Add These Ingredients To Your Scrambled Eggs And Thank Us Later

We often think of scrambled eggs as the culinary equivalent of a weighted blanket: when we're a bit tired and need comfort and support, they're there for us. The ingredients for a basic scramble are almost always on hand, and they're so simple and quick to make that most of us can put together a decent plate of them even at our worst, whether it's first thing in the morning before the coffee is ready or the wee hours of the night after too much partying. In either case, you know you'll get a soothing dose of nourishment with very little effort.

But scrambled eggs can be so much more than that. Travel around the world and you'll see variations ranging from hearty and spicy to sweet and delicate, served as lunch and dinner courses as well as for breakfast. And creative cooks have discovered that scrambled eggs pair well with a surprising range of ingredients. Adding just one new element can instantly transform a routine scramble into a memorable treat.

We asked some expert egg lovers for their favorite scrambled egg add-ins. Try them for yourself and make your next breakfast unforgettable.

One of the many ways scrambled egg preparations can vary is in the texture of the cooked eggs. While some cooks prefer toothsome, meaty curds that can stand up to spicy sauces and hearty add-ins such as cooked veggies and meat, others prefer soft, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth eggs whose own flavor is front and center.

Cooks often turn to other creamy ingredients to showcase and enhance the custardy texture and delicate flavor of eggs. Chef and blogger Cynthia Christensen of But First We Brunch uses a combination of ricotta cheese and heavy cream to make a uniquely fluffy and moist scramble. "I prefer to use heavy cream because even if you do cook them at a higher heat, or for a minute too long, the creaminess of the cream will keep them moist and prevent them from clumping up into dry Egg McNuggets," she explained. "Finally, I like to add ricotta cheese just before finishing, although mascarpone and cream cheese will also work. This reduces the temperature of the eggs, essentially stopping the cooking process, and gives you melty pockets of cheese, which no one is ever mad about."

Another easy trick for fans of creamy scrambles is to incorporate a bit of crème fraîche. "Crème fraîche or a little sour cream will also yield delicious eggs," said Kyle Mendenhall, senior director of culinary at Snooze A.M. Eatery. In addition, the subtle tanginess of crème fraîche adds an appealing bit of flavor to the eggs.

If you're unfamiliar with crème fraîche, it's a milder, less-sour version of sour cream. Like sour cream, it's also used to add richness and flavor to creamy dishes such as mashed potatoes. But while it's an everyday dairy product in France, it typically only appears in specialty markets in the U.S., and for a serious markup. You can use sour cream as a substitute (as Mendenhall suggested) or if you're curious to try crème fraîche, you can make your own. Just mix a few tablespoons of buttermilk into a pint of heavy cream and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature until thickened (around 12 hours). To incorporate crème fraîche into your meal, heat it with butter in a non-stick pan, add the beaten eggs once the butter is melted, and scramble as usual.

One reason eggs are such a beloved kitchen staple is that they play well with a huge range of flavors and ingredients. So when you're thinking of novel ways to liven up your scrambles, it pays to keep an open mind — even the most unexpected ingredients can produce delicious results.

For example, consider a once-forgotten pantry staple that's now having a moment: canned sardines. Their intense, briny richness makes them a great foil to mild eggs. Jared Garner, owner and chief scallop officer at FishNook Tinned Seafood Company, likes to showcase them in a creative take on a classic Chinese egg-and-tomato scramble, a dish traditionally served at lunch or dinner with rice. "The brininess of the sardines pairs beautifully with the sweet acidity of the tomatoes," Garner said. "Chopped chives or cilantro can add a fresh, vibrant touch, and chili oil or sriracha can add an awesome, spicy kick." In addition, the sardines provide extra protein which makes this a great main-course dish for hearty eaters.

Sometimes, it's the unsung, often flavorless items on the ingredient list that can make or break a recipe. Overlook the baking powder in a quick bread or cake and you'll end up with a dense, inedible doorstop. Forget the flour in a gravy recipe and you'll end up with gravy-flavored soup. Conversely, adding these structure-changing ingredients to a recipe can transform a familiar dish into something novel and interesting.

For instance, most American home cooks wouldn't think to add cornstarch to their scrambled eggs, since it contributes nothing to the flavor profile of cooked eggs. But the humble ingredient can revamp the texture of your scramble. Just as a touch of cornstarch can add a velvety thickness to soups and gravies, it can help you make a uniquely creamy scramble. Jared Garner incorporates a bit of cornstarch into the eggs in his tomato-sardine scramble to a tasty effect. "What's fun about this dish and the classic tomato-egg is that a cornstarch slurry is mixed into the eggs before cooking," he said. "This helps create a silky and slightly custardy texture."

