How to Make a Flax Egg (2 Ingredients)

Name: How to Make a Flax Egg
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (golden or brown); 3 tablespoons water

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A step-by-step guide on how to make a flax egg, the perfect egg substitute that requires only 2 ingredients and is ready in just 5 minutes.

It's actually a great vegan egg substitute for baking. I've used it to make all kinds of baking goods and it actually works really well because it doesn't change their consistency or their flavor.

A spoon lifting some flax seed mix from a small container.

However, this egg substitute doesn't work for some savory recipes like scrambled eggs or omelets. Although I've used it successfully to make some savory recipes as a binder, as you can read below.

This super simple, basic, and easy recipe is included in my Veganuary collection, but you can use it all year long as an egg replacer.

I use flax eggs instead of regular eggs for baking recipes like my vegan chocolate chip cookies, or vegan brownies, but also as a binder to make savory ones like vegan meatballs, or vegan zucchini fritters.

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🌟 You’ll love this recipe because it is
🧾 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
📋 Substitutions & variations
🍽 Equipment
❄️ Storage
💭 Expert tips
❓Recipe FAQs
🥛 More vegan basic recipes
📖 Recipe

🌟 You’ll love this recipe because it is

Made with only 2 ingredients: water, and flaxseed meal, which you can find at pretty much any grocery store.
Ready in just 5 minutes.
Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and cholesterol-free.
High in omega-3 fatty acids and super healthy.
The perfect substitute for real eggs to make baking goods and also as a binder in some savory recipes.

🧾 Ingredients

Flaxseed meal: I've tried this recipe with both golden and brown flaxseed meal and both work amazingly well.
Water: it’s best to use room-temperature water.

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

🔪 Instructions

The water and flaxseed meal mixed in a small container before thickening.

Step 1: Add the flaxseed meal and the water to a small container and mix until well combined.

The water and flaxseed meal mixed in a small container after thickening.

Step 2: Let rest for 5 minutes at room temperature to thicken and then mix again until well combined.

📋 Substitutions & variations

You can either use golden or brown flax seeds.
I prefer to use golden flax seeds because they are lighter in color and less noticeable in the finished product.
If you can't find flaxseed or have allergies, use chia seeds instead and make a chia egg. Just follow the same recipe (1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds + 3 tablespoons of water).
Chia seeds don’t have to be ground in order to gel, but the texture of your baked goods will be better if you grind them first.

🍽 Equipment

To make this recipe you'll need:

Measuring tablespoons to weigh your ingredients.
A small container and a mini whisk or a fork to mix the ingredients.

❄️ Storage

Refrigerator: store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days, but as it works best freshly made I prefer to make the exact quantity I need just before using it.

💭 Expert tips

Keep in mind the longer you let the mixture rest, the thicker it will be. However, I only wait 5 minutes and it works great.
After mixing the ingredients and letting the mixture rest, you'll end up with a thick layer on the bottom and a water layer on the top, just mix it again until well combined.
This recipe is for one flax egg, but you can scale up the formula to make however many flax eggs you need.
Use store-bought flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed) or grind flax seeds in a coffee grinder, spice grinder, or a powerful blender.
Ground flaxseed meal can go rancid pretty quickly, so it can be a good idea to buy flax seeds, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 months, and grind them as needed.
Store ground flaxseed in the freezer for maximum shelf life.
Keep in mind that 1 tablespoon of whole flax seeds will yield about 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed meal.

❓Recipe FAQs

What is a flax egg?

It is a vegan egg substitute made from a combination of ground flax seeds and water.

The flaxseed meal absorbs the water and becomes gelatinous, similar to an egg white. In addition, flax seeds are a great source of lignans and omega-3 fatty acid

What is the flax-egg ratio?

It's a 1:1 ratio, so you need 1 flax egg for every regular egg in a recipe.

Can I use flax eggs like regular eggs?

You can use them to make all kinds of baked goods and as a binder in some savory recipes, but they don't work for other preparations like scrambled eggs, omelets, or frittatas.

You can’t whip them to infuse them with air either, so if your recipe calls for whipping whites together until fluffy, flax eggs are not an option. Aquafaba would be a better alternative, though.

Can you taste it in baked goods?

No, you won’t be able to taste the difference in your baked goods at all, so it's a great alternative to real eggs with tons of nutritional benefits and no weird taste.

🥛 More vegan basic recipes

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📖 Recipe