What to do with leftover egg whites

2–4 egg whites

If you find yourself sitting with a couple of egg whites, you’ve got a number of options that won’t require you to make something especially large. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, you could make macaroons (not to be confused with macarons, although you could certainly make those too!), as the basic recipe calls for four egg whites. If you like the idea of a sweet baked treat, but want something a little fancier, why not try amaretti biscuits? If that still sounds like too much work, you could make a royal icing by beating icing sugar into the whites and pipe it onto biscuits – a great activity for kids. While we’re on the subject of icings, Swiss meringue makes an impressive frosting and is easier to make than you think. Lastly, if you’ve got 1–2 whites to use up, you could use them in a cocktail, such as this Calvados-and-blueberry haze.

Get the recipe for easy coconut-and-chocolate macaroons here.

Get the recipe for handmade amaretti biscuits here.

Get the recipe for royal icing here.

Get the recipe for Calvados-and-blueberry haze here.

6–8 egg whites

Whether you’ve made a larger-than-life custard tart, or you’ve simply been hoarding egg whites for a while, you might find yourself with enough of them to make the ultimate egg-white dessert: meringues. A classic pavlova usually calls for 6 or 8 egg whites (or sometimes even more, depending on how many people you’re feeding) and this is a great way of using up leftover egg whites. While most soufflés use both the yolk and the white, it’s good to know that you can always throw an extra white in to ensure extra puffiness. Or you could make a soufflé-mousse hybrid like the one below that only uses whites to result in a sky-high lift.

Get the recipe for basic meringues here.

Get the recipe for traditional pavlova here.

Get the recipe for chocolate mousse soufflés here.

Can I freeze egg whites?

Yes, you can. In fact, unlike egg yolks where you need to incorporate sugar or corn starch to prevent splitting, egg whites freeze very well as is. Simply pop them into an airtight container or a freezer bag and when you’re ready to use them, leave them to defrost in the fridge overnight.

Have leftover egg yolks? Find our tips for using them up here.