How to Make Over Hard Eggs
If you’ve ever wondered how to make over hard eggs, this recipe is for you! In just a few minutes, you’ll be on your way to perfectly cooked eggs with a solid yolk. It’s the best fried egg for a no-mess breakfast!
Making over hard eggs is super easy! It’s all just a matter of timing. Runny yolk haters, this one is for YOU!
In under 10 minutes, you’ll have eggs over hard sliding from the pan right onto your plate for a delicious and healthy start to your day. Even better, try adding mashed potato pancakes, crispy bacon, and a mango coconut smoothie to go with it!
About this recipe
These fried eggs are perfect for those who aren’t a fan of runny yolks (or can’t even stand the sight of the yolk dripping) but still want to switch things up from their usual scrambled eggs.
This simple recipe is for quick and easy fried eggs, with a slightly crisp edge and a solid yolk. Add just a bit of salt and pepper and these eggs shine! It’s the perfect choice for no-mess breakfast sandwiches to take on the go, to enjoy on a piece of avocado toast, or to have on its own with a cup of coffee or an iced vanilla latte. I’ll admit, I like to go big with a stack of these savory pancakes with parmesan and herbs.
Eggs are one of the healthiest foods you can incorporate into your breakfast. They’re a great source of protein and omega 3’s and they fit right into keto-friendly, paleo-friendly, and gluten-free diets.
Out of all the “over” eggs, such as over easy, and over medium, over hard is the one that has the least chance of needing a do-over. What’s the worst that could happen? You cook it until the yolk is firm? Ha!
What you need
- Eggs – As always, you want to choose fresh eggs if possible. With fresh eggs, the egg whites don’t spread as far when they hit the pan.
- Butter – Butter adds a nonstick coating butter and delicious buttery flavor. Clarified butter (ghee) is also nice with a bit of a different, deeper taste to it. Neutral flavored olive oil or avocado oil is great too. If you have a good nonstick pan, you might not need as much oil or butter.
- Salt and Pepper – Add S&P to taste! We love kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper always, but especially in simple, basic recipes like this one.
How to make an over hard egg
Grab a nonstick skillet and melt butter over medium-low (closer to low than medium) heat. When it starts to melt and bubble, swirl it around the pan.
Add the eggs, one at a time, being careful not to break the yolks. If you’re not comfortable with this, break them in a bowl first. It makes it easier to fish out any stray pieces of eggshell, too! Season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are mostly firm. The yolk will still be runny at this point. If desired, break the yolk by poking it with a spatula. This causes it to spread out and cook even faster.
Use a thin spatula to flip the egg and cook for 2-3 minutes more or until the yolk is firm and fully cooked.
TIP: If you’re going to continue cooking more eggs in a new batch, turn down the temperature on the stove. The pan will be quite hot at this point and it will cook the next batch of eggs a little too quickly and may burn the butter. We love brown butter, but not burnt butter!
FAQs
The difference between medium and hard is the amount of time you cook the egg once it’s been flipped. An over medium egg will need 90 seconds of cook time once it’s flipped. This will yield a barely runny yolk. For an over hard egg, you’ll cook it for 2-3 minutes on the second side, which is the same amount of time you cook it on the first side. The result will be a firm yolk that is cooked all the way through.
There is no right or wrong choice. Butter adds great flavor (as does ghee, or even brown butter), but oil works just as well as a nonstick agent. Some people enjoy using a little of both!
If you’ve just cooked some bacon, save the grease and allow it to become solid. Use that grease to cook eggs (and other things) in for major flavor!
Not at all. It’s barely runny in an over medium egg, so once you get to this stage, it’s no longer runny. It may remind you of the texture of the yolk in a hard boiled egg.
The differences in fried eggs
The best way to demonstrate the difference is with an image. See the below image for a picture of what each egg looks like. If words are more your thing, here is a description of each type of egg:
- Over Easy: Egg is cooked on both sides, but the yolk is still completely runny.
- Over Medium: Egg is cooked on both sides. Yolk is slightly runny in the center but mostly cooked. Some people call this a “jammy” yolk since it has the consistency of jam.
- Over Hard: Egg is again flipped during cooking, and this time it is cooked long enough to cook the yolk all the way through.
How to make these eggs your own
- Enjoy it on a piece of buttered toast or avocado toast.
- Use it in a breakfast crunchwrap or stuffed breakfast biscuits instead of scrambled eggs.
- You could also swap out the scrambled eggs in these everything bagel breakfast sliders.
- Eat it on the side of a bowl of oatmeal or this blueberry baked oatmeal.
- Bacon and fried eggs are always a good idea!
- In a hurry? Try microwave scrambled eggs.
Storage Suggestions
Over hard eggs will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. They are great for quick high protein snacks in the afternoon or adding to sandwiches for a light lunch or dinner. You could also toss it on a salad straight from the fridge.
Reheating Tips
Eggs are easily microwavable at 20-second intervals or you could reheat them in a pan for a couple of minutes per side until warmed through.
More breakfast basics
Get the Recipe: How to Make Over Hard Eggs
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (the fresher the better)
- 1 tablespoon butter, ghee, or olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-low (closer to low than medium) heat. Add butter. When butter starts to melt and bubble, swirl it around pan. Add eggs, being careful not to break the yolks. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are mostly firm. The yolk will still be runny at this point. If desired, break yolk by poking it with a spatula. This causes it to spread out and cook more quickly.
- Use a thin spatula to flip egg and cook for 2-3 minutes more or until yolk is firm and fully cooked.
Notes
- If you’re not a pro at cracking eggs, that’s okay! Crack them in a bowl before adding them to the pan. It’s easier to fish out any shells that way, and easier to add them to the pan without breaking the yolks.
- If desired and you have a good nonstick pan, you can use less butter/oil.
4 Comments on “How to Make Over Hard Eggs”
My favorite is Eggs Over-Easy. I don’t know but maybe when I was younger, I thought it was fun to play with Eggs Over-Easy. It sounds crazy. I am going to try the eggs over hard recipe as it is something new but I don’t I can perfect it.
Let me know what you think!
This made me drool for real!!! I can’t wait to make this tomorrow for breakfast, yumm….
So glad to hear it!