How to Substitute Eggs for Applesauce in Baking & Cooking
If you're low on eggs or have an egg allergy and need to avoid them, you might be pleasantly surprised to know that the best egg replacement may already be in your pantry! Substituting eggs with applesauce is incredibly easy and works like a charm in countless quick breads, muffins, and more. There are a couple of things to know before you get started, so take a peek at the suggestions below to make sure your recipe turns out great every time.
With sky high egg prices, many people are looking for alternatives. Especially if you're baking, you can often use a binding agent or even fruit purees as a stand in.
Applesauce is one of the very best alternatives to eggs, and is surprisingly effective. You often see it in healthier or vegan recipes as a natural sweetener, oil substitute, and more, but it also makes a fantastic egg substitute in many recipes. Once you start to realize how multipurpose it is, you'll want to keep a jar of applesauce on hand at all times!
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Below, I'll break down everything you need to know about substituting eggs with applesauce, how to make sure it turns out right, some pro tips, and more.
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Substituting Eggs for Applesauce: Key Takeaways
Applesauce is one of the best egg alternatives, particularly for baking, and has the added bonus of being naturally moist, sweet, and high in fiber.
This means your various baked goods can turn out even more moist and tender than before, plus their natural sweetness can allow you to use less sugar.
If using apple sauce as a whole egg substitute, you will need to replace each egg with ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce.
Finding the right egg substitute for any given recipe can take some trial and error, but that's half of the fun. Be patient and have fun with the learning process!
Can You Substitute Eggs with Applesauce?
Yes, in many recipes, eggs can be replaced with unsweetened applesauce. In general, you want to replace each egg with ¼ cup of applesauce plus a little extra leavening agent (about ¼ teaspoon baking powder or soda, depending on the recipe).
For the best results, always consider the role eggs play in your recipe. If they are used for moisture and as a binding agent, you can typically use applesauce or another egg replacer safely.
You would not want to use applesauce in recipes that rely on the protein structure in egg whites, like meringues or sponge cakes or in this gluten free white bread. Applesauce is low in protein and won't provide enough structure for the final product to turn out right.
This substitute can work in a range of recipes, but is especially handy in denser baked goods, like quick breads, muffins, pancakes (like these buckwheat pancakes), and scones like these lemonade scones. It's more about achieving a similar level of moisture.
Look for muffin or cake recipes that call for buttermilk, oil, or melted butter; they'll generally be able to handle the extra moisture very well.
Pro Tips for Baking with Applesauce
- Substitute within reason. The applesauce egg substitute works best in smaller quantities, like when you replace 1-2 regular eggs. Otherwise, you can change the final texture of the baked good and potentially have issues with crumbling or overly dense textures. Pancakes, like these rice flour pancakes, work very well in this regard.
- Use unsweetened applesauce. Regular applesauce can increase the sugar in your recipe, which can make your dessert come out overly sweet. For the best results, opt for applesauce made with no added sugar or consider reducing the amount of sugar in the original recipe.
- Try other fruit purees. Instead of applesauce, try using pear sauce (made from cooked and pureed pears), mashed overripe bananas, or even canned pumpkin puree. They are all generally interchangeable in recipes.
- Make your own. Homemade applesauce is surprisingly easy to make. You don't even have to peel the apples! Simply cook down the sliced apples in a small amount of water until the apple slices are tender. Then, mash, blend, or puree until smooth. The flavor is generally much better than store-bought applesauce and it's a great way to use up excess apples from apple recipes like this gluten-free apple crisp recipe!
- Watch the baking time. All that extra moisture may require you to extend the baking time slightly. Use a tester to gauge doneness instead of the regular baking time.
Best Egg Substitutes for Baking
I have a whole guide to the best vegan egg substitutes with 17 options, including applesauce and more. If applesauce doesn't do it for you, try some of these instead:
- Flax or chia eggs (hydrate 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds or chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let it gel for 5 minutes)
- The liquid from a can of chickpeas (aquafaba) makes great vegan egg whites
- Mashed banana
- Yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream (vegan dairy items work well, too)
- Store-bought egg substitutes, like liquid vegan eggs
- Cornstarch, arrowroot powder, or agar agar
- Homemade egg substitutes with vegetable oil or even carbonated water
More Baking Substitution Help
Looking for more baking substitutions like this? Try these:
