Egg Whites and Yolks by Size: Grams, Milliliters and Substitutions

A large egg white weighs about 33 g (just over 2 tablespoons); a large yolk weighs about 17 g (just over 1 tablespoon). The white is two-thirds of the egg and the yolk one-third at every size, so a jumbo white is about 41 g and a medium white about 29 g. To swap sizes, match the weight: 6 large whites (199 g) is 7 medium or 5 jumbo whites.

Recipes that use only whites or only yolks — meringue, macarons, angel food cake, custard, curd, ice cream — are written for large eggs, and they are more sensitive to size than recipes using whole eggs, because there is no other part of the egg to even things out. The figures below use the same USDA egg weights as the egg size converter and the egg weight converter: in-shell weights from the US grading standard, about 88% of that left without the shell, split two-thirds white and one-third yolk.

Egg White and Yolk Weights by Size

Size	Whole egg in shell	White	Yolk
Small	43 g	25 g · 24 ml · 1⅔ tbsp	13 g · 12 ml · 2½ tsp
Medium	50 g	29 g · 28 ml · 2 tbsp	15 g · 15 ml · 1 tbsp
Large	57 g	33 g · 32 ml · 2 tbsp + ½ tsp	17 g · 17 ml · 1 tbsp + ¼ tsp
Extra-large	64 g	37 g · 36 ml · 2½ tbsp	19 g · 19 ml · 1¼ tbsp
Jumbo	71 g	41 g · 40 ml · 2¾ tbsp	21 g · 21 ml · 1⅓ tbsp

Individual eggs vary by a few grams either way, and the white-to-yolk split shifts slightly from egg to egg. For anything that depends on an exact amount, separate the eggs and weigh what you have.

Swapping Whites or Yolks Between Sizes

Because the white and yolk are the same share of the egg at every size, one table works for both. Find the number of large whites or yolks the recipe calls for, then read across.

Large	Small	Medium	Extra-large	Jumbo
1	1⅓	1	1	1
2	2½–3	2	2	1½–2
3	4	3½	2½–3	2½
4	5½	4½	3½	3
5	6½	5½–6	4½	4
6	8	7	5½	5
8	10½	9	7	6½
10	13	11½	9	8
12	16	13½	10½	9½

Worked example: a pavlova needs 6 large egg whites and you only have jumbo eggs. Six large whites weigh 6 × 33 = 199 g. A jumbo white is about 41 g, so 199 ÷ 41 = 4.8 — use 5 jumbo whites, which gives about 206 g. For a meringue, a little extra white is harmless; the sugar is what has to stay in proportion, so if you go well over, add sugar at the recipe's ratio.

Half a white or yolk is easy to measure: beat it lightly with a fork, then weigh or spoon out half. A large white is about 2 tablespoons, so half is 1 tablespoon.

Recipes That Call for Whole Eggs Plus Extra Yolks

Cookie, brioche and custard recipes often say "2 eggs plus 1 yolk." To make that with a different size, add up the target weight first, then build it from the eggs you have.

• 2 extra-large eggs + 1 extra-large yolk, but you have large: the target is 2 × 56 + 19 = 132 g. Two large eggs and one yolk give only 117 g; two large eggs plus two yolks give 135 g. Use the second.
• 3 large eggs + 1 yolk, but you have medium: the target is 3 × 50 + 17 = 168 g. Three medium eggs plus two yolks give 162 g and keep the extra richness the yolk was there for; four whole medium eggs give 176 g but more white than the recipe intended.

When the recipe adds a yolk, it wants fat and emulsifier, not just more liquid. Keep the swap yolk-heavy rather than adding a whole extra egg. For whole-egg swaps, see how to substitute egg sizes.

Whites and Yolks by the Cup

A US cup (237 ml) holds about 7½ large whites or 14 large yolks. By size, a cup takes about 10 small, 8½ medium, 6½ extra-large or 6 jumbo whites, and about 19 small, 16 medium, 12½ extra-large or 11½ jumbo yolks. How many eggs in a cup has the whole-egg counts as well.

When the Exact Amount Matters

• Macarons and French meringue: written in grams for a reason. Too much white for the sugar gives weepy meringue and hollow shells. Weigh the whites.
• Angel food and chiffon cake: the whites are the structure. A 10–15% shortfall shows up as a shorter, denser cake.
• Custard, crème brûlée, curd and ice cream bases: yolks set the custard. Too few and it stays loose; too many and it sets firm and eggy.
• Mayonnaise, aioli, egg washes: forgiving. A yolk of any size will emulsify the oil, and a wash just needs to coat.

Storing Leftover Whites and Yolks

Separated raw whites and yolks keep 2 to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered, and up to 12 months frozen, according to the Minnesota Department of Health's cold storage chart.

Whites freeze well as they are. Yolks thicken into a gel when frozen plain, so Egg Farmers of Canada recommend stirring in either ⅛ teaspoon of salt or 1½ teaspoons of sugar or corn syrup for every ¼ cup of yolks (about 4) — salt for savory dishes, sugar for baking — and labelling which you used. Thaw in the refrigerator, then use 2 tablespoons of thawed white for each large white and 1 tablespoon of thawed yolk for each large yolk.

Frequently Asked Questions