Freezing eggs helps save those stray egg whites or egg yolks left over from meringues, custards, or even making cupcakes. You can freeze egg whites, egg yolks, or even whole eggs (after they’ve been cracked). When I first learned how to freeze eggs from Sara at Go Gigham during BlogHer Food, I was skeptical. Would the frozen eggs really work just as well as fresh ones? When I tried freezing eggs at home, I gave the frozen eggs the ultimate test – whipping egg whites into a meringue. The defrosted egg whites worked just as well as fresh ones; I was sold!
Orka 6 Cup Muffin Pan - Color Raspberry
Although you don't need a cupcake tin to freeze eggs, using one makes it easy to freeze the eggs in quantities that are useful for baking. If you freeze all the eggs together in one big container, it's not convenient when you need just two egg whites, yolks, or whole eggs for a recipe. If you use a tin, once the eggs are frozen, you can pop them out of the wells and into a freezer bag so they take up less space. As you see above, I used a metal cupcake tin. I found removing the frozen eggs to be a little tricky, so I'd suggest using a silicone tin instead.
Ingredients
- Eggs (whole eggs that have been cracked, only egg yolks, or only egg whites)
- pinch of salt per every two egg yolks if using only egg yolks and you plan to use the yolks in a savory recipe
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar per every two egg yolks if using only egg yolks and you plan to use the yolks in a sweet recipe
Instructions
- Place eggs into the wells of a cupcake tin (each well can hold one whole egg, two egg whites, or two egg yolks).
- If you are using whole eggs or egg yolks, use a toothpick to break the yolk up a little bit.
- According to Incredible Egg, if you are using only egg yolks, the yolks will thicken or gel when frozen. To prevent this, stir in either salt or sugar prior to freezing.
- Freeze filled cupcake tin overnight.
- To remove frozen eggs, rest tin in warm water for a few seconds. Warning: The eggs defrost really quickly, so don't leave them in the water any longer than necessary.
- Pop the eggs out of the tin and store them in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer. The eggs can be stored in the freezer for up to a year.
- When ready to use, defrost in the refrigerator or in a bowl resting in warm water for about 10 minutes.
- Use as you would any other eggs.
Oooh weird – never would have thought! Thanks for the cool tip!
I am so excited to see this post as I am now the proud owner of 14 laying hens! I love having fresh eggs, but worry that I’m not going to get all of them used or sold before they go bad. I am absolutely in love with this idea! Thank you so much for sharing!
However, I do have one question. Have you ever had any issues with making meringue from fresh eggs, and by fresh I mean, fresh from the chicken that morning? I tried making some over the 4th of July and I could not get it to form into stiff peaks? It got the shiny surface to it, but it never got stiff enough to be what I would consider stiff peak meringue. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I just thought maybe my egg whites were too fresh? I know, weird right?!
I’m getting hens soon too! We just got approved today. I’m so excited! I’ve never heard of eggs being too fresh. Did you try adding some cream of tartar?
That’s awesome!! I love having the hens around! I did try adding cream of tartar and it didn’t change anything. I ended up adding some meringue powder to them just to try stiffening them up. It worked a bit, but I still didn’t get the results that I wanted.
This is a great tip! I can’t count all the times I’ve had a whole bowl of egg yolks staring at me…only to finally give up and scramble them up for my dog…. And just like Kim (although I don’t have 14 hens!) we are starting our own little urban farm and may need to keep this in mind!
Sorry I can’t answer Kim’s question, I’ve not heard of this, but I’m sure I’ll find out over the coming months, as my hens mature and begin producing eggs.
Look forward to hearing other comments on this!
That’s really cool, but do you, by any chance, know how much longer they last frozen?
They last for a year,
This is fantastic. I usually just cook them up and feed them to the dogs, but I didn’t know I could freeze them and use them later. Thanks.
You can freeze them after you cook them too, just make sure to thaw them overnight before you try to heat them up, otherwise they get an odd texture
Wah, thank you for this brilliant tip! I always have leftovers of either or, so I will try this tip!
Such a fabulous tip! I’ll definitely be using this
As someone who just threw out 8 egg yolks after baking I will certainly be using this tip. Since I don’t have a silicone cupcake tin I’m thinking of lining each cup with some plastic wrap to make removing the eggs easier. Think it would work?
This is SUCH a helpful tip. I’ve honestly never heard of freezing raw eggs before, and I love the muffin tin idea. So clever! I often throw away egg yolks, when only I only need the whites for a recipe. No more! Thanks. Pinned it.
Thanks! I was so excited when I learned about it!
Our chef in school taught us this, but I love how you put it into a post and using muffin tins. I never thought of this.
Up to a year??? I didn’t know that! I read somewhere that you can freeze eggs up to 3 months, so I almost always end up chucking them out because I don’t bake very often. Now I know! Thank you!!!