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High Egg Prices Have Us Boiling Over: Here’s What We Can Do About Them

Senior Writer

Updated 3 Hours Ago

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Eggs have gotten so expensive some national retailers are limiting how many cartons customers can buy.

The price of eggs has skyrocketed in recent months, with the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reaching $4.95 in January, according to the latest monthly consumer price index. The rise has been attributed to the ongoing bird flu outbreak.

Trader Joe’s has capped egg purchases to one carton per customer per day, and Costco customers have been limited to three packages of eggs. Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger and other grocery stores also have egg limits, but not all of them are nationwide.

Expect to see higher egg prices at restaurants, too. For instance, breakfast chains Waffle House and Denny’s have announced egg surcharges.

We’ve got a couple of ideas for what you can do about the high price of eggs. We’ve even got advice about cheaper baking substitutions if a recipe is asking for eggs. And, if you’re thinking bigger, we’ve got advice about raising backyard chickens so you can supply your own eggs.

First, let’s take a look at the problem.

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Bird Flu and 160 Million Dead Chickens

Last year, a dozen eggs would have probably cost you about $2.50. Today it’d be closer to $5 in many parts of the country. In much of California, a dozen eggs costs about $9.

Some of this huge price hike is due to inflation and supply chain woes, but by far the biggest reason is the massive avian flu outbreak among American flocks, killing about 160 million birds since the virus outbreak began in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the birds were egg-laying chickens.

Eggs are so highly in demand that border officials are actually seeing a spike in egg smuggling. Earlier this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials reported a spike in people attempting to sneak eggs into the country illegally from Mexico, where egg prices are lower. (Bringing uncooked eggs from Mexico into the U.S. is illegal due to the risk of bird flu.)

Then there are the internet memes: It’s too expensive now to egg your enemy’s house. Easter egg hunts are hereby canceled. Having eggs in your grocery cart is suddenly a sign of wealth.

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Will Egg Prices Go Down?

Experts expect the price of eggs to fall eventually, but when they’ll start to decrease is unclear. Egg prices are expected to rise about 20% in 2025, according to the USDA. Prices won’t fall back to where they were before our inflation woes. But the side effects of a massive avian flu outbreak should wear off over time.

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Are Consumers Being Gouged Here?

A nonprofit farming advocacy group called Farm Action is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate price gouging from America’s largest egg companies.

The group wants antitrust regulators to examine record profits at the biggest companies, including Cal-Maine Foods, which controls 20% of the retail egg market.

So what can you do about all this?

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Save Money With These Baking Substitutes

We have a whole article on cheaper baking substitutes for ingredients such as eggs, butter, sugar, milk and chocolate.

Substituting eggs is a tricky endeavor for bakers. However, it may be necessary because of these prices.

Some ingredients provide the same lift to baked goods as eggs, notably baking powder and baking soda. But getting the ratio correct is complicated. Surprisingly, carbonated water is a great egg substitute for baked goods like cakes and muffins.

Egg Baking Substitutes

Substitute	Ratio
Carbonated water (club soda)	¼ cup = 1 egg
Water, oil and baking powder	2 Tbsp. water + 2 tsp. BP +1 tsp. oil = 1 egg
Mashed banana	¼ cup = 1 egg
Nut butter	3 tablespoons = 1 egg

If you don’t have baking powder, you can use a third of the same amount of baking soda.

Keep in mind that using bananas creates a different flavor profile as well as a gummier texture. But for some baked goods, the additional moisture in bananas can be a boon for your taste buds.

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The Revenge of the Backyard Chicken

What else can you do? If you’re thinking bigger, you might consider raising backyard chickens so you can supply your own eggs.

Here’s our guide to raising backyard chickens — what’s involved and what it costs.

Be warned that it’s not necessarily easy. Before impulse buying some baby chicks, you’ll want to think carefully about all the costs associated with chicken keeping.

Still, it’s one way to ensure a steady supply of eggs.