Ingredient Spotlight: Flax Seeds
Ingredient Spotlight: Flax Seeds
a tiny little seed with big possibilities
Welcome to Ingredient Spotlight where once a month we do a deep dive into different elements of vegan, gluten free, and even allergy friendly baking and cooking.
I’d like to start this off by talking about one of the most ubiquitous ingredients in vegan baking: Flax Seeds.
Since flax seeds are so common, I’m sure that you have all baked and cooked with it before. This spotlight will go into details on not only what it is, but how best to use it, what recipes use flax seeds the best, and how to convert “traditional” recipes into egg free ones using flax seeds.
Let’s get cooking!
About those Flax Seeds
Flax seeds, aka linseeds or flaxseeds (one word) are small seeds full of nutrition! They are packed with fiber, manganese, thiamine, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Flax seeds are naturally gluten free and nut free, making them a versitile choice for those working with multiple allergies.
We’ve known about the benefits of flax seeds for a really long time. Their latin name, linum usitatissimum, means “very useful”. They have been grown for at least 6,000 years, consumed by the Babylonians, and used as glue to help Egyptians wrap mummies up.
So we have been using flax as a means of binding things together for a long time! However, I pinky promise I won’t have a mummy recipe - I have an art history degree but even that is a bit out of my league.
Brown vs Golden Flax Seeds
There are two main types of flax seeds that you will find: brown flax and golden flax. Brown flax seeds are much more common and have a strong, nutty flavor profile.
Golden flax seeds are typically found pre-ground and have both a lighter color and flavor.
Both can be used interchangeably in recipes.
Flax Seeds vs Flax Meal vs Sprouted Flax Seeds
Whole flax seeds and flax meal (also called ground flax seeds) are the most commonly found in stores.
Almost always, I reach for pre-ground flax seed meal. It’s pretty common to find in grocery stores now and you don’t have to do the extra work of grinding the flax yourself.
The whole flax seeds can then be sprouted in fresh cool water overnight. Sprouting helps to eliminate some of the phytic acid and increases the mineral absorption. First sprouting and then grinding the flax into a flax meal can provide you with the most nutrition from flax seeds.
Flax Oil
Flax oil is the oil produced from the ground flax seeds. It needs to be stored in the fridge as it can turn rancid very quickly. The oil has a very low smoke point and is best used in recipes like salad dressings. You should not fry with flax oil.
My Favorite Flax Seeds
My personal favorite brand of flax seeds for baking is Bob’s Red Mill Ground Flax Seeds. I’ve used both their normal and golden flax and use them interchangeably. In my baking, I’ve found that Bob’s is the best for making into a flax egg as it gets the most goopy.
For enjoying fresh, I don’t have that much of a preference. I’ve used Bob’s, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and my local Kroger’s all pretty equally.
How to Store
Since they do contain a lot of oils in the form of those omega-3s it is best to store opened bags of flax seeds in the fridge in a well sealed container. Try to use them up within a few months of opening the bag. If you give it a sniff and it smells off, it’s time to throw it out and start with a fresh bag.
When to Use Them
When ground, you can use flax seeds in so many recipes! Start with sprinkling a spoonful on top of your bowls of cereal, into smoothies, or on top of salads. Add them to a salad dressing or mix it with some peanut butter on toast or a PB&J sandwich.
Some recipes use flax eggs as a binder for things like black bean burgers or bread stuffings and bread puddings.
And naturally, you can use them in baked goods. They are hands down my favorite egg replacer in recipes like brownies, cookies, and chocolate cakes.
How to Best Use Flax Seeds
The properties of flax seeds need to be activated. That means, you need to combine them with liquid (typically water) to get the flax to gel up.
To make the best flax seed egg for baking, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of very hot water. Mix and set them aside for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the flax seeds to gel up.
As you can see, hot water makes for a much more gel-like flax egg than cold water.
How to Transform Egg Recipes to Flax Recipes
If you have a recipe that calls for traditional eggs, almost always you can make that recipe with flax seeds. There are a few exceptions to this rule, however.
First, you don’t want to try to make things like a quiche, scrambled eggs, or angel food cake with a flax seed.
Second, while they do work, I try to avoid using flax seeds in vanilla cake recipes where the flecks of flax will stick out. This has nothing to do with how well it performs and all to do with the final aesthetics of the vanilla cakes.
Where Flax works best is in chocolate cakes, brownies, and cookies.
You can use up to 3 flax eggs to replace the eggs in any of these types of recipes. If a recipe calls for 4+ eggs, I can’t guarantee that the simple swap of 1 flax egg for 1 chicken egg will work.
What if you can’t use flax seeds?
What if you are allergic to flax seeds? Or you can’t find any? There are some alternatives to using flax seeds, the most common one being chia seeds.
Flax Seeds vs Chia Seeds
In baking, it is a common direction to replace ground flax seeds with chia seeds. However, does this really work? Let’s take a closer look at the difference between flax and chia.
First, it’s just as important for chia seeds as it is for flax seeds to eat them after they have been ground up. Whole chia seeds are difficult to digest and keep most of their nutrition locked up inside when they are consumed whole. For the maximum benefit, it’s important to grind them.
Nutritionally, chia seeds are similar to flax in that both provide omega-3 fatty acids and lots of fiber. Some studies have claimed that regular eating of chia seeds can lower blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and even inflammation. However, that study was funded by a chia seed company, and the results show that while the group of people eating the chia seeds did have lower values than the control group, it’s only because the results of the control group had an increase in those same values! Basically, chia seeds don’t really help, but they don’t make things worse.
Here you can see how the chia seeds and the flax seeds have gelled together.
One final note about chia seeds, be careful when you are first starting to eat them as they can cause gastrointestional discomfort.
Benefits of Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds, on the other hand, have been proven in studies to have numerous positive effects. They contain about 15 times more lignans than other seeds, which is thought to be a large contributor to their anti-cancer properties. Flaxseeds have also been shown to help:
lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides
reduce inflammation
lower blood pressure
help with constipation
Final Flax Thoughts
Overall, I love flax seeds. Their nutrition benefits, their ability to be an easy egg substitute, and their availability and price make them something I constantly reach for in my cooking and baking.
Here are a few recipes that I love to use flax seeds in!
Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies (seriously the best)