If you’re vegan, allergic to eggs, watching your cholesterol, or simply ran out of eggs, you may have wondered how to make your beloved lasagna without those slimy, shelled spheres! Well, don’t worry about it, because we are here to help!
What if you don’t want to use eggs, or if you simply don’t have any in the house? Is your lasagna doomed to be a soggy, moist mess?
Of course not! There are plenty of great substitutes for egg in lasagna and we have compiled a whole bunch of them right here! Just keep reading to find out which is right for you!
We know it can seem difficult to replace certain ingredients in foods you love, and we don’t want you to stop eating your favorite foods. You won’t even notice a difference, and hey, you might like them even more!
So, keep reading to find out!
Great substitutes for egg in lasagna
The best substitutes for eggs in lasagna are bechamel sauce, plain yoghurt, heavy cream with cornstarch. Vegan options include flaxseed with water, arrowroot, mashed potato or parsnip, unsweetened mashed pumpkin.
Eggs are meant to bind everything together in a lasagna, and the substitutes can be anything as long as they’re sticky. We’re going to walk you through a few options you have, and explain how to use them.
Read also: Brownie Mix Without Eggs
1. Flaxseed with water
This one is great for any recipe using eggs as a binder, even in baked goods such as cakes and cupcakes!
When you mix ground up flaxseed with a tiny bit of water, the mixture starts to become gooey! That is because the water actually breaks down a type of fiber in flaxseed called mucilage – which is a sticky part of the seed coat – making the whole mixture sticky, as well!
This texture is so similar to egg that it makes the perfect substitute for it! Just mix the ground flaxseed with the water until gooey, and then combine it with your ricotta cheese!
2. Arrowroot with water
Similar to flaxseed and water, arrowroot and water makes a wonderful binder in most baked goods as well as lasagna if you choose not to use eggs.
All you gotta do for this one is mix about 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder with 2 tablespoons of water for each egg you don’t use! Once you stir it up, just combine the mixture with your cheese and spread onto your pasta layers!
3. Mashed potato or parsnip
This one is pretty fun! If you’re looking for an even heartier lasagna than the traditional kind, why not add some veggies to the mix?
If you boil and mash up some soft potatoes and / or tangy parsnips, their thickness can provide you with an excellent binder for lasagna! Just combine the mashed veggies with your ricotta cheese and pile on the layers!
If you want a totally vegan option, you can even skip the cheese with this one; the mashed veggies will provide that nice thick and hearty texture you’re looking for in lasagna!
Read also: Can You Substitute Mayonnaise For Eggs ?
4. Unsweetened, pureed pumpkin
Similar to the mashed potatoes or parsnips – and since we are in the Fall mood anyway – you can switch out your egg for some pureed pumpkin!
As long as you’re okay with a slightly different, more seasonal flavored lasagna than the traditional type, and as long as you get unsweetened pumpkin, this option is a great way to maintain the texture you want while also changing things up a bit!
Since the flavors of this lasagna dish will be more autumnal, you might also want to switch out the traditional red sauce for a more buttery, sage based white sauce!
The pop of creamy pumpkin and notes of buttery sage will go quite nicely together, creating a wonderful aroma in your home that everyone on the block will want to try!
5. Bechamel sauce
We love this option for those looking for a next level traditional lasagna! For this, you don’t even need to add the ricotta cheese; your Bechamel sauce will stand in for both the egg and ricotta!
To pull this one off, just mix flour, milk, butter, and your favorite hard or semi-soft cheese – like mozzarella, parmesan, or even vegan cheese if you like – to make the sauce. Then, slather it all over your lasagna layers and repeat!
There are so many different ways you can change this one up, so feel free to add new spices or even different sauces with this egg substitute!
6. Plain, unsweetened yogurt
Just like the Bechamel sauce, you can feel free to replace your ricotta cheese with a hard or semi-soft cheese if you use this option. That’s because plain yogurt has a similar texture to ricotta cheese, but stays together more nicely due to its thickness!
That being said, you can absolutely just add some plain, unsweetened yogurt to your ricotta mixture to thicken it up a bit if you aren’t using an egg. This will keep it in place and make your lasagna even creamier!
7. Heavy cream with cornstarch
Finally, you can saunter over to the heavy cream for the creamiest egg substitute! This option is great for those looking for that thick, luscious, how-did-you-do-it creaminess in your lasagna!
Simply mix some heavy cream with a bit of cornstarch, combine with your ricotta cheese and construct your eggless lasagna!
Enjoy!
Read Also:Left Lasagna Out Overnight – Is It Safe To Eat ?
Why does egg go in lasagna anyway?
If you have ever had scrumptious lasagna with the most creamy, decadent cheese oozing from its soft pasta layers, you may have wondered what exactly makes the cheese that way, all thick and luscious.
Well, wonder no more because that is what the egg is for! Egg actually makes lasagna cheese more creamy and delicious! But how? Let’s explain!
Though, on its own, cheese can be quite creamy, in lasagna, it needs some sort of binder so it doesn’t just fall apart while being layered and cooked! And that’s where the egg comes in! Egg – traditionally scrambled and then mixed with the cheese – binds the cheese together. You see, lasagna is made with ricotta which is a pretty watery, lumpy loose cheese.
So, rather than letting that cheese drip out from the layers of pasta before you even take a bite, the egg allows the ricotta cheese to stick together, making for a wonderful, non-drippy meal!
