Most baking recipes rely on eggs to provide structure and bind dry ingredients together. Fortunately, you can use an egg substitute in banana bread without changing its texture.
There are plenty of ingredients that have similar properties to eggs and can be used as an alternative in banana bread. And most of them are kitchen staples that are probably at your disposal.
Read on to find out the best egg replacements in banana bread.
The best egg substitutes in banana bread?
Eggs serve three key roles in banana bread:
- They provide moisture
- They glue ingredients together
- They act as a leavener
So when we’re using a substitute we need to make sure it does these things equally well.
After some thorough research, I found out there are 9 egg substitutes that fit into this category.
Let’s take a look.
Applesauce
Applesauce is one of the most popular vegan alternatives to eggs.
It’s used for eggless brownies, cookies, muffins and plenty of other desserts including banana bread.
The reason why it does such a great job as an egg substitute is due to its unique chemical properties.
Put simply, applesauce is high in a carbohydrate called pectin.
When pectin interacts with sugar, it creates a fine mesh that traps liquids and makes dry ingredients stick together.
This makes applesauce great for baking recipes which use eggs as a binding agent.
To use applesauce as a substitute, replace each egg with 1/4 cup of applesauce. I recommend using the unsweetened variety so you don’t throw off the taste of your banana bread.
If you want to learn how to use applesauce in other desserts and pastries click here.
Check out: 13 Delightful Sour Cherry Dessert Recipes
Aquafaba
Aquafaba is another great substitute for eggs in banana bread. It’s made from the leftover liquid of canned or cooked chickpeas.
This precious liquid has a similar protein composition to egg whites which makes it a great binder and leavener.
And thankfully, it doesn’t impart any flavor on desserts or pastries.
To make aquafaba, simply drain a can of chickpeas and whip the liquid with a hand mixer until it reaches a creamy consistency.
Once done, you can use 3 tablespoons of aquafaba to substitute one egg in your banana bread.
You can use the rest to make mousses, merengues or macarons.
Yogurt
Yogurt is a commonly used egg substitute in baking.
It has a thick consistency which binds dry ingredients together, provides moisture and adds leavening to baked goods.
And since it’s slightly acidic, it also boosts the effects of the other leavening agents such as baking powder.
All of these properties make yogurt a viable substitute for eggs in banana bread as well.
To replace one egg you’ll need to use 1/4 cup of yogurt.
The only thing you should keep in mind is to use a natural unsweetened yogurt to keep the sugar content intact.
I personally love using yogurt since it gives my banana bread a light texture and improves its flavor.
Flaxseed
One of the best ways to replace eggs in a recipe is to use flaxseed.
Flaxseed provides baked goods with structure and volume and can even act as an emulsifier.
This is thanks to a substance that covers the outer layer of flax seeds called mucilage. Similarly to pectin, mucilage forms a gel when it gets combined with water.
This allows it to trap particles and serve as a binding agent.
If you want to use flaxseed instead of eggs in banana bread, you’ll need to grind 1 tbsp of flaxseed and combine it with 3 tbsp of water.
Afterwards, you should let the mixture rest until it forms a gel.
This shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes.
Another great thing about flaxseed is that it will give your banana bread a slightly nutty flavor.
Even though some people dislike it, this can work to your advantage if you’re using walnuts or pecans.
Buttermilk
There’s no better way to keep your banana bread moist and give it some volume than using buttermilk.
Similarly to yogurt, buttermilk is slightly acidic and reacts to baking powder by forming carbon dioxide.
The release of carbon dioxide then forms bubbles which help the dough rise during baking.
Since this reaction happens quickly, you’ll want to let the buttermilk come to room temperature before incorporating it into your dough.
If you add it straight from the fridge, your banana bread simply won’t rise as much.
Anyways, to use buttermilk in place of eggs you’ll need to replace each egg with 1/4 cup buttermilk.
Sour cream
Sour cream can be a great substitute if you’re looking to add more flavor to your eggless banana bread.
Unlike most other egg replacements, sour cream has a high fat content that gives baked goods a richer taste.
It’s also slightly acidic and can impart a mild tangy flavor.
Another benefit of sour cream is its thickness.
Thanks to it sour cream can glue dry ingredients together and act as a binding agent similarly to an egg.
You’ll need 1/4 cup of sour cream to replace one egg.
Silken tofu
Even though silken tofu is mostly used for savory dishes, it can also be used to provide structure in baked goods.
When it’s mashed, it has a creamy consistency that holds dry ingredients together and serves as a binding agent.
And since it has a moderate water content, silken tofu also makes desserts more tender and moist.
With that said, you can use 1/4 cup of mashed silken tofu to replace one egg in banana bread.
You can also use other types of tofu, but they won’t have the same texture and might not hold ingredients as well.
Sweetened condensed milk
Sweetened condensed milk is another great dairy alternative to eggs.
Similarly to sour cream, it has a dense and sticky texture that’s perfect for keeping dry ingredients together.
It also packs a rich flavor and will give your banana bread a more nuanced flavor.
The additional moisture on the other hand will make your bread more tender and moist.
To substitute sweetened condensed milk for eggs in banana bread you’ll need to replace each egg with 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk.
It’s worth noting that condensed and evaporated milk aren’t the same.
Evaporated milk doesn’t contain any sugar and has a different texture that makes it unsuitable as an egg substitute.
Peanut Butter
Even though peanut butter doesn’t provide any leavening, it can still be used instead of eggs in banana bread.
Due to its sticky consistency, peanut butter does the same job as an egg when it comes to binding ingredients.
However, it also imparts a rich nutty flavor that enhances the taste of banana bread.
I personally love using it especially when I’m making my banana bread with walnuts.
It’s simply a match made in heaven!
To use peanut butter as an egg replacement, you’ll need to substitute each egg with 3 tablespoons of peanut butter.
In case you don’t have any peanut butter, you can use any type of nut butter for the same purpose.
Can banana bread rise without eggs?
In order to make a loaf of banana bread rise without any eggs you’ll need to increase the amount of leavening in your recipe.
Even though most egg substitutes act as leaveners, they usually don’t provide the necessary volume.
In my opinion, using 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda is enough to give a good rise to an eggless banana bread.
If you’re using yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream as an egg substitute, you can omit the baking soda.
My short recap
You can make a great loaf of banana bread without using any eggs. There are plenty of egg substitutes that work equally as well and provide great results.
You can use both plant based ingredients such as applesauce, aquafaba and peanut butter as well as dairy products like sour cream and yogurt.
Whichever you choose, you can be certain that your banana bread will taste excellent!