Butter Vs Oil: Which Is Better For Fried Eggs?

Fried eggs are an easy, quick breakfast dish that gives you plenty of protein and keeps you feeling full throughout the day. Besides being a great morning meal, fried eggs also find themselves in a number of lunch and dinner recipes. There are plenty of ways to cook the perfect fried egg: Over easy or sunny side up if you like a runny yolk, or over hard if you prefer a solid yolk. But in addition to choosing what style of egg you want, you also have to decide whether you'll use oil or butter to cook it. 

One or the other option is always necessary, because the fat in both helps prevent the eggs from sticking to the pan. If you forget to add one, you could end up with a mess. Both oil and butter have different benefits, with oil being a little healthier (depending on the type you use) and butter offering more flavor. There is no absolutely right answer — the better option depends on what you're looking for.

The biggest benefit to using a good quality butter for fried eggs is the flavor it imparts to the dish. Butter is high in fat, and has a rich flavor that can be slightly salty or even slightly sweet, depending on the brand and type. When you use it to cook eggs, the heat helps the flavor transfer to the eggs themselves, infusing them with richness. Moreover, if you're looking at the benefits from a budget perspective, butter tends to cost less than a high-quality oil.

The downside of butter comes down to health concerns. It's high in saturated fat, which can ultimately lead to problems like higher cholesterol down the road. It might not be a good idea to cook your eggs in a ton of butter every morning — but remember, everything is fine in moderation. Moreover, since butter has a lot of fat, it doesn't burn as easily as other dairy products. But it also doesn't have the heat resistance that certain oils have; it starts to burn around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You do risk burning the butter while cooking your eggs if you're only using a little bit, especially if it's over high heat.

When it comes to using oil to cook fried eggs, the benefits heavily depend on the type of oil employed. If you want to keep your breakfast as healthy as possible, avocado oil is a great option. It's full of good fats, vitamin E, and minerals. Plus, it has a smoke point of about 520 degrees Fahrenheit, so it will pretty much never burn. For those two reasons, some think it's better than butter.

But be careful about the type of oil you use for frying. If you use a refined oil, such as canola or vegetable oil, you won't see those same health benefits; refined oils don't contain those healthy fats. Flavor-wise, frying your eggs in oil won't give them the rich taste that butter does. Certain oils also cost more than butter — in some cases, significantly so.

If you use oil and are worried your breakfast will be bland, you can season the fried eggs with anything from chili crisp to hot sauce or paprika. For milder flavor, drizzle a little soy sauce on top, plus some sesame seeds and green onions to take the taste up a notch.