What Are Vegan Eggs And Are They Actually Nutritious?

Two words: vegan eggs — they're almost contradictory. By nature, the two could not possibly work. But as egg prices soared over the past year, the vegan egg conundrum has piqued the curiosity of more than just the plant-based and egg intolerant, shifting the eyes of frugal shoppers everywhere. While they're technically not eggs, vegan eggs are designed to mimic the look, taste, and binding abilities of their poultry counterparts — without any of the birds or the associated bird flu.

As the curiosity for plant-based foods has increased, so has the variety of products on the market — and vegan eggs are no exception to that. From more basic alternatives like JUST Egg and Simply Egg to innovative Wunder Eggs and YoEgg, consumers can get their hands on every form of the plant-based egg they need, whether it's vegan egg whites, egg yolks, or both. Products range in form as much as they do in uses, allowing vegans, flexitarians, and egg-intolerant eaters alike the joy of an egg-free morning quiche or late-night brownies.

But with all these options on the market, one has to wonder: do they stand up to chicken eggs nutritionally as well as they do in the kitchen?

JUST Egg is arguably none of the most popular vegan egg alternative products on the market. Sold in the form of a 12-ounce bottle, ready to be shaken and scrambled or baked, and in frozen folds, which can easily be popped in the toaster and thrown on your breakfast egg and cheese, JUST Egg has made what was previously thought of as impossible, possible.

Nutritionally, their products are comparable to hen eggs, with 5 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, and 1 gram of carbs, in just 70 calories. However, where they fall short is that they aren't fortified with any of the vitamins that you'd get from a regular egg and the fact that they contain about 170 milligrams of sodium per serving.

Made from a base of mung beans, emulsifying oils, water, and seasonings, JUST Egg is better than hen eggs in the fact that they contain about a gram of fiber and no cholesterol. Of course, being vegan, they also omit the associated animal cruelty of factory-farmed eggs and the attributed environmental impact.

Primarily known for their plant-based cream cheeses, Spero's Pepita Egg replacement is one of the newer egg alternatives on the market. However, like the brand's cream cheese alternatives, their vegan egg replacement stands out because it contains no gums or allergens.

In fact, their recipe contains just seven ingredients: water, pumpkin seeds, salt, garlic powder, mushroom extract, beta carotene (natural color), and nisin (natural preservative). Additionally, with 6 grams of protein per serving, Spero's alternative is one of the only ones that deliver the same amount of protein as a large egg.

All that being said, while Spero's Pepita Egg alternative does deliver potassium, zinc, and iron, you still miss out on many other nutrients and vitamins that are found in eggs — from vitamins A, D, E, and B12 to choline, selenium, folate, and carotenoids. But, on the other hand, you can bet their product saves a lot more energy, resources, and carbon emissions.

In fact, Spero's product claims to emit 99% less carbon dioxide, use 87% less water, and require 86% less land. Seeing that it's totally vegan and allergen-free, you can also bet that no hens, or your allergy-laden friends, will be harmed in the process.

Wunder Eggs are a newer egg alternative on the market, but instead of filling the void of an egg scramble or omelet, these vegan eggs come in the hard-boiled form. Featured in VegNews' best vegan products coming in 2023, Wunder Eggs are actually the first plant-based egg product of its kind. And the ingredient list is surprisingly both short and legible. Made from almonds, cashews, and coconut milk, these plant-based hard-boiled eggs are certainly not nut-allergen friendly, but they are hen-free, making them vegan and egg-allergen-friendly.

Nutritionally, Wunder Egg's plant-based hard-boiled eggs are a bit underwhelming. In a serving size of two eggs, you get about 3 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, and about 130 milligrams of sodium — meaning that each egg only contains about half the nutrients of a regular egg. While they do come with added benefits like potassium, iron, and calcium, they still don't have any of the other vitamins and nutrients that chicken eggs are naturally full of. But, there is the benefit of not having to go through the trouble of boiling and peeling the hard-boiled eggs yourself.

In recent years, the poultry and egg industry has made a significant effort to reduce their impact on the climate — resulting in the use of 31% less water and the production of 71% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Even so, using chickens puts them a lot further behind in the race for carbon neutrality. Advancements in feed efficiency, hen housing, and manure management have greatly improved the livelihoods of hens in egg production facilities, prolonging their life while simultaneously producing more eggs. Still, things aren't perfect — and not all hens are raised similarly.

The sad truth is that, in the U.S., the majority of eggs come from hens raised in stressful environments on factory farms — with only 1% raised in small flocks on pastures, where they can exhibit all of the natural behaviors they would in the wild. Whether they're raised in "cage-free" environments or in traditional battery cages has little difference for the lives of factory-raised hens or the environment. Additionally, CAFOs, or concentrated animal feeding operations, like the ones that conventional hens are raised in, exhibit conditions of poor animal welfare.

Fortunately, pasture-raised hen eggs — which a 2010 study published in the Journal of Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems found to contain more vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids than factory-farmed eggs — are slowly becoming more accessible. Still, when it comes to the environment, vegan eggs are a clear winner. They use a lot less land and water and contribute to much fewer carbon emissions.