Why Just Egg Is My New Favorite Plant-Based Egg Substitute

I became vegan five years ago, but I have been wary about eating eggs for a lot longer. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to be the person who orders an elegant eggs Benedict at brunch or whips up a glorious shakshuka for dinner, but no matter how many chances I gave them, eggs never sat well with me. That wouldn't be such a big deal, but I like so many of the things that eggs are in—like, say French toast. I've tried several different eggless and otherwise-vegan recipes over the years, and I've never been able to get it to work quite as well as the egg-based versions.

Enter the Just Egg—a mung-bean-based liquid egg substitute with a mostly similar nutrition profile, varying mostly in sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol content. And while we aren't overly concerned with the dietary cholesterol content of eggs at EatingWell, it doesn't hurt that Just Egg is cholesterol-free.

Nutrition comparison

Nutrition for one large egg:

• Calories: 70
• Total Fat: 5g
• Saturated Fat: 1.5g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 2g
• Cholesterol: 185mg
• Sodium: 70mg
• Carbohydrates: 0g
• Dietary Fiber: 0g
• Sugars: 0g
• Protein: 6g

Nutrition for 3 Tbsp. Just Egg (1 serving):

• Calories: 70
• Total Fat: 5g
• Saturated Fat: 0g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 0g
• Sodium: 170mg
• Carbohydrates: 1g
• Dietary Fiber: 0g
• Sugars: 0g
• Protein: 5g

Nutritionally, a large egg and a serving of Just Egg are very similar. They deliver almost the same amount of protein and fat and vary slightly in sodium and protein amounts.

Testing the Just Egg

I was hesitant to try Just Egg when I first saw it in stores. It's been so long since I had eggs, I don't even know how to make traditional scrambled eggs. But I finally got up the courage to test it out in my home kitchen, and was pleasantly surprised with the results.

I decided to try using Just Egg two different ways—in a scramble and in French toast—to figure out if this egg substitute really has a place with different kinds of flavors. I started making the French toast recipe listed on Just Egg's site, and let my stale sourdough soak while I got started with my very first batch of scrambled "eggs."

I lightly greased a pan, sautéed some diced onions and poured the suggested 3-tablespoon serving of Just Egg into my pan. The mixture cooked quickly and evenly—it was ready to go in about two minutes. I topped my "eggs" with Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel Seasoning (of course) and after a few seconds of staring at this true scrambled egg look-alike, it was time to taste it once and for all.

The Just Egg scramble was super fluffy and delicious. I might need to start replacing tofu in my favorite veggie breakfast scramble recipe. I ended up topping my concoction with a little nutritional yeast, which made it even more tasty. For those who love the taste of chicken eggs, I've heard that adding kala namak (Himalayan Black) salt helps mimic the taste of eggs in plant-based substitutes.

After soaking my sourdough in the French toast batter, I greased up my griddle and got started on the sweet side of things. This French toast cooked much better than the vegan version I typically make, and I found it tasted richer and more like a traditional recipe too. I topped it with banana slices, raspberries, maple syrup and cinnamon for a seriously tasty breakfast.

After my little Sunday morning experiment, I call this a win-win for the Just Egg, and I can't wait to try it in more recipes. Particularly the Just Egg Shakshuka!

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