This 2-Minute Sunny Side Up Egg Will Change Your Mornings (2025)

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Last updated May 9, 2024

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Here’s how to make sunny side up eggs with a perfectly runny yolk! Eat them for breakfast, sandwiches, rice bowls, and more.

This 2-Minute Sunny Side Up Egg Will Change Your Mornings (1)

Want to make anything into a meal? Put an egg on it! Alex and I learned that slogan early in our cooking journey, and we still use it to this day. Eggs aren’t just for breakfast: they make a rice bowl or sesame noodles into a filling meal.

So here’s one of our top kitchen basic skills for you: how to make sunny side up eggs! This easy technique makes perfectly cooked whites and a runny, gooey egg yolk: and it’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Ready to get frying?

Ingredients and equipment you need

How to make the very best sunny side up eggs? We’ve got your covered. There are a few tips you’ll need to know before you jump into the frying pan, so to speak! Here’s what to know:

  • Fresh eggs are best.You can use any eggs here. but the best sunny side up eggs are made with fresh eggs. If your eggs have been in the fridge for a while, the white will spread a lot when it hits the pan. However, this doesn’t affect the flavor and you can move it back with a spatula to round out the shape.
  • Use a non-stick or cast iron skillet.These types of pans are the best when it comes to the ease of cooking eggs. While you can still cook in an aluminum pan, non-stick is preferable.
This 2-Minute Sunny Side Up Egg Will Change Your Mornings (2)

How to make sunny side up eggs

Ready to start frying? Remember: you’ll want to cook eggs on medium low or low heat. The slower the better with eggs, since they’re delicate and can easily be overcooked. Here are the basic steps to a perfectly cooked sunny side up egg:

Step 1: Heat ½ tablespoon butter over medium low heat.

Step 2: Add 1 or 2 eggs and sprinkle with a pinch ofkosher saltand a few grinds black pepper.

Step 3: Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are firm but the yolk is still runny (don’t flip). Remove to a plate and serve.

The best spatula to use is a fish spatula for a cast iron pan or a nylon spatula for a non-stick pan. The cooking process is simple, but it does require a little finesse and confidence. The more you practice, the easier it becomes!

Ways to serve sunny side up eggs

There’s not much that doesn’t taste better with an egg on it! You can literally add an egg to anything and it’s a fantastic boost of protein. (See below for more egg nutrition.) And eggs aren’t just for breakfast! Here are our top ways to serve sunny side up eggs:

  • With potatoes. Try with homemade hash browns, oven Hash browns or pan fried potatoes.
  • With toast. Add toast or avocado toast and it’s a quick breakfast.
  • Sandwich. Make a fried egg sandwich with smoky mayo (yum!).
  • Rice bowl: Use it to top Korean bibimbap or bibimbap with quinoa.
  • Noodle bowl: Make a meal out of soba noodles.
  • Salad: Try it on a Caesar salad or kale salad.
This 2-Minute Sunny Side Up Egg Will Change Your Mornings (3)

Egg nutrition

Eggs are some of the most nutritious foods on the planet, though they sometimes get a bad rap! Recent research has found that instead of avoiding eggs for cholesterol reasons, they canincrease the good cholesterol the body needs. Eggs are an affordable and easy-to-eat source of high quality protein. They’re also especially helpful forvegetarian dietsas a natural source of B12. One egg has:

More egg basics

Want to know how to cook eggs…every way possible? Here are tutorials on the most popular ways to cook eggs:

  • Hard boiled eggs (or Instant Pot)
  • Soft boiled eggs (or Instant Pot)
  • Poached eggs
  • Scrambled eggs or fluffy eggs
  • How to fry an egg
  • Over easy eggs (here’s the difference vs Sunny Side Up)
  • Over medium eggs
  • Over hard eggs
  • Try all our top 10 egg recipes for breakfast
This 2-Minute Sunny Side Up Egg Will Change Your Mornings (4)

Dietary notes

This sunny side up eggs recipe is vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between sunny side up and fried eggs?

Sunny side up eggs are cooked with the yolk unbroken, while fried eggs can have the yolk broken or cooked all the way through. Sunny side up eggs typically have a slightly runny yolk and crispy whites.

My yolk breaks when I make sunny side up eggs! How can I prevent that?

Fresh eggs with firm yolks are ideal for sunny side up. Crack the egg on a flat surface first to check for cracks. Use a gentle touch when sliding it into the pan.

What can I eat with sunny side up eggs?

Sunny side up eggs pair well with various breakfast sides:
Toast (perfect for soaking up the runny yolk!)
Bacon, sausage, or ham
Hash browns or home fries
Sautéed vegetablesAvocado toast

Are sunny side up eggs safe to eat?

Sunny side up eggs are generally safe as long as the whites are cooked through. However, if you’re concerned about consuming raw egg whites (due to a weakened immune system), consider cooking them to a firmer consistency.

Can I make sunny side up eggs with different types of pans?

While a non-stick pan makes flipping the eggs easier, you can use any pan with a good heat distribution. Cast iron skillets are a popular choice for achieving crispy whites.

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This 2-Minute Sunny Side Up Egg Will Change Your Mornings (5)

*Perfect* Sunny Side Up Eggs

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5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 0 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 minutes
  • Yield: 2 eggs 1x

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Description

Here’s how to make sunny side up eggs with a perfectly runny yolk! Eat them for breakfast, sandwiches, rice bowls, and more.

Ingredients

Scale

  • ½ tablespoon butter (or neutral oil for dairy-free)
  • 2 fresh eggs (fresh is best*)

Instructions

  1. In a large cast iron or non-stick skillet, melt ½ tablespoon butter over medium low heat until starting to foam (eggs are best on low to medium low heat**).
  2. Add the eggs and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds black pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the white is firm but the yolk is still runny (do not flip). Remove to a plate and serve.

Notes

*Fresh eggs are best for frying because the whites hold their shape. The whites on older eggs tend to spread: simply use a spatula to pull back the egg whites towards the middle (it just won’t look as pretty!).

**The slower the better with eggs: they can easily get overcooked. Note that if you’re cooking a second batch, you may need to lower the heat to avoid overcooking the egg since the skillet is already hot.

This is the non-stick skillet we use. This is the cast-iron skillet we use.

  • Category: Essentials
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Eggs
  • Diet: Vegetarian

vegetarian gluten free

Published on / Last updated on

Categorized In:

  • Recipes

About the authors

This 2-Minute Sunny Side Up Egg Will Change Your Mornings (6)

Sonja & Alex

Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.

About Us

Cookbook

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5 Comments

  1. I made these eggs and they turned out the way that I would like to have them served to me in a restaurant – firmly cooked whites on top! I ordered sunnyside eggs in a restaurant and the white was not only undercooked but raw. When I stated my unhappiness I was told that’s how “they” cooked them. Needless to say I didn’t finish my eggs because I couldn’t stomach them. We never went back.

    Reply

  2. I need to learn more about sunny side up egg method

    Reply

  3. Thanks for the coaching just a small quick breakfast for me or my IHSS recipient we both like our eggs cooked differently. Slowing down on lower heat thanks again my short order cooking skills are way more consistent when it comes to eggs I’m ready to step it up by adding other favorite foods on the plate with the eggs. Thanks again.

    Reply

  4. Thank you for such great tips and instructions! Helped me tremendously!

    Reply

  5. thank you so much! I was having guets over and needed the perfect breackfest

    Reply

This 2-Minute Sunny Side Up Egg Will Change Your Mornings (2025)

FAQs

What is a trick you can do for sunny side up eggs so that they will cook more evenly? ›

Cover the pan: Covering the pan with a lid helps the eggs cook more evenly by gently steaming the tops without flipping. Use fresh eggs: Fresh eggs have sturdy protein in their whites helping them hold their shape better while cooking compared to older eggs.

What does sunny side up eggs do to your body? ›

Are Sunny-Side-Up Eggs Healthy? Yes, eggs are a good source of high-quality protein, vitamins B12 and D, and minerals like selenium and choline. They also contain healthy fats.

What is the correct term for sunny side up eggs? ›

Sunny side-up eggs are also commonly referred to as "dippy eggs" or "dip eggs" by Pennsylvania Dutch people living in central Pennsylvania, in parts of Ohio, and in Pittsburgh mainly due to the practice of dipping toast into the yolk while eating.

What is it called when you flip a sunny side up egg? ›

Over easy: The egg is flipped and the yolk is still runny. Over medium: The egg is flipped and the yolk is only slightly runny. Over well: The egg is flipped and the yolk is cooked hard.

What is the egg aluminum foil trick? ›

Cracking the eggs directly into aluminum foil will keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You'll be able to easily flip and turn your eggs, ensuring they reach the right level of done-ness before taking them out of the pan. Plus, clean up is so much easier!

Why add water to sunny side up eggs? ›

Kelsey explains that this technique helps you avoid rubbery whites and underdone yolks, because steam from the water helps the eggs cook evenly, transferring heat all the way through to the tops of the eggs. That means you don't need to flip your eggs — or risk breaking those delicate yolks.

Which is healthier, scrambled eggs or sunny side up? ›

All that being said, eating eggs is generally super healthy, no matter which way you cook them. So you may just want to cook and eat them in the way you enjoy the most and not obsess over the small details.

What is the healthiest way to eat eggs? ›

If you're trying to cut down on the calories, then your best option is to go with either a poached or a boiled egg. This is down to the cooking methods, which don't require any additional ingredients or oils.

Are sunny side up eggs bad for cholesterol? ›

They're also naturally high in cholesterol. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't seem to raise cholesterol levels the way some other foods, such as those high in trans fats and saturated fats, do.

Are fried eggs unhealthy? ›

Eggs are incredibly healthy if you cook them well enough to kill bacteria but without overcooking them to destroy important nutrients. When frying them, it's important to use oil that has a high smoke point. And it's best to use natural, pasture-raised eggs, combined with lots of vegetables.

Is the yolk raw in a sunny side up egg? ›

A sunny-side up egg is cooked undisturbed until the whites are just barely set, and the yolk is still raw and translucent. Over-easy eggs are flipped “over” to lightly sear the top of the egg, containing the still-runny yolk in a package of set whites.

What does sunny side up mean slang? ›

bright and cheerful. It's not always easy to be sunny side up. [mainly US]

What is the light trick for eggs? ›

💡 Using a flashlight in a dark room we can see if the egg has been scrambled correctly because it'll have a darker red color. By cooking these eggs in boiling water for 6-7 minutes and shelling them in cold water, we will have all yellow hard-boiled eggs with no yolk inside, in other words, scrambled hard-boiled eggs!

Does the water trick work on eggs? ›

Place your eggs in the water. If your eggs sink to the bottom and lie flat on their sides, they are very fresh. If your eggs stand on one end at the bottom, they are a few weeks old, but still fine to eat. If your eggs float to the surface, they are no longer fresh.

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