Eggs go bad, but chia seeds can last for years. The weather’s miserable and you crave something cheerful. You have bananas, flour, sugar, butter, all the makings of a soon-to-be-delicious loaf but lo and behold, you’re fresh out of eggs. What if I were to tell you that the […]
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The weather’s miserable and you crave something cheerful. You have bananas, flour, sugar, butter, all the makings of a soon-to-be-delicious loaf but lo and behold, you’re fresh out of eggs. What if I were to tell you that the solution could be sitting in your pantry, and that it is small, grey, and looks a bit like frog spawn when wet?
I’m talking about chia seeds.
Yes, the wee black specks that recently saw a surge in popularity among health and wellness fans have something of a trick up their sleeve. The same magic that sees them turn all gloopy when wet makes them an excellent binding agent in cakes. You only need a couple of teaspoons to get the job done, so a jar can go a long way if you’re looking for a way to bake with fewer animal products.
What are chia seeds?
Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica that's native to Mexico and Guatemala. A member of the mint family, the pretty plant has blue flowers – something of a rarity in nature.
It’s now grown commercially in central America to facilitate the demand for chia seeds, which are famous for their nutritional value. Humans were big on chia among Mesopotamian cultures, but it dropped off the radar for a bit until the seeds' popularity boomed again in the mid-20th century. Now, people are joyfully slurping down chia pudding for all the goodness packed into those gooey seeds.
Image credit: Nuytsia@Tas via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
“Chia seeds contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, proteins, vitamins, and some minerals,” says a 2019 study. “The seeds are an excellent source of polyphenols and antioxidants, such as caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, myricetin, quercetin, and others.”
They’re also famous for getting their gloop on.
What happens to chia seeds when wet?
Chia seeds contain insoluble fiber, something that might just lower LDL cholesterol as well as slowing digestion in a way that can soften blood sugar spikes and leave you feeling fuller for longer. It also contains mucilage, a disgusting-sounding substance that’s produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms.
It pretty much does what it says on the tin, creating a mucus-like gel. So, when you wet chia seeds the mucilage gets out and forms a gluey texture that acts as a soluble fiber. Good for your guts, and very helpful when it comes to making cakes.
Image credit: Larry Jacobsen via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
How to make a chia egg
The mucilage gel that comes oozing out of chia seeds can be used in place of egg or oil in cake recipes. Don’t believe me? Well just check out this 2010 study that put chia eggs to the test.
They served 75 untrained panelists cakes and asked them to rate them on a seven-point hedonic scale, dining on recipes that used chia gel in place of 25, 50, and 75 percent of the oil or eggs in a control cake formulation. Their reviews indicated that replacing 25 percent of the oil or eggs wasn't even perceptible to the tasters. Higher percentage replacement was noticeable, but it came with the added bonus of making a cake that had fewer calories and less fat per portion.
Chia eggs are a hit among vegan bakers, and the banana bread currently sitting on my windowsill concurs that 100 percent replacement does work, even if the results aren't perfect. According to vegan cook namely Marly, you need one tablespoon of seeds combined with ~two tablespoons of water to replace one egg. The chia egg does have some limitations, such as recipes that call for four or more eggs, or the whipping power needed to make a meringue (which, weirdly enough, penguin eggs are apparently very good for).
Still, if you’re in need of some cake but don’t have all the ingredients, the chia egg just might save the day. A timely reminder considering the current egg situation in America…
