Jeesh! Who knew the humble egg, a ubiquitous, cheap ingredient for centuries, would become as expensive as some cuts of beef?
When I was shopping for my mom at Stop & Shop in Somerset, MA, a dozen white large eggs cost almost $12. A dollar an egg! Sorry, Mama Leite, but I’m not letting you spend that kind of money.
I rooted around in the cooler and found a dozen brown extra-large eggs for $4.69. Much more reasonable. I don’t know if it was the fact the eggs were brown or extra-large, but I didn’t care. A savings of more than $7 is all that matters.
And, of course, my mom isn’t the only one affected. Everyone across the country is feeling it. And that got me thinking: What can we offer you for breakfast that won’t break the bank by calling for eggs almost as expensive as their bejeweled Fabergé cousins?
The ten egg-free recipes below are marvelous tasty, inexpensive, and worthy of being in your repertoire.
xo,
Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal
This is delicious. I love that people can control the sweetness of their own oatmeal bowl using the toppings. I made it with Mooala unsweetened coconut oat milk. This is a keeper.
erin
Potatoes With Mexican Chorizo
Amazing! I used pork chorizo. I fried my potatoes with very little oil and added diced onion, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. I used ranchero queso fresco and ate them with warmed corn tortillas. Thank you so much.
P.S. I added finely shredded cabbage, and it added a great pop of flavor and an awesome crunch.
lisa a.
Banana Bread Granola
There are several banana-flavored granola recipes around, but I appreciated this method of processing the bananas with wet ingredients and packing them down in the baking pan to make chunks. Make sure you spread it as thinly as you can.
lyf
Grand Central Bakery Jammers
These jammers turned out perfect! I have always enjoyed them at the bakery, and it’s also fun to make them at home. I don’t have a stand mixer, so I froze the butter for about an hour and then grated it with a cheese grater like I do for pie crust and just mixed everything with my fingers. They were flaky and beautiful.
erin
Cat Head Biscuits and Gravy
These uber-flaky biscuits are smothered in creamy sausage gravy. And yes, they’re every bit as rich and satisfying as they look. They’re perfect for a lazy weekend morning, or to serve at brunch with a big bowl of fresh fruit.
Blueberry Kale Smoothie
Smoothies, like the blueberry-kale one shown here, are nutritious, quick to make, and can accommodate the fruits and greens you have on hand. They’re also sweet enough to entice your kids to enjoy them.
Vegan Pancakes
This is one of the best vegan pancake recipes I have tried. I made my own self-rising flour and used almond milk. I believe letting the batter rest lends itself to a light and airy pancake that is scrumptious.
Even if you’re not vegan, these are worth making. I served mine topped with banana slices, toasted pecans, and warm maple syrup. Delicious!
vicky f.
Homemade Breakfast Sausage
I made this homemade breakfast sausage tonight, and it is WONDERFUL!! I asked my butcher to grind up 5 pounds of fatty pork shoulder with 1/2 pound of bacon. I scaled the rubbed sage and pepper flakes back just a little to adjust for my taste.
This is so flavorful that I’m not sure that I can go back to anything prepackaged. I was able to freeze about 35 patties and a couple of half-pound rolls (to make sausage gravy). Thanks so much for the recipe. LOVE IT!!!
stacey
Cream Scones
These are the best cream scones ever! I love them with a little butter or whipped cream, with or without jam.
leah
FAQs
When it comes to your morning baked egg, there’s not much that can be substituted. However, if you’re looking for ways to replace eggs in baking, here are a few ideas:
∙ Mashed banana, yogurt, buttermilk, or applesauce: These will add moisture and act as a binder in baked goods. Any extra applesauce makes a great breakfast with steel-cut oats.
∙ Vegan egg replacement, chia seed egg, or flax egg: Many supermarkets carry vegan egg replacement products, that are simply mixed with water. Chia or flax seeds can also be mixed with water to create a gel-like solution that can be used to replace eggs in baking.
∙ Aquafaba: The liquid found in a can of chickpeas or beans is known as aquafaba and is a popular egg replacement as it can be whipped and makes a good substitute for eggs in meringues or mayonnaise.
Breakfast sausage, like this chicken apple sausage or a couple of pieces of baked bacon will give you plenty of protein. If you’re looking for something quicker or healthier, whip up some breakfast cookies, or toss some protein powder into a bowl of oatmeal or a Greek yogurt smoothie.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy a satisfying breakfast without eggs, but we know that your morning meal isn’t the only one suffering from skyrocketing food costs. For more recipe ideas that won’t force you to cash in your 401(k), take a look at these 20 inexpensive meatless meals.
I remember talking about something similar years ago, and not with any kind of agenda to be had – nothing about veganism, politics, or anything targeting eggs in particular. Just a “could it happen/what if” scenario. That was about making a breakfast place where no eggs were used in any of the dishes; so maybe the agenda was a gimmick, which I always like in a restaurant. The only question is whether the concept has got leggs.
No apologies for that Dad joke.
It was because I noticed on top of the typical x and eggs, multiple versions of the fry up, and several foreign cuisine breakfasts (e.g. huevos rancheros, loco moco), eggs also went into the batter for pancakes, waffles, French toast and whatnot. Plus, there probably were other hidden aspects where eggs would be used. And the whole …. meme, maybe … about adding an egg to it, topping it off. Seeing someone cart a four-foot high stake of egg crates probably prompted me to wonder about it.
History has a habit of repeating itself. At one point, lobster was seen as peasant food, and these days it is almost the epitome of fine dining. Price? Market. The price of food is complete bullshit these days (frozen vegetables are a life saver). Makes your old article about the best ways to have eggs look somewhat antiquated, eh? Now if onions got this same scenario, that would be hellish.
So true, Mikey! We’ll have to see where this ride takes us, but we’d be pretty happy if eggs lowered themselves a notch on the fine dining pole.
I’ve been buying duck eggs from a nearby country store (Oregon). $6 for a dozen, but 2 eggs equal 3 chicken eggs. The yolks are much larger, so they’re good for recipes that call for extra eggs. Lucky me.
Lynn, that’s such a good point. Buying duck eggs is definitely cost-effective and should remain so, as no one really thinks of buying them.
A buck an egg? David you are living amongst pirates, highbinders and thieves. Yes, egg prices are up. Yes, eggs are being smuggled across our southern border. But still I was able to buy a carton of 18 AA Large at Costco for $5.99. DON’T do the math David–it could cause palpitations!
Bill, if almost buying eggs for $12 a carton caused you to write this wonderfully–written comment, it was worth it!
The odd thing is, it wasn’t in Connecticut, where we live, it wasn’t in New York City, where we also live, it was in the small town of Somerset, Massachusetts. I cannot believe they are ripping people off the way they are! Shame on Stop & Shop!