How To Use Banana In Place Of Egg Whites In A Recipe

Nothing is more frustrating than unexpectedly running out of egg whites right when you need them for a recipe. While this problem is devastating, it is not uncommon, which is why there are so many egg substitutes that people have come up with to save recipes when you are in a pinch. One of the best egg substitutes out there is bananas, which are convenient to keep on hand and also quite effective. That being said, bananas are different from egg whites, so if you are unfamiliar with making the swap, read on to learn the ideal methods to do so and the ratio you should use.

The main purpose of egg whites in many recipes, especially when making baked goods, is to act as a binding agent; that is to say, their job is to hold everything else together. Bananas are a fruit with a lot of moisture, but also with a thick, starchy consistency rather than a watery one, making them a good replacement for eggs taking on this role. The key here is to mash the bananas into a sticky pulp that will allow them to behave similarly to egg whites. One average-sized banana can replace roughly two large eggs, meaning this swap can easily be scaled to suit any recipe by substituting a 2:1 ratio of egg white to banana.

The ratio at which you make this change is not the only factor you should consider when using bananas as an egg white alternative. It will be no surprise to you that bananas are noticeably sweeter than egg whites, meaning that using them in their place will result in an overall sweeter outcome. You could mitigate this by using bananas that are less ripe; however, underripe bananas have a drier and starchier consistency than ripe bananas, making them less effective as a binder and risking a slightly bitter and floury texture. As such, it is better to go with well-ripened bananas and to adjust to the sugariness by reducing the amount of other sweeteners used in the recipe.

While this trick can work for many recipes, it tends to work best in recipes that already have a sweeter flavor. This way, any lingering banana taste does not clash with the existing flavors of other ingredients. We recommend opting for it in breakfast dishes, like in these triple vanilla almond flour pancakes, or in desserts and pastries, like these upgraded chocolate chip cookies or these gooey s'mores scones.