Can You Reheat Eggs? – The Ultimate Guide
Eggs are easily one of the simplest dishes you can possibly work with. There are so many ways you can make eggs – whether you prefer a fancy egg dish like the frittata or like to keep it simple with scrambled eggs, there are typically options for everyone.
Eggs are inexpensive and easy to work with. Not only can you make egg-based dishes to enjoy but there are also a number of food dishes that contain eggs for various reasons. You can use them in baking, in cooking, and even for Easter egg hunting.
It always seems like a small number of eggs goes a long way.
Can you reheat eggs? Most egg dishes reheat very well and most of them can be reheated in various ways. You can absolutely make your egg dishes ahead of time and reheat them when you need them. The exception to this rule is boiled eggs. They are the hardest type of cooked egg to reheat effectively. However, you can do it if you are careful with the process.
In this guide, we will walk you through all of the details you should know for reheating a variety of eggs. We will cover a multitude of egg types so if there is one you’re looking for, hang tight and hopefully, we will catch it! From quiche to scrambled and everything in between!
Keep reading to learn how to reheat different kinds of eggs and more.
The Ultimate Guide to Reheating Eggs
Eggs can be made in so many different ways. The best part is, you can personalize just about any type of eggs to your flavor preferences.
There are literally more than 100 ways to enjoy eggs. Obviously, we won’t make it through 100 egg dishes today. However, we hope that we catch the most popular egg dishes served and provide you with the best reheating knowledge available.
Here are some ideas of the multitude of ways eggs can be made.
- Boiled
- Fried
- Scrambled
- Omelet
- Poached
- Quiche
- Frittata
- Soufflé
These are just a few ways that eggs can be made into delicious meals. As we progress through this guide, we hope we can help you with reheating many of these types of eggs.
Can You Reheat Boiled Eggs?
Boiled eggs are perhaps one of the simplest forms of eggs. You can boil them ahead of time and they stay fresh in the fridge for several days. You can even freeze the yolks of your boiled eggs with relatively good success.
Boiled eggs are quite simple to reheat but there is a catch. When you reheat boiled eggs in the microwave, you run the risk of the egg exploding. Can you imagine that mess? While you can reheat them in the microwave, the best way to reheat boiled eggs is by using boiling water.
We don’t recommend using the microwave to reheat your boiled egg unless you have time to let it sit afterward. That explosion effect that comes with reheating them in the microwave can happen when you bit into it – and you certainly don’t want that.
The best way to enjoy a boiled egg later is to eat it cold or to reheat it using the hot water method. Here’s how.
- Place your egg in a bowl that won’t be harmed by heat.
- Boil water by itself using either the stove or the microwave.
- Pour the boiling water over the egg until it is fully submerged.
- Cover the egg (a paper towel works fine for this purpose)
- Let the egg sit in the hot water for about 10 minutes.
- Peel and enjoy.
This reheating method does take a bit of time but it the safest and most effective method if you insist on reheating a boiled egg. If you don’t want to eat the egg cold but really don’t want to mess with reheating it, you could also let it sit at room temperature for a while before you eat it.
Keep in mind, the microwave is an option, it’s just not recommended. If you do decide to give the microwave a try despite our warnings, peel it first. Then wrap it in a paper towel and use short increments of time. 15-30 seconds should be sufficient and you’re less likely to experience an egg explosion.
Can You Reheat Fried Eggs?
Fried eggs are sometimes challenging to make because it is so easy to break the yolk during the cooking process. When it comes to reheating fried eggs, the process is simple. We can’t promise that your yolk will stay intact when you make your eggs, but we can share with you the steps to reheating your fried eggs.
Did you know that you can even reheat sunny side up eggs to enjoy later?
Most of the time, eggs are fried in oil, grease, or butter. This brings out the flavor of the eggs. This part of the process also goes a long way to preserve the eggs and helps keep them moist so they don’t turn dry and rubbery.
Reheating fried eggs can be done in the microwave, oven, or on the stovetop. We recommend the stovetop but will walk you through all 3 methods so you have your options laid out for you. We will also give you the best instructions for sunny side up eggs.
In this case, we prefer using the microwave for reheating the egg but you can use whichever method you prefer and have great results.
Reheating Fried Eggs on the Stovetop
- Heat a minimal amount of oil or butter on medium heat in a skillet.
- Add the fried egg to the heated skillet.
- Let the egg cook until warm. This should only take 2-5 minutes. There is no need to flip the egg (particularly if you have yolk that you don’t want to break).
- If you feel as though the top of the egg is not warming, cover your pan for 1-2 minutes.
