When you Google “Vegan Egg Replacement” and everything from applesauce to flax eggs pop up, what’s a chef to do? After testing hundreds of recipes designed for our discerning Vegan clients, the popular “1 tablespoon chia seed to 3 tablespoons of water” falls short for both taste and chemistry… it works okay, but it is not stellar. Our science geekitude is showing again, so hang with us this is a good thing!
First objective, how does it behave in the texture of your muffin/cake? Second objective, how does it behave in your body? We prefer chia to flax first because it packs more protein like an egg would and chia is not über estrogenic, so it doesn’t jack with your hormones. Chia seeds do not go rancid with the same quickness that flax tends to, and trust us, you don’t want rancid oils in your blood stream! Our JingSlinger Chia Egg is based on the culinary chemistry one large chicken egg brings to the table in baking for both flavor and texture.
Gather Up
1 TB freshly ground Chia Seed, measured after the grinding…
über important detail (there is the protein profile we want)
4 TB warm Water
1 tsp Coconut Oil (for the healthy fat component)
Sling It Up
Pour the 4 tablespoons of water and the 1 teaspoon of oil into a small bowl. Grind the chia seeds in your coffee or spice grinder, or powderize old-school style with a mortar and pestle, until you get a fine powder. Measure the 1 level tablespoon of the now ground chia into the water, a little at a time while whisking briskly to avoid clumps. Let it do its gel thing either on the counter top or in the fridge. When you measure it into a recipe, it will be 4 level tablespoons of the now gelled chia egg mixture for each egg called for in the recipe.
So one large egg equals = 4 tablespoons of a JingSlinger Chia Egg.
One cup of eggs equals = 4 JingSlinger Chia Eggs.
Note that a chia egg does not provide much or any rise or lift but it does allow the batter to come together and the protein aspect keeps it together. This egg does not whip into meringue or work in Pâte À Choux recipes. Chia eggs do impart a slight nutty flavor not so noticeable in chocolate or spice cake type recipes but in vanilla you may detect it. For lift and rise and a fluffy or more tender cake, muffin or cupcake you gotta deploy the special alchemical forces of lemon juice, apple cider or white vinegar with baking soda and or aluminum-free, non-GMO baking powder.