15 Easy Recipes to Use Up Leftover Egg Whites

Christine Gallary

updated Jan 8, 2021

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Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: CC Buckley/Kitchn
Easy Angel Food Cake

Have you made mayonnaise, custards, ice cream bases, lemon curd, or a recipe that relies heavily on egg yolks recently? If so, you’re probably staring at a big pile of leftover egg whites. Whatever you do, do not toss them. Instead keep a running list of good egg white recipes handy, so you have a plan for this versatile leftover.

From savory to sweet, and even drinks, there are a lot of different ways to use up egg whites, whether you have just one or a dozen. But if you’re short on time or don’t have enough egg whites to make a recipe yet, remember that leftover egg whites freeze incredibly well. And so do the yolks for that matter. Simply freeze them and defrost when you’re ready or collected enough!

When you’re ready to get cooking, here are 15 recipe ideas, from Japanese pancakes to clustery granola to desserts and cocktails, for using up all those leftover egg whites.

1 / 15

The Best White Cake From Scratch

Unlike most standard vanilla cake recipes, white cake is made with just the egg whites and not the egg yolks.Here you'll need six egg whites.

2 / 15

Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets are a one-way ticket to pleasing kids of all ages. And using egg white only is the secret for a crispy coating.

3 / 15

Japanese Pancakes

Japanese pancakes are like an extra-light, soufflé-like version of buttery, vanilla-scented buttermilk pancakes, and they're pretty easy to make. Part of what makes them so fluffy is beating four egg whites to stiff peaks and folding them into the batter.

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A few egg whites are the start of this high-protein cheesy snack.

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Angel Food Cake

Angel food is the sweet, sky-high cake that dessert dreams are made of. It's egg whites - a dozen of them - that are the main ingredient in this lofty cake.

6 / 15

Vanilla Cashew Clusters

These lightly sweetened cashew clusters make a healthy snack or topping for yogurt or ice cream.

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Chocolate Soufflé

When it comes to wow-worthy desserts, nothing beats a chocolate soufflé. Extra whites are the secret to giving soufflés more height and poof.

8 / 15

French Meringues

With a crisp outer shell, slightly chewy center, and a subtle sweetness, baked meringue is a melt-in-your-mouth delight. And these sweet treats come together with just three ingredients, starting with egg whites.

9 / 15

Apple-Ginger Granola with Pecans

If your favorite part of granola is the big crunchy clusters of oats, there's an easy way to get them at home: Add egg white. This recipe does just that.

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Cinnamon-Hazelnut Pavlova with Coconut Cream & Exotic Fruit

Pavlovas get the prize for most fun dessert. If you have a half dozen egg whites, this is a great way to put them to work.

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Coconut Macaroons

As long as you have some shredded coconut in your pantry and a few egg whites in the fridge, a batch of sweet macaroons can be yours in less than half an hour.

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Raspberry-Coconut French Macarons

Anytime you're up for a baking project and have some egg whites on hand, you can never go wrong with an impressive batch of French macarons.

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Grapefruit Gin Fizz

Trust me if you haven’t had a cocktail with an egg in it you should — right now in fact.

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We love royal icing for easy cookie decorating because it dries into a hard, candy-like coating that crunches when you bite into it. You'll need juse three ingredients: egg whites, powdered sugar, and any extracts or food colorings you like.

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Sweetheart Snack Mix

This sweet and salty snack mix is endlessly customizable and bakes into crunchy clusters with the help of an egg white.

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