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.
If you tried this Easy Eggless Brownies recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
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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.
kajal arora says
i dont have an oven but i have a microwave so how can i make a perfect brownie??
Madhuram says
I haven't baked in a microwave oven Kajal, so I don't know anything about that. Sorry.
Vanitha Dutta says
mine was a disaster...had to trash it....followed the instructions step by step but a big disappointment.......!!!
Madhuram says
I really don't understand why nobody is getting it right. Let me try it again myself and will blog about it.
Vanitha Dutta says
Thanks madhu...that would be great if u cud let us know the specific measurements esp with the flaxseed meal.....luk fwd to ur response..i really want to try it again...
JP says
Hi Nisha,Seema and Madhu,
I bake a lot using flax seeds meal as an egg-substitute and the trick here is to warm the water and and flax seed meal mixture for about 20 seconds in the microwave and give it a quick stir - then let it rest for about 2 min before adding it to the other wet ingredients.
Hope this helps!!!
Madhuram says
Thanks JP.
Nisha says
Hi Madhu,
Tried this recipe 2 times. Once with Betty Crockers Fudge Brownie mix and once with Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Brownie mix and not too happy with results of both though the Duncan Hines was bit better. The brownies are too goeey and sticky and dense. What do you think could be the reason? Does it require baking powder/soda or vinegar? or does the flaxmeal have to be whipped with water till foamy?
hope to hear from u soon....looking forward to trying the chewy cookies with silken tofu next.
Thanks,
Nisha
Madhuram says
Sorry that you didn't get it right Nisha. Yes the flaxseed meal has to be blended well until its frothy. Also I feel that you haven't baked it long enough. Did the toothpick come out clean when you tested for doneness?
Seema says
Hi madhuram,
I tried your recipe with flax seed and used the measurement of 1tblsp flaxseed with 3 tblsp warm water. After 30 mins, my batter still all wet and gooey in the center. So i baked it a couple minutes more and it totally hardened. Can you suggest what i can improve to make it successful next time.
Thanks a lot!
Madhuram says
I'm not sure if the ratio change of flax seed meal and water is the issue.
rani says
hi madhu
thanks for your reply... i baked it for 38 min, and also
follow your steps from the website... i don't why it happened.
and can i use any brand of browine mix or do i have to use
duncan hines...
thank you very much
rani says
hi madhu
how are you? i always love your website,
today i try to make browines using duncan hines,
flex seed meal the same way you did.
but, mine turn out so hard and very chewy.
do you have any idea why?
Madhuram says
I guess you would have overbaked it Rani. How many minutes did you bake?
Lavender says
I am deathly allergic to eggs and for years there were not many
eggless baking recipes so thank you for this site.
I have found Ghiradelli boxed brownie mix works very well with
EnerG Egg Replacer I use 1 1/2 tsp with 2 Tbls of water that I mix in
1/3 cup oil and 1/3 water plus the brownie mix. I bake it 45 min in
an eight inch square pyrex or glass dish. It's very chocolaty and
moist. I even add extra chips sometimes.
Madhuram says
Thanks for letting us know about the Ghiradelli mix.
Taraji says
I am a life long vegetarian, and with all my baking experiences I have come to the conclusion that for cakes and cup cakes an egg replacement of vinegar and baking soda works best. For quick breads, apple sauce or yogurt and for so
E, flax seed, but there is a technique for using flax seed: 1 tbs flax meal with 3 tbs warm water = 1 egg, but here is the important part, place in a food processor on high for 5 minutes and what comes out is a very oily gelatinous texture, works fore every time
sunila says
where will get brownies mix -double fudge packet
Hi Sunila, assuming that you live in US/Canada, you should be able to find ready to bake brownie mix in all grocery stores in the baking aisle.
rani says
hi thank you very much for replying me back, ok i will definitely try that recipe with all purpose flour and i will let you know how did it turn out. and again i just love your website.
thanks rani
You're welcome Rani.
rani says
hi i love your website.
i try lots of recipe from your website it turns out very good. i have Question about this Eggless Brownies using Brownie Mix and Flaxseed Meal do i use 3 tablespoon oil or 1/3 cup of oil i am kind of confused with that. and also can u show me how make chocalate chip muffins plz.
thanks very much.
