7 Things You Can Substitute for Eggs in Cake Mix

Looking for a reliable substitute for eggs in cake mix? Whether you’re baking for an allergy, you’ve run out of eggs, or you’re trying to make a vegan cake, you want solutions that actually work—ones that bind, add moisture, and help your cake rise. These are the egg substitutes that stand up to my testing!

For more baking tips, see my Guide to Egg Substitutes, which has information about egg substitutes beyond those for cake mix. My Guide to Baking Substitutions is worth bookmarking too!

7 Best Egg Substitutes for Baking Cake Mix

To expand on the points above, here’s what eggs do in a cake mix and why they need to be replaced, not just omitted:

• Eggs act as a binder, holding the ingredients together so that the cake doesn’t just crumble apart. Think of how firm eggs get when you cook them in a skillet. The proteins in the eggs get just as firm when they bake in a cake.
• Eggs also help leaven a cake. They expand as they bake and help the cake rise, making it nice and fluffy. 
• Eggs add fat to the cake mix, making it rich.

Eggs do a lot, so they are not an ingredient you can skip. However, they are an ingredient you can replace. So, let’s dive into the best substitutes for eggs in cake mix.

Mashed Banana

• How Much to Use Per Egg: 1/4 cup (mashed)
• Best For: Adds moisture and natural sweetness; good for chocolate, banana, spice cakes
• Cautions: Banana flavor may be noticeable

Mash up a ripe banana and you have a perfect egg substitute. Just like applesauce, bananas will give your boxed cake mix a fruity flavor and a little bit of extra sweetness. It will also help the cake bake with a nice golden brown color. Be sure to use ripe bananas (the riper, the better!) and mash them until very smooth.

Yogurt

• How Much to Use Per Egg: 1/4 cup
• Best For: Adds tang and moisture; works best when cake mix has baking soda
• Cautions: Can make texture denser if overused

Plain, unsweetened yogurt works well to replace eggs in boxed cake mix; I like to use thick Greek yogurt. It’s packed with protein, just like eggs, and it will make your cake very moist and dense. Once again, it is best to only replace up to four eggs with plain yogurt for the best texture.

Ground Flaxseeds

• How Much to Use Per Egg: 1 tablespoon ground seed + 3 tablespoons water
• Best For: Binding with a fairly neutral flavor; works well up to 2–3 eggs
• Cautions: Adds slight nuttiness; less lift unless paired with extra leavening

Flaxseed eggs are pretty cool and work really well in boxed cake mixes. Ground flaxseed will help bind your cake mix just like eggs. Mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds together with three tablespoons of water for each egg that needs to be replaced in your cake mix. Let the mixture sit for about 2-3 minutes to thicken and then it is ready to use!

Unsweetened Applesauce

• How Much to Use Per Egg: 1/4 cup
• Best For: Moist, neutral flavor; works well for 1–2 eggs
• Cautions: Don’t use excessive amounts, as too much can be gummy

Applesauce is a great, easy substitute for eggs in cake mix. It makes cake moist, but cake mix made with applesauce will also be a little more dense. Only replace up to four eggs in one recipe or your cake will come out rubbery. Both store-bought and homemade applesauce will work!

Silken Tofu

• How Much to Use Per Egg: 1/4 cup pureed
• Best For: Neutral flavor; good for dense cakes like brownies or pound cakes
• Cautions: Avoid using for more than two eggs

Silken tofu is a great vegan egg substitute for boxed cake mix. Add ¼ cup of silken tofu to a food processor and puree until it is very smooth. Use the tofu puree to make your boxed cake mix and you will have a perfect egg-free cake.

Baking Soda + Vinegar

• How Much to Use Per Egg: 1 teaspoon baking soda + 1 tablespoon vinegar
• Best For: Adds lift; useful in cakes needing fluff
• Cautions: No binding; best used in combination with another substitute

If you’ve ever made a baking soda volcano in science class when you were a kid, you know that baking soda and vinegar can have quite the reaction when combined! And this reaction can also give your cake mix a nice lift instead of eggs. This substitute is best used with a good binder like banana or applesauce; so, in a recipe with two eggs, you’d replace one with the mashed fruit and one with the baking soda and vinegar.

Aquafaba

• How Much to Use Per Egg: 3 tablespoons
• Best For: Great for light cakes; can mimic whipped egg whites
• Cautions: Slight “beany” aftertaste (usually masked)

The liquid inside a can of chickpeas can actually be used to replace eggs in cake mix. This thick water is called aquafaba and it is a great vegan way to replace eggs. You can even beat the aquafaba and it will get fluffy and light, just like whipped egg whites. I like to use chickpea liquid to replace egg whites since it has the same texture.

How to Choose the Right Egg Substitute Based on Your Cake Needs

Here are a few tips for using an egg substitute in cake:

• Need extra lift? Use a combination: flax egg + vinegar/soda.
• Want a neutral flavor? Use applesauce or tofu.
• Substituting multiple eggs? Try mixing two methods for the best flavor and texture (e.g. 2 applesauce + 1 flax egg).
• Don’t want to increase the sweetness? Avoid applesauce and banana.
• Want to add a little bit of tanginess? Try yogurt.

Frequently Asked Questions