Knowledge Base > Fran Costigan - E is for Egg-Free Baking

Fran Costigan - E is for Egg-Free Baking
This event was on
Tuesday, April 01, 2025 at 1:00 pm Pacific, 4:00 pm Eastern
Eggs serve many roles in baking, but there’s no single substitute that works for every recipe. Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe’s Director of Vegan Pastry, has been creating exceptional de… Read More.
Question:

Wondering if you have any ideas on achieving not only egg free baking, but alternatives to oil and sugar too for those more obsessed with squeakier arteries. Would also love a banana bread recipe.?
— Mark Rappaport
Answer:
We have the fruit purees to use as an alternative to oil. In terms sugar. You might wanna try coconut sugar, coconut sugar because in small quantities or use a, you know, use banana that's really, really sweet. Oh, you wanted a banana bread recipe? Well, they're all over the place and I have some and um, in my books or check my website you might find one. But banana bread is so easy because bananas that are fully ripened are not only super sweet but the pectin in them helps to bind the recipe. So for a quick bread that's not a problem. Try using a bit of maple syrup. Mark. Um, I think that's an okay. Whole foods sweetener and I love maple syrup. I like to use the grade B dark. Oh it's not grade B anymore. Grade B has become a few years ago, grade a dark, that's what it's called. Dark or sometimes dark amber sometimes robust. And um, that's what I would say. So give it a try and you know, I want my arteries to be squeaky clean too. We all want to eat healthfully. One of the things that chef Char and I talk about and kind of laugh about all the time is that when you go into the marketplace and you see, you know, a muffin like this and you go, I say or we say, well that's a cake for three people. Eat, make something that tastes delicious that will satisfy you and eat a smaller quantity. And I think that will work.
