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Over Medium Egg Recipe

Learn how to fry the perfect egg with this over medium egg recipe and video tutorial!

Cutting open an egg cooked over medium to show how done the yolk is.

If you love a jammy yolk, but you can’t stand watery egg whites, may I suggest that over medium eggs are the perfect solution.

This American breakfast staple is a delicious source of protein that can accompany a wide variety dishes.

And with a little practice (and my step-by-step instructions) you’ll be frying up your ideal egg in no time.

Okay, let me show you the process!

Video Tutorial

Here’s a quick video in case you like to learn by watching an overview. The written tutorial and printable recipe are below!

Ingredient Notes:

Salt and pepper shakers, a brown egg, and a small pat of butter laid out on a white countertop.
  • Butter or Oil: You’ll need something to grease the pan. This could be butter, bacon grease, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, beef tallow, etc. Keep in mind that butter will brown as it cooks, so if you aren’t going for that flavor profile an oil with a high smoke point would be a better choice.
  • A Large Egg: I like to source organic and/or pasture-raised eggs when possible, but any large egg will do. Of course the more fresh the egg, the better the flavor and quality!
  • Salt and Pepper: These are optional, but I don’t recommend skipping them! I neglected adding freshly ground black pepper to my eggs for a while, and when I started adding it again I realized it really makes fried eggs so much better!
A stainless steel spatula on a white countertop.

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Quick Equipment Note: A really nice metal spatula makes flipping your egg SO much easier. This is my all-time favorite one from Dexter-Russell (it’s available on Amazon or the Dexter Russell website).

What you’re looking for is a medium size and a sharp edge that will slip under the egg easily.

Another great option would be a fish spatula.

Preheating the Pan:

A small cast iron skillet on a stovetop with the heat set to medium-low.

Preheat your skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute.

Quick note about pans: I love to fry eggs in a cast iron skillet, but I’m sure a good nonstick skillet would be great as well. You can definitely use a stainless steel skillet, but it does take more precision and there’s a higher risk of the eggs sticking badly.

Frying the Egg:

Step-by-step photos of the frying process.
  1. After the skillet has preheated for 1 minute, lower heat to medium-low and add your butter or oil. You don’t need to go too crazy with the grease if your pan is nice and nonstick. About a teaspoon per egg is a good starting point.
  2. Carefully crack the egg into the pan. Please be cautious of splatters as you crack the eggs into the hot oil or butter!
  3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Allow the egg to cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes, or until the white is completely opaque and white around the center looks less watery/more set. You don’t want to cook it until the white is completely set on the first side, though.

How to Test for Doneness:

Poking the egg with a metal spatula to see if it's done.

Flip the egg over and cook for 1-2 minutes on the second side, or until the yolk has only a slight give when gently poked with the spatula.

This is where experience comes in: You’ll have to practice tapping the egg yolk with the spatula to test for doneness. As you do this a few times, you’ll learn what your ideal egg feels like when it’s done cooking.

Soon you’ll be frying perfect eggs every single time. Or nearly every time, life happens!

How to Get Crispy Edges:

A crispy fried egg in a cast iron skillet on top of the stove.

If you prefer your over medium egg to have crispy edges, you’ll want to cook it over medium-high (over even high) heat the whole time.

A crispy fried egg in a cast iron skillet on top of the stove.

You’ll need to shorten the time you fry the egg and pay close attention since it will go from undercooked to overcooked faster with higher heat.

And if you prefer very soft whites with no crispy edges, you’ll want to cook your egg over low heat the whole time. This results in really tender egg whites, which is great for certain dishes.

Cooling and Serving:

A fried over medium egg on a blue plate with bacon, fresh berries, and toast triangles around it.

Transfer the egg to your plate and allow to cool for 1 minute before eating.

You don’t want to let fried eggs sit for too long before eating because they tend to cool off pretty quickly.

To complete the meal and turn this into an utterly delicious breakfast, you can serve with fresh fruit (fresh berries or citrus fruits are delicious), bacon or sausage, and buttered toast.

Of course I’m partial to a matcha latte, but a regular latte or chai latte would also be lovely. Another option would be a glass of milk or orange juice.

Cutting open an egg cooked over medium to show how done the yolk is.

This is my ideal level of doneness for a fried egg: The whites are completely cooked, and the yolk is cooked around the edges while the center remains soft, slightly runny, and a bit custardy.

It’s the perfect balance of soft but nowhere near undercooked.

More Serving Ideas:

A fried egg (over medium) on avocado toast with hot sauce drizzled on top.
A fried egg (over medium) on avocado toast with a piece of the yolk on a fork.
A fried egg (over medium) on avocado toast cut open so show the yolk.

Over-medium eggs are perfect on top of avocado toasts. They’re still soft and lovely, but the yolk isn’t so runny that it will all run right off the toast.

A drizzle of hot sauce (such as sriracha) is so good.

Quick Tip: One of the easiest ways to make avocado toast is to use premade guacamole!

These are also ideal for breakfast sandwiches because of the yolk-not-running-all-over-the-place factor.

Cutting into a fried egg on top of a rice bowl.

You could also serve on top of breakfast rice bowls for extra protein.

Let’s be honest, this is also a great weeknight supper option.

Storing:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you reheat them, make sure they are hot throughout for food safety reasons.

It’s kinda tricky reheating fried eggs since it’s easy to overcook them if you’re cooking them twice. I recommend eating them fresh and avoiding storing them as much as possible.

FAQ:

What Are the 4 Different Types of Fried Eggs?

  • Sunny-Side-Up Eggs are only cooked on one side, with the yellow yolk remaining exposed and looking like a sun. The white is usually mostly cooked, and the yolk remains runny.
  • Over-Easy Eggs are cooked on one side, then flipped over to finish cooking. The goal is to have whites that are completely cooked and runny yolks, but it’s harder to achieve that balance and sometimes the whites end up a bit runny as well.
  • Over-Medium Eggs are fried the same way as over-easy eggs, but they’re simply cooked a bit longer. This results in whites that are completely cooked, and yolks that are just firm around the edges, but still soft or even a little runny in the center. This is the perfect fried egg IMO.
  • Over-Hard Eggs are cooked even longer than over-medium eggs, and thus have firm whites, and a completely firm yolk. Some people like to break the yolk as soon as it’s cracked into the pan.

More Egg Recipes

Recipe Card

Yield: 1 serving

Over Medium Egg Recipe

An over medium egg cut open to show how cooked the yolk is.

Learn how to cook the perfect over medium egg with this simple recipe!

Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Cooling Time 1 minute
Total Time 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 large fresh egg
  • 1 teaspoon oil or butter
  • salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat a cast iron or nonstick pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 1 more minute, or if you're using butter allow it to melt.
  2. Carefully crack the egg into the greased pan. Please be cautious of splatters as you crack the eggs into the hot oil or butter! Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook the egg for 2-3 minutes, or until the white is completely opaque but isn't completely cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.
  3. Carefully flip the egg and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the yolk feels almost firm with a little bit of give still when gently poked with a spatula. It takes practice to know how a perfectly egg feels when it's done cooking!
  4. Remove the egg to your serving plate and allow to cool for 1 minute before eating. Don't leave it too long since fried eggs tend to cool off quickly!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

1

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 217mgSodium: 458mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 6g

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