As US egg prices reach record high, here’s the best animal-free egg alternatives you should try
From scrambled tofu to Just Egg, these foods are tasty, reliable, and don’t harm chickens.
Just Egg’s vegan egg. Credit: Business Wire
Egg prices in the US hit a record high earlier this year, as the current outbreak of bird flu continues to drive up production costs, disrupt supply chains - and kill millions of farmed birds across the country.
Industry figures show that the average price of eggs in January 2025 represents a 157 percent increase since just three years ago before the bird flu outbreak.
The widespread national coverage of the bird flu outbreak is also revealing the grim reality of industrial factory farms in the US. Millions of egg-laying hens are kept in cramped, unhygienic conditions, and when the virus is discovered on a farm, the entire flock must be culled.
With prices soaring and farmed birds being culled by the millions, now is a perfect opportunity to try animal-free egg alternatives that serve up great taste without harming animals. Here’s our picks to get you started:
Just Egg
As the most well-known branded egg alternative, Just Egg’s popularity is easy to understand thanks to its ability to cook up a similar texture and taste to conventional chicken eggs. Its key ingredient is the mung bean, which means the product is not susceptible to the inflationary pressure that’s affecting traditional egg prices.
Credit: Business Wire
“Chicken eggs are harder to find, more expensive, and less reliable than ever before. Meanwhile, Just Egg is fully stocked and growing faster than any time in our history,” says the brands CEO, Joshua Tetrick.
Amid the bird flu crisis, the brand says its sales grew five times faster in February this year compared to the same period last year.
Just Egg’s mainstream appeal is also helped with its versatility in a variety of recipes, as it is available in both a liquid egg form and a folded egg. This means you can use it to whip up anything from an omelette-style dish, to an egg-and-sausage breakfast bap.
“Americans are shifting how they buy eggs, and we’re here to make sure they have an option that’s better for them and the planet,” adds Tetrick, who also said that over 500 million Just Eggs have been sold since launch.
You can find Just Egg at multiple stockists including Walmart, Aldi, and specialist online stores.
Scrambled Tofu
Learning to cook with tofu can open up a whole new world of recipes to enjoy. Made from soybeans, the humble tofu is able to absorb flavors and can be prepared in so many different ways. It’s often cubed or sliced to act as a meat alternative, but it can also be ‘scrambled’ to help recreate a scrambled egg-style dish.
Credit: The Tofoo Co
It’s simple, too. Crumbling a block of tofu into a pan creates small portions of tofu in various sizes, which you can gently mash depending how scrambled you like your tofu. Adding black salt creates an ‘eggy’ taste, and a dash of turmeric can give it a yellow egg-style color too.
This simple yet tasty recipe for a vegan eggless salad is a great place to start - Species Unite guest recipe: Vegan Eggless Salad.
Baking: aquafaba and more
Some of the best egg replacers for baking sweet treats and cakes can already be found in your kitchen.
Aquafaba is quite a well-known secret - it’s the water leftover in a can of chickpeas! You can whip it up and use it as an egg white substitute for fluffy meringues or frosting, or you can use it as a whole egg alternative when it comes to baking sweet treats such as brownies.
There’s also ground flaxseeds (or chia seeds), which are an excellent egg replacer as they act as a binder, emulsifier, and leavener, and offer a great deal of fibre and omega-3 fatty acids too. To replace one egg, whisk together 1 tablespoon of ground chia or flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons of water until they are fully absorbed and the mixture thickens.
Mayonnaise
There’s an animal-free version of everything, and that includes condiments too. Egg-free mayo has become commonplace in the US, thanks to its identical taste and wider appeal for those with allergies to eggs and poultry.
Credit: Follow Your Heart
It’s easy to discover your own favorite brand, but popular choices that you can easily find in grocery stores near you include Follow Your Heart’s Original Vegenaise and Hellmann’s Plant Based Mayo. As you’d expect, there’s loads of different flavors of vegan mayo too, so you can find everything from spicy Sriracha mayo to classic garlic mayo.
What we think, wear and eat matters: take Species Unite's 7-Day Vegan Challenge. Take part here.
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