Do you know how to freeze eggs? Did you even know it’s possible to freeze eggs??? Yes! Yes, it is. If you have backyard chickens, you need these tips and tricks to make farm fresh eggs last longer so you won’t ever have to buy eggs at the store!
How to Freeze Eggs + Tips to Make Farm Fresh Eggs Last Longer
One of the first things we did on our path to more sustainable living was get chickens. Chickens are amazing for many reasons, one of which is providing us with beautiful and nutritious eggs. In my quest for the elusive rainbow basket, though, we might have ended up with a few too many chickens. I just love the egg variety so much – green, blue, olive, rich chocolate brown, speckles, I want them all!
The problem is, the natural cycle of egg laying, egg production ebbs and flows. During the fall molt and the short winter days, egg production really slows down. You can keep egg production going by using supplemental light in the chicken cool, but some people don’t want to do that.
I know from history that I will run out of eggs right around Thanksgiving when I need them for holiday baking because the chickens will mostly stop laying. While I will turn on supplemental light after they finish molting to jump start egg production again, I’m already thinking of ways to avoid having to buy grocery store eggs.
We’re so spoiled with our wonderful, farm-fresh eggs now, but egg production is definitely slowing down now. If you’re flush with eggs too and wondering how to make eggs last through the winter, here are a few things you can do with all those eggs!
How to Freeze Eggs
My favorite way to make fresh eggs last longer is to freeze them. Freezing eggs is quick, easy, and works really well. The only real problem with freezing eggs is remembering to pull them out of the freezer to thaw before you need them.
It is possible to freeze raw eggs – as long as you don’t just throw whole raw eggs in the freezer, but freezing egg yolks, freezing egg whites, and freezing the entire egg after it’s cracked and scrambled is really easy to do.
As with freezing any food, there are a few tips and tricks to make the process better. Here’s what you need to know if you’re wondering how to freeze eggs.
Supplies for Freezing Eggs
- Ice cube trays – silicone works great for popping frozen eggs out
- Muffin tins – again, I recommend using silicone for easy egg removal
- Souper Cubes – I got a set of this recently and it’s quickly become one of my favorite kitchen tools!
- Farm fresh eggs
- Salt – Redmond’s REAL Salt has long been my favorite salt
- Sugar
- Freezer safe bags – these zip top silicone freezer bags are reusable so you don’t have to add more plastic to the landfill
To freeze your eggs:
- First, crack and whisk eggs in a bowl.
- Adding half a teaspoon salt or sugar is the key to making them useable after they thaw.
- Add salt if you want to use the eggs in savory recipes
- Add sugar if you plan to use them in sweet baking recipes
- Freeze eggs individually in ice cube trays or muffin tins. I like to freeze mine in 3 and 9 egg quantities in my new favorite kitchen item, Souper Cubes. I freeze them in 9 egg quantities because that’s exactly what I need to make German Pancakes. We bake a lot of homemade brownies and need 3 eggs for that recipe. If you want to freeze the white and yolk separately for use in specific recipes, it is possible to do that too.
- After the eggs are frozen, pop out the little hockey egg pucks and put them in freezer bags. Store them in the deep freeze.
What to Know About Thawing Eggs
Thawing and cooking with eggs that have been frozen works really well and we don’t notice any difference in the recipes we make using eggs that have been frozen.
Are you wondering if there are any downsides to freezing eggs? Well, as with any food you put in the freezer, you do run the risk of losing your eggs if you lose electricity. Otherwise, there aren’t really any downsides.
And, since frozen eggs can last for up to a year when properly stored in a deep freeze, you can definitely keep them for a long time to avoid having to buy store bought eggs.
Now I’ve given you permission to buy more chickens, haven’t I? Yes, yes I have. You’re welcome!
Now that you know how to freeze eggs, here are a few more other ways you can extend the life of your delicious farm fresh eggs.
Tips to Make Farm Fresh Eggs Last Longer
Freezing eggs is a great way to prolong the life of your eggs, but there are also a lot of other helpful tips you need to know about eggs.
