This vegan omelet uses flaxseed gel instead of eggs, with a vegan cheese and green-onion filling. You can make it stuffed or cook it as small patties mixed with vegetables.
Ingredients
Flaxseed gel
- 1/2 liter water
- 3 tbsp flaxseeds
Omelet mixture
- 1 cup flaxseed gel
- 2 tbsp wheat flour
- 1 tsp starch
- 1 tsp oats, optional if unavailable
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of black pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
Filling
- 2 tbsp finely chopped green onion
- 4 tbsp vegan cheese or vegan labneh
- A pinch of black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- A pinch of salt
Method
1. Make the flaxseed gel
- Put the water and flaxseeds in a pot over low heat and bring to a boil, stirring and watching carefully so it does not boil over.
- Set aside to cool, then strain through suitable cheesecloth.
- Keep the gel in the refrigerator. You can make a larger batch and use it several times as an egg replacement in baking.
2. Make the omelet mixture
- Combine 1 cup flaxseed gel with the wheat flour and starch and mix well.
- Add the oats, sesame, black pepper and salt.
- You can skip the separate filling and mix vegetables directly into the omelet batter instead.
3. Make the filling
Mix all the filling ingredients together. You can also add or experiment with anything else you like.
4. Cook the omelet
- Put 1 tablespoon of oil in a wide non-stick pan.
- When the oil is hot, pour in half the mixture, spreading it as thinly as possible.
- When the underside is cooked and light brown, check with a spatula that it has released from the pan. Do not move it before then.
- Flip it with a spatula, or invert it onto a plate, and brown the second side.
- Spread half the filling over one half of the omelet and fold the other half over it to make a semicircle.
- Turn it again so it cooks evenly on both sides, then repeat with the second portion.
You can also make the omelet without filling as small patties, adding finely chopped vegetables such as mushrooms, parsley or grated zucchini. Enjoy 🙂
Why does flaxseed gel work instead of eggs?
It is important to distinguish whole flaxseeds from the strained gel used in this recipe. Whole flaxseeds are rich in ALA, a plant omega-3 fat, as well as fiber and lignans. But here we boil the seeds, strain them, and use the gelatinous liquid, so we should not assume that all the omega-3 in the seeds ends up in the gel.
What makes the gel useful is its culinary function: the outer layer of flaxseeds releases mucilage, rich in soluble polysaccharides. This sticky material has binding, emulsifying and stabilizing properties, which is why it can help us make omelets, baked goods and sauces without eggs. Source.
This is not just theory. A recent food study tested replacing egg yolk with flaxseed mucilage in mayonnaise and achieved complete replacement with emulsion stability similar to the egg-based control. Source.
The strongest point here is very practical: material released from a seed can do a large part of the egg’s job in texture and binding—without an egg. If you want the omega-3 benefits of flaxseed itself, eating ground flaxseed is better than assuming all of it transferred into the gel.
Try our almond and soy labneh or hummus with tahini.
