Chickpea ‘Peggs’: The New Plant-Based Eggs?

Californian plant-based company Peggs has developed a new plant-based egg product made from chickpea flour, potato and flax. Unlike many other egg-substitute products, this iteration works well ‘texturally’ when scrambled, or in baking. The product neatly taps into the fast-growing veganism movement, which has been accelerated by the global pandemic (see Veganism Forecast 2021 and Veganism’s Post-Pandemic Future).
Each serving of Peggs’ eggs contains around two grams of protein, compared to real eggs, which contain around six grams per egg. Recognising this potential shortfall, and how much consumers still value protein as a product attribute, the company has said, according to food news website The Spoon, that they’re working to increase the product’s protein content.
Peggs can be ordered online in the US from late spring 2021 (with shipping planned for May 2021), and the selling price will be around $6 per bag (equating to around half a dozen eggs).
Chickpeas have already been used in the vegan baking realm as an egg substitute for some time. Additionally, aquafaba (the starchy water that can be drained from a tin of chickpeas) has also been trending in culinary circles with many creative and frugal cooks using it to create less wasteful dishes. See Trans-Industry Ingredients for early research into aquafaba.
Meanwhile, in our Wellness Ingredients to Watch 2021 report, we posit that chickpeas have been identified as a protein source that will rise in popularity (as predicted by US supermarket chain Whole Foods).