If you’re vegetarian, egg-allergic, or have run out of eggs at the last minute, read on. You may be wondering how to make lasagna without eggs. Now, this may seem like a monumentally difficult task. Some may think everyone’s favorite dish without eggs is impossible. However, this is most definitely not the case.
If you’re in one of these situations or are avoiding eggs on a low cholesterol diet, we’ve got all the best alternatives coming up. Here are the best substitutes for eggs in lasagna, ensuring that there’s an option for everyone.
What’s The Purpose Of Eggs In Lasagna?
If you’ve ever tasted a delicious lasagna with creamy, strong cheese flowing from a soft pasta sheet, you might have wondered why the cheese is so thick and juicy? Well, don’t be surprised – it’s an egg!
Eggs make lasagna softer and more delicious! But, how? The cheese itself is very creamy, but a binder is needed to prevent layering and separate lasagna. Eggs are beaten and then mixed into the cheese to help it bind together with the base. This ensures that flavors and textures fuse, granting creaminess and great moisture throughout.
Best Substitutes For Egg In Lasagna
You’ll have a creamy dish with an amazing depth of flavor and an irresistible texture if you use any of the following substitutes for egg in lasagna.
1. Water And Flaxseed
A mix of water and flaxseed works well as a substitute for eggs as a binder. You can even use water and flaxseed for baking cakes and muffins. All you need to do is add a little water to crushed flaxseed and work it until the blend becomes sticky.
Water breaks down the flax fibers called mucous, or the sticky part of the seed layer. It is this stickiness that gives the whole mixture its consistency. Water and flaxseed replace one egg at a ratio of one tablespoon of flax to three tablespoons of water.
2. Chia Seeds And Water
Add some water to chia seeds and a sticky, gooey paste similar to water and flaxseed forms. It’s an excellent substitute for eggs in lasagna. It takes a blend of one tablespoon of chia seeds to two and a half tablespoons of water to replace one egg. Mix the chia gel with your ricotta or spread it evenly across each layer if making a vegan lasagna.
3. Unsweetened Zucchini Puree
Swap out the eggs in your lasagna recipe for zucchini. Unsweetened zucchini puree is one of the most neutral substitutes for eggs in the lasagna that’ll retain the traditional texture and a closely matched flavor.
Pumpkin puree is another substitute that works equally as well. However, the flavor of squash comes through slightly stronger. Try replacing the traditional red sauce in your lasagna with a sage-based white sauce when using fall ingredients like Zucchini or pumpkin. The flavor profiles make the earthy richness better.
4. Bechamel Sauce
Take your traditional lasagna to the next level without ricotta cheese or egg. Make a bechamel sauce to replace eggs and ricotta at once. Combine flour, milk, and butter to make a silky smooth bechamel.
Add in your favorite hard or semi-soft cheese. Mozzarella, parmesan, and vegan cheese all work great. In no time, you’ve got a sauce to apply to each layer of lasagna, repeating through the entire dish. You’ve got the same flavor-fusing and binding effect without the egg.
5. Plain Yogurt
Plain yogurt is another substitute for eggs that lets you replace the ricotta with hard or semi-soft cheese. It takes around a quarter cup of plain yogurt to replace an egg. Be sure to spread the mixture over each layer.
Regular yogurt has the same structure as ricotta, but because it’s thicker, it sticks better. If you don’t want to use eggs, add unsweetened plain yogurt to your mix. Then, either add to the ricotta to thicken it or blend with another cheese. It’ll make your lasagna even creamier.
6. Tofu And Yogurt
Work your tofu into a paste and blend it with yogurt. Add a pinch of baking soda to a mix of 1/8 cup silken tofu and 1/8 cup yogurt to replace one egg. This grants the mix leavening properties, letting it set.
Alternatively, you can use a quarter cup of tofu alone, but the texture is closer to ricotta and egg if you blend them. Spread the mixture over each layer generously.
