My family loves eggs and they’re often at the center of our quick and easy weeknight dinners. Sometimes when making things like poached or fried eggs for a crowd – whether it be just enough for a family dinner, or a really large amount for a luncheon or party- you are really limited by the touchy nature of eggs and cooking time. It’s hard to cook that many at a time in a pan and get them all finished at the right time and manage to serve everything while it’s still warm.
Many of my family’s most requested dinners involve fried or poached eggs and after getting frustrated with babysitting eggs on the stove top, I started experimenting cooking them in the oven and had fantastic results. These Large Batch Poached Eggs and Fried Eggs are a game changer when you have a lot of mouths to feed or like to prep ahead!
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can! I’ve found butter works better than non-stick spray.
- Water
- Salt and pepper
Equipment
- Muffin tin – You’ll need a regular or jumbo sized muffin tin. I prefer using a jumbo muffin tin because I like the finished size of the eggs more than I do from a standard tin, but either will work. A muffin top pan could also work if you have one of those! I prefer a non-stick or silicone pan. Even with nonstick, the edges can still stick to the pan.
How to Make Large Batch Poached and Fried Eggs
- Start by preheating your oven and rubbing a little butter in each muffin tin well. Even with my nicest non-stick pans I get egg stuck to the side, so this is necessary step to ensure each egg releases well once cooked.
- Add a little water to each well for poached eggs, or skip that step for fried. Crack an egg in each well.
- Pop the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes and you have a whole pan of perfectly poached or fried eggs, ready to use as desired!
Storing and Other Tips
- If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- Reheat eggs gently, on low power in the microwave, or add to hot dishes like ramen or soup and allow to broth to warm them.
Poached Vs. Fried
The difference between a poached egg and a fried egg here is just a tablespoon of water. If you’d like to make poached eggs, after buttering the muffin tin, add a tablespoon of water to each one and then add your cracked egg. The water will rise to the top and gently surround your egg mimicking that water bath on the stove top. If you want to make “fried” eggs, simply skip the water and add the egg directly to the buttered muffin tin. Technically these aren’t “fried” and they won’t get those buttery-crisp edges that a traditionally fried egg gets, but it’s close and looks similar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just check on them! Around 8-9 minutes you’ll see softer whites and very runny yolks, which is perfect if you want them similar to a soft poach on the stovetop. Around 10 minutes you’ll notice firmer whites and soft, but not super runny yolks. At 10-11+ minutes whites will firm up significantly and yolks will be thicker and mostly cooked through. All pans and ovens cook differently, so these are just guidelines!
Sure! I would cook them on the same oven rack, if possible, for the most even heat distribution.
Yep! Cook the eggs to your desired doneness, keeping in mind they will cook a little more if you plan on reheating later. Cool the eggs completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. When ready to eat, reheat gently in the microwave (13-20 second bursts, preferably at 50% power) or over low heat in a buttered pan on the stovetop.
Large Batch Poached Eggs and Fried Eggs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- butter
- water
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Poached Eggs:
- Preheat oven to 350. Coat each well of a muffin tin (standard or jumbo, I prefer jumbo) with butter. Add 1 tablespoon water to each one. Crack each egg and add 1 egg per muffin cup. Do not salt and pepper (it will wash away with the water!) . Bake for about 10 minutes, but watch them a few minutes before and after that in order to cook to desired doneness. Keep in mind the water on top will be discarded- sometimes it makes it look like uncooked egg white on top, when it’s really just water.
“Fried” Eggs:
- Follow steps above, only omit water and sprinkle each egg with salt and pepper before baking.
Notes
- If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
- Reheat eggs gently, on low power in the microwave, over low heat in a little butter on the stovetop, or add to hot dishes like ramen or soup and allow to broth to warm them.
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
Just tried this and it worked like a charm! I’m so happy to have found this recipe. I love poached eggs but have been intimidated by doing them in boiling water. They came out of the pan perfectly with the buttering. Thanks and yum!
I feel like writing you a legit hand-written thank you note for this post. I have four kids and we have eggs nearly every morning (living on a hobby farm with 14 laying hens…) Everyone is totally over scrambled eggs (even me) so I have been a short order cook lately, pan after pan for each kid. This is amazing and I am so grateful for your creative thinking and sharing it with us!
❤️??❤️
Perfect. We have chickens so we have EGGS. Lots of them. This works like a charm. I prefer the poached over the fried. The friend white is too chewy for me yet the poached is soft and cooked through enough not to be squishy. And, best of all, the poached egg slips right out of the tin. Thank you!!
Oh my goodness!!! Why haven’t I thought of this before, I broil bacon because I don’t want to “babysit” it. This is going to revolutionize Huevos Rancheros!!!
I’ve never heard of boiling bacon! I cook mine in the oven. Load up 2 cookie sheets with bacon and cook at 400° until it’s as done as I want it. Love that the bacon lies flat too, for easier sandwich assembling.
I have two teen boys so when I fry eggs, it’s two at a time, four times over. I’m totally going to try this!!
This is great. Thank you!
What is the best way to remove the eggs?
I just use a slotted spoon or small rubber spatula
This is a much needed short cut for poached eggs!! Thank you so much. I can’t wait to make them.
Will 10 min likely make runny yokes but solid whites? And would the cooking time be different with a standard size muffin tins of vs the jumbo? I just want to know where to watch and adjust for my own preferences. ? I’m super excited to try this!
You really just have to watch them the first time you make them since all ovens and pans are different. It doesn’t take long, so just keep an eye on them!
This is genius! No more cold eggs on our breakfast-style sandwiches.
Awesome! This looks so easy. And I just bought a silicone muffin pan from Target. I will try and see if it lets you skip the buttering part or not.
How did it go with the silicon pan?