4 Ways To Cook Eggs And Bacon In The Same Pan (From Sunny Side Up To Scrambled)

Bacon and eggs cooked together in the same pan is a match made in breakfast heaven. Whether you like your eggs scrambled, sunny-side up, or over easy, here is how to cook them side-by-side and still get golden brown and crispy bacon and soft or runny yolk.

Cooking Bacon And Eggs In The Same Pan – Timing Matters

Generally, when cooking bacon and eggs in the same pan, the timing matters the most. You want to start with cooking the bacon first until it is nearly done. This is because bacon takes longer to cook than eggs, which take just a minute or two in a medium-hot pan. 

Top Tip: avoid messed-up eggs with broken yolks and make the clean-up easy and cooking a breeze, use a durable non-stick pan.

Instructions:

1. Begin by placing the bacon in the pan on low-medium heat and flip as needed until bacon rashers start to have crispy edges. Depending on how crisp you like your bacon, it should be about 2-3 minutes on each side. 
2. Then move the bacon to the side of the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to remove any burnt bits. There’s no need to be super thorough; you basically just want to get all of the burnt pieces out of the way for your eggs to cook. 
3. From here, add the eggs to the open space you’ve created in the pan. The deliciously smoky and salty bacon grease will flavor your eggs and act as cooking oil or butter that traditionally would prevent the eggs from sticking to the pan.  

Add some black pepper to your eggs if you like but go easy with the salt as bacon grease is probably salty enough to flavor the eggs. 

So, if you timed it right, then both the eggs and bacon should be perfectly cooked at the same time and ready to serve. 

 How To Cook Bacon Without Splatter?

You might be tempted to use the lid to prevent splatter and greasy mess on the stovetop, but that makes bacon longer to cook and less crispy. 

To still get a perfectly succulent yet crispy result without the greasy mess, try the following method:

1. On low heat, pour some water over the bacon slices in the skillet, so they are almost submerged, then turn the heat up to high. 
2. Once the water starts to boil, lower the heat down to medium.
3. Cook the bacon till all the water has completely evaporated. 
4. Fry the rashers on both sides for even crispiness.

Now that we’ve gone over the basics, in the following few sections, I will cover some different methods or recipes you can prepare your eggs to give you more options on how to cook eggs and bacon in the same pan.  

1. Sunny-Side Up Eggs

Cooking sunny side up is certainly a favorite of mine. Without flipping, the egg whites are cooked through, while the yolk remains a bit runny to add creaminess to the dish. 

The main tip for cooking sunny-side-up eggs is to use a non-stick pan. Sunny-side up eggs can be delicate, and when they begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, it becomes even trickier to keep the yolk intact successfully. 

If you don’t have a good non-stick pan, you can use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. When going with this option, try to use side or streaky bacon, which has more fat and provides you with more grease to prevent the eggs from sticking. 

So, once the bacon is almost cooked and has reached the desired crispiness, move the rashers to one side of the pan and then carefully crack each egg into the hot grease. 

If you’re concerned with the yolk breaking or the shell getting into the pan, you can crack the egg into a bowl or ramekin first and then transfer it to the pan. 

Also, when cracking the egg, if you crack the shell on a countertop rather than the edge of a bowl, this will help prevent the shell from ending up in the egg.

The key to cooking sunny side eggs is to cook them at a low temperature (you’ll often hear chefs refer to this as “low and slow”). 

If you cook them at too high of a temperature, you’ll have eggs, where the bottoms are burned before the top of the whites, are fully cooked through. Low heat is an important factor in getting an evenly cooked sunny-side-up egg.

While frying the eggs, also keep an eye on the bacon rashers at the other side of the pan and flip them over as needed. 

If you did not time it right and feel that bacon is getting already too crispy while the eggs are still not quite ready yet, just remove the rashers from the pan.

Do I Need Oil To Cook Bacon?

You don’t need either cooking oil or butter when frying bacon. Most belly and side cuts of bacon already contain enough of their own fat. Simply place the bacon into a pan over low to medium heat, and the slices render out all the lovely bacon grease as they cook.

