Are Double Yolk Eggs Safe to Eat? (Yes! & Lucky)

Did you crack open an egg and find a double yolk inside? Double yolk eggs are perfectly safe to eat, yes. Most people see them as being even better than a single yolk egg and being a sign of good luck, so you can count yourself lucky!

Table of Contents

Why Do Some Eggs Have Two Yolks?

As rare and as impressive as it is to find a double yolk, the explanation behind this rare occurrence is very simple.

Basically, double yolks happen by accident. It occurs when a chicken releases two yolks instead of one when the process of creating an egg starts.

This can easily happen because hens have thousands of tiny ‘ova’ in their ovaries. These are the yolks that they release when they create eggs.

This is a lot more common among young hens, as their reproductive system is still developing and maturing. It’s also seen among much older hens near the end of their egg-laying days.

But it can happen at any point. As to exactly why a hen will sometimes release more than one yolk, it’s just one of those things that happen.

However, if you think about it, no two eggs are 100% identical. There are all kinds of little differences in shade, shape, how big the yolks are, how much white there is, etc.

A double yolk just so happens to be one of the most obvious ‘abnormal’ things can that happen.

This does mean that two chicks can hatch from one egg. This is even rarer, however. The yolks would need to be fertilized, and there are some complications that come with two chicks successfully developing in one egg.

Almost all shop-bought eggs are unfertilized anyway, so it’s really not something that comes up very often at all.

Related - Want to know if you can hatch eggs from the supermarket? Read this post.

Are Double Yolk Eggs Safe to Eat?

I want to reassure you that double yolks are completely safe to eat. In fact, you’re getting two yolks for the price of one!

There is no difference in the yolks in an egg if there are two, or one. So, as long as the egg is fresh, you should see it as an added bonus cracking it open to find two yolks in there.

Obviously, not everyone wants two yolks, I can understand that. It’s the yolk that contains most of the flavor, so it can change the taste of what you’re making with your eggs.

Is a Double Yolk More Nutritious Than a Single Yolk Egg?

Eggs are incredibly nutritious and packed with good stuff. The yolk is the part of the egg that contains most of that good stuff, too. It’s rich in fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Yolks also contain two key nutrients that are known to be good for eye and brain health; lutein and zeaxanthin

It’s the white that has most of the protein. Which makes sense, as it’s the white that the chick feeds off in the egg while it’s developing.

So, not only are double yolks safe to eat, you’re getting a double dose of good nutrition!

Related - Here’s what blood spots in a yolk mean.

How Rare Is a Double Yolk Egg?

In terms of how rare it is to find a double yolk, it’s estimated to be 1 in every 1,000 eggs.

That’s pretty rare!

This doesn’t mean it’s always that rare for everyone though. If you’ve had a fair few double yolks, I’m sorry to break this to you but it probably doesn’t mean you’re super lucky.

Some hens are more prone to laying double yolks than others, and some farms simply have more of those hens than others.

I know some farms separate the largest eggs to one side as they don’t fit into their boxes or meet their quality control standards, and then sell those separately.

Often these are the eggs that have double yolks in as they tend to be larger than regular eggs. So, if you pick up one of these boxes from a local farmer’s market, you may get more than 1 in 1,000 double yolks.

How Can You Tell if Your Egg Has a Double Yolk Inside?

You may have seen boxes of eggs being sold as ‘double yolks’. This is because it’s possible for egg farmers to guarantee double yolks by candling the eggs.

Candling is the process of shining a light into an egg to see what’s happening inside. It’s typically done periodically to check fertilized eggs are developing normally.

But it’s also a way to tell if there are two yolks inside a shell. A lot of egg farmers would put double yolk eggs to the side anyway, so it presented a chance to market and sell the double yolk eggs.

Double yolk eggs typically have a larger shell, too. This is also a good indication of whether or not there are two yolks inside, but it’s not a way to guarantee it like candling.

Outside of these checks, you’re not really able to tell for sure if an egg is going to contain a double yolk when you crack it open.

That’s what makes it so surprising, you just have to keep cracking up those eggs and seeing what’s inside!

In Summary

Double yolks are safe to eat, moreover, it’s an added bonus to find you have two yolks instead of one when you crack open an egg.

If you want double yolks, have a look or ask around at your local supermarket. I see some places selling boxes of double yolk eggs. Otherwise, your best bet is to buy large eggs and just hope to get lucky when cracking them open!