How to Freeze Egg Yolks

After having made a meringue, pavlova or angel food cake, you’ve likely ended up with a large number of egg yolks that you don’t want to waste. There are several recipes which utilize them, but it is also possible to freeze them for later use. Here are a few tips on how to do so.

Eggs can be frozen either whole or separated, but for best results when thawing, we recommend you follow a few basic rules.

Without the shell

Although it may seem smart to freeze a food in its container (in this instance, the shell), we don’t recommend this for eggs. Once the freezing process has begun, the liquid inside will expand and the fragile shell is at high risk of breaking. Use a freezer bag or an airtight container instead in which to place the eggs (yolk and white) without their shell.

Good to know

To prevent the yolks from turning to jelly in the freezer, add a pinch of salt or sugar to them, ensuring a good texture once thawed. For best results, don’t forget to indicate whether the yolks will be used for a sweet or savoury recipe in the future, as well as the quantity saved in each bag or container.

Freezing whole egg yolks

It is best to stir them, put them in a silicone ice cube tray, and pour in a few drops of olive oil or other neutral oil to prevent the cold from drying out the yolk, which tends to be a bit more fragile than the egg white.

How to thaw

The shelf life of frozen egg yolks is about four months. To use them, just take them out 30 minutes ahead of time, in order to give them the appearance of a fresh egg. One tablespoon of stirred eggs is the equivalent of one egg yolk.

Good to know

Cooked eggs do not freeze. The texture ends up very rubbery.

Here are a few ways you can use your egg yolks: