Here’s how to make over medium eggs, where the yolk is jammy and just barely runny! Cook up this tasty breakfast in a flash.

Over medium eggs

Want the perfect eggs to start your morning, without a runny yolk? Enter the perfect Over Medium Eggs. Honestly, there’s some confusion and misinformation around this breakfast technique. Let us clear that up: over medium eggs are eggs with a jammy center that’s just barely runny. If you’ve got yolk running all over your plate, that’s no over medium egg. Here’s how to cook over medium eggs and get the perfect jammy consistency…every time!

Before you start: the right pan and ingredients

Ready to get started on your over medium eggs? Great! Let’s make sure you have the right raw materials and equipment first.

  • Fresh eggs are best. This one’s not a deal breaker, but it’s great to start with fresh eggs that you’ve recently purchased from the store. Eggs that are over 1 week old tend to spread when they hit the pan. It’s fine flavor-wise, and you can use your spatula to push them back to the center. But the best looking over medium eggs are with fresh eggs. Bonus points for organic, cage free or local (they just taste better).
  • Use a non-stick or cast iron skillet. The surface of the pan is important for sliding out after cooking. Pick a non-stick pan or seasoned cast iron skillet for easiest cooking.

How to make over medium eggs

Got your skillet and ready to go? Let’s get cooking. One thing to remember is to go low and slow! Eggs are delicate and easy to over-cook. This is especially important with over medium, since you’re trying to get such a specific condition of the yolk. Here’s how to cook over medium eggs:

  • Heat the butter: Heat ½ tablespoon butter over medium low heat.
  • Add the eggs: Crack 1 or 2 eggs into the pan, then sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds black pepper. 
  • Cook: Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are firm but the yolk is still runny.
  • Flip: Flip and cook 1 more minute. The yolk should be jammy and just a little runny, but shouldn’t run out over the plate.

The best spatula to use? Try a fish spatula for a cast iron pan, or a nylon spatula for a non-stick pan.

How to make over medium eggs

How to tell when they’re done?

Here’s the hard part: how to tell when over medium eggs are done? You can’t cut into your egg while it’s cooking. So you’ll have to use your best guess! You can use your finger to gently touch the top of the yolk. If it feels very liquid, keep cooking! It should have a little give, but not feel hard.

You’ll have to practice this one a few times to get it perfect. There’s no exact way to describe it and it varies based on your pan and exact heat level.

Butter vs olive oil: what’s better for cooking eggs?

There are lots of people who have passionate opinions about the best cooking fat for eggs. Here’s what we think:

  • Butter is best. Sorry to be basic, but eggs cooked in butter have the best flavor (in our taste testing!). Butter lends an ultra savory, almost nutty flavor that’s irresistible.
  • Olive oil: Olive oil works, but it can lend a bitter flavor to the eggs. It is one of the healthiest cooking oils, so you can use it if you’d like! Or you can try…
  • Neutral oil: Neutral oil like an organic canola oil or vegetable oil works well and doesn’t have a bitter flavor. This is a good option for dairy-free diets.
Over medium eggs

Ways to serve over medium eggs

Once you’ve cooked them to perfection…let’s eat! Here are some ways we like to serve over medium eggs:

How to cook over medium eggs

More egg basics

There are so many great ways to cook eggs…why stop here? Here are a few tutorials on perfecting your egg game:

PS Did you know you can freeze eggs and scramble them later? Here’s a weird yet wonderful kitchen tip.

This over medium eggs recipe is…

Vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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Over medium eggs

*Perfect* Over Medium Eggs


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 0 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 minutes
  • Yield: 2 eggs 1x

Description

Here’s how to make over medium eggs, where the yolk is jammy and just barely runny! Cook up this tasty breakfast in a flash.


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. Flip and cook 1 more minute until the yolk is jammy and just barely runny (press the yolk gently with your finger to assess doneness). 

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. 

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

Keywords: Over medium eggs, How to make over medium eggs, How to cook over medium eggs

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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1 Comment

  1. I have been cooking for almost 30 years now and I have a different clarification for eggs than most. Conventionally people say sunny side up, over easy, over medium, over hard. I inserted over medium well and changed over medium. For me over medium is a done white but a runny yolk. Over medium well is the current statement for over medium a cooked white with a jammy center. Just some different information for people I guess.