How to Cook Perfect Sunny Side Up Eggs

Sunny Side Up Eggs feature a golden runny yolk and lightly crisped egg white. The egg yolk spreads perfectly across rice, toast, or hash to make a delicious and filling breakfast.

These super simple eggs are our go to when we need to quickly satisfy our egg craving. It takes just 2 minutes to whip them up and they go with so many dishes!

Jump to:

• Where to Get Your Eggs
• Ingredients
• How to Make Perfect Sunny Side Up Eggs
• How to Enjoy Sunny Side Up Eggs
• FAQ
• Other Ways to Prepare Eggs
• Equipment
• Storage
• Egg Grades
• Top tips
• Did You Like This Recipe?
• Perfect Sunny Side Up Eggs

Where to Get Your Eggs

We are strong proponents for pasture raised eggs. Pasture raised eggs are laid by hens who have access to pastures outdoors. As a result, the eggs are full of flavor and vitamins. This is reflected in the deep orange and red color of the egg yolks.

Our favorite pasture-raised eggs are distributed by Vital Farms. Vital Farms works with carefully-selected farmers throughout the United States.

Ingredients

• Butter - Butter adds a layer of fat that keeps the eggs from sticking to the pan and adds flavor.
• Fresh Eggs - Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Pasture-raised eggs have a delicious flavor and contain more vitamins and omega-3 fats than cage-raised eggs.
• Salt - Salt accentuates the delicious flavor of the eggs.
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper - Pepper adds a spicy kick.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Perfect Sunny Side Up Eggs

• Heat butter - Heat butter in cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium low heat.
• Crack and season the egg - Once the butter is melted and slightly foamy, crack the egg onto skillet and sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
• Cook egg - Cook for about 2 to 2½ minutes. Once the egg whites go from clear to white and edges start to crisp, use spatula to transfer egg to plate and enjoy.

Pro tip: Cook only 1-2 eggs in a pan at one time to make it easy to remove the eggs with a spatula.

How to Enjoy Sunny Side Up Eggs

There are a ton of ways enjoy these 2 minute eggs. They are delicious over toast with fresh cracked pepper, Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, and avocado or over Breakfast Hash with Sweet Potatoes and Eggs. It's runny nature also makes it ideal for a breakfast rice bowl, or fried rice.

FAQ

Other Ways to Prepare Eggs

While we like to make sunny side up eggs, we enjoy all types of eggs. Here are a few other ways to prepare eggs:

• Soft Scrambled Eggs - Whenever we make scrambled eggs, we make them soft and fluffy. We love making a Soft Scramble with Burrata, Tomatoes, and Arugula.
• Soft Boiled Jammy Eggs - Soft Boiled Jammy Eggs have a soft yolk with a spreadable jammy texture. Just boil eggs for 7 minutes, then enjoy them in a bowl of ramen, in an egg salad sandwich, on a salad, or on top of avocado toast topped with truffle salt.
• Soft Boiled Runny Eggs -  If you want your eggs runny and perfect for going over rice, follow the steps for Soft Boiled Jammy Eggs, just boil the eggs for 5 minutes instead of 7. Our Bacon and Egg Breakfast Rice Bowl is an example of how to integrate this runny soft boiled egg into a delicious breakfast.
• Hard Boiled Eggs - Hard Boiled Eggs are great for an egg salad sandwich if you prefer a firm yolk. In order to hard boil eggs, just boil the eggs for 10 minutes then cool them and peel the shell.
• Over Easy Eggs - Over easy eggs are like sunny side up eggs, but are flipped over briefly to sear the top of the eggs. As a result, the yolk is still runny.
• Over Medium Eggs - Over medium eggs are cooked a little longer than over easy eggs, until the yolk is a little less runny.
• Over Hard Eggs - Over hard eggs have a completely cooked through yolk, similar to a hard boiled egg and are great for breakfast sandwiches.

Equipment

This gluten free egg recipe requires just a few kitchen essentials. In order to make this recipe, you will need a non-stick pan or standard skillet and a silicone baking spatula. If you use a standard skillet, we suggest seasoning it so it becomes a nonstick skillet and the eggs will flip more easily. To explore more kitchen items to make your kitchen complete, head to our Kitchen Essentials Shop.

Storage

You can refrigerate sunny side up eggs in an air tight container for up to 2 days. In order to reheat them, heat them in a covered pan over low heat. These ingredients do not stand up well to freezing.

Egg Grades

The USDA grades eggs AA, A, or B based on their interior quality and the condition of their shell. Grade AA eggs tend to be the most expensive while Grade A eggs are the most widely available. Given that AA and A are the highest quality eggs, they are best for cooking. Grade B eggs don't meet the same standards as Grade AA and A eggs and are usually used for frozen, liquid, or dried egg products.

Top tips

• Cook eggs low and slow to avoid over-cooking them.
• If cooking multiple batches, allow the pan to cool for a couple of minutes between batches to avoid burning the butter and over-cooking the eggs.
• Use fresh eggs for the best results! We highly recommend pasture-raised eggs for an extra delicious and nutritious yolk.
• Figure out what you want to make with your over fried eggs before you start making them so your eggs are ready at the same time as your other food and you can enjoy everything hot and fresh.
• If possible, use a non-stick pan to cook the eggs. This will ensure that the eggs come out easily once they are done cooking.