20 Baked Eggs Ideas to Make Brunch Worth Getting Up For
There is something simply brilliant about baked eggs. You crack them into a dish, slide them into the oven, and by the time you have made the coffee and found the good plates, brunch is ready.
And because the yolk sits right on top, whole and unbroken, baked eggs are the dish where a proper egg with a rich, golden yolk really gets to show off.
So here are twenty baked eggs ideas, from a five-minute breakfast recipe on a workday, to a full traybake when the house is happy and full. Plus the oven times, and a few top tips we have learned along the way.
How long to bake eggs in the oven
Bake eggs at 180°C (160°C fan) for 10 to 15 minutes. For a runny yolk with just set whites, start checking at 10 minutes. For a firm yolk, give them the full 15. Every oven is a little different, so the first time is always a bit of an experiment, and you’ll soon learn what works best for you and your kitchen. (Time at 180°C)
- Very runny yolk, whites only just set - 9 to 10 minutes
- Runny yolk, whites fully set - 11 to 12 minutes
- Jammy yolk - 13 to 14 minutes
- Firm yolk right through - 15 to 16 minutes
Eggs keep cooking in a hot dish for a minute or two after they leave the oven, so take them out a touch before they look ready for your preferred yolk firmness.
If you like your yolk properly runny, that is good news. The Food Standards Agency updated its advice on egg safety so that British Lion eggs, ours included, can be enjoyed runny by everyone, including pregnant women, babies and older people.
What is a baked egg?
A baked egg is simply an egg cooked in the oven rather than in a pan or a saucepan. It is usually cracked into a shallow dish, a ramekin or straight onto a bed of something good, then baked until the white sets and the yolk stays soft.
You might also see them called oeufs en cocotte, or coddled eggs, when they are baked in a ramekin with a little cream.
What you need before you start
The beauty of baked eggs is that they are very simple to make! You just need a few basics to get you started:
- The dish - A shallow ovenproof dish, a small cast iron pan, or a couple of ramekins. Anything too deep and the whites take too long to set.
- The oven- 180°C, or 160°C fan, for almost everything here.
- A water bath (sometimes) - Sit your ramekins in a roasting tin and pour hot water a third of the way up the sides. This gentler heat keeps the whites silky rather than turning them rubbery (not necessary for a traybake).
- Room temperature eggs - If you use eggs straight from the fridge, they take longer and cook less evenly.
- A good egg - We would say that. But our Rich Yolk eggs were made for exactly this sort of egg recipe where yolk takes centre stage.
Quick baked eggs ideas for busy mornings
Weekday eggs. In and out, no fuss.
1. Classic oven-baked eggs in a ramekin
- 12 minutes
- Around 7g protein per serving
Butter a ramekin, add a tablespoon of double cream, crack in an egg, season with salt and black pepper. Bake at 180°C for 11 to 12 minutes. That is all there is to it! The cream stops the base from catching and gives you a rich little pool to dip toast into. Yum.
2. Baked eggs on toast
- 10 minutes
- Around 12g protein
Toast a thick slice of sourdough, press a dip into the middle with the back of a spoon, sit it on a lined tray and crack an egg into the hollow. Bake for 10 minutes. The bread crisps underneath while the egg sets on top.
3. Cloud eggs
- 8 minutes
- Around 7g protein
Separate the egg. Whisk the white with a pinch of salt until it holds stiff peaks, spoon it onto a lined tray, make a dip in the centre and bake at 200°C for 5 minutes. Slide the yolk into the dip and give it 3 minutes more. A golden yolk sitting in a white cloud is, we think, the best-looking thing you can do with an egg (and kids love it!).
4. Baked egg in an avocado
- 15 minutes.
- Around 10g protein
Halve an avocado, scoop out a little extra to make room, crack in an egg and bake at 200°C for 15 minutes. Sit them in a muffin tin or on scrunched foil so they don't roll about.
5. Baked eggs with cheese
- 13 minutes.
