Get through the egg shortage with these substitutions (2024)

If the recent egg shortage has you searching for other sources of protein or baking substitutions, Roberta Anding, a registered dietitian with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, offers a few tips.

“One egg has about seven grams of protein,” said Anding. “So a protein equivalent to one egg is about one ounce of meat, one ounce of cheese, half a cup of beans or one, eight ounce glass of milk.”

Anding notes that if you like to make a breakfast taco or burrito in the morning, use pinto or black beans, and add some potatoes and pico de gallo to a whole wheat tortilla. If you prefer refried beans, look for the vegetarian variety since they are made with olive oil rather than lard.

For baking, eggs act as a binder and add moisture to the sweet treat. Other substitutions that can add moisture are tofu or a banana. Use one banana to substitute one egg. One to two ounces of tofu are equivalent to one egg, but be sure that the recipe can take on the nutty flavor of tofu. If a recipe calls for one or two eggs, applesauce is also a good substitution. About half a cup of applesauce is equivalent to one egg. However, if the recipe calls for more than just a few eggs, these substitutions may change the outcome of the recipe.

Egg yolk contains phosphatidyl choline which is needed for brain development, so Anding suggests that pregnant women continue to consume eggs even though there is a shortage. She also notes that older adults should continue to consume eggs as well if possible.