33 Egg Yolk Recipes For When You Have Leftover Egg Yolks

One of the most versatile ingredients to work with is eggs, and you can see this with how many recipes it is included in.

Since so many cultures worldwide have access to eggs, if you want to learn how to make more and more recipes, you will start to notice how many different recipes will need an egg to work properly.

Part of the reason for this is because of how healthy eggs are and their incredible nutritional value.

They are also relatively inexpensive as well as the fact that they can be stored for a pretty good amount of time before they go bad.

But perhaps the reason why nearly everyone will have eggs in, is because of how versatile they are.

Eggs can be used in so many different ways that even if you do not like eggs, you probably still eat them quite often because of all the different foods they are included in.

A big part of egg’s versatility is the fact that they can be split into their whites and their yolks to have even more specified use.

Both egg whites and egg yolks have their own specific uses and can be used in specific ways which the other can not.

Separating egg whites and yolks is not too difficult and does not require any specific tools, so because of this, there are many recipes which have been developed to just use one of these parts.

Many people who cook with eggs quite often have found that there are quite a few recipes which will require using a lot of egg whites, a good example of this is anything which needs to make meringue as this can only be done with just egg whites and if any yolks are included the recipe will not work.

Because of this people who cook these kinds of recipes will often end up with excessive leftover egg yolks.

Because of this disproportionate use of egg whites, this can lead many people to not feel wasteful and want to find something to do with egg yolks.

Compared to egg whites, many people do not remember all of the unique qualities of egg yolks compared to them and because of this many egg yolks can go to waste.

You can of course buy egg whites pre separated, however this is not always accessible to many people, and they can sometimes be quite expensive.

So if you have slowly been accumulating egg yolks, and you do not know what to do with them, keep reading to learn 33 completely different recipes, so you can know what to make with them, so they do not go to waste.

If you want to try something new to use up your egg yolks, keep reading!

1.Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you want to get some of the richest and most flavorful chocolate chip cookies possible, this is the recipe to try with the egg yolks making the dough for flavorful which pairs perfectly with the rich flavor of the chocolate chips!

2.12 Yolk Pound Cake

If you have a massive excess of yolks you need to use up, this pound cake is full of flavor and a great sweet treat! If you need to get rid of a lot of yolks quickly this is the way to go!

3.Vanilla Slice

This classic dessert pastry is surprisingly easy to make with minimal effort and is a great way to use up extra yolks.

The flaky pastry is full of flavor and the creamy custard filling is delectable!

4.Creme Brulee

Making crème brûlée sounds a lot more difficult than it actually is, and this recipe will make the process of making this super fancy dessert simple!

5.Mashed Potato Croquettes

For a more savory way to use your egg yolks, these potato croquettes are super rich with the addition of the egg yolks and are a perfect side for any meal you are making!

6.Hollandaise Sauce

Having hollandaise is a must at any brunch recipes and goes great with any egg dishes you are making, but this recipe will show you just how easy it is to make for yourself!

7.Custard Cake

This is a traditional Filipino dessert, and luckily it is easy enough to make yourself if you have enough egg yolks to hand.

If you want to make a new type of cake, this is the way to go!

8.Pasteis De Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

These traditional Portuguese custard tarts are a great way to use up your leftover egg yolks, and you will understand why these tarts are so popular once you have tried making them yourself!

9.Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is a great filling or spread to use on anything with needs a citrus touch, and it is also a great way to use up egg yolks and is not too difficult to make either!

10.White Chocolate Mousse

White chocolate mousse is a great foundational dessert with is easy to work with and is super versatile and goes great with loads of different toppings once you know how to make it!

11.Flan

You have probably tried flan before, but have you ever considered making it?

This recipe makes the process pretty simple, and it will not need too much practice either. This is a great dessert to make for any occasion.

12.Passion Fruit Shortbread Eggs

This is a great pastry recipe to try making next Easter. The passion fruit filling which defines these sweet treats is even better with the egg yolks, and they are super full of flavor. 

