What to do with Leftover Egg Yolks

If you’ve ever wondered what to do with Leftover Egg Yolks, here are some delicious recipe ideas and tips for you to try. Never waste another egg yolk again.

Have you ever wondered what to do after you’ve made a recipe (like a Pavlova, or macaroons) that calls for egg whites, but no egg yolks? What to do with the leftover egg yolks? Don’t throw them out, there are many delicious ways to use them up!

a top down view of a small white bowl with a raw egg in it. the bowl is sitting on a blue and white checkered tea towel

Storing Egg Yolks in the Fridge

Before we get into the recipes, let’s talk about egg yolk storage. You can store leftover egg yolks in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. But you MUST keep them tightly covered in an airtight container or else they will harden. I don’t recommend that you freeze them…it can be done but it requires a little extra care and honestly, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort…just use them up in a recipe first!

Make Custard Tarts

Custard based tarts are a delicious way to use up a lot of egg yolks! Here are some tasty recipe ideas from right here on my site: Coconut Cream Tarts, Raspberry Vanilla Cream Tarts, Maple Cream Tarts, Lemon Meringue Tarts, Lemon Cream Fruit Tarts, and this Lemon Tart with a Shortbread Cookie Crust.

a top down view of a yellow lemon tart decorated with tiny fresh pansy flowers along the left side of the tart. the tart is on a white background

Many cookie and brownie recipes call for an extra egg yolk. The addition of extra yolks make the cookies and brownies soft and chewy. Here are some recipes you can try: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies, and my favourite Jam Jam Thumbprint Cookies.

a top down view of half of a freshly baked cream cheese swirl brownie

Add extra egg yolks to boxed cake mixes.

Extra egg yolks added to boxed cake mixes makes them more rich and moist! A great example is my Eggnog Sheet Cake recipe.

a square of eggnog cake with frosting sits on a white plate with a silver fork on the left

Citrus Curds made with Egg Yolks

Citrus curd recipes like this Lemon Curd in my Lemon Meringue Pavlova, use egg yolks. Curds are delicious on tarts, cookies, shortbread, ice cream, scones, crepes and many more desserts!

a white bowl holds a raw egg. in the background are cracked and empty egg shells and a white bowl filled with whole white eggs

Add extra egg yolks to omelets, frittatas and scrambles.

You can add extra egg yolks to omelets or frittatas and crustless quiches, and egg scrambles. Oh and don’t forget breakfast bakes…you can add an extra yolk or two to those as well.

More Recipes with Egg Yolks:

The frosting on my German Chocolate Cake calls for egg yolks.
The Lemon Curd on my Lemon Meringue Pavlova uses egg yolks.
My Pecan Pie recipe calls for 8 egg yolks.
Make Hollandaise Sauce for classic Eggs Benedict or a sauce for salmon.
Primavera Carbonara is a delicious dinner that uses quite a few egg yolks! I’m definitely going to share this recipe soon!
Speaking of pasta, make homemade pasta with your egg yolks.
Try making Creme Brulee! I definitely need to do this!
Add extra yolks to bread puddings and baked French Toast recipes. Here are some great recipes: Banana Bread Pudding, Blueberry Baked French Toast, Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Baked French Toast
Make homemade pudding with your extra yolks.
Sponge Cakes and Pound Cakes use egg yolks.
Make homemade mayonnaise.

PIN IT for later!

Never waste whole eggs again…now you’ve got ideas on what to do with egg yolks, and more ideas here on what to do with egg whites! And don’t miss my Kitchen Tips Section for even more helpful ideas!

Have a delicious day!