7. Cream With Cornstarch
Cream with cornstarch is a great substitute for egg in lasagna. For the creamiest lasagna, go for heavy cream. Beat the cream until thick, adding a little cornstarch until you reach the right consistency. Finally, mix this with your ricotta to make a delicious egg-free lasagna.
8. Cream With Potato Starch
Whisk your cream until it thickens, adding a little potato starch at a time until the right consistency is reached. You’re ideally looking for a blend that’s about as thick as ricotta. Once it’s ready, mix with your choice of cheese (preferably ricotta) and spread on each layer.
Some prefer heavy cream and potato starch over heavy cream and cornstarch. Its bland flavor is a more neutral binder.
9. Water And Arrowroot
Just like water and flaxseed, a mixture of arrowroot and water is a fantastic binder. It works well in most pastries like lasagna when choosing to omit eggs. To make the ideal blend for lasagna, combine one tablespoon of sage powder with two tablespoons of water. After combining well, mix with cheese and spread evenly over each pasta layer.
10. Mashed Potato
Potatoes cooked soft and then mashed grants a thickness that’s a good binder for lasagna. Mix the mashed or pureed potato with ricotta cheese and spread it on each layer.
For a completely vegan alternative, you can skip the cheese completely with this substitute. Vegetable puree is delicate, dense, and grants the satisfying texture you’re looking for in lasagna.
11. Mashed Parsnip
The earthy nuttiness of mashed parsnip makes it a good puree to use in the place of eggs. Use it just as you would mashed potato, spreading a little across each layer evenly after mixing it with ricotta. Remember that parsnip will give your dish a sweetish taste, so we recommend you adjust your sauce accordingly.
12. Applesauce
Applesauce is a sweet alternative to egg that works pretty well in lasagna. Work through a quarter cup of applesauce to replace eggs in lasagna. Ensure you use unsweetened apple sauce, or your lasagna will have an overly sweet, strangely tangy taste.
13. Avocado
Mash or puree an avocado for an excellent substitute for egg in lasagna. Spread the avocado across each layer evenly before applying your ricotta.
Alternatively, blend the avo with your ricotta beforehand. If you do decide to blend, the taste of avocado will be far more prominent. This is an egg substitute that binds really well, adding an immense degree of creaminess, but it will alter the flavor of your lasagna noticeably.
14. Sour Cream
Add a quarter cup of sour cream to replace the egg in the lasagna. We recommend beating it with a little added cornstarch and then combining the mix with your ricotta or spreading it as-is in each layer. There’ll be a subtle flavor difference, giving lasagna a more tangy, savory taste.
In addition, the sour cream brings out the taste of the cheese, transforming traditional lasagna into something even richer and more decadent.
15. DIY Vegan Cheese Sauce
Vegan-friendly lasagna is a breeze and tastes just as amazing as any other recipe using this cheese sauce and egg replacement.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of All-Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup of Nutritional Yeast
- 2 cups of Almond Milk
- 1 teaspoon of Salt
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil (Olive, Canola, or Sunflower)
Method:
- Blend your flour, yeast, and salt, combining well.
- Fill a saucepan with almond milk and add the mixture.
- Blend in the vinegar and oil.
- Stir well until a smooth consistency is reached.
- Bring the blend to the boil stirring constantly.
- Once the boiling point has been reached, lower the heat to low.
- Stir until the blend thickens, which usually takes around five minutes.
Once cooled, you have tasty Vegan “cheese” sauce and a wonderful substitute for egg in lasagna. Either mix it with Vegan cheese or spread it liberally on each layer of pasta.
Wrapping Up
Try using these alternatives if you’re avoiding eggs for any reason or don’t have enough for a specific lasagna recipe. Each of these substitutes for eggs in lasagna will help fill the gap. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how well lasagna comes when using any of these great ingredients. There’s no compromise to texture or taste. Which is your favorite?