Natural form

A whole egg yolk separated from the white, showing its deep golden color and rounded dome shape.

Shows the yolk's defining physical characteristics — color, shape, and texture — so a reader can immediately identify it.

Proteins

Egg Yolk

Rich, golden yolk for custards, mayonnaise, and pasta

The source of richness in custards, hollandaise, and fresh pasta, the yolk emulsifies and thickens like nothing else. Keep yolks cold and use within a few days.

The egg yolk is the golden, fat- and protein-rich center of an egg — and the cook's great emulsifier and enricher. Its lecithin lets a few yolks bind oil and water into mayonnaise, hollandaise, and aioli; its proteins and fat thicken custards, ice-cream bases, and pasta sauces into silk; and its richness lends pastry, curds, and doughs tenderness and color. Yolks set softer and at a lower temperature than whites, which is why a slow custard must be coaxed and never boiled. Diet, not freshness, mostly drives yolk color — deep orange yolks come from feed rich in marigold and corn pigments.

Measured in: piece
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 4 days

Allergens

Eggs

Find it in

Dairy

Types & varieties

Fresh yolks

Best for emulsions and custards; vivid and rich.

Pasteurized yolks

Safe for raw mayo, aioli, and Caesar dressing.

Cured / salted yolks

Salt-aged into a firm, umami 'cheese' to grate.

Liquid cartoned yolks

Convenient for bulk custards and bakes.

How to choose

Separate fresh, cold eggs cleanly and use pasteurized eggs or yolks for any raw preparation. Yolk color reflects the hen's diet, not quality — both pale and deep-orange yolks work the same. Fresh yolks hold a domed, taut shape; a flat, easily broken yolk signals an older egg.

How to store / food safety

Refrigerate leftover yolks in a sealed container covered with a little water to keep them from drying, and use within a couple of days; they freeze better with a pinch of salt or sugar beaten in. Raw yolks can carry Salmonella, so use pasteurized eggs for mayonnaise, aioli, hollandaise, Caesar dressing, tiramisu, raw cookie dough, and homemade ice cream or eggnog — especially when serving pregnant people, infants and young children, the elderly, or the immunocompromised. Custards are safe once they reach ~70°C.

How to cook

Yolks thicken gently — for custards and curds, cook over low or indirect heat, stirring constantly, and pull them the moment they coat a spoon; boiling scrambles them. To make an emulsion, add oil drop by drop at first so the lecithin can grab it, then stream it in. Tempering — whisking a little hot liquid into the yolks before returning them to the pan — keeps them from curdling.

Common uses

Mayonnaise, aioli, and hollandaiseCustards, crème anglaise, and crème brûléeIce-cream and gelato basesCarbonara and rich pasta saucesLemon curd and tart fillingsEnriching doughs and briocheEgg wash for golden glazeCured yolk grated over dishes