When you’re making a pudding, it is possible to use whole eggs instead of egg yolks in your recipe. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when substituting anything for egg yolks—but especially when using a whole egg.
How To Substitute Whole Eggs For Egg Yolks
A typical pudding recipe usually calls for egg yolks, but there is a way to use whole eggs without compromising the quality of your dessert.
Say your recipe calls for six egg yolks. If you don’t know how to separate your eggs, don’t want to separate them, or don’t have six eggs to use, using whole eggs can suffice. However, you don’t want to use a 1:1 ratio—meaning you don’t want to use six whole eggs in place of six egg yolks. Instead, use a 1:2 ratio—one whole egg in place of two egg yolks. So if your recipe calls for six egg yolks, you can use up to three whole eggs instead.
If you’ve made pudding before and you’re familiar with the consistency when using just egg yolks, start with one whole egg and add more until you’ve got the ideal texture. If you’re not familiar with making pudding, err on the side of caution and use fewer eggs than you think you’re going to need.
Whole Eggs vs. Egg Yolks in Pudding
Quality-wise, it’s likely that you won’t notice a change in the texture of your pudding, as long as you don’t use too many eggs. However, adding too much egg white can give your pudding a gummy or thicker texture, which would essentially turn it into a custard mixture.
Most pudding recipes typically call for a small amount of egg and a thickener such as flour or cornstarch, whereas custard requires eggs to hold its texture. Avoid crossing this line by whisking your eggs well and adding them into your egg mixture slowly.
Other Egg Yolk Substitutes
If you want to avoid turning your pudding into a custard dish, or if you try to avoid eggs in your diet, or if you’re just out of eggs completely, there are a few things you can use in place of egg yolks. Whichever alternative you use, you’ll want to make sure to add them into your pudding mix slowly in order to avoid over-thickening.
- Stir one part flour or cornstarch with two parts water until combined.
- Mash a tablespoon of avocado until well pureed.
- Use a tablespoon of your favorite nut butter or coconut milk.
Keep in mind that some pudding recipes will take more kindly to whole eggs and egg yolk substitutions than others will. These aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions, so ultimately it’s the type of recipe that will decide whether you can use whole eggs instead of egg yolks in your pudding. But these solutions should give you a good chance with most pudding recipes.
In case you ever need to take the opposite approach in a baking recipe, see our guide on using egg yolks instead of whole eggs.