The Protein-Rich Bean That Makes A Great Vegan Scrambled Egg Dupe

Vegan cuisine has found many creative and nutritious meat, dairy, and egg substitutes that not only taste and feel like their carnivorous counterparts but are also similarly rich in protein. Firm tofu has long been the favorite substitute for scrambled eggs as it breaks down into curd-like pieces and has a similar makeup of protein and fat. However, if you're looking for a soy-free, protein-rich scrambled egg dupe, look no further than the mighty mung bean.

A wildly popular staple in India, the Middle East, and the rest of Asia, mung beans are a legume that comes in green and yellow varieties. The green variety has a hard outer shell and looks like a black-eyed pea, while the yellow variety is simply hulled green mung bean and is closer in texture and size to a lentil. Both varieties are treasured for their wealth of beneficial nutrients, including a high protein content with many essential amino acids, antioxidants, fiber, folic acid, and a long list of essential vitamins and minerals.

Like most legumes, mung beans have a rich, starchy texture and versatile flavor. They easily absorb any seasonings or spices you cook them with while providing a hearty texture that is equally malleable. Popular recipes in south and east Asia blend mung beans with seasonings and liquid into savory liquid pancake batter. You can apply the same strategy for mung bean scrambled eggs and omelets.

For the best scrambled egg substitute, yellow mung beans are the way to go. Instead of boiling the beans until tender, soak them overnight before adding them to a blender with plant-based milk and seasonings of your choice. A binding agent like tapioca starch or a leavening agent like baking powder will help give your mung beans a fluffy consistency when you cook them in the scramble. The uncooked batter is thin enough to cook in minutes as you push it around the saucepan like you would with real eggs. Once you've formed curds with your mung bean batter, you'll cover the pan and let the beans steam until they've reached a bouncy, moist, and velvety consistency.

To replicate the taste and appearance of eggs, add garlic and onion powder, a bit of cheesy nutritional yeast, turmeric, salt, and pepper to the blender with your mung beans and plant-based milk. You can also cook your favorite veggies before adding the mung bean batter for a tastier scramble. We like to fry onions, pickled jalapeños, and red bell pepper before adding our mung bean scramble, then we stir in crumbled tortilla chips, avocado chunks, and a handful of plant-based cheddar cheese for a vegan take on migas.