Disclaimer: I am most definitely not a vegan, nor do I play one on TV, but I’ve been dying to try this recipe ever since I saw it over on Lagusta’s Luscious a few months ago. Of course it took me forever to get around to it, but now we’re coming up on Easter, so the timing is perfect. Holidays can be tough for vegans and vegetarians – most of the traditional holiday meals center around a big slab of meat, and Easter, of course, is all about eggs. I’ve seen lots of recipes for deviled egg substitutes, but this was the first one I’ve come across that really has the look – and, it turns out, the taste – down pat.
You won’t normally see recipes here that require special equipment or ingredients, but I will always make an exception when it’s worth your while – and these are. You’ll need two things to make these that you probably don’t have in your kitchen:
- Kala Namak (Indian black salt) – this is a sulfurous mineral salt that is great for lending an eggy taste to vegan foods. I have not tried to make these without kala namak, and I don’t know that I would. I really think this is what gives these an authentic egg-like taste. If you live in a city and have an international or Indian grocery store near you, you should be able to find it there – otherwise, you can buy it online.
- Agar agar powder – this is what sets up the egg “whites” and gives them that hard-boiled egg rubbery consistency. You need this – most Whole Foods stores carry it or you can buy it online.
Egg molds are optional – you can use ice cube trays or muffin tins or any other small container. I just like the egg molds because it gives that extra “HELLO I AM AN EGG NO REALLY, SERIOUSLY I’M AN EGG” feel. You can get these online or at crafts stores like Michael’s.
These couldn’t be more simple, once you have the necessary ingredients. It’s honestly as easy as bringing almond milk, kala namak and agar agar to a boil, pouring into egg molds, and waiting.
While you’re waiting, just whip up your “yolks.” You can also probably catch up on an episode of Parks and Rec, since the yolks take about 30 seconds to combine and buzz in a food processor. Then you just use a melon baller or a half-teaspoon to scoop a little hollow out of each egg white, the better to hold some more yolk.
HOW FUN ARE THESE? Science, man. You just made vegan eggs. Now just pipe some pretty yolkage onto each white, sprinkle with paprika, and you’ve got a perfect vegan appetizer for Easter dinner, or for any cocktail party.
Nor and I, who both eat real eggs, felt that this was a really, really legit facsimile, especially the “yolk.” If you’re vegan, have vegans coming over for Easter, or if you’re just feeling experimental, I highly recommend giving these a try. You’ll feel like a (very kind) mad scientist.
- 2 cups unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
- 2 tsp agar agar powder
- ¼ tsp kala namak (black salt)
- ½ lb extra firm tofu
- 2 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise (I used Nayonaise)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- ¾ tsp kosher or sea salt
- ½ tsp kala namak (black salt)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Paprika, for garnish
- Combine almond milk, agar agar, and kala namak in a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour into egg molds. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow to set.
- Combine tofu, vegan mayo, oil, mustard, vinegar, salt, black salt, turmeric and pepper in a food processor or blender. Blend 30 seconds or until smooth.
- Use a half-teaspoon or melon baller to scoop out a small circle from the inside of each egg half.
- Place the yolks in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Fill each egg with yolk (alternatively, just use a spoon to scoop some yolk into each egg).
- Sprinkle with paprika and serve.
Source: slightly adapted from Lagusta’s Luscious
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I’m not vegan either, but those look really cool!
Speaking of ‘looks’ if you make vegan deviled eggs and regular deviled eggs for the same gathering and they look similar, consider making some kind of little marker on each so you do not tick your guests! I found the marking the plate is not enough because when you go to separate everything or put it away in Tupperware in the fridge sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s the vegan stuff and what’s not. Food for thought!
As an egg lover with an egg allergy… this recipe is very exciting! I can’t wait to try it!
I have seen these on Pinterest and they looks so intimidating!!! Good job on creating them yourself – I kind of now want to try them. I haven’t had a deviled egg in…5 years?
I made these last night and the “yolk” came out perfect, but the “white” was a little weird. For one it wasnt white. It was kinda brownish and separatey looking. Didnt look anything like the gorgeous ones in the picture. Also idk if I used too much agar, but they seemed kinda hard. My main complaint though is how the almond milk separates and looks grainy and brown. Idk if there are any ingredients that would be better or techniques or what?
