Egg Prices Are Cracking Our Budget! If you have kids, you know that some foods just vanish the moment they hit the fridge. In my house, eggs are one of those foods. My kids eat them every. single. day. Scrambled, fried, on toast, in pancakes—if it has an egg in it, they’ll eat it (except egg salad… apparently, that’s offensive).
So when I went to the store last week and saw a carton of eggs for $10, I just about had a meltdown in the dairy aisle. Ten dollars?! For eggs?! At that price, I half expected them to be hand-delivered by a hen wearing a butler’s uniform. Egg Prices Are Cracking Our Budget!
Meanwhile, my husband went on a Costco run this week and hit the jackpot—he managed to snag their three-carton limit on eggs. He came home holding those cartons like a prizefighter with a championship belt. The way the kids cheered, you’d think he had just won the lottery. (Or at least scored front-row seats to a Taylor Swift concert.)
And it turns out, we’re not the only ones feeling this scramble (pun absolutely intended). Egg prices have risen over 60% since last year due to a bird flu outbreak affecting over 14.7 million egg-laying hens. Some people are even spotting $15 cartons at the store. That’s more than a rotisserie chicken! Why are eggs more expensive than the actual chicken?!
Since there’s no guarantee of when prices will go down, I started experimenting with egg alternatives—and honestly? Some of them are pretty great! If you’re looking for ways to keep your favorite meals on the table without using up your precious Costco stash, here are some easy swaps to try.
6 Egg Alternatives for Cooking (That Won’t Break the Bank!)
🥄 1. Flax or Chia Seed “Egg” (Best for baking)
💡 Great for pancakes, waffles, and cookies.
- How to use: Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5–10 minutes.
- It turns into a gooey, egg-like consistency that works just as well in baking!
🌱 Bonus: My kids don’t even know I sneak in extra fiber this way. Mom win.
🍏 2. Unsweetened Applesauce or Mashed Banana (Best for moist cakes & muffins)
- Replace one egg with ¼ cup of applesauce or mashed banana.
- Adds natural sweetness and keeps things soft and fluffy.
🍌 Warning: Banana will make your food taste like banana. Don’t use it in an omelet unless you want to scar your children.
🥣 3. Silken Tofu (Best for scrambles & creamy dishes)
- Blend ¼ cup of silken tofu per egg for brownies or custards.
- Crumble it up and cook with turmeric and black salt (kala namak) for an egg-free tofu scramble that actually tastes like eggs.
🐥 Bonus: My kids refused to believe this wasn’t real eggs. I’ll never tell.
🥛 4. Yogurt or Buttermilk (Best for soft, fluffy baked goods)
- Swap ¼ cup of yogurt or buttermilk for each egg in muffins, cakes, and quick breads.
- Makes baked goods extra soft and rich.
This swap is a game-changer for pancakes. Just don’t tell my kids they’re eating yogurt for breakfast.
🥤 5. Carbonated Water or Vinegar + Baking Soda (Best for light & fluffy cakes)
- Use ¼ cup of carbonated water per egg OR
- Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar with 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
- This creates bubbles that make cakes rise beautifully.
🎂 Great for birthday cakes! My kids don’t care how the cake is made, as long as it has sprinkles.
🌿 6. Chickpea Flour (Best for omelets & frittatas)
- Mix ¼ cup chickpea flour with ¼ cup water for an egg replacement.
- Cook it like an omelet or frittata—it’s high in protein and actually holds together like eggs!
🥞 Pro tip: Works in pancakes too! Just add a little vanilla to keep it from tasting too savory.
Final Thoughts (And A Reminder That Kids Will Eat Anything If You Sell It Right)
The good news? With a little creativity, we can survive this egg shortage without completely giving up our favorite foods. The real trick is convincing our kids that flaxseeds are “magic sprinkles,” tofu scrambles are “special eggs,” and chickpea omelets are… well… still a work in progress.
Will my kids ever accept banana pancakes over their usual scrambled eggs? Probably not. But hey, desperate times call for creative parenting.
And if all else fails, we’ll just keep sending my husband to Costco like a modern-day egg hunter—armed with a shopping list and the steely determination of a man who knows the family’s breakfast depends on him.
How are you handling the egg crisis? Let me know your best egg swaps (or parenting tricks) in the comments! 🍳✨
