What to Do With Leftover Egg Whites

Have extra egg whites from a recipe that uses yolks only? Here are some delicious ways to put leftover whites to good use.

hether we’re making creamy butterscotch pudding, light and springy fresh pasta, or a fluffy loaf of homemade challah, most of us have encountered recipes that make excellent use of egg yolks, but leave behind a big bowl of discarded whites. (Have the opposite problem? We have plenty of uses for leftover egg yolks for you, too.)

While I can live with dumping an egg white or two down the drain every now and then, I’d much rather put every ingredient in my kitchen to good use. There are always soufflés and egg white omelettes to be had, but more out-of-the-box uses for whites don’t always jump to mind.

The good news is, you don’t have to use them up right away—whites can be frozen for several months. (Use an ice cube tray if you want to keep them in individual, easy-to-measure portions.) And, fresh or defrosted, they’re key to some of our favorite recipes—think glossy meringue, General Tso’s chicken, foamy cocktails, and even a better-than-store-bought, yolk-free mayonnaise. Here are some delicious ways to put leftover egg whites to good use. Before you get started, though, it’s worth keeping in mind that all our recipes call for large eggs, and should you set whites aside for later use, you may want to label how many are in your container. Too late for that? Just grab a digital scale and reference the weight called for in our recipes, instead.

Light, Airy Cheese Soufflé

Most home cooks tend to shy away from making soufflés at home—they have a reputation for being downright scary to make. Our foolproof approach makes burning and collapsing fears of the past. The truth is, science is on your side: if your eggs are adequately beaten, they’ll expand into a lofty soufflé without a problem (and use up five of your leftover whites in the process). This particular soufflé gets a hefty dose of cheese. We like Gruyère, but any semi-firm cheese will do the trick.

Get the recipe for Savory Cheese Soufflé »

Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is a classic crowd-pleaser, but it’s also been known to collapse in the oven, making it a stressful undertaking for even experienced bakers. That’s because most recipes start with a delicate, foamy French meringue base that’s prone to under- or over-beating, weeping, and even breaking. Our technique sidesteps those common pitfalls by beating cold egg whites and sugar until they form a silky, stable foundation, with a texture akin to that of soft-serve ice cream. From there, it’s a simple matter of adding cake flour and pouring the batter into your mold. The result? Perfectly formed, light, pillowy, vanilla-scented cake, each and every time. Oh, and in case you were wondering, we have a toasted sugar angel food cake imbued with notes of caramel; a lighter, mellower maple sugar angel food cake; and even a gluten-free version of the classic, too.

Get the recipe for Angel Food Cake »

Lofthouse-Style Frosted Sugar Cookies

Bleached cake flour gives these tender Lofthouse-style cookies their signature cake-like flavor and consistency, but we can thank the combination of egg whites and a bit of cream for their velvety texture and pale hue. Not only do these taste better than the kind from a box, you can dress them up for any occasion with frosting and sprinkles in your colors of choice.

Get the recipe for Lofthouse-Style Frosted Sugar Cookies »

Royal Icing

There’s nothing like cloyingly sweet, gluey icing to ruin a perfectly good sugar cookie. In this recipe, we cut the sugar’s intensity with a little cream, salt, and acidic cream of tartar. An egg white base ensures that the icing sets up glossy and firm, making it ideal for smudge- and smush-free decorating.

Get the recipe for Royal Icing »

Buttermilk Vanilla Waffles

Using egg whites instead of whole eggs isn’t always about cutting calories or cholesterol. In this tangy buttermilk batter, the high moisture content of egg whites is what helps the waffles to rise. Because the waffles rely on steam for their lift, rather than the leavening power of whipped whole eggs, they turn out more airy and crisp than the cakey versions most of us grew up with.

Get the recipe for Buttermilk Vanilla Waffles »

Swiss Meringue

Few uses for languishing egg whites are more straightforward than light, airy meringue. And among meringues, Swiss meringue reigns supreme…or, at least, reigns easiest-to-make-and-find-many-uses-for: minimal ingredients, maximum stability, and a whole lot of smooth, silky, fluffy, multipurpose confection. Toasted sugar and fresh vanilla bean add enough depth of flavor that you’ll want to eat it straight out of the mixing bowl, but be sure to save a bit for a batch of meringue cookies, Swiss meringue buttercream, pavlova, or this incredibly delicious double-chocolate cream pie.