- Around 12g protein
Crack two eggs into a small dish, scatter over a good handful of grated cheddar, season the egg mixture and bake for 13 minutes. The cheese melts nicely and just catches at the edges.
High protein baked egg dishes
Eggs are one of the simplest ways to get proper protein into a meal, and they sit comfortably in the protein group of the Eatwell Guide. These five baked eggs ideas tick all the protein boxes:
6. Baked cottage cheese eggs
- 18 minutes
- Around 22g protein
Spread 150g of cottage cheese into a small dish, make two wells with a spoon, crack in the eggs, season well and add a pinch of chilli flakes. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes. The cottage cheese loses its texture entirely and turns into something closer to a soft, savoury custard.
7. Egg and cottage cheese bake
- 25 minutes
- Around 20g protein
The bigger version which makes for a filling brunch. Whisk four eggs with 200g cottage cheese, a handful of chopped spinach and some chives, pour into a small baking dish and bake at 180°C for 25 minutes. Slice and serve. NB: It is just as good enjoyed cold the next day too.
8. Baked eggs with smoked salmon
- 14 minutes
- Around 20g protein
Line two ramekins with smoked salmon, add a spoonful of cream and a little dill, crack in the eggs and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. If you want to go further, our coddled Rich Yolk eggs with British trout is a variant on the same idea.
9. Baked Scotch eggs
- 25 minutes
- Around 24g protein
Soft boil your eggs for 6 minutes, cool and peel. Wrap each in seasoned sausage meat, roll in flour, beaten egg and panko, then bake at 200°C for 25 minutes (rather than deep frying as some recipes may suggest). Less mess, and you still get the runny middle.
10. Baked eggs with chorizo and butter beans
- 20 minutes
- Around 26g protein
Fry chorizo until the oil runs, add a tin of butter beans and a tin of chopped tomatoes, simmer for 5 minutes, then make wells and crack in the eggs. Into the oven for 12 minutes. A brunch that can equally be eaten for dinner!
Baked eggs recipes from around the world
Every food culture has worked out that eggs and a good sauce are a match made in eggy heaven. These are some of our favourites:
11. Shakshuka
- 15 minutes in the oven
- Around 16g protein
The one everybody knows, and rightly so. Soften onions and bell peppers, add cumin, paprika and a tin of tomatoes, simmer until thick. Make wells, crack in the eggs, scatter over feta cheese and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the whites are set. Finish with coriander. For more shakshuka inspo see Sian Almond's recipes here.
12. Turkish baked eggs
- 12 minutes
- Around 14g protein
Spoon thick garlicky yoghurt into a shallow dish, crack the eggs on top and bake for 12 minutes. Finish with butter melted with chilli flakes, poured over at the table. The contrast of cool yoghurt and hot chilli butter is the jewel in the crown of this baked eggs recipe.
13. Spanish baked eggs
- 15 minutes
- Around 15g protein
Huevos al plato. Tomatoes, peppers, a little chorizo or serrano ham, all softened in a pan, then eggs cracked over the top and baked. Bread for mopping is essential!
14. Oeufs en cocotte
- 12 minutes
- Around 8g protein
The French classic and the reason ramekins exist. Cream, a few tarragon leaves, an egg, a little grated Gruyère. Baked in a water bath so the whites stay properly silky. One of the most elegant things you can eat before noon.
15. Eggs in purgatory
- 14 minutes
- Around 14g protein
Italian, and fierier than shakshuka. A simple tomato sauce heavy on the garlic and chilli, eggs baked into it, torn basil (or your choice of fresh herbs) and a shower of Parmesan to finish. Perfecto.
Baked egg dishes for feeding a crowd
The real advantage of the oven. One dish, everybody eats at the same time, and you get to sit down.
16. Sheet pan baked eggs
- 12 minutes
- Around 13g protein
Roast a tray of tomatoes, peppers and new potatoes at 200°C for 25 minutes, then make gaps and crack in as many eggs as you have people. Back in for 10 to 12 minutes. Feeds six without a single extra pan.
