What Are Egg whites and How Can I Use Them?

Egg whites is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 2,045 recipes to get you started.

Key Points

Egg whites are pure albumen: about 90% water, the rest protein, with almost no fat.
Whip them in a clean grease-free glass or metal bowl; any yolk or oil kills the foam.
Stop at soft peaks for folding, firm glossy peaks for meringue and buttercream.
Two whites roughly replace one whole egg; aquafaba is the vegan whip-up swap.
Refrigerate leftover raw whites up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to a year.

What are egg whites?

Egg whites are the clear part of the egg, called the albumen, that surrounds the yolk. About two-thirds of a large egg's shelled weight is white, and roughly 90% of that is water. The rest is mostly protein, with trace minerals and glucose and almost no fat.

That protein is the whole reason cooks separate whites out. When you beat them, the proteins unfold and trap air, building the foam behind meringue and angel food cake.

They also set firm and pale when heated, which is why a white-only scramble cooks up lighter than a whole egg.

For the eggs hub and the difference between whites and yolks, see /recipes/eggs.

Whipping and Cooking With Whites

A foam lives or dies on cleanliness. Any fat, even a fleck of yolk or an oily bowl, coats the proteins and keeps them from linking, so the whites refuse to climb past a loose froth. Use a glass or metal bowl, never plastic, which holds grease.

Whites whip with more volume at room temperature, around 65°F (18°C), than straight from the fridge. A pinch of cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice stabilizes the foam so it holds longer.

Stop at soft peaks, where the tip flops over, for folding into batters like a Feather Light Angel Food Cake with Egg White Frosting. Take them to firm, glossy peaks for a Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing.

Unwhipped, whites make a leaner scramble or bind a Vegetable & Feta Baked Frittata. Brushed on dough, they give an egg wash a shiny, lean crust.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Whites carry sugar, vanilla, citrus, and almond beautifully in sweets, and pair with cheese and vegetables in a savory Healthy Frittata.

The classic mistake is overbeating. Push a foam past firm peaks and it turns grainy and dry, then weeps liquid and collapses when folded. Add sugar gradually once the whites turn frothy, never dumped in all at once, or the foam never builds.

The other trap is heat without fat. Cooked too hot or too long, lean whites turn rubbery and squeaky, so keep the pan moderate.

Substitutes

Two large whites roughly replace one whole egg where you want structure without the yolk's fat.

For whipping, powdered or dried egg whites reconstitute into a stable foam and skip the raw-egg safety worry. Aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, whips like whites and is the standard vegan stand-in for meringue, using about 3 tablespoons per white.

In baking that just needs binding, none of these matches the lift of a fresh whipped white.

Buying and Storing

Fresh whites separate cleanest from cold eggs, since the yolk holds together better chilled and is less likely to break into the white.

Refrigerated, leftover raw whites keep in a sealed container for up to 4 days. They freeze well for up to a year. An ice cube tray makes portioning easy, and one cube is close to one white.

Pasteurized whites in a carton are sold near the eggs and are safe for recipes that stay raw or barely cooked, like a frosting or mousse.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (243g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 126Calories from Fat 3

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.4g 1%

Saturated Fat 0.0g 0%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 403mg 17%

Total Carbohydrate 1.8g 1%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 1.7

Protein 26.5g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 2% • Iron 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find egg whites: Egg whites are usually found in the dairy section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Egg whites are a member of the Dairy and Egg Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 蛋清
British (UK) term: Egg whites
en français: les blancs d'œufs
en español: claras de huevo

How much do egg whites weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup	243 grams
1 large	33 grams

Dairy and Egg Products

Butter 14585 Ghee (clarified butter) 240 Blue cheese 95 Havarti cheese 6 Cheddar cheese 1679 Cheese 557 Cheddar cheese, very old, sharp 334 Cheddar cheese, medium 23 Cheddar cheese, mild 32 Colby cheese 26

Recipes using egg whites

There are 2045 recipes that contain this ingredient.

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