34 Egg Recipes for Breakfast and Beyond

F&W Best New Chef 2017 Jay Blackinton, of Hogstone’s Wood Oven on Orcas Island, Washington, takes just a few humble ingredients and turns them into a magical dish. Case in point: this “green” egg, which is soft-boiled and dusted in dried kale, then served on creamy arugula-laced goat cheese and surrounded by crispy grilled kale. It looks like a nest—and tastes like heaven.

At L'Arcangelo restaurant in Rome, chef Arcangelo Dandini makes this simple salad with whichever wild greens happen to be in season at the moment.

Light and fluffy, these eggs are gently seasoned and generously perfumed by fresh black truffles. For the perfect creamy, tender bite, pull the eggs off of the heat before they set; they will continue to cook after they leave the stove.

Chef David Bouley serves eggs en cocotte with three purees—fennel, sunchoke and polenta—plus Comté foam. Home cooks can pair baked eggs with cheese polenta, evoking Bouley’s Comté foam with polenta puree.

Classic hollandaise sauce is prepared with butter, egg yolks and lemon juice. Here, Neal Fraser adds a red wine–and–port reduction to the rich sauce, which is delicious with the juicy tenderloin steak that accompanies the poached eggs.

For a fabulous topping for a fried egg on toast, Cindy Pawlcyn sautés mushrooms and onions with the Spanish dry sherry Oloroso.

Chef Mark Broadbent upgrades the standard lemony arugula salad by topping it with grilled asparagus, butter-fried eggs—duck eggs, when available—and freshly shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

This simple and satisfying breakfast sandwich recipe calls for American cheese, but it’s equally as delicious with Gruyere or sharp cheddar. Feel free to use your favorite toast if you don’t have English muffins. A dash of vinegary hot sauce is a great addition here.

This Spanish mushroom omelet from chef José Andrés is super-simple and a great make-ahead dish for brunch.

For this single-serving frittata, Nancy Silverton cooks the eggs gently, then tops them with asparagus, prosciutto and crème fraîche. Since the frittata is not warmed in the oven, it’s best to have the toppings at room temperature. Also, keep them near the pan so you can work quickly once the eggs are cooked.

Cookbook author Melissa Clark takes inspiration from Caesar salad in this quinoa bowl, which includes a soft runny egg and a lemony, cheese-spiked dressing. It’s one of the best grain bowls we’ve ever had.

Jen Pelka makes super-crunchy and delicious waffles using Tater Tots, then tops them with poached eggs and truffles, making them ideal for brunch.

Kuku sibzamini is the Persian version of a frittata. Shredded carrots, onion, zucchini and potato give it excellent texture—light and airy but deeply satisfying—while saffron adds the distinct Persian flavor.

When Richard Chang was chef and owner of Tacos La Tehuanita truck in Los Angeles, he wowed crowds with his burnt-cheese-roll taco, made by griddling cheese until crisp and rolling it up around various fillings. This version pairs chorizo-studded black beans and eggs with creamy avocado for richness.

“In this take on eggs Benedict, crispy potato rounds are a fun, gluten-free substitute for the everyday English muffins,” Justin Chapple writes. “A combination of extra-virgin olive oil and butter gives the potatoes incredible flavor and a golden, crunchy crust that provides the best-ever canvas for poached eggs.”

At The Pig Brockenhurst in England, chef James Golding plays on classic Scotch eggs with his Brock Eggs, made by encasing little quail eggs in a tasty ham mixture, then deep-frying them.

Ricotta makes this variation on vegetable quiche, from L.A. chef Roxana Jullapat, extra moist and light. You’ll want to hang on to her winner of a pie crust recipe, made with butter and cream cheese—it’s flaky, golden and crisp.

A rich red wine sauce adds a touch of French luxury to these perfectly poached eggs.

This twist on deviled eggs is Chef Missy Robbins’ favorite way to get the salty, spicy, tangy filling all in one crunchy bite. Robbins usually tops her crostini with bottarga or tuna roe, but recommends truffles or even hot sauce, too.

