Totally worth it.
asha says
Hi Madhu I tried the cake with flaxseed, i saw my cake rise
then went flat what could be the reason, please help.
in one of the above reply diane says :
1 box of devils food cake mix plus 1 15oz can of pumpkin, mix, bake 20 mins @ 400 degrees.
that all we mix or is there any thing else water, oil etc.
thank you
asha
Jr says
hahaha , they were betty crocker low fat fudge brownies family size and it required only 1 egg. Me , I think i'll try the buttermilk substitute for eggs but will any kind of yogurt work ?? I don't have any plain nonfat/fat yogurt but those flavored ones strawberry/blueberry/ etc.
Yes, that should be fine too. In my understanding even plain milk should be fine, because I think in brownies eggs act as a binding agent. Unlike cake brownies need not be light or need not rise too, so any liquid should be ok. I may be wrong, but that's what I think.
Jr says
Yeah but the brownie mix mentioned that it was for a 13 x 9.But does it matter ?? So I used a 13 x 9 , and followed the baking time which was 26-28 minutes. With the eggs , oil it would be a successful batch but when I used eggs substituted for flax ratio : 1 tablespoon of flax / 1/4 water. Next time , I'll use a 8x8 pan with your ingredients but with a brownie mix that mention for 13 x 9 ( family size ), and 1/4 water and 1 teaspoon of flax.
Oh! I thought you used an 8x8 inch mix in a 13x9 pan and thought that brownie would have gone hard/burnt if you had baked for 35-40 minutes. Were the instructions given for 1 egg or 2 eggs? Actually I have tried another version using 1/4 cup yogurt as egg substitute with the same brownie mix. That was very good too. Maybe you can try that or even buttermilk if you are not sure about flax seed powder.
Jr says
Yesterday , I tried this and used a 13x9 pan 😕 and it came out a failure when I wanted to attempt using the ratio 1/4 water , 1tbsp of flaxseed =(but questions are : Does it matter what kind of brownie mix I use? and what kind of flax seed ?I am using "Organic Ground Flax Seed and next time , I should use a 8x8 pan?
Jr, I think the problem is not because of the flax seed powder ratio or the brand of mix, it's the use of wrong size pan. You have to use the pan which is mentioned in the pack. Brownie mixes are sold specifically for 13x9 inch pan and 8x8 inch pan. You can see in the picture that the brownie mix I have used mentions 8x8 inch pan.
Jr says
"For every egg in a recipe, use 1 teaspoon of flax seed meal mixed with 1/4 cup of water." That means , if 2 eggs were required in the ingredient then it would be 2tsp of flax and 1/2 of water mixed together ?
Yes, you got it right.
Jaz says
Hi there, when making the brownies how much water do you blend the flax seeds with? Also, what should the consistency of the batter be?
Hi Jaz, as mentioned in the recipe it's 1/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of flax seed powder. If I remember right, it was looked like any other brownie batter.
Diane says
Have you tried using pumpkin instead of bananas? It works very well in chocolate cakes! 1 box of devil's food cake mix plus 1 15oz can of pumpkin, mix, bake 20 mins @ 400 degrees. Unbelievably good!
Diane, I've seen something similar in recipezaar but have not tried it.
sheila says
Hi,
I bought the duncan hines tried it using 1tsp of flax seed meal.It tasted ok but not that great.the instruction on the carton mentions 2 eggs so should one add more than 1tsp of flax seed meal.?Your receipe mentions only one tsp.thanks
Hi Sheila, the pack I got had instructions for 2 types of brownies, one with 1 egg and another one for 2 eggs (i think one for fudgy texture and other for cake like texture). I went with the 1 egg version and they came out good. You could try another teaspoon of flax seed meal if the pack mentions 2 eggs. Also blend the flax see meal and water thoroughly in a blender until its nice and gooey.
Deepa says
Jak, Here's the wiki on flax seeds. Remember to store it in the frig, and also that if you cook with them, you lose their nutritive value (the omega 3 fatty chains are broken upon cooking).
Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax
Thanks Deepa, I guess we are answering at the same time.
Deepa says
Jak, where are you located? U.S? India? My mom finds flax seeds in CHennai, India. Probably at Nilgiris. And in the U.S, you will find flax seeds in most grocery stores. I buy them at whole foods. Google for "flax seeds" to see what they look like. --Deepa