- Remember that you are only heating the fried egg at this point and not cooking it, so it shouldn’t take a lot of time.
Reheating Fried Eggs in the Microwave
- Place the fried egg onto a microwave-safe plate.
- Cover the egg with a lightly damp paper towel. This will help retain the moisture so the egg doesn’t turn rubbery.
- Reheat for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on how hot you want the egg to be. Check the egg after every 30 seconds to ensure it is not overcooked.
- Do not overheat, particularly if you have runny yolk in the fried egg.
Reheating Fried Eggs in the Oven
- Line a pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Coat the pan or lining with cooking spray.
- Place fried eggs into the baking pan.
- Cover the pan with foil to hold in the moisture and your fried eggs turning rubbery.
- Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until the eggs are warm.
- Remember, you are not cooking the eggs but simply warming them up. Watch them carefully and check on them after 10 minutes.
Reheating fried eggs is simple but does take some care in the processes. Fried eggs can be iffy because there are multiple types of fried eggs. You can have over easy, over medium, over hard, and sunny side up. Handle them with care and be sure to store them properly as well.
We wanted to specifically touch on sunny side eggs. These are perhaps the most challenging because you don’t want to break the yolk until you’re ready to eat it.
Reheating Sunny Side Up Eggs
- We recommend the microwave for reheating sunny side up eggs.
- Preheat your plate for about 30 seconds and rub a small amount of butter across the surface of the plate.
- Place your egg on the plate.
- Heat the egg in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. You should check it at 30 and if it’s sufficiently heated, it is done. You must be careful not to overheat these eggs because the yolk could explode if you are not careful.
- Let the egg rest for 30-60 seconds after warming to ensure the yolk won’t explode when you cut into it.
Can You Reheat Scrambled Eggs?
Scrambled eggs are perhaps the easiest type of egg to make and reheat. They’re so versatile. You can do anything you want with scrambled eggs, including adding your own personalized ingredients to the mix.
Try adding your favorite vegetables like mushrooms, peppers, or onions to your scrambled eggs. Additionally, you can season scrambled eggs. Some people add milk or cheese to their scrambled eggs as well.
How you make your scrambled eggs is entirely up to you. Reheating your scrambled eggs shouldn’t vary all that much regardless of whatever ingredients you added to the eggs when you made them.
As long as you properly store your eggs, reheating them should be a breeze. Scrambled eggs can be reheated in the microwave, the oven, or on the stove.
We really like the microwave because it’s so simple but the other methods also work quite well.
Reheating Scrambled Eggs in the Microwave
- Place the scrambled eggs into a microwave-safe bowl or container. We recommend something rounded and slightly deeper than a traditional plate.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Microwave for 20 seconds.
- Stir your eggs with a fork and check the temperature.
- Continue to heat as need in 20-second intervals. After each interval, stir the eggs and check the temperature.
- Once the eggs reach the desired warmth, remove the plastic wrap and enjoy!
Reheating Scrambled Eggs in the Oven
- Prepare a baking sheet or pan by spraying with cooking spray.
- Dump the scrambled eggs into the pan and spread into a thin layer.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
- Bake scrambled eggs for 15-20 minutes, stirring them halfway through.
- Remove the eggs from the oven, stir, and enjoy.
Reheating Scrambled Eggs on the Stovetop
- Heat some butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add scrambled eggs to the skillet.
- Reduce heat to low-medium heat and cover the pan.
- Cook for 5 minutes like this.
- Remove the lid and stir the eggs.
- Continue to heat until eggs reach desired temperature.
Reheating scrambled eggs is so easy. You almost can’t mess up scrambled eggs when you follow the reheating process. Scrambled eggs also freeze well and you can use these reheating steps directly from frozen if you store them in the freezer.
What’s more, is scrambled eggs are less likely to become crunchy or rubbery no matter how you store them or reheat them.
Can You Reheat Poached Eggs?
Some people are scared to make poached eggs. This is perhaps because they don’t really understand how a poached egg is made. Granted, poached eggs can be challenging to make but with a little practice and effort, you can be making the best poached eggs in no time.
Poached eggs are another type of egg that is simple to reheat. You can even make poached eggs in the microwave initially if you want to. Of course, you have to know the secrets to be successful with your poached eggs.
We’re not going to walk you through how to make poached eggs to begin with but we have all the clues for being able to reheat your poached eggs and enjoy them later.
Poached eggs are relatively similar to fried eggs, they are simply prepared through a different method – using boiled water. The end result will be a cooked egg white with a runny yolk on the inside.
However, poached eggs are fluffier than your everyday fried egg and there’s no oil or butter required for making them.
