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Want to make pancakes without eggs? You have options! Here are the best egg substitutes when it’s the perfect morning for pancakes.
Pancakes are a frequent request at my house. It happens often enough that I’ve even been caught without eggs, one of the most basic ingredients in pancakes. That doesn’t always mean a last-minute run to the store or trying to coax my family into something else.
I’ve had to get creative. Whether you’re all out of eggs or working around an egg restriction, you have options. You can make incredibly fluffy, delicious pancakes without eggs!
I’ll share my favorite options for eggless flapjacks, including a special recipe that has gone over very well over here.
Why are eggs used in pancakes?
Before the substitute ideas, let’s talk about the function of eggs in pancakes and baked goods in general:
- Eggs act as a binder. This is one of the most important functions of eggs: they hold baked goods together. Remove the egg from the pancakes, and without a binder, they’ll fall apart on the griddle.
- Eggs make things fluffier. Eggs help foods to rise, leaven or puff up, making them have a light and airy texture.
- Eggs add color and richness in flavor. The egg yolk helps give your pancakes that golden brown appearance. It also adds a rich, savory flavor to recipes.
- Eggs add moisture. One large egg contributes about 3 tablespoons of moisture to the overall recipe.
With this in mind, let’s get to the egg substitutes!
Best egg substitute for pancakes
1. Nut butter or seed butter (peanut, almond, cashew, or sunflower)
The best egg substitute for pancakes is any type of nut butter, like peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. For nut allergies, you can use a seed butter like sunflower butter.
Nut butter does a few things. It helps to work as a binder to stick the batter together, and it adds a lovely richness to the flavor. It also helps add that golden brown color you’d expect in pancakes.
You can use 2 tablespoons of nut butter to replace 1 egg. Peanut butter has a stronger nutty flavor than almond butter or cashew butter.
2. Flax egg
Another great egg substitute for pancakes is a flax egg. You can make flax eggs at home using ground flaxseed and water. Mix the ground seeds with water, and after 15 minutes, they turn into a gel-like substance you can use as a binder in vegan baked goods. This works great in pancakes and other baked goods, like banana bread and cookies.
Flaxseed is super healthy, too. It’s a functional food rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids to support heart and gut health.
3. Applesauce
Another egg substitute for pancakes is applesauce. Fruit purees are a well-known substitute for eggs and oil in recipes, since they add moisture and a bit of binding. Use ¼ cup applesauce to replace 1 egg in pancakes.
4. Mashed banana
Mashed banana is another egg substitute for pancakes that works well. You’ll get a hint of banana flavor, but there’s really no downside to a little banana in your flapjacks! This is the same concept as the applesauce above.
5. Yogurt or sour cream
Greek yogurt or sour cream are common tricks to add moisture to pancakes. In fact, they’re my preferred ingredients in recipes like these Greek yogurt pancakes or sour cream pancakes. If you’re using yogurt, I recommend using unflavored plain or Greek yogurt. Substitute ¼ cup yogurt for every 1 egg in your pancake recipe.
Best Egg Substitute for Pancakes
Pancakes without eggs are even better! A secret egg substitute makes these pancakes over-the-top delicious.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 to 9 medium pancakes 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (or granulated sugar)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter (or sunflower butter for nut-free)
- 1 ¼ cup milk of choice (2%, oat milk or almond milk)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, sugar, and kosher salt.
- In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil and peanut butter. Add it to the batter, then immediately add the milk.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a smooth batter forms.
- Lightly grease a skillet with coconut oil and wipe off extra grease with a paper towel. Heat the skillet over low heat.
- Pour the batter into small circles, a little less than ¼ cup each.
- Cook the pancakes until the bubbles pop on the top and the bottoms are golden. Low and slow is the key! Then flip them and cook until done.
- Repeat with the remaining batter, adjusting the heat as necessary. (The skillet can get very hot on the second batch)
- Place the cooked pancakes under an inverted bowl to keep them warm. Serve immediately with maple syrup.
Thanks for the great resource! We were out of eggs, and my usual replacement (flax eggs), and yogurt… lol. Applesauce worked great!
Is the batter supposed to be really thick? Followed it but is like super thick hard to mix
You can water down a bit.
No judgement but this is not true. I’m a baker and Ive been making my pancakes from scratch for years and I don’t add eggs to them.
I am recently married myself… six months! It’s hard to believe how fast time flies with the one that you live, but when you both love to cook and bake, especially when trying new recipes, it’s great too share a lthat passi
Thanks for the tips! I thought I was covered when you had Greek yogurt as an egg substitute and a link to a Greek pancake recipe. And then I looked at the ingredients for that recipe and lo and behold, it called for an egg! Now I have bacon but no pancakes.?.. could be worse!
Hmmm. I think you are supposed to use the Greek yogurt in place of the egg in that Greek pancake recipe. Now, you can have both your pancakes and your bacon!
If you are on a SCD diet and allergic to eggs how do you make eggless pancakes with almond flour or coconut flour. I can use baking soda and vinegar but no baking powder or can it be done.