Which Diet Doesn't Eat Eggs? The Comprehensive Guide

December 4, 2025 •

3 min read

According to a 2023 study published in Nutrients, vegans had healthier weights and lower cholesterol levels compared with omnivores. This success often stems from a diet that systematically excludes all animal products, including eggs. If you are wondering which diet doesn't eat eggs, the most prominent example is veganism, though specific forms of vegetarianism also avoid them.

Quick Summary

This guide details the specific diets that exclude eggs, primarily focusing on vegan and lacto-vegetarian lifestyles. It explores the reasons people adopt these diets, from ethical concerns to health benefits, and offers insight into maintaining balanced nutrition without eggs.

Key Points

Vegan Diet: The vegan diet strictly excludes all animal products, including eggs, dairy, and honey, relying solely on plant-based foods.
Lacto-Vegetarian Diet: A lacto-vegetarian diet avoids meat and eggs but includes dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Nutrient Planning: Individuals on egg-free diets must plan carefully to ensure they get enough Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium, and iron from other sources.
Egg Substitutes: Many alternatives like flaxseed meal, mashed banana, and commercial products such as Just Egg are available for cooking and baking.
Reasons for Exclusion: People choose egg-free diets for various reasons, including animal welfare, environmental concerns, health, and religious beliefs.
Distinct from Ovo-Vegetarian: Unlike the lacto-vegetarian diet, the ovo-vegetarian diet specifically includes eggs while excluding dairy and meat.

Understanding the Basics: Veganism and Egg Exclusion

Veganism is a lifestyle that seeks to exclude all forms of animal exploitation, including the consumption of eggs. This principle extends to all foods derived from animals, such as meat, dairy, and honey. For many vegans, the decision is rooted in ethical concerns over animal welfare in industrial farming, while others are motivated by environmental impacts and health benefits.

Within the strict vegan framework, eggs are unequivocally excluded. The diet is based exclusively on plant-derived foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Maintaining balanced nutrition on a vegan diet requires careful planning, with a focus on sourcing essential nutrients like Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium, and iron from fortified foods or supplements.

Diving Deeper: The Lacto-Vegetarian Diet

While most people associate vegetarianism with egg consumption, the term actually encompasses several sub-types. A lacto-vegetarian diet is a plant-based diet that includes dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, but specifically excludes eggs, meat, and fish. This diet is often chosen for a combination of ethical and religious reasons, particularly within certain spiritual traditions. Unlike vegans, lacto-vegetarians can rely on dairy for calcium and Vitamin B12, but must still pay attention to iron and other nutrient intake.

The Spectrum of Vegetarianism and Eggs

To illustrate the variations, let's look at how eggs fit into different vegetarian diets:

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: The most common type, this diet avoids meat and fish but includes both dairy and eggs.
Ovo-vegetarian: This diet excludes all animal flesh and dairy products but includes eggs.
Pescatarian: While not strictly vegetarian, pescatarians avoid meat and poultry but include fish, and often eggs and dairy.

How to Succeed on an Egg-Free Diet

Eliminating eggs from your diet is manageable with the right knowledge and substitutes. This applies to both vegans and lacto-vegetarians. Eggs are a valuable source of protein, vitamins A, D, and B12, and choline. Therefore, individuals on egg-free diets need to ensure these nutrients are obtained from other sources.

Nutrient Sources and Egg Alternatives

To maintain a healthy egg-free diet, focus on a variety of whole foods. Excellent plant-based protein sources include legumes (beans, lentils), soy products (tofu, tempeh), nuts, and seeds. For baking, common egg substitutes like flaxseed meal mixed with water, mashed banana, or aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas) can be very effective. For scrambled eggs, products like Just Egg or Simply Eggless offer a convincing plant-based alternative.

Comparison: Vegan vs. Lacto-Vegetarian Diet (Egg Exclusion Focus)


Feature	Vegan Diet	Lacto-Vegetarian Diet
Egg Consumption	Excluded	Excluded
Dairy Consumption	Excluded	Included
Protein Sources	Beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh	Dairy products, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh
Calcium Source	Fortified plant milks, leafy greens, pulses	Dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
Vitamin B12 Source	Fortified foods, supplements	Dairy products, supplements
Iron Source	Legumes, dark leafy greens, nuts	Legumes, dark leafy greens, nuts
Ethical Scope	All animal products and by-products	Meat and eggs, but not dairy

Conclusion

For those asking "which diet doesn't eat eggs?", the most direct answers are the vegan diet and the lacto-vegetarian diet. Veganism represents the most comprehensive exclusion, forgoing all animal products, while a lacto-vegetarian diet includes dairy but is otherwise plant-based. Both are entirely viable and nutritious paths that can be maintained with proper planning, education, and the use of modern egg substitutes and fortified foods. Whether your motivation is ethical, environmental, or health-related, embracing an egg-free diet is a straightforward and rewarding endeavor. For further reading, resources like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provide valuable information.

Key Takeaways

Vegan Diet: Eliminates all animal products, including eggs, dairy, and meat, for ethical, environmental, and health reasons.
Lacto-Vegetarian Diet: Excludes eggs and meat but includes dairy products, providing an egg-free option within vegetarianism.
Nutrient Planning: Proper planning is crucial on egg-free diets to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients like Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium, and iron.
Effective Alternatives: Numerous substitutes exist for eggs in cooking and baking, such as flaxseed, mashed banana, and aquafaba.
Ethical Spectrum: The motivation behind avoiding eggs varies, ranging from full animal welfare concerns in veganism to more specific ethical or religious reasons in lacto-vegetarianism.
Health Considerations: Egg-free diets can be very healthy and are associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary diet that excludes eggs is the vegan diet, which avoids all animal products entirely. Additionally, a lacto-vegetarian diet also excludes eggs while still consuming dairy products.

Vegans do not eat eggs due to ethical objections to animal exploitation and industrial farming practices, as well as for environmental and health reasons.

Yes, there are several types. A lacto-vegetarian does not eat eggs but consumes dairy, an ovo-vegetarian eats eggs but no dairy, and a lacto-ovo-vegetarian eats both eggs and dairy.

Effective egg substitutes for baking include mashed bananas, flaxseed meal mixed with water, aquafaba (chickpea liquid), and commercial egg replacers.

You can get plenty of protein from plant-based sources like legumes (beans, lentils), soy products (tofu, tempeh), nuts, and seeds. A variety of these foods throughout the day will provide all essential amino acids.

On a vegan diet, it's generally recommended to take a Vitamin B12 supplement, as it is primarily found in animal products. Other nutrients like Vitamin D and iron may also need monitoring, especially on a strict vegan or poorly planned lacto-vegetarian diet.

Yes, a well-planned and varied egg-free diet can be healthy for children, but it requires careful attention to ensure adequate nutrients for growth. Consultation with a healthcare professional or dietitian is often advised.