Can you substitute whole eggs for egg whites when baking?

Answer

It is not a good idea to substitute whole eggs for egg whites when baking! If you think about it, you will realize that it will change the entire consistency of your mix when you do that. If the recipe has called for egg whites, very probably it also says that the egg whites should be whipped until frothy, then folded into the batter.

You cannot do that with the egg yolks present. The whole purpose of using egg whites ONLY is to make the batter light and fluffy. Egg yolks are more heavy, and cannot be whipped into a light, frothy consistency.

Always try to follow the recipe EXACTLY. Changes and substitutions are always possible, but you need to learn when you can substitute an item. Sometimes you simply cannot make substitutions and still make what you want. If you want to make a nice, light, low-calorie salad for lunch, but you find that you do not have any lettuce, you cannot have a salad because there is no substitute for the lettuce! (Unless you happen to have other greens in the lettuce family, such as endive, spinach, radiccio, etc.)

Cathysw

First answer by Cathysw. Last edit by Cathysw. Contributor trust: 132 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 24 [recommend question]