How to Make Perfect Scrambled Eggs: Easy Scrambled Eggs Recipe (With Video)

Scrambled eggs is a dish made from the whisked together yolks and whites of eggs, sometimes combined with butter, cream, or cheese, and cooked over low or medium heat (never high heat!) to achieve varying textures. You’ll find variations on creamy scrambled eggs with chives or other fresh herbs on almost every brunch menu.

Scrambled eggs combine the whites and the yolks of the egg, unlike with poached, over-easy, or boiled eggs, which keep the yolks intact and enveloped by the whites. (Learn Chef Gordon Ramsay’s technique for poaching here.)

Depending on how you look at it—whether it be an unhinged custard or an unformed omelette—the best scrambled eggs are defined by:

• Loose, large soft curds coaxed from low, steady heat.
• A creamy consistency without being runny.
• Fluffy without being dry.

Chef Gordon Ramsay demonstrates how to cook the perfect scrambled eggs, with detailed tips on how to season and when to add butter. Find Gordon Ramsay’s scrambled eggs recipe here.

The ingredients and equipment needed to make scrambled eggs include:

• Eggs
• Butter
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Finishing dairy (optional): creme fraiche, sour cream, or cheese
• A nonstick skillet
• A whisk
• A rubber spatula

Cooking over low heat is essential for getting perfect American-style scrambled eggs. French-style scrambled eggs rely on a slow evaporation over low heat and thus are even closer to a loose porridge than the American-style, which are usually just firm enough to be served on a plate.

• Learn Chef Thomas Keller’s recipe for making American scrambled eggs here.
• Learn Chef Thomas Keller’s recipe for making French scrambled eggs here.

Follow the below tips to get consistently great scrambled eggs every time.

1. 1. Drag lines in the pan. To make large, soft curds, pour beaten egg mixture into the warmed pan and using a spatula, drag lines from one edge of the pan to the other, pulling the eggs into large segments. Repeat from a new starting place after a few seconds.
2. 2. Add dairy last. Adding whole milk or heavy cream to eggs before cooking them is unnecessary, and tends to thin out the structure and make it easier to overcook or dry them out. Low heat will result in the creamier consistency you’re after, and finishing with an indulgent ingredient like creme fraiche will allow both flavors to ring true, rather than dilute one another.
3. 3. Don’t add salt too early. According to Chef Gordon Ramsay, adding salt to the eggs before they start cooking will draw out their moisture and make them runny.
4. 4. Use a rubber spatula to turn, turn, turn. The secret to making sure the eggs cook evenly is to use a spatula to turn the eggs over from the top of the pan to the bottom of the pan, working with a consistent scooping motion.
5. 5. Take the eggs off the heat 30 seconds to a minute before you think they’re done. The eggs will continue to slowly cook even after you’ve taken them off the heat, so you want to allow yourself a little room and not overcook them.

Whether you like them runny, fluffy, or spiced, read on for four different and innovative ways to make scrambled eggs.

1. 1. To make soft scrambled eggs, cook beaten eggs over very low heat in melted butter, stirring in figure-eights and cooking slowly to coax curds from the egg mixture. When consistency is to preference, finish with a dairy like creme fraiche or goat cheese for extra creamy eggs, and season to taste.
2. 2. To make fluffy scrambled eggs, whisk beaten, seasoned eggs with milk in a medium bowl and cook over medium heat with melted butter. Allow the bottom to set for a minute before you begin to scramble, resulting in larger clouds of egg.
3. 3. To make scrambled eggs with an espresso machine, crack eggs into the stainless steel milk pitcher. Beat a few times, then add a few tablespoons of butter. Using the steamer wand attachment, submerge in the egg mixture and open the valve. Move the pitcher in circular motions like you would to make cappuccino foam, about 1 minute. Spoon the eggs onto a plate and season to taste.
4. 4. To make tasty spiced Indian scrambled eggs, saute a ginger-garlic paste in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1-3 finely diced green chilies (according to heat preference), and saute for 1 minute. Add 1-2 tsp cumin seeds, then 1 small chopped onion. Cook until softened, then add 1 medium tomato, chopped, and 1 chopped green bell pepper. Season with ½ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp ground coriander, and ½ tsp ground cumin. Reduce heat, and add beaten eggs (about 3 large eggs) and season with salt and pepper. Gently stir until well-combined and eggs are cooked to preference.