As a Vegan, I’m Blissfully Untouched by the Egg Crisis. You Too Can Be Free!

From slate.com/life

By Noella Williams

I come from the land of plant-based living with a gift that will change your life—or at least save you a lot of money

It’s recently come to my attention that a lot of you out there are—let’s say perturbed—by the price of eggs, as it has fluctuated considerably over the past few months. I’m generally aware of inflation in the economy, obviously—my occasional trip to restock a few hygiene supplies feels like the equivalent of a full grocery haul nowadays, and I have to think twice before purchasing basics like olive oil. But eggs, hm, I hadn’t noticed! Maybe it’s like that thing about car-less New Yorkers being unaware of gas prices. As someone who’s been on a vegan journey for about six years now, the going rate of a dozen just hasn’t been on my radar. The soaring price of fresh produce being threatened by tariffs and the invisible tax on vegan products, definitely. But not eggs.

Of course, it’s not like I haven’t thought about eggs before. Things like the completely inhumane practice of large-scale commercial egg farming and the cruel treatment of chicks within slaughterhouses are what drove me to veganism in the first place. Between my published work about the animal rights movement and my constant conversations about food justice, I’ve continuously stood 10 toes down about my veganism being an extension of liberation for all—both humans and animals. For me, avoiding eggs is as much about ethics as it is about appetite.

That said, I’m really not too judgmental toward people who eat eggs. I could crack some corny vegan jokes about them, sure, but I’ll try to refrain. Because there’s one dimension of this issue that I understand intimately as a vegan—the need for protein. So many people depend on eggs as an efficient source of protein for daily nutrition, weight management, and general health, and finding those things elsewhere is no laughing matter.

With an average egg packing about 6 grams of protein, it’s understandably a staple across meals. As a Black Southerner, I’d never want to take devilled eggs away from a baby-shower spread. Not to mention that it’s hard to get most baked goods to bind correctly without an egg’s coagulating co-dependency. To friends who inquire about my diet, but who aren’t ready to take the full vegan plunge, I suggest practicing moderation over abstaining from animal products. And as I’ve learned—and will magnanimously share with you now—there are excellent and creative ways to handle your protein intake (and eat deliciously!) that don’t involve hens.

                                                         Photo illustration by Slate. Photos via Eat Just, Inc. and JeffKearney/iStock/Getty Images Plus

In my time in this no-egg life, I’ve learned that seitan, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and quinoa are incredible sources of protein, along with vegetables like broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes. Regardless of gluten intolerance, nut allergies, or concerns about soy intake, there’s a vegan protein waiting for you. Just be sure that along with your Beyonds and Impossibles, you’re hitting up your pharmacy for supplemental multivitamins—it’s common for vegetarians and vegans to be depleted of nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, vitamin D, and calcium.

You probably already know about the plethora of plant-based alternatives for meat, but since we’re here to talk about eggs, allow me to give you a leg up and introduce you to the brand Eat Just, and their product “Just Egg.” This mung bean–based substitute is, and I do not exaggerate, the Holy Grail of egg alternatives.

I’ll be honest: Prior to my vegan years, the pungent smell of eggs chased me away from cooking them. It was far more difficult to part ways with desserts and other foods that were baked with eggs than it was to miss a scramble or a sunny-side up. Just Egg is amazing because not only has it totally replaced eggs in my cooking, but it lacks that sulfuric scent that I found so off-putting. After watching it gradually appear in more online recipes, blogs, and grocery stores since its national introduction in 2019, I decided to give it a try. And let me tell you: With salt, pepper, and a couple taps of hot sauce, it was exactly what I needed to revive my breakfast sandwiches.

Eventually, this initial success inspired a curiosity about baking vegetable quiches and starting my mornings with a colourful omelette. (It works in most baked goods as well, with a few limitations.) I started seeing more restaurants—vegan and nonvegan—incorporate Just Egg into their menus. In Los Angeles, Millie’s Cafe serves a tasty rendition of chilaquiles, and my favourite breakfast quiches in Brooklyn are found in the pastry cases at L’Imprimerie and Le Petit Monstre. The mung-bean madness continues at Ras Plant Based alongside injera for their brunch, and I’m still at a loss for words for the Khachapuri with a convincing yolk at Anixi. Suddenly, everything that I presumed lost with my eschewing of eggs was found again, and all that goodness was accessible with a quick scroll on Happy Cow, an app that helps you locate local vegan restaurants.

Count yourself lucky that you live in the glorious era of Just Egg! As long-time vegans will tell you, this isn’t how it’s always been—in the before times, they had to rely on the tofu scramble. Which is not to knock them at all: Tofu scrambles are a protein-packed alternative for eggs that compliment any breakfast burrito or platter. With a sprinkle of the right seasonings, fresh produce, and nutritional yeast, tofu can be brought to life, truly. In addition to using tofu as an egg replacement, chickpea-flour scrambles are another possibility.

My point is, if you’re willing to expand your cooking imagination just a little, there are plenty of ways to get your egg fix without spending all your cash. In a recent article from Vox’s Future Perfect, Kenny Torrella shares a comprehensive list of alternatives—ranging from the less popular identical twin of Just Egg to hard-boiled egg lookalike WunderEggs—that’s worth a look. Whichever road you choose, take heart: By doing something smart for your wallet in these challenging and fearful times, you’re also doing just a little bit of good for the world.

https://slate.com/life/2025/04/vegan-egg-substitutes-just-egg-recipes.html