Do Vegans Eat Eggs? All You Need To Know About Eggs For A Vegan Diet In 2024

Whether their scrambled or sunny-side up, eating eggs is common at breakfast time. Contrary to popular belief, eggs are a wonderfully nutritious food, containing plenty of minerals and vitamins. While once finger-pointed for an increased risk of heart disease, recent studies show eggs^[1] do not correlate with cardiovascular disease. But do vegans eat eggs?

The vegan diet excludes all animal-based products. Mostly, vegans follow a strictly plant-based diet consisting of fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, lentils, and legumes. So, what does this mean? If eggs are healthy, can they still be part of a vegan diet? In this article, we answer this question and the reasons behind it.

Do Vegans Eat Eggs?

Are eggs vegan-friendly? Unlike the vegetarian diet, which includes some animal products, the vegan lifestyle doesn’t include eating eggs. While vegans strictly follow a plant-based diet, some vegetarians may incorporate eggs, milk, fish, yogurt, and cheese while excluding meat. In other words, vegetarians eat eggs, but vegans do not. 

However, there are egg alternatives that both vegan and vegetarian diets may use in place of eggs. So, while vegans may avoid chicken eggs, they may enjoy other non-animal-based egg-like foods.

What Is Veggan?

At the same time, there are various types of vegan diets. While vegan alternatives for eggs exist, some vegans categorize themselves as veggan, or vegans who eat eggs. 

Many vegans chose veganism due to unethical standards within most of the egg industry. However, veggans carefully select eggs from ethical sources and eat them for health or other reasons. 

Reasons Eggs Are Not Vegan

Here are the three main reasons vegans don’t usually eat eggs.

Vegans Avoid All Animal-Based Foods

Vegans don’t eat anything animal-based, including butter, yogurt, cheese, eggs, or milk. Generally, many vegans don’t believe in commodifying any living organism — including using bees for honey.

Unethical Standards In The Egg Production Process

Many vegans chose this lifestyle in protest against industrialized egg farms. Many chickens are raised in cages^[2] and live under very stressful conditions solely to produce eggs for human consumption. Vegans often view this as unethical and choose not to support this practice..

This is the same reason many vegans don’t eat animal-based products. Instead, they’ll opt to replace eggs with other plant-based foods.

Nowadays, many non-vegans are supporting organic eggs to counteract unethical egg farms. Organic chickens are raised in a pasture^[3] with healthier living conditions, often resulting in better nutritional components in their eggs. 

Some Vegans Choose This Lifestyle For Health Reasons

Many vegans further believe that many animal-based products are unhealthy due to their higher saturated fat content. Yet, this is up for much debate amongst vegans and health enthusiasts as it may depend on the entirety of a person’s diet, genetics, and other factors. 

Vegan Egg Substitutes

If you’re following a vegan diet, there are many egg substitutes. You can easily find vegan eggs in your local grocery store aisle. Various vegan egg substitutes for cooking include:

• Flaxseed meal and water: Mix one tablespoon of flaxseed with three tablespoons of water for optimal texture and consistency.
• Aquafaba is the liquid leftover in cans of beans, chickpeas, and legumes. The only thing you need to do is whip this mixture for a few minutes.
• Mashed Bananas: These are an easy swap for eggs in baked goods.
• Applesauce: Use three tablespoons of applesauce per egg.
• Chia seeds and water: Like the flaxseed variation, mix one tablespoon of chia seeds with three tablespoons of water per egg.
• Baking powder and oil: This is really easy since most of us already have these in our pantry. Combine two tablespoons of baking powder, one tablespoon of oil, and two tablespoons of water.
• Tofu: This is a great replacement for eggs in breakfast, stir-fry, and other recipes as it offers a similar texture.

While the above offer substitutes for cooking and baking, it’s important to note that they don’t contain the same nutritional content. Due to the vegan diet’s restrictive nature, it may be difficult to ensure you’re getting adequate nutrients. In fact, nutritional deficiencies can be common in the vegan community. 

Taking blood tests regularly to determine if you are at risk of a nutrient deficiency can help you monitor your situation. For filling any nutritional gaps, some vegans may opt for supplements containing specific vitamins and minerals. 

Additionally, vegan meal delivery or vegan meal replacement options may help ensure you obtain various nutrients and follow a balanced and healthy diet.

The Takeaways

At the end of the day, eggs are not vegan. Vegans avoid all animal-based products for ethical or personal reasons. However, this doesn’t mean eggs aren’t healthy.

If your diet allows, eggs offer plenty of great nutrients. Some even consider them one of the most nutritional foods around. In turn, eggs can boost one’s health in various ways. You can always look to purchase organic eggs since they’re raised in a pasture with better living conditions.

For those that don’t consume eggs, there are various substitutes. For instance, bananas, aquafaba, and applesauce may offer similar binding powers and textures for recipes in place of eggs. Tofu also makes a great option if you want to mimic scrambled, boiled, or fried eggs. The vegan aisle at the grocery store may further have various options to choose from.

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