The naturally mild flavor and creamy texture of scrambled eggs make them a great backdrop for punchier ingredients that offer contrasts in flavor, texture, and color. Becky Hardin, recipe developer at The Cookie Rookie, likes to finish her scrambled eggs with bright, acidic accents. "A squirt of a lemon wedge is a popular choice, as well as garnishing with capers," she said. Jarred capers — the brined green buds of a type of Mediterranean flower shrub — have a bright, briny tang that transforms a plain plate of scrambled eggs into something new and distinctive.

While capers straight from the jar are a tasty accent, for an extra-fancy touch, try fried capers. Not only do they bring color and flavor, but they also provide an appealing bit of contrast to a creamy scramble. "They add a wonderful crunch," Hardin said. 

To fry capers, drain them thoroughly (so the brine won't splatter in the frying oil), pour them into a hot pan with a layer of heated olive oil, and fry for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are crisp. Alternatively, you can fry them in the microwave. Simply place drained and dried capers in a medium bowl with ⅓ cup of olive oil and cook until the capers shrink and darken, about five minutes. Because you don't want them to go soggy, simply sprinkle them on top of your eggs as a garnish right before serving.

Scrambled eggs are so versatile that cooks can make them as humble or as fancy as their imaginations let them, turning them into anything from comfort food for toddlers to a special occasion appetizer. For instance, to elevate a scramble from standard breakfast food to a celebration dish, all you need is one special ingredient: caviar.

And while you can go all out and invest in high-end varieties, you can also use more affordable American paddlefish or lumpfish caviar and still have a decadent, luxurious eating experience. Even better, because caviar, and fish roe in general, are so strongly flavored, a little goes a long way so you don't need much to upgrade your eggs. 

And by switching up the type of caviar you use, you can change the vibe of your dish. For special occasions, Becky Hardin likes to top scrambled eggs with a dollop of salmon caviar, which features vibrant orange, pea-sized eggs. And for an unusual and deeply flavorful garnish, Kyle Mendenhall suggests a lesser-known relative of caviar: freshly shaved bottarga, or cured, pressed mullet roe. No matter which type of fish roe you use, be sure to only add them at the last minute — none of them benefit from cooking.

We love garlic, but we also recognize that it's possible to have too much of a good thing. While its distinctive taste and aroma can make almost any savory dish better, an overdose of garlic can be downright unpleasant. The hot sting of a big bite of raw garlic can not only make your eyes water but leave you stuck with garlic breath for hours. Not fun.

And while a hint of garlic can be a tasty addition to scrambled eggs, it's tricky to get just the right amount. Because eggs are so delicately flavored, they can easily be overwhelmed by a too-big dose of garlic. In addition, we don't love the idea of garlic slices or chopped garlic bits interfering with the creamy mouthfeel of our scrambles. 

However, lifestyle blogger Grace Moser learned an ingenious method for infusing scrambled eggs with a touch of garlic, which she credits to the groundbreaking 19^th-century French chef Auguste Escoffier. "It's simple!" she said. "All you have to do is spear a clove of garlic on the end of a fork and slowly scramble the eggs with the fork on a very low heat. It will take a few minutes, but it's out of this world!"

We've all added ingredients such as ham, cheese, and chopped veggies to our scrambled eggs to liven them up and make them into a more substantial meal. But it pays to look beyond the usual suspects when considering mix-ins for your next batch. You can create far more interesting and original scrambles than you think with ingredients you may already have in your fridge. "Scrambled eggs, and eggs in general, are the perfect flavor vehicle for getting creative in the kitchen," chef and author Dennis Prescott said. "I love taking inspiration from favorite dishes and incorporating that creativity into my morning routine."

Prescott has devised several go-to combinations for his scrambles, and among his favorites is a hearty version with "lots of chili crisp, golden fried sausage, and sliced scallions for a spicy good morning." Chili crisp, a crunchy, spicy condiment of fried onions or garlic and dried chilis in chili oil, is also a favorite add-in for Kyle Mendenhall. "At home, I also like to add a little garlic chili crunch or even a little spicy green chili folded in when scrambling," he said.

If you feel like you're stuck in a scrambled egg rut, an easy way to break out of it is to see how cooks in other parts of the world prepare their scrambles. With different culinary traditions and local ingredients, international cooks have developed scrambled egg recipes that may strike American cooks as unexpected or counterintuitive — until we actually taste them.

For example, cooks in the southern Indian state of Kerala make a spicy scramble featuring an ingredient that may surprise American egg lovers: coconut, a staple ingredient in the region. The fruit makes appearances in many Indian dishes, both sweet and savory, and at all times of the day. 