13.Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding

This banana pudding looks pretty simple, but once you try it yourself you will see how the inclusion of the egg yolks makes all the flavors included pop.

14.Persian Rice Cookies

If you want to try something you have probably never tried, these Persian rice cookies rely on egg yolks to be made and are a great treat!

They are soft and crumble easily, they make a wonderful smell in your kitchen when they are baking.

15.Amaretto Brulee

If you have tried making crème brûlée, and you want a new flavor to try, this amaretto flavored brulee is a great idea and makes a showstopping dessert for any dinner party.

16.Brioche Bread

You probably eat brioche bread in many forms, but with egg yolks it is pretty easy to make yourself and is a great medium difficulty level bread to try making.

17.Challah

On the topic of breads, this delicious traditional Jewish bread is not too hard to make but is delicious once finished.

If you have never platted bread before, this is a great place to start!

18.Semi Dried Tomato Aioli

This aioli is a great dip to make yourself and goes amazingly well with loads of different savory treats.

19.Tiramisu

This classic dessert is actually not too hard to make yourself and is great if you are a coffee lover!

This recipe uses egg yolks making the dish extra rich.

20.Vanilla Ice Cream

If you have never made your own ice cream before, this recipe makes it simple and is a great way to use any leftover yolks you could have.

21.Nougat Semifreddo

If you have never made semifreddo, this homemade dessert is delicious and is a great way to use excess yolks.

22.Garlic Parmesan Duchess Potatoes

These duchess potatoes are delicious and are full of strong garlic flavor made even better with the richness of the yolks.

23.Chocolate Creme Brulee

This chocolate flavored creme brulee is super rich with the egg yolks included and is a great dessert to make for chocolate lovers!

24.Zabaglione

This whipped custard dessert is delicious and even better for dipping other sweet treats in!

25.French Style Double Chocolate Ice Cream

This super rich ice cream is a great way to use up extra egg yolks!

26.Lemon Tart

Lemon tart is a great crowd pleasing dessert made easy to make with egg yolks.

27.Coffee Profiteroles

Profiteroles are delicious, and these coffee flavored ones use yolks to enhance their rich flavor.

28.Nectarine Frangipane Tart

This frangipane tart is even better with yolks and is pretty easy to make!

29.Baked Coconut Custard

This baked custard is a great dessert choice for those who love coconut.

30.Two Tone Chocolate Tart

This is a great dessert for chocolate lovers and is perfect if you have excess yolks.

31.Shortcrust Pastry

If you need a useful way to use up yolks, make shortcrust pastry!

32.Raspberry Ice Cream

This is another ice cream flavor made even better by using yolks.

33.Quindim

This Brazilian dessert is coconut flavored and a great way to use up egg yolks!

Takeaway

Hopefully this guide has been able to put in perspective just how many recipes use just egg yolks and just how wide the possibilities are when it comes to using up leftover egg yolks.

All these recipes use different numbers of egg yolks, so hopefully you can find one which suits the particular amount of egg yolks which you are working with!

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Separate Egg Whites And Egg Yolks?

If you are not confident in your ability to separate egg whites and yolks, there are several different methods of doing this, so you can learn in a way which suits you.

Before choosing which one to try, the best way to practice these methods is in a recipe which just needs eggs unseparated as this will be a good stress-free way to practice with few repercussions.

One of the easiest ways to separate egg whites and yolks is to place a slotted spoon over a bowl and crack an egg on it and let the whites fall through the slots while the yolk remains in the spoon.

This is super easy, but it requires cleaning the spoon afterwards.

The most simple but slightly more difficult way to separate eggs is to crack the egg in half and pass the yolk between each half while the whites fall out after each pass.

This requires some precision and sometimes the yolk can split and taint the white, but with practice this method becomes quite simple!

