This vegan dippy egg (aka v'egg) is rich, creamy and perfect for dunking. A delicious, egg-free, cruelty-free take on a childhood, comfort food classic. To make this recipe a success there's one stinky secret ingredient that cannot be substituted and you'll either love it or hate it!
This is one of those vegan recipes that always divides opinion. On the one hand, you have people that crave to relive the flavours, experiences and childhood memories of dunking toasted soldiers into that hot, drippy mess. Scooping it up into greedy little mouths before it runs all down your chin.
On the other hand, there are vegans and non-vegans alike, that don't understand the need to recreate food that resembles something of animal origin. It's quite a hotly debated topic with most people either for or against it.
I'll just throw up my hands now and admit that I'm definitely 'for' any delicious food that can be recreated to give you all the taste and feels, without the need for animal products.
Funnily enough, I hated eggs as a child and didn't eat them until I was well into adulthood. However, I always had a fascination that bordered on reverence, for observing the breakfast ritual my family would go through. The topping off, the peeling and unveiling, the sprinkling of salt and finally the dunking, oh the dunking! I would watch it, entranced and drooling, my plate of beans on toast all but forgotten.
Happy dunking!
Recipe Notes
How do I make vegan egg taste eggy?
The distinct aroma in this vegan dippy egg yolk comes from the black salt, or kala namak to give its Indian name. This is the only ingredient I know of that can recreate that eggy flavour in vegan recipes and it can't really be substituted for anything else.
Black salt is a pungent, sulfurous, volcanic rock salt that you'll honestly either love or hate. Funnily enough, it's not actually black in colour and ranges from various shades of pink, purple and grey.
It's found recent fame in western vegan cooking for giving tofu scramble or homemade mayo an eggy flavour. In truth, it's been used widely for centuries in Indian cooking and Ayurvedic medicine.
Interestingly for IBS sufferers, it's said to aid digestion and relieve heartburn, bloating and excess flatulence.
When using black salt you only need a tiny amount to impart a big sulfurous kick and make your vegan egg taste eggy. Cooking or heating it into a dish does help to mellow both the flavour and aroma. For this reason, it can also be used as a finishing salt, but in this way, it's honestly far too pungent for my tastes.
I've included some links to purchase down below but the cheapest place to buy it is at your local Indian grocers.
Is this gluten-free?
Yes, the sauce is gluten-free. Make sure you double-check that both your turmeric and black salt are pure spices and not blended with wheat flour. Toast your favourite gluten-free bread for dunking or to eat on the side.
Remember that not all gluten-free bread is suitable for the low FODMAP diet. You can find some FODMAP safe branded varieties of gluten-free bread listed in the Monash app.
Can I make this v'egg yolk oil-free?
No, not really. The oil in this recipe is essential as an emulsifier, to bring the sauce together into a thick, glossy finish. It also gives a much more realistic 'yolk' in terms of fat, texture and mouthfeel.
If you wish to cut back then I suggest reducing the oil in the v'egg sauce by no more than ½ and opting to toast the bread dry, without brushing over any extra oil.
Can I make this sauce in advance?
Yes. This sauce can be made in bulk or in advance and kept in the fridge for a few days. If possible, get the sauce to the blended stage and heat it as and when you need it. If you want to make it completely in advance you'll likely need to add a splash of water or milk at the reheating stage to balance the thickening effect of the cornflour.
How should I serve this vegan egg sauce?
The classic dippy egg yolk that this recipe is based on would be eaten with regular sliced bread (toasting optional) for breakfast or a snack. I prefer something that can be cut thicker and has a bit of bite and texture to it, such as ciabatta, panini or rustic sourdough*. I love it when the dippy sauce can fill up all those air holes and yield more sauce per dunk.
This creamy, sulfurous sauce is delicious and versatile. Try dipping potato wedges or roast veggie batons instead of the toast. If you increase the quantities it makes a lovely addition to tofu scramble, served alongside my crispy baked hash browns. It can also be stirred as a sauce through spaghetti carbonara, folded into fried rice or dolloped on top of a smoky red pepper shakshuka, (more of these recipes coming soon).
If you're not in elimination then I highly recommend dunking in some lightly griddled asparagus spears. Mmmmmmm!
FODMAP Notes
FODMAP Servings
As written this vegan dippy egg recipe is low FODMAP at 1 single serving. This recipe contains approx:
- 1 Fructan serving - based on a serving of Schar low FODMAP bread.
- Trace GOS serving - ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 0 Mannitol
- 0 Sorbitol
- 1 Fructose serving - 69g vine tomato
- 0 Lactose - All my recipes are vegan and therefore free from dairy and lactose. Yay!
* This recipe was edited in April 2022 to reflect the changes to the low FODMAP serving size of vine tomato. Always refer to the Monash app for current safe serves and FODMAP categorisations.
FODMAP Ingredient Notes
Low FODMAP bread
It's becoming increasingly common to see branded bread products marketed as FODMAP safe. The main thing to be aware of is that there is a difference between gluten-free and low FODMAP bread products. Unless you have a specific medical need for it, the low FODMAP diet is not a gluten-free diet. Some gluten-free bread contains high FODMAP ingredients which are unsuitable for the elimination phase. It's also possible for a FODMAP safe portion of bread to not be wheat or gluten-free, as is the case with traditional sourdough bread.
When it comes to bread the brand available and affordable to me is Schar. They make a variety of bread products, each one listed in the Monash app with safe servings and FODMAP type. Generally, safe serves of low FODMAP bread will contain the oligos fructans and GOS. Different brands may vary so wherever possible stick to brands such as Schar, Bakers Delight, Pure Life Bakery and COBS Bread which are listed in the Monash app.
