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Here’s how to make over-medium eggs, where the yolk is jammy and just barely runny! This is my tried-and-true method for cooking up this breakfast in a flash. Serve your eggs with toast, bacon, sautéed vegetables, or hashbrowns for a filling meal.

Over medium eggs
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Want eggs to start your morning, without a runny yolk? Enter the perfect over-medium eggs. There’s a bit of confusion and misinformation around this breakfast technique, so this one will be about clearing that up as much as giving you tips on making the best jammy eggs.

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. It’s over easy.) While it may take some practice, following my tips here will help you get that perfect consistency every time! I love these on weekends as a crowd-pleasing addition to a hearty breakfast, paired with toast and fresh fruit.

The right pan and ingredients

Before you get started, let’s make sure you have the right raw materials and equipment first:

  • Fresh eggs are best. It’s great to start with fresh eggs that were purchased from the store. Eggs that are over a 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 made with fresh eggs. Bonus points for organic, cage-free, or local eggs. (They taste better, too!).
  • 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 the easiest cooking.

Making your 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.

Tip: The best spatula for cooking eggs is 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. Since you can’t cut into your egg while it’s cooking, you’ll have to go with your best guess! Use your finger to gently touch the top of the yolk. It should have a little give, but not feel hard.

If it feels very liquid, keep cooking! You’ll have to practice this one a few times to get it perfect, and it varies based on your pan and exact heat level.

Butter vs. olive oil

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

  • Butter is best. Eggs cooked in butter just taste better, and I’ve done quite a few taste tests around here. Butter lends an ultra savory, almost nutty flavor that’s irresistible.
  • Olive oil: Olive oil works, too, though 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!
  • 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

Serving over-medium eggs

Once you’ve cooked them to perfection, it’s time to eat! Here are some ways I 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:

Dietary notes

This recipe for over-medium eggs is vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

Frequently asked questions

How do over-medium eggs differ from over-easy or over-hard eggs?

Over-easy eggs have a very runny yolk and slightly cooked whites. Over-hard eggs have fully cooked yolks and whites. Over-medium eggs fall in the middle, with a yolk that’s mostly cooked but still a bit runny.

How do I know when my over-medium eggs are done?

Gently shake the pan. The whites should be firm, and the yolk should have a slight jiggle but not be completely liquid. It takes practice to get the perfect over-medium egg!

What can I serve with over-medium eggs?

Over medium eggs are delicious on toast, alongside bacon or sausage, or on top of a salad. They are also a classic filling for an egg sandwich.

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*Perfect* Over Medium Eggs

Over medium eggs

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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.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 0 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 minutes
  • Yield: 2 eggs 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Eggs
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ tablespoon butter (or neutral oil for dairy-free)
  • 2 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.
  3. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the white is firm but the yolk is still runny.
  4. 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. 

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi there! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of two cookbooks, busy parents, and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share simple, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking. We now offer thousands of original recipes, cooking tips, and meal planning ideas—all written and photographed by the two of us (and tested on our kids!).

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  1. Rocky says:

    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.