Egg white conversions, equivalents, substitutes & cooking guide

Turn egg whites into grams, millilitres, cups, spoons or a number of eggs — in the measurement system, egg-size standard and recipe you are actually using — and see which substitutes really replace what the white was doing.

Liquid egg white: 100 mL ≈ 103 g · 1 US cup ≈ 244 g · 1 tbsp ≈ 15 g

1 US large egg white ≈ 30–35 g — a practical reference range, not a fixed weight.

Volume-to-weight figures are density-derived approximations at 1.03 g/mL; per-egg figures are natural-food estimates, because eggs vary and size standards differ by region. Nothing on this page is “exact” except the definitional unit factors.

Liquid working value: 1.03 g/mL, from the ChefSolver ingredient record (egg_white density_g_ml, source ChefSolver ingredient record — egg_white (source_id: USDA_SR_Legacy); basis ingredient-source-of-truth, variability low). Egg-count answers use the published size evidence below.

Egg whites, by count and by size

Two published methods answer the count question, and they rest on different assumptions. A per-white weight comes from weighing whites; a whites-per-cup count comes from filling a cup. Both are legitimate; neither is forced to match the other.

How many egg whites in a cup?

The American Egg Board publishes this as a count equivalence by US size. It answers “how many eggs do I crack”, which is a different question from “what does this volume weigh” — so it is shown as its own method, with the density model's view of the same size alongside rather than merged into it.

Only US large has a published per-white weight range. For the other sizes ChefSolver reports what the count equivalence implies and says so, rather than scaling the large-egg figure into an invented weight.

Egg white reference table

This table deliberately mixes two evidence models, so each row states which one it used.

A metric cup (250 mL) of liquid egg white is about 258 g; 1 teaspoon is about 5 g. Weight ounces are definitional — 1 oz = 28.3495 g regardless of the ingredient — and this page never uses fluid ounces, to keep the weight/volume distinction unambiguous.

Fresh, carton and powdered egg white

Egg white substitutes, by what the white was doing

An egg white performs five separable jobs — foaming, structure, binding, moisture and setting on heat — and no substitute does all five. Ask which job your recipe needs before asking what to swap in. That is why the tool above starts with the recipe rather than the ingredient.

Substitution comparison

“No reliable ratio” is a real answer, not a gap. The widely published 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water and 1/4 cup applesauce ratios replace a whole egg, which brings yolk fat and emulsifiers a white does not — so ChefSolver does not convert them into a per-white number the calculator would multiply.

• Pasteurized carton egg whites Same ingredient — 1:1 by weight

  Carton whites are liquid egg white that has been gently pasteurized. Chemically it is the same protein doing the same job, and the liquid conversion on this page applies to it unchanged.

  Changes: Nothing in ordinary recipe measurement — same weight, same volume, same behaviour; Whipping performance can differ by product: heat treatment and any added stabilisers change how readily the foam builds. Limits: Do not assume every carton whips like a fresh white. Some products are sold expressly for whipping and some state on the label that they will not whip; check the pack before committing a meringue to it. Everything else — binding, omelets, batters — behaves as fresh white.

  Evidence: Reference-based — ChefSolver ingredient record — egg_white

• Reconstituted egg-white powder No reliable per-white ratio

  It is egg white with the water removed. Once rehydrated to the package ratio it foams and sets like albumen, which is why it is the standard route for royal icing and shelf-stable meringue.

  Changes: You control the hydration, so the white can be made stronger or looser than a fresh one; Meringue powder (as opposed to plain albumen powder) also adds sugar and starch to the recipe; Flavour is very slightly more pronounced than fresh white. Limits: The dry powder is a different product with a different density — never run powder through the liquid converter. Recipes calibrated on fresh whites, macarons above all, are tuned to the hydration of a real white and may need adjusting.

  On ratios: No universal rehydration ratio is published here. Reconstitution is formulation-specific — stabilised, glucose-reduced and whipping-grade albumen powders differ, and meringue powder also carries sugar and starch. Follow the package ratio, then convert the reconstituted liquid with the calculator above.