These are the 2 most simple methods which probably will not require buying extra tools, but there are more obscure methods which are available.

Of course if neither of these suit you, and you have a little bit of budget, there are specific tools designed for separating eggs, however, they vary greatly in quality so make sure to closely reference reviews before purchasing!

What Is The Yolk In An Egg?

As you probably already know, the yolk is the yellow part of the inside of an egg and this color is obtained from the plant pigments which are in a hens food.

The contents of an egg yolk are usually proteins, fats, as well as essential nutrients.

This is also the first part of the egg to form while an egg is being formed.

Egg yolks also have a distinctly different texture and taste compared to egg whites.

Nutritionally speaking, egg yolks have a high vitamin content as well as having a higher fat content than egg whites.

Egg yolks are also higher in cholesterol, however eating egg yolks does not directly link to heart disease issues or issues with high cholesterol. Egg yolks also contain a lot of essential minerals.

Is Egg Yolk Healthy?

Egg yolks get quite a lot of negative press in recent years for being ‘the unhealthy part of the egg’ and if you really need to avoid any cholesterol content due to a specific diet.

But this ignores the incredibly nutritious contents of egg yolks, and if you were completely avoiding this part of the egg you would be missing out on all the positive contents it has.

Egg yolk consumption has shown to have little to no connection to heart problems, and the contents which are in them are worth consuming as shown by the previous point.

If you are worried about the potentially unhealthy aspects of egg yolks, remember all the essential proteins and fats which they contain as well as the incredibly beneficial vitamin and mineral content!

How Long Can You Keep Leftover Egg Yolks?

Generally speaking, you should not keep your egg yolks for longer than 2 days while stored inside a fridge.

You will want to make sure that they are covered so they do not dry out too quickly as this can make them much more difficult to work with. The more airtight their container is the better.

You can buy separated egg yolks by themselves which will last longer in the fridge, but these can be quite expensive and may have too many egg yolks in for what you are trying to make.

Difference Between Yellow And Orange Egg Yolks?

The difference in an egg yolks appearance does not actually have much standing when it comes to the nutritional value of the egg or the egg yolks specifically.

As mentioned earlier, the egg yolk gets its color from the pigments of the food which a chicken eats, so the different color of the food pigments will make the egg yolk a different color.

So the way an egg yolk will get a deeper orange color is if the egg eats foods which have high xanthophlls content, while if they eat a lot of yellow corn or alfalfa meal, the yolks will be a brighter yellow instead.

There are even almost white egg yolks which are from if a chicken eats a more colorless diet including things like white cornmeal (see also ‘5 Cornmeal Substitutes‘). 

While aesthetically, you may have a preference for different colored egg yolks, for the most part, these colors will not affect the nutritional value of the egg.

Some ‘luxury’ egg producers will try and affect the color of a chickens yolk to make the egg seem better than cheaper eggs, but this will not actually make much of a difference between the two.

What Are Leftover Egg Yolks Used For?

This article is dedicated to finding recipes which use just egg yolks (see also ‘35 Easy Egg Recipes‘) so you can use up this part of the egg, however there are some more general uses for egg yolks if you do not want to make a whole recipe.

If you want a sauce to serve with your desserts, one of the quickest and easiest ways to use up egg yolks is to turn them into a custard, this can often be quite quick, and it will usually get great results.

If you love spaghetti carbonara, a simple way to make it is using egg yolks, so if you want to use you egg yolks in a simple dinner, this is a simple way to use them!

Egg yolks also make a great binding agent when you are making meat dishes like burgers or meatballs or something similar, these recipes will usually ask for eggs, but you can use just yolks and the end results flavor will usually be improved.

Egg yolks can also be used to add more flavor to dough as well as pastries and this is usually called enriched dough or pastries.

You can also enrich egg dishes by using more yolks than standard eggs.

For example, if you add an extra yolk or two to your scrambled eggs, the end flavor will be much more rich and distinct.