Egg Replacers Move From Vegan Niche to Mainstream Baking Aisle

Egg-replacer brands (Just Egg, Eat Just, Crackd) and chickpea-flour-based baking mixes are now stocked in 60%+ of US grocers, up from 28% in 2023. Retail buyers cite egg-price volatility, not plant-based demand, as the driver.

Egg prices have been structurally elevated since 2022 with no sign of stabilizing. Bakers and CPG formulators are quietly building dual-recipe playbooks so they can flip to egg replacers when shell-egg costs spike.

Aquafaba, chickpea flour, and proprietary egg-replacer blends are seeing ingredient-supplier growth in the 25-40% YoY range. Expect more co-brand mixes (King Arthur, Bob's Red Mill) with built-in egg-free options.

The new buyer is not vegan — it's a price-conscious home baker who tried egg replacers during a shortage and noticed the cookies still came out fine. Allergy households are an under-recognized secondary tailwind.

CPG bakers should reformulate around dual-spec recipes (egg or egg-replacer) to manage commodity risk. Retailers should merchandise egg replacers in the baking aisle, not the vegan set, to grow penetration.