17. Egg bake muffin cups
- 20 minutes
- Around 7g protein each
Whisk eggs with milk, season, and pour into a greased muffin tin with whatever you fancy stirred through. Bake at 180°C for 18 to 20 minutes. They freeze well, which makes weekday mornings much calmer.
18. Full English traybake
- 15 minutes
- Around 25g protein
Sausages and bacon in a large tray at 200°C for 20 minutes, then add mushrooms and tomatoes for 10 minutes, then crack the eggs into the gaps for the last 12 mins. Nothing to wash but the tray, and full happy bellies all round.
19. Overnight breakfast egg bake
- 40 minutes
- Around 22g protein
Layer torn bread, cheese and cooked sausage in a dish, pour over eggs beaten with milk, and leave it in the fridge overnight. Bake at 180°C for 40 minutes in the morning. Perfect for Christmas mornings.
Vegetarian baked eggs ideas
20. Baked eggs with spinach and cream
- 14 minutes
- Around 12g protein
Wilt a big bag of spinach, squeeze out the water properly (this matters), stir through cream and nutmeg, spread into a dish, make wells and crack in the eggs. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Finish with Parmesan.
Also worth your time in the same spirit: mushrooms baked in garlic butter with an egg cracked over, and tomatoes with feta and oregano baked until they collapse, then eggs added for the final ten minutes.
Tips for perfect baked eggs every time
- Pull them early so they don’t overcook in the hot pan. A dish straight from the oven keeps going for a minute or two.
- Season the white, not just the top. A pinch of salt in the dish before the egg goes in is a trick used by chefs for tasty baked eggs.
- Do not crowd the dish. Eggs need a bit of room or the whites merge and cook unevenly.
- Grease properly. Butter beats olive oil here, both for flavour and for getting the egg out in one piece.
- Warm the base first. If you are baking eggs into a sauce, have the sauce hot before the eggs go in. Cold sauce means the whites take too long and the yolk overcooks while waiting.
- Start with a better egg. Baked eggs put the yolk on display, which is exactly why we made Rich Yolk. Better-fed, better cared for hens lay better eggs, and in a dish like baked eggs, there’s nowhere for the egg to hide.
One last thing
Eggs get treated as a household basic, and we have always thought that undersells them entirely. A baked egg takes only twelve minutes, costs next to nothing and gives any restaurant or café brunch a run for its money.
That's the thinking behind Rich Yolk, and everything we do at St. Ewe. From better care for our hens to more nutritious feed, every decision is made with welfare, flavour and quality in mind. Our British family farmers have been perfecting their craft for generations, and you can see the difference the moment that rich golden yolk hits the plate.
Curious about what is actually in an egg? The British Egg Information Service keeps a thorough guide to egg nutrition.
If you would like more like this, join The Good Egg Club. We share recipes, farm stories and the occasional giveaway, and we promise not to clutter your inbox. We look forward to seeing you there!
How long do you bake eggs in the oven?
Bake eggs at 180°C (160°C fan) for 10 to 15 minutes. Around 11 minutes gives a runny yolk with set whites, while 15 minutes gives a firm yolk. Check a minute or two early, as eggs continue cooking in the hot dish once removed.
Can you bake eggs in the oven?
Yes, and it is one of the easiest ways to cook them. Crack eggs into a greased ovenproof dish or ramekin and bake at 180°C. Unlike poaching or frying, there is no timing pressure and no pan to watch.
What temperature should you bake eggs at?
180°C, or 160°C fan, suits almost every baked egg recipe. Some traybakes and cloud eggs go up to 200°C. Much hotter than that, and the whites toughen before the yolk is ready.
How do you stop baked eggs from overcooking?
Take them out when the whites are just set, and the yolks still wobble. Use a shallow dish rather than a deep one, and consider a water bath for ramekins, which gives you a gentler, more forgiving heat.
Can you bake eggs in a muffin tin?
Absolutely. Grease the tin well, add your fillings, pour in beaten egg and bake at 180°C for 18 to 20 minutes. They keep in the fridge for three days and freeze happily.
