If you are good at making meatballs, you will know that egg is an essential ingredient to help you obtain perfect balls. Without eggs, you will feel uncomfortable obtaining the shape. If you are planning to make meatballs and notice no eggs at home, don’t worry, as this article will help you to find an egg substitute for meatballs.
Some people think there are no alternatives to eggs for meatballs, which is not true. By reading the article, you will be able to learn the different ways of making meatballs without using eggs.
Now in most of the shops, you will get raw meatballs which you can cook and have with your meal. Making a meatball is also easy, and you can make it yourself as it requires meat, seasoning, bread crumbs and egg.
The most common method of making meatballs will need an egg as it helps to get the spherical shape of the meatballs. You don’t have to shop often to purchase eggs to make meatballs as there is an egg substitute for meatballs. Instead of an egg, you can use an alternative that helps retain the meatball’s shape.
Why Do You Need Eggs for Making Meatballs?
Finding eggs will not be difficult as you can get them in any shop. Adding egg to your food will make it healthy as it contains good cholesterol. Making meatballs using eggs will help you to get the round shape to it.
If you don’t use egg, there are chances for the meatball to fall, and you will struggle in obtaining the shape. The term meatballs are given due to the shape, so if you don’t get the shape perfectly, that will leave the recipe incomplete. Meatballs help to bind the meat together and form the shape.
When you don’t use eggs, the meatballs will crack and fall apart during the cooking process, so eggs are essential if you make a meatball. Here is something interesting: if you don’t have eggs, you can still make meatballs using egg substitutes.
Best Egg Substitute for Meatballs
Let’s look at some alternative methods to make meatballs without using eggs.
Using Mashed Potatoes as an alternative to meatballs
You can substitute an egg with a quarter cup of mashed potatoes, and the quantity will increase according to the egg count. The smashed potato helps to bind the meatballs and also adds flavor so that it will make the meatball delicious.
If you have stored the cooked or boiled potatoes in the refrigerator, you can use them as it will make the process much easier. Since potatoes don’t have odd flavors, using them to make meatballs will not significantly change the taste of your meatballs.
The process seems quick when you have the cooked potatoes stored in the refrigerator, if you don’t have cooked potatoes, then cooking the potatoes and smashing them will take time to complete the recipe.
Plain Yogurt in place of eggs
Instead of using egg in the meatball recipe, you can make it using plain yoghurt. You can substitute an egg with a quarter cup of plain yoghurt. If you use more eggs, the quantity of plain yoghurt will also increase accordingly. Using this substitute, you can obtain tangy flavor to your meatballs.
By adding additional sauce, you can consume the meatballs that you make using plain yoghurt. You may easily get plain yoghurt so the process will be easy and quick. Also, this ingredient will keep the moisture present inside the meatballs. Since plain yoghurt is a dairy product for non-dairy consumers, this will not be a good option.
Mayonnaise
Similar to plain yoghurt, using mayonnaise will also give a tangy flavor. You can substitute an egg with three tablespoons of mayonnaise, and mayonnaise will contain egg therefore, this substitute will help to bind your meatballs.
You can use any mayonnaise, and this method will also help to keep your meatballs moist. If you avoid eggs due to allergies, this will not be a good option.
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is one of the best alternatives you can use instead of an egg when preparing meatballs. You can substitute an egg with a quarter cup of buttermilk. Although buttermilk will work well with all types of meat, it is best recommended for turkey and chicken as it makes the meal grand with its tangy taste.
Even though you can substitute buttermilk instead of eggs, you must also know that you cannot use it directly, you have to mix it with breadcrumbs to make the texture thick.
Saltine Crackers
You must first grind the saltine cracker and make it look like breadcrumbs. Finding saltine crackers is not hard. You can use a packet that is sitting in your kitchen, or you will be able to get one from the shop.
When using saltine crackers in your meatball recipe, adding some salt and seasoning will make the meal more delicious. Substitute one cup of saltine cracker breadcrumbs instead of the eggs. Grinding the cracker and making the breadcrumb will take some additional time, but if you don’t have other options, this will also help to bind meatballs well.
Tomato Paste
You can use one tablespoon of tomato paste mixed with water to substitute for the egg when making meatballs. You will be able to find ready-made tomato paste in the market, which makes the process even quicker. The tomato will add some flavor to the meatballs making them taste good.
If you don’t have tomato paste, you can make it using raw tomatoes. A thin layer of tomato paste and water will be sufficient to obtain the required texture of the meatballs.
Unsweetened Applesauce
Unsweetened applesauce is another alternative substitute for the egg when making meatballs. Using this ingredient will help retain the moisture so your meatball will not have dryness. Instead of an egg, you can substitute it with 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce.
Unfortunately, sweetened applesauce will not work well as unsweetened applesauce, so if you don’t have this at home, you might have to make your own unsweetened applesauce which may take some time.
Chia Seeds
Chai seed will be a good option for those allergic to eggs as you can use this as an egg substitute for meatballs. You must grind the chai seeds and then put them in water, leaving them to soak for around thirty minutes until you can observe the gelatinous texture.
This texture will help to bind the meatballs so that you can obtain the perfect shape. Although this process will take additional time, chai seeds will also be a good option.
We hope this article on egg substitute for meatballs was helpful.
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