If you cook leaner, unsmoked pork loin cut, or short-cut bacon rashes, then you can use little butter, clarified butter, or neutral-tasting cooking oil to prevent sicles from sticking to the pan.

2. Scrambled Eggs With Bacon

Scrambling is the easiest method to prepare eggs and also the easiest to cook in the same pan with bacon. 

If you’re cooking for a crowd, this is likely the best option for you to serve. It is a crowd-pleaser, and when flavored with bacon grease, it’s a dish that is full of flavor.

Instructions:

1. Yet again, start frying the bacon first until it starts to crisp up. 
2. Then push the slices to one side of the pan and add the eggs into the hot grease. 
3. While the bacon is cooking, whisk together 2-3 eggs and one tbsp of cream or milk using a separate bowl.
4. Pour the peaten egg mixture into the pan over medium-low heat. 
5. Stir with a rubber or silicone spatula, folding and lifting in about every 10 seconds till cooked throughout but still a little bit moist.
6. Before serving, add your favorite seasoning (refined sea salt flakes, black pepper, till, parsley, oregano, chilly powder, and so on). 

Although this scrambled egg recipe above is easy and delicious, if you want to take your scrambled eggs recipe to the next level, then check out my bacon and scrambled egg recipe video below. 

Check Out These 9 Clever Tips On How You Can Get Scrambled Eggs Perfectly Fluffy.

3. Over Easy Eggs

Over easy eggs are similar to sunny side up eggs in preparation, but with one key difference. Rather than just being cooked on one side like sunny side up eggs, with over-easy eggs, you’ll actually flip the egg (gently!) to cook it briefly on the other side. The yolk is still runny, but both sides of the egg are fried to make the egg a little firmer. 

Over-easy is kind of like a fried version of poaching an egg.

How To Cook Over-Easy Eggs (With Bacon)

1. To cook over-easy eggs alongside the bacon, begin by heating the pan to medium-low heat. Then cook the bacon first till almost done and push the slices aside. 
2. Still, on medium heat, crack the egg into a bowl or ramekin or directly into the pan if you prefer. 
3. From here, you’ll want to cook the egg for about 1-2 minutes, or until the egg white is set and opaque. The yolk should just be starting to firm up. 
4. Then carefully flip the egg over to cook on the other side. Be sure to do this part gently, or you’ll end up breaking the yolk in the process. 
5. Cook the egg up to 30 seconds; you just want to cook the other side slightly while still leaving the yolk runny. 

4. Cooking Eggs And Bacon Together In The Oven

While this is a lesser-known method of cooking eggs and bacon, it still creates a delicious dish. To cook bacon and eggs using this method, you’ll start by roasting your bacon in the oven at roughly 355°F (180°C).

Instructions:

1. Line a large baking tray with foil.
2. Lightly spray the foil with cooking oil to prevent sticking.
3. Place the bacon on the baking sheet in one layer (but leave room for your eggs) and begin roasting.
4. After about 8-10 minutes (or whenever the bacon is almost done, remove the baking sheet. 
5. Crack the eggs in your open space on the baking sheet and place the sheet back in the oven for another 2-5 minutes. 
6. Monitor during this time and remove the baking sheet when your eggs have reached the desired doneness. 

Read Also: How To Peel an Egg In 3 Seconds? (Make The Shells Practically Fall Off).

Is it Healthy to Cook Eggs in Bacon Grease Compared to Oil or Butter? 

While I wouldn’t say it’s “healthy” perse, bacon grease does have slightly less cholesterol than butter. Compared to traditional oil, bacon grease does have more saturated fat and sodium. 

Additionally, when cooking with bacon grease, you’re using a portion of the meat that would typically be discarded. This makes it a more sustainable option as you’re reducing the amount of waste produced. 

This tasty and smoky grease can be used with more than just eggs too! When cooking rashers, save the excess grease and use it when you’re sauteing vegetables to add an extra layer of flavor. 

Bacon grease will last in the fridge for up to 3 months or in the freezer for even longer and use it whenever you want to add a boost of flavor to a dish. 

Read Also: STOP Buying the Wrong Eggs! – Here Are The Most Healthiest Eggs To Buy!