Freezing Leftover Egg Whites

Can leftover egg whites be whipped after defrosting?

Custards or other recipes that call for thickening with egg yolks often leave the cook with leftover egg whites. We’ve recommended freezing individual whites for later use in recipes. But do they whip to the same volume and consistency as fresh whites?

We compared frozen egg whites that had been defrosted overnight in the refrigerator to fresh whites in two recipes: our Angel Food Cake and the meringue topping for our Mile-High Lemon Meringue Pie. In both instances, the frozen whites reached the desired consistency (soft peaks for the angel food cake and stiff peaks for the meringue topping) a few seconds faster than the fresh. A little research revealed that freezing the egg whites begins the process of unwinding their proteins, which the mechanical action of the whip continues. That was the only difference. Otherwise, frozen and fresh whites performed equally well.

THE BOTTOM LINE  Use either frozen (defrosted) whites or fresh; they whip to the same volume and consistency, but be mindful that frozen whites will reach full volume a little more quickly.