  Evidence: Reference-based — ChefSolver ingredient record — egg_white

• Aquafaba (chickpea liquid) 2 tbsp per white to start

  The starchy water from cooked chickpeas carries soluble proteins and saponins that also stabilise an air/water interface, so it whips into a foam that looks remarkably like a beaten white.

  Changes: The foam takes longer to build and is looser until an acid (cream of tartar, lemon) is added; Structure after baking is softer — meringues dry rather than set the way albumen does; A faint bean note that sugar and vanilla usually cover; more noticeable in an unsweetened application. Limits: It foams, but it is not egg protein and it does not coagulate: there is no aquafaba version of a cooked egg white. Batch strength also varies with how much the liquid was reduced, so a thin canning liquid may need simmering down before it whips well.

  Evidence: Reference-based — Aquafaba.com — the official aquafaba reference (Goose Wohlt et al.)

• Ground flaxseed gel ("flax egg") No reliable per-white ratio

  Ground flaxseed soaked in water forms a mucilage gel — a viscous binder that holds a mixture together much as a white does in a batter or a patty.

  Changes: Adds a nutty flavour and visible flecks; Slightly denser, moister crumb; No lift and no crisping: the gel cannot hold air. Limits: A binder, full stop. It has no foaming function at all, so it is not a meringue, macaron, angel-food or cocktail-foam ingredient in any quantity — those recipes fail structurally, not just cosmetically.

  On ratios: The published 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water ratio replaces a WHOLE egg, not an egg white — a whole egg brings yolk fat and emulsifiers that a white does not. No per-white ratio is published, so this page does not compute one: start from the whole-egg gel and reduce if the batter looks wet.

  Evidence: Reference-based — ChefSolver editorial review — food-science reasoning from ingredient composition

• Chia seed gel ("chia egg") No reliable per-white ratio

  Chia forms the same kind of hydrated mucilage gel as flax and binds in the same way.

  Changes: Visible seeds unless the chia is ground first; Milder flavour than flax; No aeration whatsoever. Limits: Identical ceiling to flax: it binds and it moistens, and it will never foam. Do not put it anywhere near a meringue.

  On ratios: As with flax, the published 1 tablespoon chia + 3 tablespoons water ratio replaces a WHOLE egg. No per-white ratio exists, so none is calculated here.

  Evidence: Reference-based — ChefSolver editorial review — food-science reasoning from ingredient composition

• Unsweetened applesauce No reliable per-white ratio

  Purely a moisture and mild-binding contribution: fruit purée keeps a batter wet where the white was mainly supplying liquid.

  Changes: Denser, moister, slightly sweeter result; Softer set — no protein to firm the crumb; Can make cookies cakey rather than crisp. Limits: No protein, no foam, no set. It cannot do anything an egg white does structurally; use it only where the white was contributing moisture in a batter that is already held together by flour and leavening.

  On ratios: The commonly published 1/4 cup per egg is a WHOLE-egg moisture swap. Applied to a white it mostly replaces water, and no per-white ratio is published — so none is computed here.

  Evidence: Reference-based — ChefSolver editorial review — food-science reasoning from ingredient composition

• Mashed ripe banana No reliable per-white ratio

  Moisture plus a little pectin-driven body in batters that can carry the flavour.

  Changes: Pronounced banana flavour — this is a recipe decision, not a neutral swap; Extra sweetness and browning; Denser crumb. Limits: Flavour-dominant, structurally inert. Never a foam ingredient, never a cooked-white substitute, and a poor choice anywhere the banana taste would be out of place.

  On ratios: Same position as applesauce: the published 1/4 cup per egg is a whole-egg moisture swap, and no per-white ratio exists. None is invented here.

