Are Vegan Eggs Healthier than Regular Eggs?

The dairy section of your local grocery store used to be the only place you could find eggs – at least the kind that came from chickens. These days, vegan eggs made from plant-based proteins have made their way into the refrigerated section, freezer aisle and store shelves thanks to a developing food trend for culinary connoisseurs. 

But what exactly is a vegan egg and are they better for you than traditional eggs? We compare the nutrition facts and examine which benefits, if any, there are.

What is a vegan egg?

It’s easy to think of eggs as a breakfast food. Whether it’s scrambled eggs, omelets, poached eggs, fried eggs, eggs in breakfast tacos or eggs on a breakfast sandwich, eggs have been a part of diets for thousands of years.

But eggs are also used as binders in baked goods, to give stability to meat mixtures (meatballs and meatloaf) and casseroles and to coat foods when frying.

Prior to the last several years, the lack of egg alternatives usually meant using powdered vegan mixes that didn’t offer much versatility. Thanks to the evolution of plant-based diets, there are liquid vegan eggs, frozen ready-to-eat folded patties, hard-boiled vegan eggs and poached vegan eggs.

So, how are vegan eggs made? The ingredients depend on the final product’s consistency. For example, hard-boiled eggs made by the brand WunderEgg contain almonds, cashews, coconut milk, agar (a thickener derived from seaweed) and konjac (a high-fiber root vegetable from Japan) to give the same consistency as a soft, yet firm hard-boiled egg.

Another brand, YoEgg, uses a combination of soy protein and chickpea protein to recreate a poached egg. However, this egg alternative contains several unfamiliar ingredients to most consumers, such as maltodextrin, methylcellulose and several types of gums (guar gum, xanthan gum and carob gum). Maltodextrin is a highly processed carbohydrate to improve the thickness of products, while methylcellulose is a derivative of cellulose also used to thicken foods.

There are liquid egg options made from mung bean protein isolate and other additives – gellan gum and transglutaminase to thicken the liquid and provide firmness.

Powdered vegan eggs, which have been around the longest of the egg alternatives, continue to see tweaks and modifications to improve flavor, consistency and appearance. Acremade uses a blend of pea protein and lupin flour along with gellan gum and methylcellulose for texture. 

The powdered mixes may not produce the same texture or taste, but they provide the most versatility – liquid vegan eggs typically must be used within five to seven days, while powdered mixes are shelf stable for several months.

For bakers searching for egg alternatives that are also free of soy and gluten, Neat Egg Mix contains just two ingredients – chickpeas and chia seeds. The powder mixes with water to act as a binder for cookies, cakes and other baked goods.

Nutrition comparison: Eggs vs. vegan eggs

Eggs

A large egg has the following nutrition information, according to the American Egg Board.

• 70 calories
• 6 g protein
• 5 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat)
• 185 mg cholesterol
• 70 mg sodium
• Vitamin B12 - 0.5 mcg (25 percent recommended daily value)
• Selenium - 15 mcg (25 percent DV)
• Choline - 150 mg (25 percent DV)
• Iodine - 28 mcg (20 percent DV)
• Riboflavin - 0.2 mg (15 percent DV)
• Vitamin A - 80 mcg (8 percent DV)

Vegan eggs

Liquid vegan eggs (using mung bean protein or lupin protein)

• 70 calories
• 5 g protein
• 5 g fat (0 g saturated fat)
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 170 mg sodium
• 1 g carbohydrate

Powder-based vegan eggs

• 45 calories
• 5 g protein
• 0.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat)
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 250 mg sodium
• 5 g carbohydrate 
• 1 g dietary fiber
• Calcium - 43 mg (4 percent DV)

Hard-boil vegan eggs

• 80 calories
• 3 g protein
• 6 g fat (0 g saturated fat)
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 130 mg sodium
• 4 g carbohydrate 
• 1 g dietary fiber
• Potassium 90 mg - (2 percent DV)

Poached vegan eggs

• 70 calories
• 2 g protein
• 6 g fat (0.65 g saturated fat)
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 40 mg sodium
• 3 g carbohydrate 
• 2 g dietary fiber

Who could benefit from eating vegan eggs?

In general, vegan eggs don’t offer much in the way of nutrients – eggs offer many health benefits and are rich in vitamin B12, selenium, choline, iodine, riboflavin and vitamin A. 

The trade off is they don’t contain saturated fat (with the exception of the poached vegan egg variety) and are free of cholesterol. In general, eating fewer animal products can help lower your cholesterol. Vegan eggs do, however, offer a similar protein amount and have a few grams of fiber – eggs don’t have carbohydrates or fiber.

Here’s the bottom line – vegan eggs may be a better choice for people looking to lower saturated fat content. In addition, they’re also a suitable swap for people with egg allergies, egg intolerances or those on Vegan diets who still want to enjoy breakfast or like to bake.

But if you don’t fall under any of these categories, eating the real thing in moderation hasn’t been shown to lead to any health risks. In fact, the American Heart Association has concluded one egg per day is an acceptable dietary choice. Plus, some people may have hesitations over eating a processed egg alternative. Ultimately, it comes down to personal choice as the nutrition facts are similar (depending on the vegan egg product you choose).

If you do decide to venture into the world of vegan eggs, start small and introduce them into baked goods and your weeknight meal instead of using traditional eggs. Once you're comfortable with the taste and texture, you can mix them into a vegan veggie scramble or use hard-boiled vegan eggs as an appetizer. 

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