Tofu as an egg substitute?

[Will S.]

I have a vegan friend for whom I would like to make some zucchini bread with the bumper crop I got at the farmers market. As an egg substitute, one of the the things I have seen in the recipes and on chow is tofu. I don't really know much about about tofu, so can some one explain why exactly this works as an egg substitute?

[Will S.]

Thanks everyone for your help. Based on the feed back I finally decided to try the silken (in the name of science). Something did not go quite right -- I think perhaps too much. the problem was that it came through as a background taste and that the texture was not quite right. Luckily, my friend was rather generous toward my effort. So the question now remains do I try it again with my new found knowledge (in the name of science) or move on to another egg replacer.

[maxie]

Blended silken tofu does work as an egg substitute in cakes, quickbreads and pancakes. Eggs serve different functions in different applications. In a cake, they don 't serve only as a binder and leavener, but provide structure through coagulation. I don't know why, but the texture of tofu provides a structure and texture more similar to cake made with eggs. It does, however, leave a telltale taste of tofu. It can masked somewhat in heavily flavored cakes like chocolate or spiced carrot, but that flavor lingers. If you don't mind the flavor of tofu (I hate it!), it makes a moist and texturally appealing cake.

[socapitmaster]

You can also us4e a couple of spoonfuls of soy flour to replace the eggs...I think its one spoonful per egg..Flax seed would work better in this though and as to tofu..It can work..Again its one spoonful per egg (Most people use to much tofu so thats why the lady dumped the cake)

[nemo]

I just made vegan chocolate pudding using banana and avocado, both I'm assuming were to replace fat and egg. If you make a chocolate-zucchini bread, you might get away with the avocado and/or banana instead of the tofu because the cocoa powder will mask the fruity taste.

[MinkeyMonkey]

I'm so curious!! Would you please post the recipe? Did it take less sugar than regular pudding due to the sweetness of the banana(s)? Last question, did you like it?

[nemo]

Chocolate-Avocado Pudding
(Original recipe)

1 ripe banana, chopped
1/4-1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 avocados, chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup water

Put banana, honey, and vanilla in blender. Blend until smooth. Add avocado chunks and blend. Scraping down sides as needed. Add cocoa powder and water. Blend until smooth. Serve chilled.

This was very difficult to blend as it was extremely thick. Thinned it with a Tbsp of water at a time until pudding consistency. A couple of vegan friends thought the avocado was too pronounced.

(Tweaked recipe)

4" piece of ripe banana, cut in slices
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla, or a splash more
1 avocado, cut in chunks
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup water, plus more 1 Tbsp at a time

Same procedure as above. Although I liked the first version, I have to admit you only need one avocado. It's very chocolaty, and creamy due to the avocado. I thought it was very tasty, and would make the tweaked version again. Good to have a totally vegan dessert recipe around.

[MinkeyMonkey]

Thank you for posting this! I'm a little unsure because it sounds different but I'll probably try it anyway, because I'll bet it is delicious!

[funniduck]

How funny! I just made vegan zucchini bread tonight with EnerG egg replacer. You can also use ground flax seed, but I personally don't like the nutty taste. You can also substitute with bananas, but then you have the banana tasting zucchini bread. I don't like that either. So I prefer EnerG egg replacer.

I've never tried tofu, but according to Post Punk Kitchen you can. They also have all the measurement exchange rate:
http://www.theppk.com/veganbaking.html
hope this helps!

[ipsedixit]

Yup, either EnerG egg replacer or you can try yogurt/applesauce combo.

[enbell]

Tofu can act as a cheese substitute in baked pasta dishes, but even then there is a noticable difference as it is much more moist than cheese. I have never tried baked goods with tofu. I always go the flax seed route. These two recipes worked for me so far:

With flax seed
http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/?p=777
Without flax seed
http://www.veganstreet.com/veganlivin...
(I actually prefer this one; the maple adds a nice flavor. I have to leave out the nuts though - and it still comes out great)

[scubadoo97]

I've used firm tofu to make a mock egg salad. The texture was very convincing and after flavor components had been added it was very much like the real thing. Not sure if they it can be use in other applications.

[janeh]

I don't think that tofu would work, but I've seen powdered "egg replacers" at the natural foods store. Still curious, I googled "vegan zucchini bread" and there are some well reviewed recipes that don't seem to use an egg substitute at all. Happy baking!

[soypower]

I've never heard of tofu as an egg substitute in baked goods. I believe the egg works as a binder and gives the bread a little fluff? I would be more apt to use a combination of bananas (for the binder) and baking powder (for the fluff).

ETA: And vegetable oil to replace the fat lost from eggs and butter.

[MinkeyMonkey]

I'm sure someone who knows more will answer but...

I've only ever heard of and used tofu as an egg substitute when eating them like scrambled eggs, say in a skillet dish or just on their own all crumbled with a touch of turmeric (for the yellow colour). and some onions and black pepper.

For baking, I use a boxed egg substitute. You just add water, stir, add it to the mix when your recipe calls for an egg. Easy peasy. You might want to check the box of the one you buy to make sure it is vegan.

[darklyglimmer]

The boxed egg sub sounds like a better bet than tofu to me. I've read about a homemade egg substitute using flax seed, but never made it. This fits the description I've heard:

http://www.food.com/recipe/flax-vegan...

I agree with soypower, below - not sure why tofu would work as an egg substitute, since the egg is a binder. Unless maybe the OP meant silken tofu? That makes a bit more sense, texturally.

[MinkeyMonkey]

Oh, I forgot about flax and silken! One incredible good cook/friend can make the most fluffy waffles using a home made flax seed preparation (beyond my comprehension level) and another friend who makes the truly to die for chocolate pie that is made with silken tofu. I'm surprised the lot of us she served it to didn't fight each other just to get the last slice! But, I tried to make it following the recipe and, wow, tasted like tofu. We added more cocoa, more sugar and blended it even more. Bleh. Maybe we missed something integral to the recipe?

I have used the boxed vegan egg sub. powder, Ener-G brand, for ages and in just about every kind of recipe and it has never let me down. I know there are other brands, just haven't tried them.

[iL Divo]

I have no idea what to use instead of eggs in a zuke bread. watching cupcake wars a few days ago, the lady's had a vegan cupcake that everyone said was wonderfully moist, but don't know anything at all about what was in there.

maybe go into something like vegan recipes dot com to find an answer.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&am...

I made a chocolate cake using tofu as told to me by a lady I worked with that was vegan and her husband was a chef. said it was spectacular, so I made it. took one bite, dumped the entire thing in the dumpster, so to me, tofu < nofu..............................but just my opinion