Freezing Eggs to Use Later
Having an overflowing egg basket on our counter in springtime is a treat! Freezing eggs to use later allows us to have some eggs to enjoy during the winter when our birds aren’t really laying. Just a few simple steps and you can preserve some of those extra eggs to use another time!
Winter is long here in Alaska. And cold. And dark. This is naturally a time for chickens to take a break and not lay so many eggs.
We don’t heat our coop (for safety) and we don’t use extended light to force our chickens to lay either. We allow them to take a much needed rest after providing us with mountains of eggs during the spring, summer, and fall.
Preserving some of the extra eggs during the laying season allows us to have more eggs to enjoy during the winter, when we only get maybe one or two eggs a day. It’s also a great way to make sure none of our fresh eggs go to waste when we have way too many to use even after sharing with friends.
Freezing eggs is a simple process and we can enjoy the benefits the rest of the year. Frozen eggs can be thawed and used in our favorite recipes when we don’t have any fresh eggs to spare. And they last up to a year!
Here are directions for safely freezing and storing frozen eggs and more tips.
Tools You Will Need
No special equipment required! To freeze eggs you’ll just need:
- Muffin tray
- Salt (or sugar)
- Fork
- Storage container or freezer bag
- Clean eggs
How to Freeze Eggs
- Crack one egg into each well in the muffin tin.
- Sprinkle the egg with a dash of salt (for use in a savory recipe like quiche) or sugar (for a sweet recipe like baked goods). This is important to stop the yolk from thickening while frozen. I just do one or the other at a time so I don’t get confused.
- Use a fork or small whisk to mix the eggs well.
- Carefully place the muffin tray into the freezer and allow to sit for several hours until frozen.
How to Store Frozen Eggs
Once the eggs are frozen, pop them out of the muffin tin and place in a freezer bag or other freezer container.
Be sure to label with the date and whether you added sugar or salt. I like to keep a few bags of each. I also mark down whether the bag contains chicken or duck eggs.
The frozen eggs are now good for up to a year!
How to Thaw and Use Frozen Eggs
To thaw frozen eggs, simply pull out the number of eggs you need for the recipe and place in a container. Cover and set in the fridge for several hours (or overnight) until thawed. Make sure you only pull out what you’ll use immediately because you cannot refreeze thawed eggs.
Use the thawed eggs as you would fresh eggs in your favorite recipes! I like to bake with duck eggs so I will thaw as many as a recipe calls for whether I’m making cookies, muffins, or pancakes.
I reserve chicken eggs for scrambling, quiche, or omelets. Use them in any recipe that you normally would!
More Tips
- You can also freeze the whites and yolks separately. Follow the same method above.
- Never freeze eggs in the shell!
- Hard-boiled eggs do not freeze well. The whites get pretty yucky when thawed.
- If you’re having trouble popping the eggs out of the muffin tin after freezing, just place the bottom of the muffin tin in warm water for a few minutes to help release the frozen eggs.
- Pull out frozen eggs the night before you want to bake something special for breakfast so the eggs are thawed in time.
- Use thawed eggs within a day and never refreeze eggs.
Freezing eggs to use later is a great way to make sure you have a supply of eggs throughout the winter. Use in your favorite recipes and don’t let any of those precious fresh eggs go to waste!