Thanks Rani. The quantity of oil mentioned in the pack was 1/3rd cup but I used only 3 tablespoons to cut back. The brownies were pretty good even with lesser quantity of oil, so I don't think you need 1/3rd cup. I have a healthy chocolate chip muffin recipe here:http://www.egglesscooking.com/2009/07/15/whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-muffins/. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour you can simply used all purpose flour itself and you can also use unsweetened applesauce instead of prune puree.
jen says
hi love you're website
just a question can you use silken tofu with ready made brownie mixes? ❓
Thanks Jen. I think it would work. I once used silken tofu in readymade cake mix to make chewy chocolate cookies, so I think the brownies would turn out good as well. Check out the cookie recipe I'm talking about.
http://www.egglesscooking.com/2008/10/06/eggless-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Mary Beth says
Madhuram, Many thanks for quick reply and links/recipes! I now know I didn't measure enough flax meal, so will be more careful next time. I forgot to thank you for links to egg replacements, very useful info.
You're welcome Mary. Do feel free to shoot out any questions.
Mary Beth says
I love your site, and had not used a mix for any baking since I was forced to go red meat, dairy-free and egg-free (due to a digestive condition) 3 months ago. I had baked and cooked everything I ate from scratch, unless you count pastas. I'd done some baking, mostly cornbread and quick breads, usually used half small banana in those, sometimes tofu, with much success. However, these brownies were my first use of a mix and my first use baking w/ flaxseed. I'm afraid I did something wrong, they were, hmm, not too good. (used a Betty Crocker mix.)I also made a cornbread using them, and it was bad also! So, I'm not having any success with flaxseeds so far:cry: Should I go back to bananas and tofu?? Thanks for a great site, and I loved reading about your journey in baking. Wish I had more patience!!!
Thanks Mary. I'm sorry to hear about your food intolerance. I'm wondering why most of those who try this recipe don't get it right! I have had a good deal of success using flax seed meal. Hope I can persuade you to give the following brownie cupcake recipe a try which uses flax seed meal.
http://www.egglesscooking.com/2008/11/05/vegan-brownie-cupcakes/ .I made these for my son's class (he was 3 then) and I heard from the teachers that the kids loved it so much. Bonus, its fat free too.
You can try unsweetened applesauce too instead of the bananas. I have a couple of brownie recipes using applesauce as well.
http://www.egglesscooking.com/eggless-baking-recipes/eggless-bars-brownies/
Susan says
My son is allergic to eggs, tree nuts and peanuts, so I mostly bake from scratch. Make sure you are using milled flaxseed. It should look like fine flakes. Also, I usually use a whole Tablespoon, not a tsp. Mix it with the water. If the bbaked good come out too dense, reduce the water mixed with the flaxseed by 2Tbsp and mix together and add the following: 1 T vegetable oil, 1 T water and 2 tsp baking powder. Baking without eggs requires patience. And brownies are the holy grail of egg-free baking. Don't give up!
Hannah says
Your links to the articles about egg substitutes were REALLY helpful!!! My roomie is fructose, lactose, and gluten intolerant and those tips helped with a GREAT brownie recipe from scratch. They turned out REALLY well. Thanks! 🙂
Hannah, I'm glad that the info was helpful.
preet says
no, i used pillsbury double fudge brownie mix.
preet says
hi
i baked these and they weren't as good as i thought.. 😥 😥 🙁 😯 :|.... i think they needed a little bit of sugar............ after a couple of days i baked them again with additional sugar an they came out pretty good............ 🙂 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Preet. The first time, did you use the same brownie mix which I have used or something else?
preet says
i'm planning on baking these. this will be my first time ever. recipe sounds goods i'm gone try it on christmas 😆 😆 🙂 🙂
preet says
i luv ur website!!!!!! 😉 🙂 can u tell me wht is flax seed ❓
Thank you very much Preet. Flax seed is also called Lin Seed (in India and other European countries). It's Alsi in Hindi. You can find it in Indian grocery stores as well as in the organic aisle of other grocery stores and health food shops. You could either buy the whole seeds (it comes in golden, yellow and brown and you can use anything) and powder it as and when you want or you can get the flax seed powder itself in stores.