Meatloaf Without Eggs • Recipe for Perfection (2024)

FAQs

What can I substitute for the egg in meatloaf? ›

Flaxseed Meal Substitute For Egg in Meatloaf

For each whole egg called for, whisk 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until it thickens. Use as an effective substitute for eggs in meatloaf recipes. Add a little flour if you need to thicken it further.

Eggs Add Structure

Egg yolks, which are mostly water but contain a good amount of protein and fat, add flavor, richness, and moisture. They also help bind the meat together and get the loaf to set in a stable form without the need to overwork the meat.

Overmixing will make a meatloaf dry and dense. Start by stirring the wet ingredients together. Then add the sautéed veggies. Now, before starting to mix it all together there like a mad man, just stop.

Chia seeds work as a great egg replacer. 2 tablespoon of Chia Seeds soaked in 3 tablespoon of water is the equivalent of one egg.

Onions, garlic and celery do pose one problem though: they don't cook down easily. Little bits of crunchy onion or celery or potent, hot garlic will spoil the comforting aspect of eating meatloaf.

The wet ingredients you add to meatloaf make it juicy. Using whole milk will add more richness and fat that keeps it from going dry. Along with ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, it gives meatloaf a marvelous texture.

After defrosting the meat (I used ground chicken), I realized that I didn't have any eggs. BOO! So, I googled and it said mayonnaise can be used as a substitution. So, I used 1/2 cup of mayonnaise in place of the eggs, but did everything else as directed apart from adding some ketchup to the top for the last 5 minutes.

Try adding minced garlic, parsley, and thyme for a deeply savory taste. For mouthwateringly bold meatloaf, add Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and ketchup to the pre-baked mixture. This blend ensures that each bite is deliciously balanced with just a hint of sweetness.

How do you make meatloaf hold together? ›

When this happens, it's because you didn't use enough. Next time, try adding in an extra egg and/or some more breadcrumbs. Alternatively, rice, barley, corn flakes, crackers, and dried soup mix can also stand in as binding ingredients as well. Including larger quantities of these items should help solve the problem.

The Basic Meatloaf Formula

All recipes for meatloaf start with the same basic formula: 2 pounds of ground meat and a “panade” made of bread or crackers soaked in milk. Along with a few eggs, this panade helps to hold the ground meat together and adds some essential moisture to the mix.

Fat Is Your Friend

This is the reason most cooks choose ground chuck since it has this ideal proportion of fat to meat. During cooking, the fat will liquefy, making the meatloaf moist.

If you want to make the best meatloaf possible, a sheet pan is a much better medium.

The most common reason meatloaf is mushy is too much liquid added to the mixture. Too much liquid will stop the meatloaf from baking and cause the meat to boil instead.

The typical three-step process is flour, eggs and then breadcrumbs. Instead of the egg, Moskowitz recommends a mix of cornstarch and water, which, when stirred together, forms a slurry. It, too, is an effective glue, and you may even notice more crispness to, say, your chicken parm.

What can I use instead of eggs to bind meatballs? There are several options to substitute eggs in a meatball recipe: 2 tablespoons of buttermilk per egg, 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt per egg, 1/4 cup ricotta cheese per egg, or 3 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce per egg.

Mayonnaise. If you have a jar of mayo in the fridge, you can use 3 tablespoons in place of one egg. "Mayonnaise has been used as an egg substitute because of its moistening properties and is best suited for cakes with strong flavors, like spice cakes and chocolate cakes," Tutunjian says.