​​I made pancakes with 3 different egg substitutes, and the applesauce version stood out from the rest (2024)

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In many recipes, eggs act as a binder, emulsifier, or leavener, but substitutes can help you achieve a similar effect.

While eggs have plenty of health benefits, there are numerous reasons why someone may want to cut them out of their diet. For example, if you are following a plant-based diet or have an allergy, you may want to find egg alternatives.

Knowing what role an egg plays in a recipe is a crucial part of selecting its replacement. Depending on the recipe, substitutions can include:

• Applesauce
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Commercial egg replacements
• Ground flax seeds
• Silken tofu

In the spirit of Veganuary, I wanted to see how three popular egg replacements would affect a breakfast staple: pancakes. You don't need eggs or any of its substitutes to make pancakes, but they can improve the overall texture and taste.

For my experiment, I made three pancakes, using a different egg substitute for each. I hoped to get the pancakes as fluffy as possible without compromising on the taste.

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I started with the substitute I was the most nervous about: the banana.

To make the pancake I used:

• 1 whole banana,in place of one whole egg
• 1/2 cup of pancake mix
• 1/4 cup of water

For each pancake trial, I used Market Pantry, Target's private-label pancake mix, which costs $1.79.

I used a spoon to mash the banana and tried to get most of the lumps out — I didn't want this to turn into banana pancakes, so I thought muddling out the lumps would help the banana serve more as a substitute than a staple.

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Of all the pancakes I made for this test, the banana batter was the thickest.

In hindsight, the banana I used was pretty large, so I think using half would have been plenty, and adding a little more water could have helped, too.

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When it came to tasting the pancake, I was pretty disappointed.

From appearances alone, I could tell that this pancake was ... off. It was not as fluffy as I'd hoped.

Even though I spread butter and syrup on the pancake, it tasted like pure fried banana to me. I love bananas on their own, but I thought this combination left much to be desired.

However, if you like banana-flavored breakfast foods, then this version could be perfect for you.

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I had high hopes for Just Egg, a vegan egg substitute.

Just Egg is a plant-based egg substitute, made with mung-bean protein isolate, turmeric, and canola oil. It cost $4.00 and can be prepared on its own or as part of a recipe.

To make the pancake, I used:

• 1/2 cup of pancake mix
• 1/4 cup of Just Egg
• I eyeballed the water because I didn't want to make it too runny.

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This one cooked just like a regular pancake and seemed like it might be the winner.

The egg substitute was a bit more liquid than a regular egg, but I didn't think there was any real difference in the taste or smell.

I was excited to see if it lived up to my expectations.

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This one was definitely fluffier and tastier than the banana version.

I had my friend try a piece to get a second opinion and she thought I made it with an actual egg.

I'm not sure how Just Egg holds up on its own — say, if you're using it for scrambled eggs — but I found it's a perfect substitute for recipes such as pancakes.

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The final substitute I tested was applesauce.

I don't eat applesauce on a regular basis, but I have heard of people using it as an egg substitute when baking. Plus, it was easily available at my local store.

I chose cinnamon-flavored applesauce because I thought it would make the pancakes taste better. It was $2.00, which was great, but I noticed it contained 0 grams of protein. By comparison, Just Egg has 5 grams of protein per serving, while a normal egg provides around 6 grams.

For this version I used:

• 1/2 cup of pancake mix
• 1/4 cup of applesauce
• 1/4 cup of water

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At first, the mixture seemed a bit too watery, so I added in more pancake mix.

Once the consistency was to my liking, I poured it onto a lightly oiled preheated skillet. It smelled amazing and didn't look any different from a regular pancake.

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To say I was pleasantly surprised by the taste would be an understatement.

This one genuinely shocked me. As I mentioned, I am not crazy about applesauce in general so I was a little bit apprehensive about how it might turn out.

I took my first bite and immediately went in for a second — it was delicious. The apple was not overpowering and the cinnamon was a great touch. It was the sweetest pancake, but it wasn't overbearing.

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I had to declare the applesauce pancake as my winner.

While the Just Egg pancake was a success too, the applesauce pancake changed the course of my night from an experiment to straight-up dinner time.

This is the substitute I'll reach for in the future.