What Is Just Egg, Really?

I’m a meat-eater, but if someone told me tomorrow that the entire food industry was switching to plant-based proteins, I wouldn’t be so stressed. I don’t eat a ton of red meat—mostly just fish and chicken—and while I do love a cheeseburger from the grill, I’ve had that Impossible burger from Burger King, and it’s pretty damn good. But there’s some plant-based foods that freak me out. I think I have to add Just Egg to that list. What is Just Egg? It’s the best vegan egg substitute, according to Sporked. But what is Just Egg made of? Let’s not beat around the bush. Here are all your Just Egg questions, answered. 

What is Just Egg?

When you’re cruising your grocery store’s egg section, you may notice a shelf above all the cartons that have what look like pints of milk. But in reality, they are containers of liquid eggs. But be forewarned. Some of those containers of liquid eggs aren’t actual eggs at all.

One of them is Just Egg, a plant-based replacement for chicken eggs. The company Eat Just was formed in 2011 by two entrepreneurs both named Josh. I think it’s a missed opportunity to call their product Josh Egg, but I ain’t no businessman, so what do I know?

The product was an instant success, and they expanded to make other easy-bake egg-like products and even Just Mayo, an eggless mayonnaise substitute. The company has also been fraught with lawsuits about false advertising and weird business practices. But hey, at least they make a good egg-like product, right? Right?!

What is Just Egg made of?

The food science behind Just Egg tries to replicate the same physical properties of eggs while using plant proteins instead. So, where did they turn? Mung beans, the grossest sounding of all the beans. The rest of the ingredients are the following: water, expeller-pressed canola oil, dehydrated onion, gellan gum, carrot and turmeric extracts (for color), potassium citrate, salt, sugar, tapioca syrup solids.

Compared to other kinds of processed foods, this ingredient list doesn’t seem too bad; there are only one or two things that sound like they were engineered in a lab. 

Is Just Egg vegan? Is Just Egg gluten free?

Not only is Just Egg vegan and gluten free, it is also cholesterol free, and safe for people who have egg allergies. 

How much Just Egg equals one egg?

It’s said that three tablespoons of Just Egg equals out to one chicken egg, and there are resources out there that claim not only can it be used as a straight-up breakfast egg replacement, but also it can be used as an ingredient in baking. I’m skeptical about this; most vegan baked goods I’ve had are super dense and don’t taste great. So, sure, you can use Just Egg, but I’ll probably pass on that muffin.

Can you freeze Just Egg?

Just Egg explicitly states that they don’t recommend freezing. However, that just applies to the liquid version. They do sell a frozen folded egg version of the product that you can just toss in the microwave.