Baking Without Eggs – How to Make Flax Seed Goop

“The Goops they lick their fingers….”

Does anyone remember the book Goops and How to Be Them: A Manual of Manners for Polite Children by Gelett Burgess?

When I first started making ‘eggs’ from flax seed, all I could think about was how goopy and gloppy they are. Now I can’t mix up these egg substitutes without remembering that line from The Goops, and so it seems fitting to call this concoction flax seed goop.

Today’s post is a how-to discussion on making the flax seed goop.

You can start with either whole flax seeds, or ground flaxseed meal. I’ll show you both methods.

The whole flax seeds I used were sent to me by Tropical Traditions to review. I’ll be letting you know how I liked them in my next post, but first I want you to see how awesome these flax seeds look!

Simply combine 1 tablespoon whole flax seeds with 3 tablespoons water in a blender and turn it on. This photo shows the equivalent of two eggs. I used the puree setting for about two minutes until the mixture became goopy.

I really like the texture of flax seed goop, as it most resembles eggs. It will change the color of whatever you are making – you’re baked goods will have brown flecks – and it also will add a slight nutty taste.

The second method of making flax seed goop is even simpler. Here you can either start with ground whole flaxseed meal, or grind your own. (An electronic coffee or herb grinder works well for this purpose.) For this mixture I used Bob's Red Mill flax seed Meal.

Whisk together 1 tablespoon flax seed meal with 3 tablespoons water and let it sit. When it’s goopy (about twenty minutes) it’s ready to be added to your recipe.

Flax seed goop can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Measure out ¼ cup of goop for each egg you are replacing. Just be sure to let the goop come to room temperature before adding to your project.

Have you tried flax seeds as egg replacements? What do you think?