If you’re tired of wasting food or just want to further your meal prep skills, freezing eggs is a brilliant idea.
You can freeze both raw and cooked eggs to suit all your cooking needs.
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can you freeze eggs?
Eggs can be frozen, in both raw and cooked forms. For raw eggs, all you need is an extra ice cube tray and for all eggs, some freezer-safe bags.
Freezing eggs means a lot less waste. If you have a recipe that calls for egg whites only, instead of dumping the rest of the egg yolks down the drain, freeze them and save them for a future recipe.
If you made too many scrambled eggs, simply freeze them for a rainy day.
Freezing Raw Eggs
Egg Yolks
Egg yolks can be frozen separately but they need a bit more effort. Frozen egg yolks can quickly become thick and syrupy.
To prevent this from happening, you will want to add either sugar or salt to them.
If you will be using the egg yolks for future baking, add 1 ½ teaspoon of sugar to each egg yolk. However, if you will be cooking savory dishes, add a pinch to ½ teaspoon of salt.
You can either put one egg yolk in one ice cube tray or mix everything together and put in one freezer-safe bag.
Just remember to label the number of egg yolks there are.
Egg whites
For best results, put one egg white into one ice cube tray.
Once you have frozen all your egg whites, you can pop them out and store them in an airtight bag that is dated and labeled.
Whole eggs (yolk and white)
For whole eggs, you can decide if you want to freeze individual eggs or mix a large batch of them.
For example, if you plan on using whole eggs for recipes, its best to place one egg in one ice cube tray.
This way you then have the exact amount for future use.
For larger batches of future scrambled eggs, you can crack as many eggs as you want into a bowl.
Scramble them lightly then pour the egg mixture into ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer the cubes into a freezer-safe bag.
Alternatively, you can place the entire mixture into a freezer-safe bag. Just then be sure to label how many eggs are in the entire mixture.
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Freezing Cooked Eggs
Hard-Boiled
Hard-boiled egg yolks can be frozen, but the egg white part doesn’t freeze very well.
Unfortunately, hard-boiled egg whites tend to become rubbery and watery.
Instead, remove the hard-boiled egg yolk from the eggs and freeze this part for garnishes or toppings.
Sunny Side-up
Fried eggs sunny-side-up require you breaking an eggshell and pouring the egg onto a pan.
It’s quite impossible to make sunny-side-up eggs without cracking the eggshell right before.
Unfortunately, you can’t freeze eggs whole in their shell. You have to first crack the egg and then freeze the inside.
So, making a sunny-side-up breakfast with frozen eggs is near impossible.
Scrambled
If you have leftover scrambled eggs, simply freeze them for next time. Let the scrambled eggs cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe bag.
Date and label them and they will last in the freezer up to six months.
To thaw, simply place them in the refrigerator overnight, or if in a rush, warm them up in the microwave.
If you can, it’s best to leave the scrambled eggs slightly runny when first cooking them as they will cook more when reheated.
How to use frozen eggs
When you are ready to use your frozen eggs, simply remove the package from the freezer.
Place your frozen eggs in the refrigerator overnight to thaw completely.
If you are using frozen cooked eggs, however, you can also reheat the eggs in the microwave to speed up thawing.
Related Questions
What happens when you freeze eggs in the shell?
Eggs should not be frozen in their shell. When this happens, the yolk will become thick and syrupy.
Frozen egg yolks will have a different consistency and will not work well in baking or mixing with other ingredients.
If you accidentally freeze an egg in its shell, it’s best to discard it and use a fresh one instead.
How do you freeze raw eggs?
To freeze raw eggs, simply crack each egg into an ice cube tray. Don’t mix the egg.
Then, when you want to use an egg at a later date, just thaw them in the refrigerator. Raw eggs can remain frozen up to six months.
Can you freeze eggs in an ice cube tray?
Yes! The best way is to freeze eggs in an ice cube tray so that you are in control of your portion size.
You can either crack one egg into one ice cube tray or crack a bunch of eggs into a bowl and then portion it out into an ice cube tray.
Furthermore, if you want to separate the yolks from the whites, you can also use an ice cube tray for these portions.
Can you freeze egg yolks for later use?
Yes, you can freeze both separated egg whites and egg yolks. For frozen egg yolks, add sugar or salt to the mixture.
This will then prevent the yolks from thickening. For baking or desserts, add 1 ½ teaspoon of sugar per yolk.
Furthermore, for cooking savory dishes, add a pinch of salt per egg yolk. Always label what you added to your egg yolks to limit future surprises.
What can you do with leftover egg yolks?
A lot of recipes, such as angel food cake, call for egg whites. But what can you do with the egg yolks to prevent food wastage?
There are a number of great ideas for egg yolks. Baking recipes such as pudding and crème brûlée require egg yolks.
You can also make ravioli with egg yolks inside of them or use egg yolks to brush the tops of pastry.
Conclusion
Waste not, want not. There’s no need to throw out eggs, whether they are raw or cooked.
With a bit of careful planning, you can then save your food and add an extra element of meal prep.