  Evidence: Reference-based — ChefSolver editorial review — food-science reasoning from ingredient composition

Vegan and egg-free: where it works and where it doesn't

• Meringue: Aquafaba (chickpea liquid), 2 tbsp per white to start.
• Macarons: Aquafaba (chickpea liquid), 2 tbsp per white to start.
• Angel food cake: Aquafaba (chickpea liquid), 2 tbsp per white to start.
• Cake / muffins: Aquafaba (chickpea liquid), 2 tbsp per white to start.
• Cookies: Ground flaxseed gel ("flax egg").
• Pancakes: Ground flaxseed gel ("flax egg").
• Binding (meatballs, patties, coatings): Ground flaxseed gel ("flax egg").
• Omelet / scrambled whites: no vegan option reproduces what the white does here — pick a recipe written for the constraint instead of patching this one.
• Cocktail / uncooked foam: Aquafaba (chickpea liquid), 2 tbsp per white to start.

Working with egg whites

Storage & food safety

Separated egg white is a refrigerated perishable, not a shelf-stable ingredient:

• Keep fresh and carton whites refrigerated, in a clean covered container. Separated whites are a liquid with nothing to protect them, so treat them as you would any perishable dairy item.
• For anything eaten raw or barely cooked — a cocktail foam, an uncooked frosting — use pasteurized whites. That is the standard regulator advice for raw-egg preparations and it is also what the ChefSolver ingredient record specifies.
• Whites freeze well in portions; label the container with the count and the weight so the thawed liquid is still usable as a measurement. Thaw in the fridge, and expect a slightly thinner white afterwards.
• Wash hands, bowls and utensils after handling raw egg, and keep separated whites away from ready-to-eat food while you work.

Sources: FDA egg safety · CDC. We publish no universal shelf-life figure — check your pack.

Why different sites give different weights for one egg white

Three separate reasons, and none of them is that someone is wrong:

• Regional standards differ. US sizes are graded on minimum net weight per dozen; European and UK sizes are graded on the weight of the individual egg in the shell under Reg. (EC) No 589/2008. “Large” does not travel: a UK large white averages about 42 g, while a US large white is published as 30–35 g. The closer counterpart of a US large is a UK medium, at about 35 g.
• Eggs vary inside a size class. A class is a band, so a published class figure is an average or a range, never a per-egg guarantee.
• Different methods measure different things. Weighing whites and counting whites per cup are both published, and they need not land on the same number — see the methodology below.

A UK Large egg white averages about 42 g, while a US large egg white is published as a 30–35 g band. The two systems grade different things at different thresholds, so 'large' does not travel between them: a UK Medium (about 35.3 g of white) is the closer counterpart of a US large. Recipes that matter should state grams.

Methodology & sources

• Liquid conversion: grams = mL × 1.03. The working density comes from the ChefSolver ingredient record (egg_white density_g_ml, source ChefSolver ingredient record — egg_white (source_id: USDA_SR_Legacy); basis ingredient-source-of-truth, variability low, reviewed 2026-08-12) — the same number every generated egg-white conversion table on the site is built from, so nothing here can disagree with them.
• Cups: 1 US cup = 236.588 mL, so 1 US cup × 1.03 g/mL ≈ 244 g. A metric cup is 250 mL ≈ 258 g. Check which cup your recipe means.
• Three kinds of number, never mixed: definitional unit constants are exact (1 oz = 28.3495 g); density conversions are stable approximations; per-egg figures are natural-food estimates shown as ranges or stated averages. Density-based liquid conversions barely move, because liquid egg white is a uniform fluid. Egg-count conversions vary far more, because individual eggs differ and regional size standards are not the same thing.
• Two count methods, kept apart: the 30–35 g per-white range comes from weighing; the 7-whites-per-cup figure comes from filling a cup. Run through the density model, the count method implies about 35 g per US large white — inside the published range, but arrived at differently. ChefSolver reports both rather than averaging them into a single false-precision number.
• Where evidence is missing, we say so: no per-white weight is published for US jumbo, extra large, medium or small, so none is invented by scaling; no universal rehydration ratio is published for egg-white powder, so none is given; and no per-white ratio exists for flax, chia, applesauce or banana, so the calculator refuses to produce one.