Another of my favorite methods to make eggs last longer is to cook them in freezer friendly recipes that use a lot of eggs. Here are a few of our family-friendly freezer recipes my family loves that use a lot of eggs:
Recipes that Use a Lot of Eggs
- Breakfast burritos – our favorite breakfast burritos are simply scrambled eggs with homemade breakfast sausage and cheese.
- Waffles – we love these eggnog waffles, but you can also sub regular milk for the eggnog.
- Egg muffins – bacon wrapped egg muffins are fabulous and free well!
- Pancakes – nothing beats a good classic buttermilk pancake recipe.
- Cheesecake – cheesecake actually freezes surprisingly well and uses a lot of eggs! We love these mint chocolate cheesecake bars and this pumpkin cheesecake as well.
Do Farm Fresh Eggs Need to Be Refrigerated?
Another easy way to make your eggs last longer is to refrigerate unwashed eggs. It might be a good idea to fight the urge to wash your eggs this fall and to also clean out some room in the fridge for them! Read about refrigerating eggs here.
If you’ve traveled out of the US, you might have noticed that many countries don’t actually keep their eggs in the fridge. Grocery stores throughout Europe keep their egg cartons at room temperature, and it’s the same in many countries around the globe.
Washing eggs removes the bloom which makes it possible for salmonella to enter the egg. After an egg has been washed, it needs to be refrigerated to keep harmful bacteria out of the egg. This is true for farm fresh eggs, commercially produced eggs, European eggs – all eggs.
Washing or not washing eggs right away is your call. But refrigerated eggs will last longer than eggs stored at room temperature. Farm fresh eggs have a shelf life of several weeks if left (unwashed) at room temperature and several months if kept cool in the fridge.
So one good tip for making your eggs last longer – simply do not wash them, but do store them in the refrigerator.
How to Preserve Eggs – 7 More Methods
If you don’t want to freeze eggs or make freezer friendly recipes that use a lot of eggs, there are many other ways you can preserve eggs to make them shelf stable. Here are seven of the more common methods people use to preserve eggs.
Preserve Egg Yolks in Salt
Preserving egg yolks in salt is basically curing the yolks in salt, and then using them as garnish on salads and sandwiches. Learn how easy this egg preservation method is here.
Ferment and Pickle Eggs
First, hard boil and peel eggs, then preserve in a vinegar brine and store in the refrigerator. Here’s a traditional recipe for pickling eggs.
Coat eggs with Mineral Oil
Coating eggs with mineral oil prior to storage is another common way to make eggs last longer. Simply wipe the dirt off farm fresh eggs, but don’t wash. Coat with warmed food-grade mineral oil, and store pointy side down in an egg carton in a cool location. Read more here.
Preserve Eggs with Lime
Lime your eggs in slake or hydrated lime water. Fill a crock, jar or bucket with fresh eggs from your hens that are perfectly clean. Mix up your lime water solution and pour over the eggs. Read more about liming your eggs here.
Water Glass Eggs Using Sodium Silicate
No matter which preservation you choose, always start with the freshest eggs possible so choose clean, newly laid eggs. Fill a clean crock, jar or bucket with the clean eggs and then pour the glassing over the eggs. You can read more information over water glassing here.
Freeze Dry Eggs
Freeze drying eggs is the only egg preservation method which requires expensive equipment. The company, Harvest Right, builds amazing freeze drying machines that can be used to make all sorts of freeze-dried foods.
I have not freeze dried anything but do have a crush on Harvest Right and fantasize about one day owning my own Harvest Right freeze dryer. I watch videos and have joined facebook groups for the day when I have my own. Read more about them here.
Dehydrating Eggs
Dehydrating eggs at home is an option, but I believe it is your last option. I personally do not advocate as it had a grainy texture even in our baked goods. Prepare eggs by scrambling the egg and white and then dehydrate it in your dehydrator until completely dry. Read more here.
Have you ever frozen eggs? What’s your favorite thing to do with all the eggs to make them last?