Can You Freeze Hard-Boiled Eggs For Later?

A well-stocked freezer can be a home cook's best friend, always ensuring they have quality meat, vegetables, fruit, and more right at their fingertips. Still, despite the convenience, not all food can tolerate the chilly temperatures and changes that occur when items are frozen and thawed. Unfortunately for lovers of convenient, protein-rich hard-boiled eggs, they fall into this category — with a catch.

Generally, whole hard-boiled eggs or egg whites shouldn't be frozen. The whites typically become tough and watery, making them less than ideal for meals or snacking. But all is not lost for those looking to store eggs for the long term. When separated from the shell and white, hard-boiled egg yolks can be successfully frozen.

It's also possible to hard-cook the yolks themselves before freezing. This can be done by briefly boiling the raw, separated yolks in a saucepan with enough water to cover them, and then removing the pan from the heat so the eggs can finish cooking. They can then be stored in an airtight container and frozen.

Hard-boiled egg yolks have a number of versatile uses in the kitchen that may make them worth some space in your freezer. They can be used to enhance cold salads like tuna and chicken, add extra richness to avocado toast, step up sauces or dressing, and more. Still, not having the whites makes it hard to take advantage of many of the best things you can do with leftover hard-boiled eggs, such as deviled eggs, Niçoise salad, or a traditional egg salad.

With a bit of foresight, you likely won't even have to worry about freezing your hard-boiled eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are good for up to a week when refrigerated, regardless of whether they're in their shells or peeled. This convenient timeline makes it feasible for those who eat lots of eggs to simply prep a medium-sized batch as part of a weekly meal prep rather than a large one that needs freezing and defrosting. This isn't difficult to plan, and the amount of time hard-boiled eggs should really cook is just about 10 minutes, anyway. While hard-boiled eggs may not be the best match for your freezer, keep these tips in mind to make the most of this affordable, versatile protein.