Hi Veronica – thanks for the feedback. I actually used almond milk for this because the original recipe said it was brighter and less grainy, and I had good results after testing several times. I hate to think that the brand of almond milk would make a difference, but if you want to let me know what kind you used, I’d be happy to try to replicate the problem you had and update the recipe accordingly if needed.
Would soy milk or another plant milk work? My son has a nut allergy. I want to make these for Easter this Sunday!
Hi Penny – soy milk works fine. It doesn’t get the “white” quite as white in color but I haven’t found that it makes a difference in texture or taste. Good luck!
Not sure if you are strictly vegan – cow’s milk works (and makes for very convincing ‘whites’!)
I also had the separation problem, but I turned my back and it was nearly boiling over the pot. Maybe heat to near boiling? And I have to use less salt next time, but the yolk part is delicious and I’ll probably also use it as a base in potato salads.
Exactly what I thought!
the yolk part. for the whites I kept a close eye on them.
I have the best vegan potato salad recipe! It’s insanely delicious!
I like this recipe….but can I have the kitty in the pix???
It is so gorgeous!! And I do so love kitties!!! lol
I’m allergic to soy… is there a substitute that would work for the tofu? Maybe cashew cream?
Hi Elizabeth, cashew cream might work if you made it more like a cashew ricotta? I think mashed potatoes would work well as a “yolk,” too.
As vegans, we’ve missed deviled eggs and have been making “deviled egg dip”, for football games etc. We usually eat it with crudité or pita chips. It’s essentially the mustard, mayo, relish, etc, that you would incorporate with the yolk, but runnier bc there’s no yolk. We’re not big fans of soy either, so what I found was that a pkt of Idaho dehydrated potatoes is nice to keep on hand as a thickener for these kinds of things. So if you can’t have soy or nuts, potato is good, but the boxed kind are SUPER easy. Especially when you just need 1/4 cup or so.
Hi
I can’t find agar powder anywhere can I use the agar flakes ? Also a great substitute for soy is white kidney or navy beans . That’s what I am trying with this recipe will let u know how it turns out as soon as you let me know about the flakes 🙂
Hi Tina, I haven’t tried this with agar flakes, so I can’t vouch for the results, but if you use flakes, you’ll need to use much more – about 2 Tbsp and I would soak them for a bit first in the warmed liquid you’re using for the whites before you bring it to a boil.
I also haven’t tried this with beans for the yolk, but that’s a great idea!
Verdict is in ! navy beans make an awesome sub for tofu !!! I did not like the texture of the whites using flakes I guess not sure so I am going to try the whites again as soon as I find powder . All in all this is a great recipe ty
Thanks for reporting back, Tina! You can buy agar powder on Amazon if you’re having trouble finding it locally. That’s where I buy mine.
I know this is very late, but I’ve just found the powder on amazon.co.uk 🙂
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Hey!! I will be trying the recipe for Easter this yr. I would like to know what kind of almond milk you used in the recipe
Hi Sonya – I’ve made this with various almond milks with success. Usually I use Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Original.
i just made these, they are fabulous! I used Blue Diamond Almond Milk and didn’t have any separation problems. Halved the recipe and added a few extra ingredients because that’s how we like them. (Dill pickle relish and chopped jalapeños, and a bit extra Kala Namak salt) I got a celebrate it brand egg form at Michaels, but it was quite shallow, does anyone know where to get deeper ones? I had a lot leftover. A jalapeño corer made scooping some out pretty easy. Please let me know if anyone has a source for a deeper egg form. Thank you for the recipe!
[…] to say, I needed to find another recipe! So I hopped back onto Pinterest and found this recipe: http://www.baked-in.com/2013/03/25/vegan-deviled-eggs/ . Essentially the differences in the recipe for the “egg whites” included adding more […]
Can these be made a day or so in advance?
Yes, they can.
Thanks so much for the response, Julie! I am going to make these to serve with Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve been vegan for a few years and I miss deviled eggs like nobody’s business! EEKKK! So excited!
I tried the recipe!
the whites did fine with the agar agar but the color was not white white. the deviled part with the soy was excellent! What did you do to get the egg whites so white?
Hi James – I used almond milk and they were pretty white (maybe not as pure white as a real egg, but I got closer with almond milk than soy).
Very interesting recipe, and thanks for posting it!
