Sunny Side Up Eggs with Olive Oil

Heat the pan. Oil goes in. Watch it shimmer—not smoke. Two minutes in and you’re already there.

Why You’ll Love This Sunny Side Up Egg Recipe

Two minutes of actual work. The rest is just waiting and watching. Tastes better than what you’d make in a rush. The yolk stays runny. The whites crisp a bit at the edges without burning. Breakfast that doesn’t feel like a breakfast compromise. It’s actually good. Works for meal prep if you eat it cold, which is weird but fine. Doesn’t need anything fancy. One pan. One egg. Done in 8 minutes total.

What You Need for a Sunny Side Up Egg

Olive oil. Not too much—just enough to coat the pan and let the heat spread even. Ten milliliters. That’s a bit less than a tablespoon if you’re eyeballing it. Extra virgin works. Regular works too. Hot oil matters more than fancy oil.

One large egg. Temperature doesn’t matter. Straight from the fridge or room temp—both work.

Sea salt. Pinch of it. Coarse if you have it. The kind that doesn’t dissolve immediately.

Black pepper. Freshly ground. Pre-ground tastes flat here for some reason.

That’s it. Seriously.

How to Make a Sunny Side Up Egg in a Nonstick Pan

Small skillet. Nonstick matters because you’re not moving this egg around. Set the heat to medium. Let it warm for maybe 30 seconds. Not a full minute. Just enough that when you add the oil it spreads fast.

Pour the oil in. Watch it. You want shimmer. That little wavering look. Not smoke. Smoke means it’s too hot and the whites will cook weird—too fast on the bottom, still raw on top.

Crack the egg into the pan gently. The yolk has to stay whole. Crack it into a bowl first if you’re nervous. Some people do. Then slide it in. That’s safer.

Low to medium heat now. Not high. The whole thing is about patience here.

How to Get the Whites Crispy While the Yolk Stays Runny

This is the only part that matters.

Watch the egg. The whites turn from clear to opaque. That’s your cue. Might take 4 minutes. Might take 7. Depends on your stove, your pan, how cold the egg was. You’re looking for the whites to go solid but the yolk to stay liquid in the middle. Touch it gently with a spatula. Not the yolk—the white part around it. It should feel set. Firm. When you push it moves a tiny bit but doesn’t give way.

The edges crisp up slightly. That’s the good part. Not burnt. Just a little texture. That happens in the last minute.

Slide the spatula under the whole thing. Under the yolk especially. Lift straight up and onto the plate. Fast. The yolk breaks if you hesitate.

Sunny Side Up Egg Tips and Common Mistakes

Don’t let the oil smoke. Burned oil tastes bitter and the whites cook wrong.

Don’t move the egg. Just leave it alone. Poking at it or shifting the pan means the yolk moves and might break on the edge of the pan.

Don’t use high heat. It looks faster but the whites get rubbery and the yolk cooks through. Defeats the purpose.

Season right at the end. Salt draws moisture out of the whites and makes them weepy if you do it too early. Wait until it’s almost done.

The pan matters. Cast iron works but it heats unevenly. Nonstick is easier. Either way, make sure it’s actually nonstick or the egg sticks and the yolk breaks when you try to get it out.

Olive oil fried in a nonstick pan works better than butter if you want the egg crispy around the edges. Butter tends to brown too fast and burn the bottoms.

Sunny Side Up Eggs with Olive Oil

By Emma

Prep:

2 min

Cook:

6 min

Total:

8 min

Servings:

1 serving

Ingredients

• 10 ml olive oil
• 1 large egg
• pinch sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. 1 Heat a small nonstick skillet on the base of a fondue pot until warm.
2. 2 Add olive oil and let it shimmer but not smoke.
3. 3 Crack in one egg gently to preserve yolk integrity.
4. 4 Cook on low to medium heat for about six minutes, watching the whites solidify and yolk remain soft.
5. 5 Season with sea salt and cracked pepper just before finishing.
6. 6 Slide onto plate carefully without breaking yolk.

Nutritional information

Calories

90

Protein

6g

Carbs

1g

Fat

7g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Sunny Side Up Eggs

How long does it really take? Two minutes to heat and add oil. Four to six minutes to cook. Eight minutes total if you’re not rushing. Less if your stove runs hot.

Can I use cast iron instead of nonstick? Yeah. Heats less evenly so the white might cook faster on one side, but it works. Season the pan well or the yolk sticks.

What if the yolk breaks? Happens. Scramble it. Still edible. Still tastes good. Just not sunny side up anymore.

Should I cover the pan with a lid? Don’t. You need to see the whites cooking. Steam from a lid makes them cook too fast on top and the texture gets wrong.

Can I make this in olive oil that’s not extra virgin? Sure. Regular olive oil is fine. Extra virgin is nicer but not necessary.

What’s the difference between sunny side up and fried egg sunny side down? Sunny side up—yolk faces you. Never flipped. This one. Sunny side down means you flip it at some point so the yolk ends up on the bottom touching the pan. Different thing entirely.