This might just be your new favorite way to make eggs! Lightly buttery basted eggs are a delicious and easy way to change up your usual egg routine.
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Pin RecipeBasted eggs might be new to you, but they will look familiar! Pair them with bacon or maybe a stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes and you’ve got yourself a winning breakfast.
Like fried eggs but healthier, basted eggs help get breakfast on the table fast. Instead of frying eggs in a classic sunny-side-up method, basted eggs involve spooning hot fat, like butter, over eggs fried in a skillet. You can choose the method that suits you best—we’ve included two!
Easy Basted Eggs Recipe
Try either recipe below so you can make the easiest basted eggs. One has you using the hot butter method—yum!—to cook the eggs to perfection. The other is a little healthier, and uses water to steam the eggs in the pan until they are cooked through.
All you need are eggs, butter, salt and pepper, water, and a non-stick pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet.
(Want to make eggs in an air fryer? Check out my recipes for air fryer eggs!)
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Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Eggs – Use large, whole eggs. Here’s the best way to crack eggs!
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
- Water
How to Make Basted Eggs
- Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet: Over high heat, melt the butter. You’ll want to get the butter very hot and foaming.
- Add the eggs: Lower the heat to medium and crack eggs in the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the white begins to set.
- Season: Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Baste: Add water to the pan, cover, and cook eggs for 2 more minutes until the yolks reach your desired consistency. Or, to baste with butter, spoon the hot butter over the eggs as they cook.
Quick Tip
Make sure the butter is hot! Basted eggs need hot fat, in this case, butter, to cook perfectly. So watch the butter when you’re cooking it over high heat so it gets nice and hot but doesn’t burn. You want your butter foaming but not brown.
How to Store Basted Eggs
Basted eggs can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3 days. To gently reheat, warm in the microwave at 20-second increments until warm.
Serving Suggestions
Basted eggs are great with breakfast potatoes and crispy bacon. You could also serve them as a vegetarian protein option with breakfast for dinner. Or they’re always delicious alongside avocado toast.
FAQs
A basted egg is like a sunny-side-up egg, but its top is cooked by spooning hot fat from the pan over the eggs. This can also be done with water or other liquid for a lower-fat version.
Poached eggs are submerged in boiling water (sometimes with vinegar added) in an uncovered pan. A poached egg has a firm white and a runny yolk. A basted egg is cooked in a small amount of oil or butter and then a small amount of water is added to the pan.
Basted eggs are a healthy alternative to fried eggs. Basting eggs instead of frying them uses less butter and oil to cook the eggs, reducing the overall fat content.
More Egg Recipes
Basted Eggs: Two Ways
Ingredients
Basted Eggs: Steam Method
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, whole
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons water
Basted Eggs: Butter Method
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, whole
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Basted Eggs: Steam Method
- In a small nonstick skillet, heat the butter over medium high heat until hot and it begins to foam.
- Lower the heat to medium, gently crack the eggs into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the bottoms start to color and the whites begin to set, 3 to 4 minutes. The yolk will still be runny.
- Add the water to the pan, then immediately cover to trap steam inside the pan. Cook for an additional 2 minutes until the top of the egg has started to cook and the yolk is the desired consistency. Serve immediately.
Basted Eggs: Butter Method
- In a small nonstick skillet, heat the butter over medium high heat until hot and it begins to foam.
- Gently crack the eggs into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the edges of the egg start to turn golden brown and get crisp, about 4 minutes.
- Tilt the pan gently to one side, then using a spoon, baste the hot butter over the eggs as they continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Once the tops have started to set and take on color, remove from the pan. Serve immediately.