Sources

• ChefSolver ingredient record — egg_white (source_id: USDA_SR_Legacy) — src/data/ingredients.base.json carries density_g_ml = 1.03 for egg_white with source_id USDA_SR_Legacy. Its source_note traces the number to USDA FDC 172183 ('Egg, white, raw, fresh', 1 cup = 243 g), which derives 1.027101 g/mL: the stored 1.03 is that measurement rounded to two decimals, a 0.28% difference that moves only the cup figure (243 g to 244 g). This single value drives every generated egg_white spoke table (cup-to-grams, grams-to-cups, tbsp-to-grams, tsp-to-grams, ml-to-grams, oz-to-grams) in every locale, so the specialized hub adopts it rather than introducing a competing number.
• ChefSolver ingredient record — egg_white_dried_powder_stabilized_glucose_reduced (source_id: USDA_SR_Legacy) — src/data/ingredients.base.json carries density_g_ml = 0.452 for egg_white_dried_powder_stabilized_glucose_reduced with source_id USDA_SR_Legacy. It is a different product from liquid egg white and is recorded here only so the model can prove the two are never conflated. It is a bulk density for one specific USDA record, not a universal powder density and not a reconstitution ratio.
• King Arthur Baking — Ingredient Weight Chart (egg 50 g, white 30–35 g, yolk 14 g) — Publishes a large egg white as a 30–35 g band rather than a single number. Already carried in src/data/smart-scaling-sources.json and used by the recipe-scaler egg helper (src/lib/smart-scaling/egg-fraction.ts), so the specialized hub reuses the same record instead of opening a second, divergent evidence line.
• America's Test Kitchen / Cook's Illustrated — Averaging Egg Weights — Weighed large eggs and reported the white at roughly the upper part of the same band. Sits inside the King Arthur 30–35 g range rather than replacing it, which is exactly why ChefSolver publishes the band and not a single derived average.
• American Egg Board (Incredible Egg) — Egg conversion tips & egg size chart — Publishes how many egg whites of each US size fill one cup: Jumbo 5, Extra Large 6, Large 7, Medium 8, Small 9. This is a COUNT equivalence for a natural product, not a density measurement — it answers 'how many eggs do I crack', which is a different question from 'what does this volume weigh'. ChefSolver keeps the two methods separate instead of forcing them to agree.
• British Egg Information Service (British Lion eggs) — egg sizes and average egg-white weights — Publishes average component weights for the UK/European size classes: white 28.5 g (Small), 35.3 g (Medium), 42.0 g (Large), 49.4 g (Very Large). These are AVERAGES across a size class defined by whole in-shell weight, not guarantees for an individual egg — a UK Large egg is graded on the shell weight, so its white can sit either side of the average.
• Commission Regulation (EC) No 589/2008, art. 4 — egg weight grades (S/M/L/XL) — Defines the European size classes by whole in-shell weight: S under 53 g, M 53 g to under 63 g, L 63 g to under 73 g, XL 73 g and above. Cited to explain WHY UK/EU and US size names are not interchangeable — the two systems grade different things at different thresholds — not to derive any white weight.
• Aquafaba.com — the official aquafaba reference (Goose Wohlt et al.) — Publishes the conversion that has become standard across the cooking literature: 2 tablespoons of aquafaba for one egg white, 3 tablespoons for one whole egg. Aquafaba is the viscous water from cooked chickpeas; its foaming comes from saponins and soluble proteins, which is a different chemistry from egg albumen even where the visible result is similar.
• FDA — What You Need to Know About Egg Safety and CDC — Food safety prevention — the storage and raw-use guidance.
• Substitution suitability calls are reference-based: published ratios where they exist, and otherwise ChefSolver editorial review reasoning from composition. No entry on this page claims kitchen testing — that label is reserved for structured test records, and none exist for egg white yet.

