This Is the Easiest Way to Make a Big Batch of Poached Eggs

Poached eggs are a glorious thing. It’s easy enough to make them on the stovetop when you’re just cooking one or two, but for making a larger batch of poached eggs, it’s time to reach for the slow cooker.

The easiest way to make a whole bunch of poached eggs at once is with the slow cooker. As with any slow-cooker recipe, this process does take longer than the stovetop method. But we don’t rely on our slow cookers for quick meals, right?

If you’ve ever craved an easier way to make a large number of poached eggs at once, your slow cooker gives that to you. This is a no-fuss, hands-off method that makes picture-perfect poached eggs. Not only does your slow cooker help you cook a bunch of poached eggs, but they’ll also all be done at the same time.

Even when using the high temperature setting, water in the slow cooker won’t get nearly as hot as it would on the stovetop. So instead of cracking the eggs directly into the slow cooker, it’s best to place each egg in an individually prepared ramekin. This will keep the eggs separated and give them a uniform shape. The cook time will also need to be adjusted.

Fill the slow cooker with six to eight cups of hot water — just enough so there’s about a half-inch of water in the bowl. Cover the cooker with the lid, set the temperature to high, and heat for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, coat the inside of the oven-safe ramekins with a thin layer of cooking spray; you’ll need a ramekin for each egg you plan to cook. Crack one egg into each prepared ramekin, and place the ramekins in the bowl of the slow cooker. For runny yolks, cook the eggs for about 15 minutes; extend the cook time to 20 minutes for firmer yolks.

Enjoy slow-cooker poached eggs the same way you would if you cooked them on the stovetop. Serve them with bacon and toast; make them into a breakfast sandwich; or use them to top salads, soups, pasta, and rice.

OK, you caught us. These are actually coddled eggs. These two gentle methods for cooking eggs produced a very similar result, though the process is slightly different. While poached eggs are cooked directly in simmering water, coddled eggs are made by cracking an egg into a coated ramekin, which is placed in simmering water to cook.

But let’s face it, no one is on the hunt for a big batch of coddled eggs, it’s poached we want! Because both methods produce a similar outcome we’re going to walk the line of terminology and keep thinking about these as poached eggs. After all, we’re still putting them on our eggs Benedict.