Recipes with the Best Dang Egg Substitute I've Ever Eaten
I’m no vegan, but I’m always looking for ways to add clean, sustainable and plant-based protein into my diet. Enter JUST Egg. Y’all, JUST Egg doesn’t just taste as good as a chicken egg…it’s nutritionally similar to a chicken egg. One serving has five grams of protein, a comparable amount to conventional eggs, which have about six grams. Aside from scrambles and omelets, I've found that it works well for stir-fries, French toast, fried rice, crepes....the list truly goes on.
JUST Egg's secret ingredient is mung bean— specifically, an isolated mung bean protein—which has a similar texture to scrambled eggs when cooked. Other than that, the mixture is mostly made of unassuming ingredients like canola oil, water, and a combo of carrot extract and turmeric for that signature yellow color.
JUST Egg makes it possible to have perfect, vegetable-packed omelets and scrambles. Breakfast sandwiches. Breakfast tacos! Mini quiches, anyone? So many dishes that seemed inconceivable without eggs are suddenly back on the table for vegans, plant-based eaters, and people with allergies.
If you're none of these, consider trying JUST Egg for it's most valuable purpose: stumping your friends. Invite your most smug, carnivorous acquaintances over for brunch and make a giant faux scramble. After breakfast, tell them what it's made of and enjoy the stunned looks. Or keep the info for your private satisfaction. One thing's for sure: JUST Egg will fool even the greatest egg addict.
Check out my favorite recipes using JUST Egg
SHAKSHUKA
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted, if available)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for kick)
¾-1 cup JUST Egg
Fresh cilantro (for garnish)
Feta cheese or coconut yogurt (for garnish)
1
Sauté the onion and garlic
Over medium heat, warm the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (non-stick, or well-seasoned cast iron if you have it.) Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
2
Cook the peppers and tomatoes
Add the bell pepper, tomato paste, and canned tomatoes to the skillet. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
3
Season and thicken the sauce
Add the paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, and (if using) red pepper flakes. Taste for additional salt and seasonings. Continue to simmer the sauce until it thickens enough to create wells that will hold just long enough to pour the JUST Egg into.
4
Poach the JUST Egg
Once the sauce is thick enough, use a spatula to create evenly-spaced wells for the JUST Egg. Carefully pour about ¼ cup of JUST Egg into each well, making 3-4 wells total. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. If using feta cheese, sprinkle it on after 2 minutes of cooking. The JUST egg should cook through in 5-8 minutes; use a small paring knife to check whether the liquid portion has all set. Remove the skillet from the heat.
5
Garnish and serve
Scoop out portions into serving bowls and add more sauce as desired. Garnish with chopped cilantro and feta cheese or a swirl of coconut yogurt. Serve with pita or rustic bread.
Note: If you have extra sauce, it makes for great leftovers. Use it to make quick shakshuka bowls: simply scramble up some JUST Egg and serve it with toast or over rice, and top everything with warmed shakshuka sauce
FRENCH TOAST
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 slices sturdy bread, like a French loaf or brioche (day old / stale works best)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup JUST Egg
½ cup milk (almond creamer is our go-to here)
Coconut oil or butter
Your favorite toppings (maple syrup, berries, powdered sugar...)
1
Dry out the bread
If your bread is not stale yet, lay it out on a baking sheet overnight to dry, or bake it for 10-20 minutes in a 300°F oven until stiff and dry. Using stale or dried bread will help it soak up the custard, while avoiding soggy French toast.
2
Whisk the custard
Whisk together the JUST Egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and milk in a wide shallow dish.
3
Soak the bread
Soak the bread slices in the custard mixture for 15-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
4
Fry the toast
Bring a non-stick skillet to medium-low heat and brush with a light coating of coconut oil or butter. Use a fork or tongs to pick up each slice of bread from the soaking dish, letting any excess custard mixture drip off back into the dish. Cook each slice for about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Serve immediately, with your favorite toppings.
THE ULTIMATE BREAKFAST SANDWICH
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cup JUST Egg
2-3 teaspoons oil or butter
3-4 oz tempeh bacon or bacon
2 brioche buns (see note)
2 tablespoons JUST Mayo
2 tablespoons green onions or chives, sliced thin
2 slices white cheddar (or similar sharp white "cheese")
Hot sauce (optional)
Avocado (optional)
1
Cook the bacon or tempeh
Preheat a small, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon or two of butter or oil if using tempeh bacon. Fry the tempeh bacon or bacon until nicely browned and to your desired level of crispiness. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Give the skillet a quick wipe down with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel, then return to the stove over medium heat.
2
Pan-fry the bread
Slather each piece of brioche with a layer of JUST Mayo. Place the bread mayo-side down in the same skillet over medium heat and fry until the bread is browned and crispy, using a spatula to press it down lightly and help it fry evenly. Set aside while you scramble the JUST Egg.
