The Trick For Crispier Fried Eggs Without Extra Oil

As delicious as they are easy to make, fried eggs are the ideal breakfast food. And they're at their very best when the yolk is buttery in flavor and jammy in texture while the edges are caramelized and crispy. That browned crackle is decadent — but it may seem hard to achieve unless you add more oil to your fry. Typically, any crispy fry hinges on using enough oil, and that's not always ideal. While many oils like olive oil and grapeseed oil can be good for you in moderate doses, too much oil can take a dish into unhealthy, high-fat territory. The good news is, there's a road to gorgeously crispy edges that eschews this oil issue. 

The best way to get crispy fried eggs — without adding more oil — is to use your air fryer. Air fryers in general are a great way to fry food without needing more fat. Of all the different things you can make in the air fryer, you likely never considered eggs, but it's easy. Preheat your air fryer to 270 degrees Fahrenheit and hit the cooking basket with cooking spray. Then, crack in the eggs. It's really that simple. Don't crowd the eggs, as you want each to be able to spread out. That's how the edges will absorb enough heat to brown to that caramelized crisp. If you like runnier yolks, let the eggs cook for about five minutes; add two to three minutes for a jammier consistency.

We've tried many methods for frying eggs, and this is one of the best — how else can you get those crispy edges without basting the eggs in more oil? Plus, many traditional fried-egg recipes stress the importance of a cast iron skillet, which not everyone has or wants to deal with for a quick fry-up. With the air fryer, the process is quick and simple, and you can even tend to other breakfast prep during the five to eight minutes the eggs are cooking. 

The way air fryers work, circulating heat around food, is what crisps food from the outside without oil. It creates an even heat working inward, so you can get those thoroughly fried crispy edges on an egg without overcooking the yolk.

"These eggs look perfect!" says a commenter on Everyday Family Cooking's YouTube video about air-fryer eggs. "Far better than the ones made in a frying pan." On @whatiateforbreakfast's air fryer egg Instagram post, commenters call the technique "perfection." "Makes them taste better doesn't it," remarks one user. And after seeing beautifully crisped eggs come out of the fryer in @ketogrid's Instagram video, a commenter exclaimed, "I love eggs with a little brown like that so thank for the tip!" 

When you're ready to upgrade your new air-fryer-eggs routine, try frying them right on toast with shredded cheese in the air fryer. This makes an entire comforting, tasty breakfast in one step.