How to Lightly Beat Eggs to Incorporate Them into Any Recipe

Eggs are magical. They're a simple, yet powerful ingredient that plays a huge part in baking and cooking. Depending on the recipe you're making, eggs will act as a binder and a leavener, and provide structure to baked goods. If you're new to baking, you might have wondered what it means when recipes call for lightly beaten eggs. It may not seem like a big deal, but there is a reason to use the term lightly rather than well-beaten. Whether you need lightly beaten eggs for a quiche or a new cake recipe, read on to make sure you know how to beat eggs the proper way for your recipes.

How to Slightly Beat Eggs

When your recipe calls for a lightly beaten egg, mix the yolk and the whites together until they are properly combined. This ensures the yolk and the whites will not separate once added to the other ingredients in your recipe. Here's the easy way to slightly beat eggs:

• Crack the egg into a bowl and use a fork or a whisk ($6, Target) to beat the entire egg until the yolk and white are combined and have a uniform color. There should be no streaks of white or yolk, just a solid pale yellow. It should only take a few seconds.

There are also some baking recipes that call for separating the eggs and beating just egg whites or yolks. You would use the same method of lightly beating the eggs to ensure they are combined.

Lightly-Beaten Eggs Vs. Beaten Eggs

Lightly-beaten eggs are just quickly beaten to combine into the pale yellow color. Beaten eggs, on the other hand, are beaten at a rigorous speed (usually with a whisk or electric mixer) for several minutes until the mixture is thick with a lemon color.

Now you can confidently lightly beat eggs for a perfectly fluffy omelet, homemade meat loaf, or those lemon bars you've been craving. If you're looking to make an angel food cake or meringue, use our tips to beat the egg whites to soft peaks or stiff peaks.