How to Separate Eggs

Eggs are a vital ingredient for giving texture and flavor to your favorite baked good. You may be familiar with seeing recipes that specifically call for egg whites or yolks – the main reason for this is separating the protein (the white) from the fat (the yolk). Yolks add richness to a batter, while whipped whites act as a natural leavening agent.

Separating eggs is surprisingly easy. You can do it in three quick steps! Read on or watch our video, How to Separate Egg Whites and Whisk to learn more.

What You’ll Need

  • Two bowls
  • Eggs

Steps

  1. To separate an egg, hold the egg firmly in the palm of your dominant hand and lightly tap the egg on a clean, flat surface.holding brown egg in hand
  2. Find the indentation near the center of the crack and pry the shell apart, keeping the yolk and egg whites in the same half of the shell.Separating eggs using two bowls
  3. Hover your opposite hand over the bowl with your palm facing up and fingers slightly separated. Pour the yolk and egg whites into your palm and allow the whites to fall between your fingers while gently cradling the egg yolk. Once completely drained, drop the yolk into a separate bowl.

Pro Tips

Once you feel comfortable with the standard steps above, follow these pro tips to take your egg separating skills to the next level.

  • Separate while cold: Egg whites and yolks separate easiest when cold. Separate eggs first, then let sit 20-30 minutes to come to room temperature before proceeding with your recipe.
  • Do not use the shell: Avoid using the “in-the-shell” method to separate eggs. As egg whites slide down the side of the shell, it takes everything on the shell’s surface (bacteria) with it.
  • Freeze for later: If you have extra egg whites or yolks, freeze them until your next bake. Frozen egg whites and yolks will keep for up to one year.

Practice separating eggs by trying our Honey Vanilla Pancakes, Plum Cake or No Bake Lemon Icebox Cake and share your creations with us on Instagram. #BetterYourBake