How Are Just Eggs Made From Plants?

December 22, 2025 •

2 min read

Just Egg uses 98% less water and 83% less land than traditional egg production, according to Eat Just, the company behind the product. So, what goes into making Just Eggs from plants?

Quick Summary

Just Egg is a plant-based egg substitute made using mung bean protein. This protein is combined with oils, thickeners, and seasonings to replicate the taste and texture of chicken eggs.

Key Points

Mung Bean Protein: The core ingredient is mung bean protein isolate, extracted from dried mung beans due to its ability to gel and coagulate like chicken eggs.
Protein Isolation Process: The protein is separated from the mung bean flour using an advanced, multi-step process involving alkaline extraction, acid precipitation, and drying.
Texturizing Agents: Gellan gum is a key additive used to thicken and stabilize the mixture, ensuring it holds its form when cooked.
Emulsification: Expeller-pressed canola oil adds richness and mouthfeel, with soy lecithin acting as an emulsifier to prevent separation.
Color and Flavor: Turmeric and carrot extractives provide the classic yellow color, while specific seasonings, including kala namak (black salt), deliver the distinctive 'eggy' flavor and aroma.
Food Science Innovation: The process is a testament to modern food science, successfully recreating complex functional properties of an animal product using plant-based ingredients.

The Core Ingredient: Mung Bean Protein

Just Egg primarily uses protein isolated from the mung bean, a legume cultivated in Asia for thousands of years. Mung beans have a natural ability to gel and coagulate when heated. This property allows Just Egg to scramble and bind in ways similar to eggs.

Isolating the Mung Bean Protein

The process begins with raw mung beans that are de-hulled and milled into a flour. Eat Just uses a specialized industrial extraction process to isolate the protein.

Flour and Slurry: Mung bean flour is mixed with water.
Protein Extraction: Protein is extracted using treatments to refine and purify it.
Drying and Pasteurization: The extract is pasteurized and dried into mung bean protein isolate. This process helps the protein behave like egg protein.

The Supporting Cast of Ingredients

Other plant-based ingredients enhance Just Egg's texture, flavor, and color.

Canola Oil: Provides a rich mouthfeel and aids in cooking.
Gellan Gum: A food additive for thickening and gelling.
Soy Lecithin: An emulsifier preventing separation.
Natural Colors and Flavors: Turmeric and carrot extractives create the yellow color. Natural flavors, including an eggy aroma compound, are added. Black salt (kala namak) is often used for a stronger egg flavor.
Stabilizers: Ingredients like Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate and Potassium Citrate maintain pH and emulsion stability.

The Magic of Kala Namak

Kala namak, or Himalayan black salt, is often used for its distinctive sulfuric flavor and aroma in vegan egg products. This comes from natural sulfur compounds, including hydrogen sulfide, which causes the smell of cooked eggs. A small amount adds a potent egginess.

Just Egg vs. Conventional Egg Production: A Comparison


Feature	Just Egg (Plant-Based)	Traditional Egg (Chicken-Based)
Primary Ingredient	Mung bean protein isolate	Chicken eggs
Saturated Fat	0g (per 3 tbsp serving)	Varies by size, roughly 1.6g per large egg
Cholesterol	0mg	Roughly 207mg per large egg
Environmental Impact	Uses less water, land, and emits less CO2	Significantly higher environmental footprint
Ingredient Purity	Considered an ultra-processed food with various additives	A single, whole food
Protein Content	5g (per 3 tbsp serving)	6g (per large egg)

The Role of Food Science and Technology

Creating a plant-based egg substitute involves complex food science to mimic an animal product's properties, such as texture from the mung bean protein's coagulation and a specific flavor profile from a blend of ingredients. Advances in processing technology continue to improve taste and function.

Conclusion

Just Egg demonstrates how food technology transforms mung beans into an egg alternative. By isolating protein and combining it with other plant-based ingredients, a sustainable, cholesterol-free option is created. Despite being processed, it's an innovation for vegans, those with egg allergies, and those seeking environmentally friendly protein.

For more detailed information on plant-based alternatives, see the resources from the Good Food Institute.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary ingredient is protein isolated from the mung bean, a legume that has been cultivated for thousands of years.

The mung bean protein possesses natural gelling and coagulating properties that mimic the way chicken eggs set and scramble when cooked.

Yes. While the mung bean protein is the base, ingredients like dehydrated onion and natural flavors are added. The key 'eggy' flavor often comes from kala namak, a mineral salt with sulfuric compounds.

It is a cholesterol-free, plant-based source of protein. However, it is an ultra-processed food with higher sodium content than a traditional egg. While a good option for those on a vegan diet or managing cholesterol, whole eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense choice for others.

Yes, aside from the liquid scramble, Just Egg is also available in frozen formats like 'folded' and 'sous vide' options for different culinary uses.

The product's yellow color is achieved using natural extracts from carrots and turmeric.

According to the company, its production uses significantly less land and water and produces fewer carbon emissions compared to conventional chicken egg production.

While the exact industrial process is proprietary, many home recipes use soaked and blended mung beans with other kitchen staples like black salt and nutritional yeast to create a similar, albeit less processed, result.

Gellan gum acts as a hydrocolloid, providing thickening and gelling properties that contribute to the final product's texture and stability.