3
Scramble the JUST Egg
Wipe out the skillet one more time, lower the heat to medium-low and add a teaspoon of butter or oil. Shake the bottle of JUST Egg well and pour your desired serving size into the warm skillet. Scramble like an egg, making sure you let the JUST Egg set into large curds that will hold together nicely in a breakfast sandwich. Use a small, stiff rubber spatula to stir occasionally, while still letting the JUST Egg heat evenly and set. With circular motions, push the cooked bits from the edge of the pan into the center.
4
Add the green onions
Once the JUST Egg starts to set, add in the green onions (if you prefer the green onions a bit snappier, hold off on adding them until you build the sandwich.) Scramble everything together until the JUST Egg is set, but not too dry.
5
Assemble the sandwich
Load the bottom piece of bread with hot scramble. If you haven’t added the green onions yet, sprinkle them on now. Add a dash of hot sauce, if that's your style! Top the JUST Egg with a slice of cheese, followed by a slice or two of bacon. Spread a little extra JUST Mayo on the top piece of bread, if desired, and close the sandwich. Enjoy immediately, or wrap it up and take it to-go!
Note: If you don’t have brioche buns or can’t find them, use your favorite bread or whatever you have on hand, like English muffins, croissants, or biscuits.
FRIED RICE
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil
2 shallots, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup peas (fresh or frozen)
½ cup diced carrots (fresh or frozen)
½ cup JUST Egg
4 cups cooked, cold white jasmine rice (store-bought, frozen rice works well) OR riced cauliflower
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons cilantro
Sliced green onions (optional, for garnish)
Optional additions that go fab: Chopped chicken apple sausage, chopped bacon or pancetta, hot sauce of your choice
1
Heat the pan
Preheat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok, or just a large heavy skillet, over medium-high heat.
2
Stir-fry the vegetables
Add the shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened, then add the garlic, peas, and carrot. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender, transfer to a plate on the side.
3
Scramble the JUST Egg
Turn the heat down to medium, add the JUST Egg and scramble it, preferably with a small, stiff spatula. Once the egg cooked through, toss in the second tablespoon of oil and the cold rice, and mix until the rice is coated with the oil.
4
Stir-fry everything together
Once the rice is coated, add in the cooked veggies, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cilantro. Stir-fry everything together until heated through. Taste for soy sauce and garnish with sliced green onions. Serve with sriracha hot sauce!
MINI QUICHES
Serves 12 small quiches
Ingredients
Phyllo or pie dough (optional)
1 12oz bottle JUST Egg
⅓ cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
⅓ cup celery, sliced thin
⅓ cup yellow onion, diced small
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
½ teaspoon dried sage
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided (non-dairy if preferred)
Other filling ideas: Crumbled sausage, chopped spinach, diced bell peppers, or chopped mushrooms
1
Heat the oven and toast the walnuts
Preheat oven to 300°F and spray a 12-cup muffin tin thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray. Use the heating oven to toast your walnuts on a dry baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Note: See adjusted baking times below for making a full size quiche or for a mini muffin pan.
2
Make the crusts (optional)
If you’d like to include a crust, layer 6 sheets of premade phyllo dough or roll out a basic pie crust to 1/8-¼ inch thick. Cut the crusts into rounds with a 3 ½ - 4-inch circle cookie cutter and fit them into the muffin tin, crimping the edges to fit. If using phyllo dough, proceed to the next step of the recipe. If using basic pie crust, put a paper or foil muffin tin liner on top of each cup of dough and fill the papers with a few pie weights or dried beans. Parbake the crusts for 10 minutes, then remove the muffin papers and let them cool briefly before pouring in the quiche mixture.
3
Prepare the filling mixture
Combine the walnuts, celery, onions, salt, pepper, thyme, sage and 3/4 cup the shredded cheese in a medium bowl and mix until evenly distributed. Feel free to swap out any of the filling ingredients.
4
Fill the muffin tins
Fill each muffin cup ½ of the way with filling mixture. Shake the bottle of JUST Egg well, then pour it over the fillings in each muffin cup until just over ¾ of the way full. It will puff up only slightly when baked. Sprinkle the tops evenly with the reserved ¼ cup of shredded cheese.
5
Bake until set
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until set (no longer liquid in the center) and the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them sit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the quiches from the muffin tin and serve warm, garnished with chopped walnuts and a sprig of fresh thyme.
Note: If you'd like to make these in a mini muffin pan, reduce the baking time to 18 minutes. If making a full-sized quiche in a pie pan, increase baking time to 45-50 minutes, until the quiche is fully set in the middle; you may want to use a crust protector.