“Spring is the season when warm and cold ingredients ought to mingle on one plate, and this salad brings all that to life,” writes Andrea Slonecker. “To serve, keep the soft-cooked eggs and the roasted rabe on the warm side, rather than cold, and compose the salad on plates with a bit of artistic flare. Then I would tell you to pour a glass of Chablis and enjoy this spring situation for lunch or dinner, whatever suits your fancy.”

“The first time that I ate one of these omelets was on the street in Thailand,” says Leah Cohen, chef of New York’s Pig & Khao. “I had never eaten a deep-fried egg and I was shocked that it was crispy but still tender. My mind was blown and [the] low-and-slow egg cooking that my French training taught me was turned on its ear.” Two important tips: Whisk the eggs well until light and frothy and uniform in color, and make sure that the oil is smoking hot.

Taking a cue from Chef Mei Lin of Nightshade, we’re adding spicy pork, creamy egg yolks, and crunchy sesame to classic rice congee. Low and slow cooking is the key to its great texture; adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle bubble that results in tender grains.

“In my teens, I spent a summer on a kibbutz in Israel working in my first professional kitchen,” Gail Simmons writes. “I was assigned to breakfast duty and fell in love with scrambling, poaching, and frying eggs by the dozens. Today, one of my go-to brunches is baked eggs in a cherry tomato–pepper mix seasoned with the Mediterranean spice blend za’atar. It never fails to conjure happy memories of that magical time—and you’ll find the recipe below.”

Farm-raised sturgeon caviar from the University of Georgia takes traditional deviled eggs from traditional to top-notch. For his Southern Sampler, chef Evan Babb channels his mother’s and grandmother’s classic recipes for the filling, which gets a briny kick from a splash of olive juice.

This basic recipe for fresh egg noodles is studded with bright green parsley. Serve the noodles simply buttered, or with this Squash-and-Tomato Sugo.

To make tamagoyaki, thin layers of cooked eggs are rolled together into one delicate omelet.

Adding water to the skillet helps cook the eggs evenly without burning the bagel halves, resulting in a lightly toasted bagel wrapped around a perfectly runny yolk. Savory smoked salmon and creamy avocado complete this classic breakfast.

Charring the tomato and onion before adding them to the red chile sauce is a quick way to create rich, slow-cooked flavor. Thick-cut fresh tortilla chips soak up the sauce and runny egg yolks without getting soggy.

This beautifully basic omelet is the sleeper hit of chef Michael Tusk’s French-inflected bar à vin menu at Verjus in San Francisco. An homage to his love of dairy, spreadable garlic-herb cheese melts richly into the creamy center of the tender eggs. While it makes for a delicious and satisfying breakfast, this omelet is best with some crusty baguette, a crisp salad, and a glass of Chardonnay.

These surprisingly elegant, savory herb-topped eggs bake up in a muffin pan, so it’s easy to make breakfast or brunch for a few days—or for more than a few people. Serve any leftover breakfast egg cups sandwiched between buttered, toasted English muffins or brioche slices.

Sour cream adds milky richness to both Dijon and whole-grain mustards with a splash of lemon juice for brightness. This simple, creamy sauce pairs with lightly bitter greens and rich, runny egg yolks for a beautiful breakfast. Try leftover sauce on baked salmon.

A traditional Indian scrambled egg dish, ande ki bhurji includes an almost equal amount of fresh yellow onion to eggs. As the beaten eggs cook (until they are fully set but not browned), the onion sweetens and mellows. Topped with toasted cumin seeds, cilantro, and fresh green chiles, this meal is fragrant and savory, with a distinct vegetal crunch.

Eggs poached in a savory sauce are livened up with the addition of silky, sweet escarole and tangy feta. A deliciously bright addition to your breakfast or brunch spread, serve with crusty bread or toast for sopping.

The secret to this super-simple eggs Benedict? Cornstarch. It stabilizes the emulsion in the hollandaise, helping to prevent the sauce from breaking while it cooks over direct heat. Easier than poaching, gently steaming the eggs results in delicately tender whites and smooth, creamy yolks.