I will be trying it again and tweaking as I go. I am trying it due to an egg allergy. Can’t use almond milk due to an anaphylactic nut allergy.
I substituted FairLife (‘whole’) cow’s milk, which I DON’T recommend (the filtered + whole characteristics gave it a strong milky/creamy taste that was out of place for this recipe). However the whites looked beautiful (although my molds were very small), and had pretty good & convincing texture (just a little bit hard).
I used “Carefully Crafted” Helmann’s as the ‘mayo’ (which has an impossibly genuine mayo taste!) The ‘yolks’ turned ok, but runny, and I may leave out the vinegar next time.
I am going to experiment with using soy milk, regular/unfiltered cow’s milk (of varying fat content), and maybe a combination of milk and water in future tries.
{Also seeking convincing-sized egg molds next.)
Overall great recipe!!
(I forgot to mention – I also didn’t get the special sulphurous salt, and just used regular salt in both the whites & yolks. To me, the turmeric & Dijon were fine for the yolks, and I think the whites would have been ok if not for the filtered & creamy milk – so I think the recipe can work without it.)
Thank you for all your feedback, Laura! I’m always interested to hear what tweaks work for people. I’m glad you overall enjoyed the recipe.
[…] you really want to get crazy and cook a ton, try this vegan deviled egg recipe. I don't advise doing this as it takes a lot of time and unfamiliar ingredients, but it […]
Question: I tried these and they curdled for both almond milk and cashew milk while setting. I think it was because I heated them up then put them in the molds and in the fridge right after. But since I was only testing them and it was a small batch I also used the microwave to heat them up. I tasted them. The black salt was right on par with the egg white flavor IMO, but the almond milk and cashew milk made them taste icky! Should I use soy milk? or is my problem the way I make them in some way (microwave, not letting them come to room temp first before I put them in the fridge, is it the right kind of milk- like does it need to be pure almonds and water or something? ect.)
Is the black salt supposed to dissolve in the liquid? I presume it is. It didn’t for the almond milk but that may have been because I didn’t heat up the almond milk mixture enough… o.O
I might not be making these for thanksgiving until I figure out how to make them taste alright.
I wonder if I could use like a water and some kind of flavorless white powder mixture? Since the egg flavor is really in the black salt?
Hey, Kayla – my inclination is that the problem is the microwave. I think bringing the heat up to a boil over a direct heat source is important for letting agar do its thing. I also don’t think the milk makes a difference – I’ve used many brands of almond milk for this without issue. If you’re up for it, I’d give these a try heating everything up as written in the recipe and see if it works better.
I don’t have white wine vinegar, but I have distilled, apple cider and some red wine. Can I make a substitute from any of these?
I think the acv should work fine as a substitute, but you may lose a bit of the whiteness.
These were so good! I love deviled eggs and something I sure miss being vegan! I would cut back on the salt though even though I’m a salt freak it was a bit too much! Maybe because I also used apple cider vinegar instead of white wine vinegar but still, I could eat the whole tray by myself! Thank you for sharing!
I agree – my yolks were much too salty – but I also had substituted fake mayo for the oil. Next time I think I will leave extra salt out of the yolks (the Dijon & mayo have plenty).
I used unsweetened/unflavored Coconut milk (not canned) in place of the almond milk. The flavor is a bit more neutral and the color closer to egg white. I am going to try experiment with the “whites” but I must say the “yolk” is perfect.
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Very interesting recipe, and thanks for posting it!
I will be trying it again and tweaking as I go. I am trying it due to an egg allergy. Can’t use almond milk due to an anaphylactic nut allergy.
I substituted FairLife (‘whole’) cow’s milk, which I DON’T recommend (the filtered + whole characteristics gave it a strong milky/creamy taste that was out of place for this recipe). However the whites looked beautiful (although my molds were very small), and had pretty good & convincing texture (just a little bit hard).
I used “Carefully Crafted” Helmann’s as the ‘mayo’ (which has an impossibly genuine mayo taste!) The ‘yolks’ turned ok, but runny, and I may leave out the vinegar next time.
I am going to experiment with using soy milk, regular/unfiltered cow’s milk (of varying fat content), and maybe a combination of milk and water in future tries.
{Also seeking convincing-sized egg molds next.)
Overall great recipe!!