This Just Egg recipe is a vegan-friendly alternative to traditional scrambled eggs. Made with yellow mung bean lentils, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and a blend of savory spices, it offers a similar texture and flavor to scrambled eggs without the use of animal products.
The lentils are soaked overnight, blended with the other ingredients, and then cooked in a skillet just like traditional scrambled eggs. This recipe is easy to make, nutritious, and perfect for anyone looking for a plant-based breakfast option.
If you're someone who is conscious about what you eat and looking for a healthy alternative to eggs, you may have heard about Just Egg. Just Egg is a plant-based egg substitute made from mung beans, which is free of cholesterol and rich in protein. It's a popular choice among vegans and people with egg allergies, but it can also be a great option for anyone looking to reduce their consumption of animal products.
While Just Egg is readily available at many grocery stores, making your own homemade Just Egg is easy and cost-effective. In this blog post, we'll explore how to make homemade Just Egg and compare its taste and texture to the store-bought version.
Making Homemade Just Egg
To make homemade Just Egg, you'll need to gather a few simple ingredients:
1 cup yellow mung bean lentils, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 cup of water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon tapioca or corn starch
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 -1 teaspoon black salt
Here are the steps to follow:
Add 1 cup of yellow mung bean lentils to a strainer and rinse under running water. Then add the lentils to a bowl and cover with water. Soak the lentils in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Drain and rinse the soaked lentils and add them to a blender.
Add 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon of tapioca or corn starch, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, and 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of black salt to the blender.
Blend the ingredients on high speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large jar, discarding anything left in the strainer.
Store the just egg lentils in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
So, how does homemade Just Egg compare to the store-bought version? Here are some key differences to consider:
Taste: Homemade Just Egg has a fresher, more natural taste than the store-bought version, which can sometimes have a slightly processed flavor. The homemade version also allows you to adjust the seasoning to your liking, so you can make it as salty or spicy as you prefer.
Texture: Both homemade and store-bought Just Egg have a similar texture, which is slightly grainy and not as smooth as traditional scrambled eggs. However, some people may find that the homemade version is slightly softer and less dense than the store-bought version.
Cost: Making homemade Just Egg is significantly cheaper than buying the store-bought version. A pound of dried mung beans, which can yield multiple batches of homemade Just Egg, costs around $2-3, while a 12-ounce bottle of store-bought Just Egg can cost $5-6 or more.
Health Benefits: Both homemade and store-bought Just Egg are healthy alternatives to traditional eggs, as they are free of cholesterol and rich in protein. However, homemade Just Egg may be slightly healthier, as it doesn't contain any added preservatives or other ingredients that can be found in store-bought versions.
Overall, homemade Just Egg is a delicious and healthy alternative to traditional eggs and store-bought Just Egg. While the taste and texture may vary slightly from the store-bought version, making your own Just Egg is easy, cost-effective, and allows you to customize the seasoning to your liking. Give it a try and see for yourself how good it can be!
Ingredient Breakdown
Dried mung beans: The main ingredient in Just Egg is mung beans, which are a type of legume commonly used in Asian cuisine. Mung beans are high in protein and fiber, and they are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, iron, and magnesium.
Water: Water is used to soak the mung beans and to blend them into a smooth liquid for the Just Egg mixture.
Nutritional yeast: Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is commonly used as a vegan source of protein and vitamin B12. It has a nutty, cheesy flavor and is often used as a seasoning in vegan dishes.
Turmeric: Turmeric is a bright yellow spice that is commonly used in Indian cuisine. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and it gives the Just Egg mixture its yellow color.
Salt: Salt is added to the Just Egg mixture for seasoning and flavor.
Overall, these ingredients work together to create a healthy and flavorful plant-based alternative to traditional eggs.
Notes:
The recipe calls for Indian black salt, also known as kala namak, which gives the dish its signature eggy taste. If you don't have this ingredient, you can use regular salt instead, but the flavor will be slightly different.
The amount of turmeric used in this recipe can be adjusted to your liking. If you prefer a brighter yellow color, you can add a little more turmeric.
Just Egg can be found in most grocery stores in the refrigerated section, usually near tofu and other plant-based products.
Variations:
You can add chopped vegetables, such as bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms, to the pan before adding the Just Egg to make a veggie scramble.
To make a breakfast sandwich, serve the Just Egg on a toasted English muffin or bagel with avocado, tomato, and vegan cheese.
You can use the Just Egg to make a vegan quiche by pouring the mixture into a pie crust with your favorite vegetables and vegan cheese.
For a lighter breakfast option, you can make mini Just Egg muffins by pouring the mixture into a muffin tin and baking for 20-25 minutes at 375°F.
You can use the Just Egg in a vegan breakfast burrito with black beans, salsa, and avocado.
Just out of curiosity, what does the tapioca/cornstarch do in this recipe? My fiance had 1 cup of mung beans soaking for a full day, but his printed recipe went missing. I just had to look through about a dozen recipes to see what I need to add to those beans in our Vitamix. Some bloggers add baking powder, others use different oils, and so on. Yours seems close to what I remember, so maybe I can have “not-Just Eggs” for breakfast tomorrow.