Brown Butter Soft Scrambled Eggs
These soft scrambled eggs with nutty notes of browned butter are a breakfast luxury.
Serves2
Prep1 minute
Cook7 minutes to 9 minutes
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This dish came to me by way of a happy scrambled eggs accident. One Saturday morning while I was whisking my eggs, I left the butter on a too-high heat for just a second too long. Instead of dumping out the golden-hued butter, I decided to let it go even further. Once I reached the beautiful deep golden-brown color of beurre noisette, I added my eggs and stirred vigorously for a rather short amount of time. What I was left with was light and creamy, with just a kiss of sweet, nutty backbone.
If You’re Going to Make Brown Butter Scrambled Eggs, a Few Tips
These eggs are subtle and mysterious. You know there’s something special there, but you can’t quite put a finger on it. Making them is easy, but here are a few tips to guarantee the most deliciousness.
- Don’t be afraid to take the butter to a deep brown. This is where the magic happens!
- Finish the eggs off the heat. They are meant to be soft and creamy with small curds. If this custardy kind of scramble scares you, go ahead and cook them to firm. But to me, the sexiness of scrambled eggs lies in the velvety mouthfeel of a spoonable egg.
- Be patient and follow your gut. When browning the butter, remember that you are in control of the heat — not the other way around.
- Go with the flow. No matter what happens, in this recipe or in another one, I encourage you to embrace all the happy accidents that happen in cooking. They might just lead to something wonderful.
Brown Butter Soft Scrambled Eggs Recipe
These soft scrambled eggs with nutty notes of browned butter are a breakfast luxury.
Prep time 1 minute
Cook time 7 minutes to 9 minutes
Serves 2
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 4
large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
Hot sauce and toasted sourdough bread, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Place 4 large eggs and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth with no streaks of the whites, about 1 minute. Let the eggs sit for 5 minutes.
Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small (8-inch) nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the solids turn dark golden brown, and the butter smells nutty and toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. The butter may spit and splatter a bit, so feel free to reduce the heat to low if needed.
Remove the pan from the heat. Using a heat proof flexible spatula, stir the brown bits into the rest of the butter. Return the pan to medium-low heat and pour in the eggs. Immediately start swirling the pan while using the spatula to move the eggs, scraping around the edges and the bottom of the pan to release the cooked parts. Cook until the eggs are still a bit loose and wet, 1 to 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat again. Continue to stir and gently finish cooking the eggs into a custard-y consistency with the residual heat of the pan, about 45 seconds. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed. Divide the eggs between 2 plates and serve with hot sauce and toast if desired.