Egg Made from Soybeans, Just Egg

Tasting Plant-Based Eggs

These days, as more people become interested in sustainable eating habits that consider the environment and health, foods that replace meat or seafood are being launched one after another in line with the veganism trend. Today, let's talk about one of them, the egg substitute product called 'Just Egg.'

Just Egg is a plant-based egg made by the American company Eat Just. It is made using mung beans without any animal-derived ingredients, and turmeric is added to the mung bean protein to give it color. We personally cooked and tasted the plant-based scrambled 'Just Egg' and the plant-based folded omelet 'Just Egg Folded.'

Just Egg comes in liquid form, while Just Egg Folded is in solid form. Their storage methods also differ. Just Egg should be kept refrigerated, whereas Just Egg Folded needs to be stored in the freezer.

We examined the nutrition facts. No animal-derived ingredients were included. Both products also caught attention for having 0 mg of cholesterol. For reference, an actual egg yolk contains about 180 mg of cholesterol.

The liquid Just Egg has a pale yellow color, resembling a mixture of egg whites and yolks with a few drops of milk added. This product can be used to make pancakes, scrambled eggs, or egg sheets. Just Egg Folded contains four individually wrapped solid omelets inside the box.

First, we made scrambled eggs using the liquid product. The cooking process was the same except for skipping the step of cracking eggs. Heat the pan, add oil, then pour in the Just Egg. When the edges start to bubble, stir with a spatula, and it's done.

The alternative omelet, Just Egg Folded, requires no complicated cooking process; just open the package and bake it in an oven, frying pan, or toaster. The editor chose to cook it in a frying pan with oil, placing the omelet on a preheated pan over medium-low heat. As soon as the omelet touched the warm pan, it softened quickly. It took about 13 minutes to brown both sides.

The cooked scrambled eggs and omelet were served on a plate with bread. Visually, they looked exactly like scrambled eggs or omelets made with real eggs. However, the aroma was different. It smelled closer to tofu than eggs.

We tasted the scrambled eggs first. The flavor was also closer to tofu than eggs. It was like eating tofu pancakes without soy sauce. Although it did not taste very similar to eggs, it was easy to eat without any aversion. However, the taste was a bit bland, so it is recommended to add pepper during cooking or enjoy it with ketchup or sriracha sauce. The texture was fluffier than scrambled eggs made with real eggs, with a springy feel when picked up with chopsticks.

While the scrambled eggs tasted like tofu pancakes, the omelet had a savory flavor similar to pan-fried fish coated in egg batter. Although the taste differed from an omelet made with real eggs, the bean flavor was less pronounced than in the scrambled eggs, so it did not feel like eating tofu. It was seasoned salty enough that no additional sauce was needed. Perhaps because of its savory and salty taste, it paired better with bread than the scrambled eggs did.

The bean-based egg substitute, Just Egg, was unique and fascinating in that various egg dishes can be made without animal ingredients. Although its taste is closer to mild tofu than eggs, it is a product worth noting for those practicing a vegan diet or who have egg allergies.

Enjoy a delicious vegan life with plant-based eggs!

Photo by Bomi Kim