This scramble includes chopped onions, green chilis, curry leaves, cumin, and turmeric, along with shredded unsweetened coconut and eggs. Try this recipe the traditional way, with a bowl of rice, to remind yourself that scrambled eggs don't have to be boring.

A secret to more interesting meals is to stop categorizing ingredients as only appropriate for certain times of the day. There's no rational reason why you can't have eggs for dinner or traditional dinner ingredients for breakfast. And you can combine these to make crave-worthy dishes. Dennis Prescott, for example, enjoys incorporating a fancy dinner ingredient — lobster — into scrambled eggs. "Being a Maritimer, it's hard to beat a weekend treat of scrambled eggs, diced lobster, lemon zest, minced chives, and a dollop of crème fraîche for a decadent start to the day," he said.

It's easy to see why this combo works: the firm, toothsome texture and delicate flavor of lobster pair well with mild, creamy eggs, and the pretty red and white of lobster chunks against the sunny eggs and bright chives makes this a pretty dish as well. But because few of us just happen to have lobster chunks hanging out in our refrigerators, this is definitely a special occasion dish to plan and budget for.

The fastest and easiest way to change up a simple scramble is to add a flavorful garnish right before serving. And while fresh herbs and cheese are go-to garnishes for many of us — and they're delicious — less conventional toppings can bring new flavor and verve to an ordinary scramble. Kyle Mendenhall, for instance, recommends furikake, a dry Japanese condiment meant to be sprinkled on rice.

As you'd imagine about anything designed specifically to enliven a plain bowl of rice, furikake is a flavor bomb. Its name means "to sprinkle in Japanese," and true to form, it comes in a container with a top that allows it to be sprinkled out onto rice or other foods. 

Furikake traditionally consists of ground dried fish or dried, cooked egg seasoned with sugar and soy sauce and mixed with flaked seaweed and sesame seeds. Available in Asian markets, furikake comes in different varieties, each with its own add-ins, such as dried vegetables or added spice. Just as it adds umami and crunch to plain rice, it can also take a plain scramble in a tantalizing new direction.

No rule says that scrambled egg dishes have to be savory. When you think of all the egg-centered desserts we enjoy — everything from souffles to custards to meringue –  it's clear that sweetened eggs can be delicious. So if you have a sweet tooth and you love scrambled eggs, you have a whole new direction in which to explore.

Becky Hardin, for instance, suggests sweet-leaning add-ins such as grated apple or a touch of nutmeg to flavor scrambled eggs. And if you've ever enjoyed sushi topped with a sweet-savory slice of layered egg, you already have an idea of what a sweetened scramble can taste like. But while shaping the delicate layers in tamagoyaki — the traditional Japanese layered omelet — takes some practice, seasoning the mixture is dead easy. The main flavorings are simply a bit of soy sauce and sugar, and perhaps a touch of sesame oil or dried seaweed flakes, if you have them around. Just mix these into your beaten eggs and scramble as usual for a deliciously different breakfast or quick supper.

Just as your couch cushions can hide a treasure trove of spare change, the back of your pantry can hold tantalizing and unexpected add-ins for your next batch of scrambled eggs. Crunchy, powerfully flavored pantry staples can make great finishing touches for a plate of scrambled eggs, since they offer a lively contrast to the mild flavor and texture of the eggs.

For instance, Kyle Mendenhall suggests a familiar yet surprising ingredient as a great scrambled egg topper: Lipton onion soup and dip mix. "[It] tastes amazing on scrambled eggs," he said. It's easy to imagine how tasty this could be as most of us have snuck a taste of the dry mix when mixing up our onion dip (admit it, you know it's true) and enjoyed the sweet-salty crunch of dried onions and flavorings. Well, now you have official permission to enjoy the savory mix in its raw form. Sprinkled on top of a scramble, it makes a plain plate of eggs into something special.

Cheese is a classic partner to scrambled eggs. But besides familiar, melty favorites such as cheddar and Swiss, other types of cheeses can also enhance a plate of scrambled eggs. Creamy, mild cheeses such as cream cheese and ricotta, for example, can add richness and a silky texture. But to expand the potential of scrambled eggs even further, we need to consider favorite cheeses we may have overlooked.

For instance, consider the large family of blue cheeses. If you're a fan of their distinctive, punchy aroma and flavor, you'll love them in a scramble. Because blue cheeses come in such diverse forms — from mild and creamy Cambozola to peppery and crumbly Roquefort — you can vary your scrambles by changing up your cheese choice, cooking technique, and finishing touches. 

Mix the cheese into your eggs before cooking to melt it in or simply top your scramble with cheese crumbles — both are delicious. Snipped fresh herbs or a squirt of hot honey will take a blue cheese scramble to the next level.