What to Do With All Those Extra Egg Whites

We’re a little obsessed with eggs around here. Okay, a lot. We like eggs for breakfast and dinner. (Honestly, we'll put an egg on almost any meal.) We’ve talked about how to fry, bake, boil, and poach them. We've covered how to separate eggs and how to temper them. Together we’ve learned about the best way to crack an egg, what to do with extra egg yolks, and picked up tips for baking with smaller (or larger) eggs. Now we need to talk about what to do with extra egg whites.

Recently, our community member Undeniably Rachael made a recipe calling for nine egg yolks, and she’s wondering what to do with all of those extra egg whites. Straight from the Hotline, she’s already gotten some egg-cellent ideas. From lemon meringue pie to meringue cookies inspired by our favorite ice cream flavors, here are our go-to egg white recipes for home cooks everywhere.

1. Meringue Cookies Swirled With Jam

The best use for leftover egg whites is meringue, and these jammy cookies are an extra sweet take on the classic French cookie thanks to a swirl of your favorite fruit preserves.

2. Effortless Angel's Food Cake

If you have a lot of leftover egg whites (in fact, a dozen), put them to use in this soft, tender angel food cake recipe.

3. Yogurt Marshmallows

Just a single egg white adds a little bit of body to these homemade marshmallows that are dusted with powdered sugar and cornstarch.

4. Double-Chocolate French Macarons

French macarons can be quite temperamental, due in part to their list of delicate ingredients like almond flour and egg whites. The whites are whipped until they hold stiff peaks and are then mixed with almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Bonus: they’re gluten-free!

5. Sprinkle Macaron “Cake”

If you’re like Erin Jeanne McDowell’s niece, you’d rather eat a dozen French macarons on your birthday instead of a traditional yellow or chocolate cake. Turn the petite pastry into an all-out party-ready cake with layers of large macaron shells and confetti-style cake batter frosting.

6. Chocolate Soufflé

You’ll need six large egg whites to make this delicate, decadent dessert. Once whipped, they give the soufflé its signature cloudlike texture and airiness, and the chocolate flavor will melt in your mouth (especially if the soufflé is served warm, which it should be).

7. Minty Oreo Meringue Cookies

Two desserts folded into one! Inspired by a few scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream (the green-tinted version, of course), these meringue cookies are the perfect excuse to use up some leftover whites. 

8. Berries and Cream Pavlova

If you’ve never tasted pavlova before, you’re in for a real treat. Swirled into a crunchy meringue shell is the most luscious whipped cream you’ve ever tasted topped with macerated strawberries.

9. Italian Meringue

Recipe developer Erin Jeanne McDowell turns to this Italian meringue time and time again for cake and pie toppings. “I love it because it’s so stable and it whips up so beautifully glossy, thick, and shiny. It’s made by cooking a sugar syrup, then adding that hot syrup to whipping egg whites,” she writes.

10. Lemon Chiffon Layer Cake

The wonder of a chiffon cake is that it manages to taste light as air and is dependable as it bakes (meaning no tragic sinking). The extra-lemony cake is layered with lemon curd, lemon buttercream, and lemon syrup.

11. Alice Medrich's New Classic Coconut Macaroons

Always a fan favorite, these-four ingredient coconut macaroons get their body from whipped egg whites, which form stiff peaks and are then folded with shredded coconut, sugar, and vanilla extract. 

12. Edna Lewis' Cheese Soufflé

A lot of people are intimidated by cheese soufflé, but with this trustworthy recipe and Sohla El-Waylly’s guidance, you too can master the art of a sharp soufflé that will soar, not sink.

13. Layered Nougat

Unlike most candy recipes, nougat is surprisingly easy to make, according to our Resident Baking BFF Erin Jeanne McDowell. All it takes is egg whites, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and a vanilla bean.

14. 3-Ingredient Oreo Meringues

“With just three ingredients (egg whites, sugar, and Oreos), the easiest, chewiest pantry dessert is yours at the flick of a whisk,” writes recipe developer and all-around sweet tooth Eric Kim.

15. Fresh Cherry Slab-Pavlova (Slablova)

Somewhere in between a slab pie and a pavlova is this cream-filled, crowd-friendly dessert studded with macerated cherries. 

What are your favorite ways to use leftover egg whites? Add your two cents to the question on the Hotline here or continue the conversation in the comments below!