An egg does several jobs in food at once: it sets when heated, it binds, it foams, it emulsifies fat and water, and it adds colour and flavour. A plant-based egg has to copy whichever of those jobs the recipe needs. That is why there is no single formula, and why products built for scrambling differ from those built for baking.
The building blocks
| Job of the egg | Plant ingredients commonly used |
|---|---|
| Setting on heat (scramble, omelette, quiche) | Proteins from mung bean, chickpea, fava bean, soy or pea, which gel when cooked |
| Binding and moisture in baking | Pulse flours, starches, ground flax or chia, fruit and vegetable fibres |
| Foaming (meringue, mousse) | Aquafaba — the cooking liquid of chickpeas — and purified pulse or potato proteins |
| Emulsifying (mayonnaise, dressings) | Plant proteins together with lecithin from sunflower or soy |
| Colour | Turmeric, carrot or paprika extracts, beta-carotene |
| Eggy flavour | Kala namak (black salt), whose sulphur notes recall cooked egg, with yeast extracts and natural flavours |
| Texture and stability | Hydrocolloids such as gellan, and small amounts of vegetable oil |
How it is manufactured
- Protein extraction: the pulse is milled and its protein separated from starch and fibre, by dry air-classification or by wet extraction, to give a concentrate or isolate with the right gelling behaviour.
- Formulation: protein, oil, colour, flavour, salt and stabilisers are blended to match the target — pourable for scrambling, thicker for baking.
- Liquid products are homogenised, heat-treated to make them safe while keeping the protein able to set, and filled chilled or aseptically.
- Powder products are dry-blended or spray-dried. They are lighter to ship, keep for many months without refrigeration and are mixed with water at the point of use.
Where it works — and where it is harder
- Works well: scrambles and omelettes, cakes, muffins, pancakes, cookies, pasta, batters, binders for plant-based patties, egg-free mayonnaise.
- Harder: recipes that rely on egg for most of their structure, such as sponge cakes, soufflés and custards, usually need a formula made for that purpose and some trial work.
- For manufacturers, the attractions are supply that does not swing with egg prices or bird-flu outbreaks, no salmonella risk from shell eggs, long shelf life in powder form, and one product that suits vegan, vegetarian and egg-allergic consumers.
Labelling and allergens
Removing egg removes one allergen, but soy is itself a declared allergen in most countries, and pulses such as pea, chickpea and lupin matter to some consumers, so the protein source must be clear on the label. Rules on using the word "egg" for a plant product differ between countries: check the law where the product will be sold, and describe the product by what it is and what it does. In India, vegan foods carry the vegan logo defined by the food regulator, and claims need to be supported by the manufacturer.
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