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Home » Breakfast » Sunny Side Up Eggs

Published: Apr 21, 2022 · Modified: May 9, 2022 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links

Sunny Side Up Eggs

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A fried egg on a plate next to a piece of toast.

Perfectly cooked sunny side up eggs are a delicious way to start the day! Make these fried eggs in your kitchen in just a few quick minutes.

Follow these easy steps on how to make perfect sunny side up eggs.

A sunny side up egg on a plate.
Table of Contents
Types of fried eggs
Ingredients
Step by step directions
Recipe tips
Frequently asked questions
Best pan for frying eggs
Serving suggestions
More delicious egg recipes
Sunny Side Up Egg

Types of fried eggs

Fried eggs are a great way to start the day. Knowing exactly how to fry an egg to your liking can sometimes be a bit tricky.

There are four main types of fried eggs; sunny side up, over easy, over medium and over hard. Everyone seems to have their favorite type of fried egg.

A sunny side up egg is an egg that isn't flipped. It's only cooked from the bottom side up. The top looks like a beautiful little sun that's facing upward!

Over easy is my favorite way to eat fried eggs! They are cooked first on one side, then flipped and cooked lightly and flipped back again. The egg white is fully cooked, but the yolk is nice and runny.

Over medium is cooked much the same way as over easy eggs, but they are cooked a bit longer. The yolk is mostly cooked through, but is still a bit runny in the center.

There's a range on how cooked the yolk should be on an over medium egg - from cooked on the sides with a runny, jammy custardy center all the way to just a slight amount of runny yolk.

Over hard eggs means there is no runny yolk. You can still have a bit of just slightly undercooked yolk or you can make certain every bit of the yolk is fully cooked through.

Different type of fried eggs on a plate.
Sunny Side Up, Over Easy, Over Medium, Over Hard

Ingredients

All you need are some really fresh eggs, a pat of butter and a little salt and pepper.

Different colored eggs in a basket.

Step by step directions

  • Heat a pan over low heat
  • When pan is warm, add a ½ tablespoon of butter. Allow butter to melt and get bubbly.
  • Crack egg into pan over melted butter
  • Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper
  • Cook over low heat until most of the white has set
An egg frying in a cast iron skillet.

Recipe tips

  • Heat pan over low heat. This creates a more even heat in the pan.
  • Use butter or olive oil or rendered bacon grease
  • Cook over low heat. If the heat is too high, the white of the egg will become crispy around the edges
  • Cook just until the egg white has fully cooked - about 2-3 minutes
  • Cook just one or two eggs at a time and make certain eggs don't touch each other. Don't overcrowd the pan.
  • Wipe out pan between each batch of eggs if cooking multiple batches
  • Serve immediately

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between sunny side up eggs and over easy eggs?

These two types of eggs are very similar. They both have a runny yolk, but the sunny side up egg is not flipped while cooking. The over easy egg is flipped cooking both sides of the egg.

Best pan for frying eggs

In order to cook really good fried eggs, you do want a good pan. The best is a well seasoned cast iron skillet or a non-stick skillet.

Stainless steel pans will work as long as you keep the heat low. Sometimes stainless steel pans will cause the egg to stick to the pan. Be certain you add enough butter to help prevent the egg from sticking.

No matter the pan, fried eggs are best cooked over low to medium low heat.

Serving suggestions

I like my sunny side up eggs served alongside dishes that can mop up that delicious runny yolk! Some of my favorites include

  • English muffin
  • Toasted wheat bread
  • Pancakes
  • Oven roasted potatoes
  • Country potatoes
  • Homemade breakfast sausage

More delicious egg recipes

  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Cheesy egg casserole
  • Ham and spinach quiche
  • Mini frittatas
A sunny side up egg with fruit and toast.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Be sure to check out all my delicious breakfast recipes!

  • Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
  • Cinnamon Muffins
  • Country Potatoes
  • Corn Flake Coffee Cake
A sunny side up egg on a plate.

Sunny Side Up Egg

Kathy
How to fry an egg without flipping the egg over so the yolk is runny.
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 2 mins
Cook Time 3 mins
Total Time 5 mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 1 egg
Calories 113 kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

  • ½ tablespoon butter
  • 1 egg
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions
 

  • Heat a pan over low heat
  • When pan is warm, add a ½ tablespoon of butter. Allow butter to melt and get bubbly.
    ½ tablespoon butter
  • Crack egg into pan over melted butter
    1 egg
  • Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper
    salt, pepper
  • Cook over low heat until most of the white has set

Notes

  • Heat pan over low heat. This creates a more even heat in the pan.
  • Use butter or olive oil or rendered bacon grease
  • Cook over low heat. If the heat is too high, the white of the egg will become crispy around the edges
  • Cook just until the egg white has fully cooked - about 2-3 minutes
  • Cook just one or two eggs at a time and make certain eggs don't touch each other. Don't overcrowd the pan.
  • Wipe out pan between each batch of eggs if cooking multiple batches
  • Serve immediately

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1eggCalories: 113kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 6gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 179mgSodium: 107mgPotassium: 62mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 413IUCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
Keyword fried egg, sunny side up egg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @BeyondTheChickenCoop or tag #beyondthechickencoop!

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Comments

  1. Valentina says

    April 25, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    What a great tutorial! Sunny side up is my favorite egg preparation. 🙂 ~Valentina

    Reply
  2. David @ Spiced says

    April 22, 2022 at 4:12 am

    5 stars
    I love that photo of each style of cooked egg side-by-side...by side...by side! Very helpful. I do enjoy a good sunny side up egg...thanks for sharing these tips!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      April 22, 2022 at 4:59 am

      Thank you!!!

      Reply

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I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

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