Can You Freeze Egg Yolks?

Last updated on August 15th, 2022 at 01:50 am

You have a recipe that calls for only egg whites but don’t want to use the yolks for something else right away. So what should you do with them? You don’t want to toss them out as that is a waste of egg yolk. 

Can you freeze them? 

You can freeze egg yolks! However they will have to have either a small amount of salt or sugar added so the yolk doesn’t become sticky when you want to thaw it. 

You cannot freeze the yolk in its original form as the yolk will gel (become sticky) and that will leave it unusable for most recipes. So, to freeze your egg yolks you will need to add a little something extra to prevent the gelling from happening. 

You will need to add a ½ a teaspoon of salt or 1 teaspoon of sugar for every 240 milliliters of egg yolk (about 15-20 yolks). This addition will stop the egg yolks from gelling. 

You also need to make sure your eggs are in a freezer safe container, try to remove any extra air from the container. You can also freeze your yolks in a freezer safe plastic bag. 

Lay the bag flat in your freezer while it freezes. 

Make sure that you label your container with the contents, the amount of egg yolks, and the date. You will want to use the egg yolks within a couple of months for the best results.

What Can I Use Frozen Egg Yolks For?

No matter what you are planning to use the frozen eggs for, the first thing that you will need to do is to defrost your frozen eggs. 

Never cook eggs that are frozen. You will need to take your frozen eggs from the freezer and place them into the fridge to defrost overnight. 

You cannot safely defrost eggs on the counter as this can lead to bacteria growth. 

If you need your frozen eggs quickly and forgot to set them in the fridge the night before you can speed up the defrosting process by placing the container under running cold water. 

The great thing about frozen eggs is that you can use them in place of fresh eggs in any recipe. If you have frozen whole eggs, you can use them to make omelets, frittatas, or even casseroles. You can also use them to bake a cake or in cookies. 

If you had frozen only egg yolks then you can use them in ice cream, shortbread, pudding, sauces, and mayonnaise. You can even just add an extra frozen yolk or two to your scrambled eggs. 

Once your egg whites have been defrosted you can use them in baked goods, meringues, and pavlova. Egg whites will lose a little bit of their leavening power after having been frozen so you won’t get as much of a lift out of them as you would a fresh egg.

How Long Can You Keep Frozen Egg Yolks?

You needed to freeze some egg yolks either because you only needed the whites in a recipe or perhaps the eggs that you had purchased were about to expire and now you need to know how long they will last in the freezer. 

Egg yolks can be kept in the freezer for many months. According to the United States Department of Agriculture website you can safely freeze eggs for up to twelve months. 

If you are wanting to freeze the egg yolks by themselves then you will need to beat them with a pinch of salt, a little sugar, or a small amount of corn syrup to keep the egg yolks from becoming sticky and therefore unusable once they thaw. You can also store egg whites in the freezer as well as whole eggs, out of the shell. 

To freeze egg whites, you will simply need to separate the whites from the yolk then place them into a freezer safe container. You could also freeze your egg whites into ice cube trays. 

If you are freezing your egg whites in an ice cube tray you will want to remove them from the tray once they are frozen solid. Once the frozen egg whites have been removed from the tray you will need to place them into a freezer safe container or a freezer safe Ziploc bag. 

Be sure to remove all the air from the freezer bag. If you have a recipe that asks for one egg white just know that one egg white is about 2 tablespoons or approximately 30 grams, if you have a kitchen scale. 

If you want to freeze the eggs whole you will need to beat them until the white and yolk are fully combined. Once your yolks and whites are completely blended you can either pour them into a freezer safe container, a plastic freezer bag, or into ice cube trays. 

Again, if you are using ice cube trays you will need to remove them from the tray once they are fully frozen and then place them into a container or bag to store them in the freezer. 

When it is time for you to use your frozen eggs, you will want to know that ¼ cup or 50 grams is equal to one large egg. One egg yolk is equal to 1 ½ tablespoons or 20 grams.

How Long Will Egg Yolks Keep?

You’ve separated the whites from the yolk of your egg in order to make a meringue or an egg white omelet and don’t want to use your yolk right away. How long can you keep the yolk in the fridge without it going bad? 

Egg yolks can be kept in the fridge for two days. However, egg yolks will dry out fairly quickly so you will need to make sure that they are in the smallest container possible so there is less air surrounding them. 

You could store egg yolks in a plastic storage bag and remove all the excess air as well. If you do not believe that you would use the egg yolks within two days then you could also store the egg yolks in the freezer. 

Remember that egg yolks do not freeze well on their own. You first need to beat the yolks and then add either salt or sugar. If you know what your plans for the egg yolks will be then you use the additive that will compliment that. 

If you are planning to use the yolks to make something sweet such as cookies or cake then you should add about 1 ½ teaspoons of sugar to your egg yolk but if you will be using them to create something savory then you should add about ½ a teaspoon of salt. 

Then go ahead and freeze your yolks. You can freeze them in an ice cube tray for easier thawing. 

Using an ice cube tray to freeze your egg yolks will allow you to be able to thaw out the exact amount of egg yolks that you will need for a recipe rather than thawing out an entire batch of egg yolks and then having to toss some. 

Egg yolks can be stored in the freezer for up to twelve months but for the best quality you will want to use them within two or three months. Defrosted eggs should be used within 24 hours.