Egg white FAQ

How many grams is one egg white?

A US large egg white is published as a range, not a single number: about 30–35 g. Professional references disagree slightly — King Arthur publishes that band and America's Test Kitchen's weighed average sits inside it — and individual eggs vary anyway, so ChefSolver shows the range instead of averaging it into false precision. UK sizes are heavier: a UK large white averages about 42 g.

How many egg whites are in one cup?

About 7 US large egg whites fill one US cup, per the American Egg Board size chart — Jumbo 5, Extra Large 6, Large 7, Medium 8, Small 9. Coming at it from the other side, one US cup of liquid egg white weighs about 244 g, which the 30–35 g per-white range also puts at roughly 8 whites. Two legitimate methods, two slightly different assumptions — see the methodology note on why they need not match exactly.

How many egg whites is 100 g?

About 3 egg whites at US large size — 100 g falls inside the 2.9–3.3 white band you get from a 30–35 g per-white range. If the recipe is a ratio (macarons, meringue, angel food cake), weigh to 100 g rather than trusting the count.

How many mL is one egg white?

About 29–34 mL for a US large white, derived from the 30–35 g weight range at the working density of 1.03 g/mL. Volume is the less reliable way to measure a white — it clings to the measure and traps air — so weigh when it matters.

How many grams is 100 mL of egg white?

About 103 g. Liquid egg white is roughly 88% water with dissolved proteins, giving it a density of about 1.03 g/mL — just above water. The same model puts 250 mL at about 258 g, 1 US cup at about 244 g and 1 tablespoon at about 15 g. This applies to liquid egg white only, never to egg-white powder.

Can carton egg whites replace fresh egg whites?

Yes for measurement: carton whites are pasteurized liquid egg white, so the converter on this page applies to them unchanged and they swap 1:1 by weight or volume. The one caveat is whipping — heat treatment and any added stabilisers change how readily a foam builds, and some cartons state on the label that they will not whip. Check the pack before committing a meringue to it.

Can I use egg-white powder with this converter?

No. Dried egg white is a different product with a different density (the USDA record ChefSolver carries for stabilized, glucose-reduced albumen powder is 0.452 g/mL, against 1.03 g/mL for the liquid), and the calculator refuses that conversion by design. Rehydrate using the ratio on your package — reconstitution is formulation-specific and no universal ratio is published here — then convert the resulting liquid.

Can I use aquafaba instead of egg whites?

For foam, often yes: the published starting point is 2 tablespoons of aquafaba per egg white, and it whips into a meringue-like foam. But it is chickpea liquid, not egg protein — it does not coagulate, so there is no aquafaba version of a cooked white, and baked meringues dry rather than set the way albumen does. It is a good answer for meringue and cocktail foam, a poor one for an omelet.

What can I substitute for egg white in baking?

It depends entirely on what the white is doing. Where it foams (meringue, macarons, angel food cake) only aquafaba, carton whites or reconstituted egg-white powder are candidates — flax, chia, applesauce and banana cannot hold air and will fail structurally, not just cosmetically. Where it binds or adds moisture (cakes, muffins, pancakes, patties) those same purées and gels work well. The substitution tab above asks which case you are in before answering.

Are US and UK large eggs the same size?

No. The two systems grade different things at different thresholds: US classes are set by minimum net weight per dozen, European classes by the weight of the individual egg in the shell. A UK large white averages about 42 g against the 30–35 g published for a US large — the closer counterpart of a US large is a UK medium, at about 35 g. When a recipe's origin is unclear, grams settle it.

Related ingredients

Chosen because they are genuinely connected to an egg-white decision, not because they share a database category.

• Egg, whole, beaten — The whole-egg equivalent, for recipes that call for the yolk too.
• Chickpeas, canned, drained — The source of aquafaba, the one substitute here that actually foams.
• Ground Flaxseed (Flax Meal) — The binder route, for recipes where the white was holding things together.