3 Ingredient Substitutes That Take Egg-Less Cookies From Good To Great

Vegan cookies require creative substitutions for animal products like eggs. But it's not just vegans who may be interested in egg substitutes for cookie recipes. The high price and limited availability of eggs at grocery stores nationwide can put budget-conscious shoppers in a position to seek substitutes they may have never tried before. As the founder and recipe developer at Spring Cafe Aspen organic food and juice bar, Sabrina Rudin is familiar with the best egg substitutes for cookie recipes, and she exclusively told Daily Meal her favorites. "My favorite egg substitutes for cookies are a flax egg, mashed banana, and applesauce," Rudin told us.

While there are many egg substitutes for baking depending on what you want to cook, these are some of the best options for replacing eggs in cookies. Using other substitutes may result in a less appetizing cookie, contingent on your desired flavor and consistency.  

"If it's a more traditional cookie, I will use a flax egg," Sabrina Rudin told us, "as these don't alter the taste or color." Flax eggs are a versatile egg substitute in general, and making them almost couldn't be easier. "To make a flax egg," Rudin said, "mix 1 tablespoon ground flax meal with 2½ tablespoons of water and let sit until congealed. 1 flax egg is equivalent to 1 egg in a recipe."

The thick goop that forms after a few minutes acts as an excellent binder in recipes, especially for denser baked goods like a traditional cookie. Flaxseed may taste faintly nutty, but flax eggs have a more neutral flavor profile that works well in cookies and allows your other ingredients to impart the desired taste unobstructed. First-time flax egg bakers should know that cookies made this way are prone to drying out. Be careful not to overbake them; once cooked, they are best eaten within 24 hours.

Fruits are recognized for their flavor, but Sabrina Rudin told us that bananas can also make excellent egg substitutes in cookie recipes, especially ones with reduced sugar. "They work well as binders — like eggs," she said, "but also add natural sweetness to the recipe." Rudin substitutes half a cup of mashed banana per egg in her cookie recipes.

Cookies sometimes call for a lot of added sugar, excess consumption of which can cause long-term health issues. The natural sugars found in bananas are a healthier alternative since they are less sweet and come with added nutritional benefits, like good levels of fiber, vitamins B6 and C, potassium, and magnesium.

Structurally, bananas add moisture to baked goods, so banana cookies will be less likely to dry out than their flax egg counterpart. Cookies made with mashed bananas will also retain some of the banana's creaminess, but remember that when picking a recipe, they may also feature distinct notes of banana flavor.

Applesauce is another of Sabrina Rudin's favorite egg substitutes for cookie recipes, for many of the same reasons as bananas. "I love to use apple," she told us, and applesauce's gently cooked and mashed consistency is the best way to impart this natural sweetness into cookies. Much like bananas, Rudin recommends substituting ½ cup of applesauce per egg.

Applesauce is a great egg substitute in this role because, like bananas, it adds moisture as well as many nutrients like vitamin C for immune health, and pectin for digestive health. Applesauce has fewer calories and somewhat fewer sugars than a mashed banana. Additionally, the weaker taste of applesauce means that your final product should not taste like apples.

At Daily Meal, we've tested ten store-bought applesauce brands and determined that the best overall is Good & Gather's Homestyle Applesauce, a Target brand with the right balance of sweetness and a short ingredient list free of unnecessary additions. This should also help make it an excellent egg substitute for vegan cookies.