If you’ve not worked with poached eggs much, they are best stored in water to preserve the nature of the egg.
When it comes to reheating poached eggs, we prefer reheating them on the stovetop. This method tends to provide the best results for reheating. You can reheat them in the microwave as well so we will cover both methods.
Reheating Poached Eggs on the Stovetop
- Use a medium sauce pan or pot.
- Fill the pot with plenty of water.
- Bring the water to a light simmer.
- Place egg into the simmering water for 1-2 minutes.
- You can place multiple eggs in the water at one time and they will cook just fine.
This process is quite similar to the initial poaching process but with a much-reduced amount of time. Plus, you can reheat several at one time.
Your egg will taste just like a freshly poached egg – no one will even know that you made them ahead of time and simply reheated them.
Can You Reheat Quiche?
Quiche is an interesting egg dish because it’s not just eggs. Quiche can be made several different ways but no matter how it is made, it has eggs as the primary ingredient.
Quiche can contain a variety of other ingredients. It usually has milk and cheese and then an assortment of meats or vegetables. How you make your quiche is up to you. In fact, traditional quiche often contained custard.
Quiche is a baked egg dish. The egg mixture that contains your egg, meats, veggies, and seasonings is poured into a pastry crust and baked in the oven to perfection.
When you are ready to reheat quiche, we recommend you use the oven. You can reheat individual slices in the microwave if you need a simple solution as well. Quiche can be stored in the fridge or frozen for storage purposes.
No matter how you store your quiche, you can reheat it much the same way. If it’s frozen, it may need a little extra heating time to be returned to a warm dish for serving.
Reheating Quiche in the Oven
- Be sure the quiche is in an oven-safe container.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat quiche uncovered in the oven for 15-20 minutes. If your quiche is frozen, you will probably need to reheat for 30-35 minutes.
- Let rest for 2-5 minutes after removing from the oven.
- Serve and enjoy!
Reheating Quiche in the Microwave
- Transfer an individual slice of quiche to a microwave-safe plate.
- Reheat quiche at 50% power if at all possible.
- Heat for 3 minutes at 50% power.
- If quiche needs more time, heat in 30-second intervals until it reaches the desired temperature.
- Remove from microwave and let rest for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Don’t be intimidated by quiche. It’s quite similar to a casserole. The biggest thing is the crust and working to keep everything from becoming soggy. However, if you store your quiche properly you shouldn’t have any issues when you’re ready to attempt reheating it.
Can You Reheat Omelets?
An omelet is yet another versatile egg dish that you can do a lot of things with. Making omelets can be challenging because there is a certain art to cooking the egg and then adding the toppings and finishing the cooking process.
However, if you succeed in making an omelet (or you buy a great omelet), you should certainly not let that effort go to waste.
Omelets reheat quite nicely. In fact, they reheat the best in the microwave. You can also reheat them on the stovetop or in the oven, if you prefer an alternative method. Here are your instructions for each method.
Reheating Omelets in the Microwave
- Wrap omelet in a microwave (it can be from the fridge or frozen).
- Place omelet on a microwave-safe plate.
- Heat omelet for 1-2 minutes.
- Test the temperature of the omelet and heat in additional 30-second intervals as necessary to reach desired temperature.
The paper towel helps to retain the moisture so the egg does not become dry or rubbery.
Reheating Omelets in the Oven
- Place omelet in a baking dish of some sort. Again, your omelet can be frozen or from the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake omelet in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, flipping it halfway through to get it heated evenly.
- Serve and enjoy!
Reheating Omelets on the Stovetop
- Warm your skillet over medium heat. You may want a very small amount of butter or oil to prevent the omelet from sticking to the pan. If you do add butter, use a minuscule amount.
- Heat the omelet for 2 minutes on each side.
- Remember you are simply warming the omelet and not cooking it again.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are so many ways to enjoy your eggs. Eggs are quite simple to work with. You can freeze almost any kind of egg with great results. The exception to this is boiled eggs. The yolk freezes well, but the egg white really doesn’t.
Whether you’re reheating eggs you made yesterday or you’re reheating eggs that were stored in the freezer, the processes are pretty simple.
Related Questions
We hope that you find this guide to be the ultimate resource for reheating various types of eggs. We’ve covered the most popular types of eggs here.
We invite you to take a look at our question and answer section for some additional information that may be helpful to you.
How Long Do Fresh Eggs Stay Good?
The “best by” date on a carton of fresh eggs is typically 5-6 weeks from the purchase date. They often will be usable after this date, even.
How Long Can You Freeze Eggs?
How long you can freeze eggs may vary based on how they were cooked. Typically, you can freeze them from 6-12 months.