The Turkish pantry

Egg yolk

The separated yolk adds richness and color; its role differs from a whole egg or an egg white.

Last updated: 17 October 2026

This guide concerns raw chicken egg yolk separated from the white, before cooking. A cooked yolk, whole egg and commercial yolk product with added salt or sugar are different ingredients. Yolk color alone does not establish farming method, safety or nutritional quality.

Two raw egg yolks in a cream ceramic bowl on a sunlit stone ledge, with olive leaves and a blue bay behind.

Types & forms

Separated fresh yolk

The raw yolk portion of a chicken egg, without the shell or most of the white.

Pasteurized liquid yolk · comparison

Check the ingredient list for added salt or sugar and follow the pack instructions.

Whole egg or egg white · comparison

Different proportions of fat, protein and water; these change how a recipe sets.

What to look for when buying

Buy clean, uncracked eggs from refrigerated storage and check the date. Keep the carton so its storage and identification information remain available.
For a dish served with raw or undercooked egg, choose pasteurized shell eggs or an appropriate pasteurized egg product. Ordinary raw eggs are not made safe by looking fresh.

Prepare & cook

Separate eggs with clean equipment into a small bowl before adding them to the main mixture; keep shell fragments out. Wash hands, utensils and the work surface after contact with raw egg.
Follow the recipe when adding yolk to a warm mixture: gradual mixing helps distribute it evenly. A thickened mixture is not, by itself, proof that a safe cooking temperature was reached.
FDA advises cooking egg dishes to 160°F. Use pasteurized egg for preparations that will remain raw or undercooked. Do not taste raw batter.

Store it well

Refrigerate shell eggs promptly at 40°F or below. Separate only what you need and keep the yolks covered and cold until use.
For a packaged pasteurized yolk product, follow its refrigeration and opening instructions. Do not transfer the shelf life of an unopened carton to a bowl of separated yolks.

Substitutions depend on the dish

Whole egg

It adds white as well as yolk and changes the balance of the recipe; use a formula designed for whole egg.

Yolk product

Use the package equivalence and check added ingredients. A salted or sweetened product may require a different recipe.

Nutrition

Egg, yolk, raw, fresh ^[1]

Per 100 g edible portion
Nutrient	Amount
Energy	322 kcal
Protein	15.9 g
Total fat	26.5 g
Saturated fat	9.55 g
Carbohydrate	3.59 g
Dietary fiber	0 g
Total sugars	0.56 g
Sodium	48 mg
Cholesterol	1,080 mg
Calcium	129 mg
Iron	2.73 mg
Potassium	109 mg
Vitamin D	5.4 µg

Raw fresh chicken egg yolk, per 100 g without shell or white. Cooking and added ingredients change a finished serving. This is not a pasteurized commercial yolk preparation. Values are rounded for readability; “not reported” does not mean zero. A “<” value is below the source’s measurement limit.

Nutrition values come from the reference source named above. They are published reference values, not our own measurements. Actual products and cooking methods may change the values.

At the Turkish table

The linked recipes show the specific ways this site uses yolk, including enrichments and finishes. The ingredient links follow the stored yolk identity, not every recipe containing whole eggs.