Fried Egg with Perfect Runny Egg Yolk

A perfectly fried egg, should have a bright, slightly crispy-edged egg white and a thick, runny egg yolk that bursts when you cut into it with the side of your fork.

This sunny side up fried egg technique is a bit unconventional — some people hate it (they're sticklers for tradition), some people love it. But you absolutely cannot argue with these results!

🍳 Who This Technique is For

Frying eggs is one of those cooking skills that is both super easy and also very technically complex. It all depends on how precise you want your results to be.

This fried egg technique is for anyone who will accept nothing less than the perfect fried egg with soft yolk — the kind that bursts with golden yellow goodness at the slightest pressure from your fork.

I'm actually not that picky about my fried eggs — mostly I use the low-and-slow technique I shared in my paprika fried egg recipe.

The traditional culinary school method of frying eggs also involves a low, slow heat to get that fried egg emoji 🍳 look (no browning around the edges).

But even those methods can sometimes results in an egg yolk that has cooked through slightly on the bottom.

Which, honestly, I'm fine with. But my husband Jimmy is far, far pickier about what his ideal sunny side up runny egg yolk should look like. The egg whites have to be cooked, but the yolks still completely runny, which is how he came up with this method.

Jimmy eats his fried egg, toast, and bacon breakfasts in a very specific order. First he cuts the white away from the yolk with near-surgical precision, then he assembles an egg white and bacon sandwich before finally bursting the soft egg yolks with a slice of toast, which he uses to mop up all the golden goodness. He enjoys this ritual.

So if achieving the perfectly runny fried egg yolk is as important to you as it is to him, you're going to want to give his method a try. It is a little bit extra, I'll admit. But it works!

So how does it work? Let's get to it!

🔪 How To Get A Runny Egg Yolk Every Time

Instead of cracking the egg directly into the pan, you're going to first separate the yolk from the white. Set the yolk aside in the egg shell or a small bowl. Make sure the yolk doesn't break! If it breaks, you'll need a new egg.

Heat the pan, then heat the oil on the surface until it starts to shimmer. Make sure there's enough oil to fully coat the surface of the pan.

Gently tip the egg white into the pan and cook until it's opaque and mostly set. It's okay if there's still a little bit of uncooked egg white on top, as long as it's mostly set and cooked through.

Season the egg white with salt and pepper while it cooks.

Then, carefully add the yolk back into the pan on top of the white. Cook a few minutes longer, just so it's not completely raw and has set in place on the white.

To tell when the yolk has attached to the white, look at the edges of the yolk. When you first tip it onto the white it will be very round and have edges that curve under. As it settles and warms up the edges will slope outwards instead of curving under.

You can also tilt the pan slightly — if the yolk stays put, it's done.

Boom. Perfectly soft, runny egg yolks. Every time.

This method also gives you two opportunities to season your egg: Season the white in the pan with a pinch of salt and pepper while it cooks, then sprinkle another pinch over the egg yolk once you add it to the white.

You can also add any other seasonings (like paprika, za'atar, berbere, harissa, or everything bagel topping) to the egg white before adding the yolk.

Use a thin, flexible spatula — like a fish turner spatula — to carefully remove the egg from the skillet without damaging the edges.

🥣 Ingredients & Equipment

Here's what you'll need to use this perfectly runny egg yolk technique:

• Egg - This will work with pretty much any size egg! I use large eggs, but you do you.
• Salt - Whatever kind you like.
• Pepper - Freshly cracked is best, but a pinch of pre-ground black pepper will also work.
• Oil or butter - Whatever your preferred fat for your pan is. We're cooking low and slow so you don't need a super high smoke point oil here. Just make sure you have at least enough to coat the entire bottom of your pan in a thin layer (you can have more than that if you want crispier edges).
• Small bowl(s) - You'll need one bowl for the egg white and another for the egg yolk (if you aren't keeping the egg yolk in the shell).
• Skillet - Non-stick is great for frying eggs. If you have stainless steel, make sure you give the pan time to warm up before adding the oil or else the egg will stick. A well-seasoned cast iron will also work.
• Egg separator - This is optional. To separate the egg yolk from the egg white you can either use an egg separator, or you can use the egg shells as an egg separator by transferring the egg yolk between the two halves of the shell.

⏲️ Expert Tips and Additional Notes

• To crack an egg, whack it firmly against a hard, flat surface, then use your thumbs to separate the two halves of the shell. Do not crack it against the edge of a bowl or cup, because that pushes the shards of the shell inside the egg where they risk piercing the yolk.
• If your stove or burners are uneven, you may need to tilt the pan to keep the yolk in the center of the egg while it fries. To test if the yolk has attached to the white, set the pan back down. If the yolk starts to slide, it needs more time.
• Eggs are easiest to separate when they're cold because the yolk is firmer and less likely to burst.

👩🏻‍🍳 Fried Egg FAQ

📖 Recipe