Plant milk
I recommended almond, macadamia or soy protein in the elimination phase as these are the ones that are low FODMAP at 250ml/1 Cup. My plant milk preference is for oat milk due to its creamier flavour and lower carbon footprint. Unfortunately, according to Monash oat milk here in the UK has a very small FODMAP safe serving of 30ml or ⅛th cup. Generic oat milk is listed in the Monash app as safe at 125ml or ½ cup.
Once you reach the personalised phase of the diet and know more about your triggers it's important to look at the bigger picture of your food choices beyond their FODMAP content and experiment with including more of your preferred alternatives.
*Sourdough bread
Sourdough bread, in my opinion, is one of the most confusing foods on a low FODMAP diet. The FODMAP content and safe serving of true sourdough depend on the type of flour and even the country of origin. To make things even more confusing, bread marketed as sourdough is often not true sourdough. Some sourdough-style bread has vinegar added to create the classic sour taste. This means they have not undergone the long fermentation process that ensures the fructans have been broken down to safe levels.
Beyond Elimination Phase
This is a nice simple recipe to use in your fructans in grains reintroduction challenge. Substitute the low FODMAP bread with a challenge portion of wheat bread or stir the sauce through a challenge portion of wheat pasta.
See our blog post on low FODMAP challenge foods and portions for more details.
Shopping Tips
- Salthouse & Peppermongers extra fine kala namak in pouch (60g). One of the smallest sizes available, perfect for testing it out for the first time.
- Wholefood Earth fine kala namak Himalayan black salt (1kg). This size bag is best for those that use black salt frequently and abundantly.
- Engevita nutritional yeast with B12 (125 g). If you use this regularly it sometimes works out to be a better value to buy it in multipacks online rather than individually. If you've never used it before or prefer not to buy it in bulk then start off with a single 125g pack.
- SCHAR gluten-free panini rolls (225g) Also available in the free-from aisle at most major supermarkets and Co-op.
* We use affiliate links here to help support our work. Purchasing through these links does not affect your consumer rights or the price you pay but may result in The Irritable Vegan receiving a small commission payment. We thank you for supporting us in this way whilst you shop.
Free From
- Celery free
- Garlic free
- Gluten free (depending on bread)
- Onion free
- Peanut free
- Sesame free
- Soy free (depending on bread)
- Wheat free (depending on bread)
- Mannitol free
- Sorbitol free
- Lactose free
Please always double-check your ingredients to ensure your products, brands and version is "free-from" if required. Where we list free from FODMAPs please be aware we are referring to free from excess FODMAPs as defined by low/high FODMAP limits in the Monash app and not a true allergy-safe definition of "free-from". Most plant foods will still contain some level of FODMAPs but in amounts that are considered to be tolerable for most people on the low FODMAP diet.
Recipe
Vegan Dippy Egg
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Equipment
- Blender
Cook mode
Ingredients
Dippy V'egg
- 60 g vine tomato
- 80 ml / ⅓ cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon black salt/kala namak
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
Toasted Soldiers
- 1 portion of thick-sliced low FODMAP bread - Gluten-free if required.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Deseed 60 g vine tomato and finely dice the flesh.
- Add all the ingredients for the dippy sauce into a blender. 80 ml / ⅓ cup almond milk, 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch, ½ tsp dijon mustard, ⅛ tsp black salt/kala namak, and ⅛ tsp ground turmeric Blitz until the sauce is smooth and golden, approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Slice 1 portion of thick-sliced low FODMAP bread into thick fingers and lay them out in a single layer on a baking tray. Lightly brush both of the widest surfaces with 1 tsp olive oil and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper.
- Toast the bread for a few minutes, under a hot grill or broiler, until golden. Flip over and toast the other side until evenly golden on both sides.
- Whilst the bread is toasting, pour the sauce into a non-stick pan and simmer gently until thickened to your liking. Keep stirring to ensure it doesn't stick. Don't allow it to boil and bubble too rapidly. Mine only needed to simmer for 90 seconds.
- Pour the sauce into a large egg cup, small container or glass jar. Make sure whatever you use is deep and wide enough to allow the soldiers to be properly submerged.
- Dunk and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 tablespoon = 15 ml
- 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
Recipe Video
Did you make this recipe? What did you dunk in yours?
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Sarah M says
I'm an extremely lazy cook so I love a recipe with simple ingredients, minimal steps and minimal prep/cooking time and also minimal clean up - This one ticked all the boxes and will definitely be going into my regular rotation!
I've tried other egg yolk/dippy egg recipes that use a base of either tofu, pumpkin, carrot or flour, and none of them hit quite right. Obviously, the flavor won't be quite like a real egg, though this recipe would definitely hit the spot if you're craving dippy egg - It is rich and flavorful without being overpowering, the 'yolk' paired so perfectly with the warm buttered toast.
The texture was like a smooth pumpkin soup (my favorite), although I skipped on the olive oil so I could drench my bread in a bit more butter - I can imagine the texture would be even silkier when including the oil as per the recipe.
To try to replicate the chunky texture of the egg whites, I also sliced some soft tofu into the pan with the yolk and stirred it into the yolks to slightly break it down but keep it intact enough, similar to scooping soft-boiled egg from the shell, it worked great.
I made double the amount intending to save half for later in the day but ended up heating up the rest and eating the entire lot in one sitting.
Thank you for this recipe, The Irritable Vegan!
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Hi Sarah, Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a detailed review. I'm so pleased you enjoy this recipe as much as I do and I love that you took it a step further to incorporate the tofu. No matter how much I make of this it seems to magically disappear, along with the hot buttered toast! One of life's delicious mysteries!