Substituting traditional ingredients for our Smooth Milled Flaxseed is an easy way to give your recipes a quick nutrition boost. Adding flaxseed adds healthy Omega-3 and unsaturated fats, fiber, iron, calcium, and protein to any meal. Below are our 4 favorite cooking swaps and uses for flaxseed.

1. (Vegan) Egg Replacer or Egg Wash 

A perfect substitution in all your baking recipes. Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for about two minutes to let the flax absorb the water. You will see it become a gelled, egg-like consistency. It acts as the perfect binding agent in your plant based recipes or when you run out of eggs.
You can also use flax to make an egg wash to brush on your scones, rolls, or French Toast. To do this, combine 1 tablespoon of Manitoba Smooth Milled Flaxseed with 1 cup of any type of milk. Simple mix it and brush brush it on your baked goods just as you would a traditional egg wash.

2. (Gluten-Free) Breadcrumbs

Whether you eat gluten free or simply don’t have breadcrumbs on hand, ground flaxseed is the perfect swap. Use it to coat your baked tofu or chicken or as you would use breadcrumbs in any recipe.

3. As a Thickening Agent

Instead of using flour or another thickening agent in your sauces, soups, curries, dressings, and gravies, substitute ground flax for the same effect with extra health benefits. This is an easy way to make a recipe gluten free or add heart healthy benefits. 

4. Butter or Oil

For baking recipes, you can swap all or part of the butter or oil called for, for some of our Smooth Milled Flaxseed. Use 3 tablespoons of flax for every 1 tablespoon of butter or oil that the recipe calls for. This simple swap adds more protein and anti-inflammatory Omega-3s, and replaces the saturated fat (in butter) for unsaturated fats.

What’s your favorite healthy cooking swap?