JUST Egg is a popular vegan alternative to eggs. The company has excellent branding and is available at retailers throughout the US and Canada.
But what's actually in JUST Egg? Is it healthier than traditional eggs? Does it have any unhealthy additives? And which JUST Egg product is the healthiest?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in JUST Egg to give our take on whether or not the products are healthy.
We'll also highlight a salmonella recall faced by JUST, share a non-vegan couple's taste test of the product, and share our thoughts on whether dietary cholesterol is actually unhealthy (for consumers considering JUST Egg for health and not ethical reasons).
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in JUST Egg are shown above.
Mung bean protein isolate is the primary protein source, and is not a complete protein. Mung bean proteins lack two of the essential amino acids that humans need to obtain from diet (while eggs are a complete protein).
Canola oil was shown in a 2020 meta-study to improve cholesterol levels.
We typically recommend avoiding seed oils and using extra virgin olive oil instead, but canola oil may be healthy when consumed in moderation.
JUST Egg does contain several ingredients we would recommend avoiding for health reasons.
Sugar is clinically shown to be associated with increased risk of obesity when consumed in excess, as we discussed in our article on are Uncrustables bad for you.
There is under 1 gram (g) of sugar in this product, but we don't consider sugar necessary at all in an egg alternative.
Tapioca syrup solids are another sweetener.
Nisin is a food preservative with a favorable safety profile, but we recommend avoiding preservatives altogether.
Transglutaminase was shown in a medical review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences to increase intestinal permeability, which means that it can increase how much food protein ends up in the bloodstream which increases food allergy risk.
The study authors concluded that this compound presents “potential public health concerns.”
JUST Egg uses natural coloring agents derived from plant material such as carrot extractives and turmeric extractives which are much healthier options than artificial dye.
Overall, while we consider JUST Egg to be a better option than some commercial egg alternatives, we do not recommend the product and we consider it less nutritious and less healthy than whole eggs or another egg alternative brand (which we'll discuss later).
Real People Try JUST Egg
One of the most popular reviews of JUST Egg is published by a YouTube channel called “Hallease.” The couple, who are not vegan, do a taste test of JUST Egg.
The video has over 50,000 views:
A YouTube creator named "I Want To Cook" has a comparison between whole eggs and JUST Egg:
Is Dietary Cholesterol Actually Unhealthy?
Consumers are primarily interested in JUST Egg for two reasons: for vegetarian or vegan consumers, it can replace the experience of eating eggs.
For health-conscious consumers, it can reduce dietary cholesterol intake.
But is dietary cholesterol actually unhealthy?
JUST Egg suggests it is, stating that their products allow consumers to "Kiss cholesterol goodbye."
But the research isn't that straightforward.
It makes logical sense that avoiding dietary cholesterol should reduce serum (blood) cholesterol levels and improve overall health, but this doesn’t appear to be the case based on medical research.
An extensive medical review published in the Nutrients journal examined the impact of dietary cholesterol on health outcomes like cardiovascular disease.
The study authors found that while consuming a cholesterol-rich diet may slightly increase both low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, it does not worsen the HDL/LDL ratio which is the key marker for cardiovascular issues. They concluded the following:
“The current literature does not support the notion that dietary cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease in a healthy individuals.”
What's JUST's Healthiest Product?
JUST has three product lines at the time of updating this article: JUST Egg, JUST Mayo and JUST Ranch.
We consider JUST Mayo to be the healthiest of the three, and its ingredients are shown below:
Vinegar has a number of health-promoting compounds including organic acids, polyphenols and melanoidins according to a 2016 medical review.
Lemon juice is clinically shown to have a favorable effect on blood sugar levels.
Spice is a generic descriptor that fails to identify the specific chemical(s) used, as we documented in our review of Pink Sauce.
While we don't recommend this product overall due to the inclusion of spices and sugar, we consider it to be the healthiest JUST formulation because it's preservative-free and free of transglutaminase.
FDA Warning Letter
In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also sent a warning letter to JUST, which at the time was branded as Hampton Creek, indicating that their implied health claims about zero cholesterol food being healthy for the heart could not be made on the product’s packaging because their product contained too much fat to qualify for this type of health claim.
In 2023, JUST was sued for over $100 million by a former partner, over allegations of financial impropriety, according to WIRED.
In 2016, JUST recalled several products due to positive tests for salmonella, a type of bacteria that can cause food poisoning, as reported by Food Safety News.
The same outlet reports that Target pulled all JUST products from their shelves the following year, citing food safety concerns. Target did not appear to provide any further information, so we cannot verify whether or not there were legitimate food safety concerns in this case.
It’s not uncommon for large brands which manufacture millions of products annually to occasionally suffer from food safety issues.
Our Clean Egg Picks
Pureganic Eggless Ready Mix is our top vegan egg pick.
This egg alternative is entirely whole-food-based, and free of any questionable additive ingredients like preservatives or processed cane sugar.
Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Eggs is our top whole egg pick.
A 2020 clinical trial found that cage-free, organic eggs have higher nutritional quality than conventional eggs (and it's better for the animals).
For consumers choosing for health and not ethical reasons, we would recommend Vital Farms over Pureganic.
