Breading without egg

Breading is not only possible with egg – there are also other ways to create a crispy breading without egg. If you can’t or don’t want to use egg when breading, you’ll find answers here.

Why breading?

We all love breading. Whether it’s fish, meat, vegetables or tofu, breading food is popular, and for good reason: not only is the crispy coating simply delicious, but breading also prevents liquid from leaking from the food during the cooking process. With a breading, the flavors of the food are preserved. The egg acts as a binder during breading and ensures that the breading sticks. If you live a vegan lifestyle or don’t want to use egg for other reasons, you by no means have to give up a crunchy breading either. Vegetable chops or cauliflower cutlets can also become crispy with a breading without egg. However, when breading without egg, the creamy egg substance must be replaced and preferably be as viscous as possible to adhere well.

Crispy breading without egg

Hmmm, delicious! Whether on schnitzel, fish or homemade chicken nuggets, breading is an important part of the dish. The classic breading process generally involves dredging the piece of meat or similar in flour, then dipping it in a beaten egg and finally rolling it in breadcrumbs. And then it’s off to the frying pan. Those who live as vegans or struggle with egg allergies may wonder how breading without egg works. Is it even possible? The short answer is yes! With these alternatives, the crispy coating will stick without any egg at all. Instead of egg, you can use:

• Salted milk
• Cream or condensed milk
• Yogurt
• Mustard
• Water
• Vegetable milk

Tip: If you also want the breading to be gluten-free, you can use cornmeal instead of flour and ground nuts, oatmeal or cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs.

Breading with dairy products

Breading without egg works perfectly with dairy products such as yogurt, milk, condensed milk or cream. For breading without egg, it is best to add salt to the liquid before dipping the piece of fried food. Then proceed as usual: First roll in flour, then dip in the milk and then in the breadcrumbs. Feel free to repeat the process to get a slightly thicker breading.

To make the liquid creamy, you can also save a step and mix the milk product with flour, season and mix well until the substance is viscous. Then simply dip the fried food in there until it is well coated, then roll in the breadcrumbs and fry until crispy on both sides.

Tip: If you want to make the coating even crispier, you can add some hard cheese to the crumbs. Why not also play with flour variations and try coconut flour or chickpea flour?

Vegan breading

For the vegan version, you’ll forgo dairy products and use water, mustard or plant milk instead. If you use mustard, you don’t have to season your vegetables, tofu, etc. too much. With vegetable milk or water, you can proceed as follows when breading without egg:

1. Mix a heaping tablespoon of flour with three tablespoons of water or plant milk. Add a pinch of salt and other spices according to your taste. Mix well.
2. Prepare a plate of breadcrumbs.
3. Now turn your vegetable schnitzel or other vegan fried food in the liquid so that it is well covered on all sides.
4. Then roll in the bread crumbs. (Repeat steps 3 and 4 to get a thicker breading without egg!)
5. Fry and enjoy.

Seasonings such as pepper or paprika work especially well for breading without or with egg.

Avoiding breading mistakes

The breading itself is a coating to protect meat, fish or vegetables etc. during frying and to ensure that no liquid escapes. A common mistake in classic breading or breading without egg is that liquid does leak out, and as a result not only does the food dry out, but the breading also comes off on the surface. The breading simply loses its grip and falls off. With these secret tips, your breading will hold up well without egg and become crispy.

5 tips for breading

• Dry the meat or similar well before you start breading. Meat, for example, should be pounded in advance so that more of the meat’s proteins are on the surface, which helps bind it. Chicken breasts can optionally be incised on the surface.
• Note the order: The flour ensures that excess liquid is absorbed. When breading without egg, you can lightly dust the fried food if necessary, provided you use a flour-water or flour-milk mixture.
• Allow the breading to dry slightly before proceeding.
• When breading without egg, you can also use buttermilk instead of egg and cornstarch instead of flour: You’ll get an airy, light breading without egg. The cornstarch forms a crispy coating in just a short time and supposedly bonds better with the meat than regular flour.

Tip: Add some garlic and Dijon mustard to the buttermilk for a delicate flavor.

You can also use panko instead of breadcrumbs: This will make the schnitzel even crispier. Panko is a breadcrumb coating originating from Japanese cuisine.