Name: air fryer poached eggs
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 8 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2-4 eggs (fresh organic ones from the farmers market or those almost-expired clearance eggs—both do the trick!); Cooking spray or olive oil (skip the fancy stuff your aunt got from Italy, regular works just fine); Salt and pepper (I use my pink Himalayan salt from that 2019 “fancy phase,” but any kind is good); Small ramekins or silicone egg cups (my go-to is the little blue ramekins I nabbed from my parents, or any heat-safe container); Optional: splash of white vinegar (Mom insists it helps, but I’m still not convinced—up to you!); Optional toppings: everything bagel seasoning (Trader Joe’s is my jam), fresh chives (those survivors on my windowsill), hot sauce (Cholula’s my ride-or-die)

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My Air Fryer Poached Eggs Journey

So picture this: It’s 2022, I’m standing in my kitchen with egg slime dripping down my cabinet doors, there’s cloudy water all over my stovetop, and I’m on the verge of tears while my toast gets colder by the second. That’s how my first attempt at poached eggs went. COMPLETE. DISASTER.

After that epic fail, I legit told my friend “I’m never making poached eggs again” while dramatically throwing a dish towel on the counter. Fast forward three months, I’m scrolling through TikTok at 1 AM (as one does) and saw someone making eggs in an air fryer.

Not gonna lie, I was skeptical AF. But that air fryer had been sitting on my counter collecting dust since my impulse purchase during the Prime Day sale, so why not?

Y’all. FREAKING. Y’ALL. The air fryer poached eggs came out PERFECT. Like, runny yolk porn, firm whites, no weird vinegar taste, no floaty egg white tentacles. I literally took a picture and sent it to my mom with the caption “LOOK WHAT I MADE!!!” (with exactly that many exclamation points).

Since that fateful morning, I’ve made air fryer poached eggs probably 50+ times. I’ve made them half-asleep. I’ve made them while simultaneously trying to feed the cat and find matching socks. And they’ve turned out perfect EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Ingredients You’ll Need for Air Fryer Poached Eggs

2-4 eggs (I’ve used fancy organic farmers market eggs AND the clearance ones that were about to expire – both work!)
Cooking spray or olive oil (that fancy olive oil your aunt brought back from Italy is wasted here, just use the regular stuff)
Salt and pepper (I use that pink Himalayan salt I bought when I was trying to be fancy in 2019)
Small ramekins or silicone egg cups (I use these little blue ramekins I stole from my parents’ house, but honestly, anything heat-safe works)
Optional: splash of white vinegar (does this actually do anything? The world may never know, but my mom says to add it, so I do)
Optional toppings: everything bagel seasoning (the Trader Joe’s one, obviously), those chives that somehow survive on my windowsill despite my chronic plant neglect, hot sauce (I’m a Cholula girl myself)

Side note: if you don’t have ramekins, I’ve literally used a balled-up piece of foil as a makeshift egg cup. Not pretty, but it gets the job done when you’re desperate!

Timing

Prep time: 2 minutes (or 5 if you’re me and can’t find anything in your kitchen drawers) Cooking time: 6-8 minutes (perfect amount of time to make coffee and panic-respond to that work email you should’ve answered yesterday) Total time: Under 10 minutes (less time than it takes to find parking at the brunch place downtown)

The best part about making air fryer poached eggs is I can set it and forget it while I try to make myself look like a functioning human being before my first Zoom call.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat Your Air Fryer

Turn your air fryer to 375°F Mine makes this annoying beeping sound when it’s preheated, which is actually helpful because I usually wander off and forget what I was doing. If yours doesn’t beep just give it about 2 minutes. Or don’t preheat it at all – I forgot once and it still worked fine you know just took an extra minute to cook.

Step 2: Prepare Your Containers

Spray or wipe your containers with oil. Don’t skip this step unless you enjoy scrubbing dried egg off things “spoiler alert, you don’t” One time I was out of cooking spray and used a smear of butter instead – game changer! But oil works fine too.

Step 3: Crack and Season Your Eggs

Crack your eggs into the containers. If you get shell in there (like I do at least 25% of the time because apparently I still haven’t mastered basic egg cracking), fish it out with another piece of shell. Works better than trying to get it with your finger and making a slimy mess.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper, Sometimes I get fancy and use garlic salt or that Cajun seasoning that’s been in my cabinet for who knows how long, Live your truth.

Step 4: Place in Air Fryer

Put the egg containers in your air fryer basket. I’ve dropped these more times than I care to admit, so maybe do this over the counter and not over your just-cleaned floor (learn from my mistakes, people).

If your air fryer is tiny like mine, you might need to do this in batches. Or buy a bigger air fryer. My sister got one the size of a small car and I’m lowkey jealous.

Step 5: Cook to Perfection

Set your timer based on your yolk preference:

6 minutes: Super runny yolk that’ll drip down your chin and probably stain your work shirt right before an important meeting (worth it)
7 minutes: My personal sweet spot – still runny but not quite as messy
8 minutes: What my boyfriend calls “acceptable” and I call “slightly overdone”
9+ minutes: Just make a fried egg at this point, seriously

The first few times I made these, I checked them every minute like I was waiting for a pregnancy test result. Now I just set the timer and trust the process.

Step 6: Remove and Serve

Take those babies out carefully! The first time I made air fryer poached eggs, I grabbed the ramekin with my bare hand like a COMPLETE IDIOT and had a burn mark shaped like Idaho on my thumb for two weeks.

Use a spoon to gently scoop the egg out. There’s a weird satisfaction in watching it slide out perfectly onto your toast. Sometimes I narrate it in a British accent like I’m on Great British Bake Off: “A perfect wobble on that yolk…”

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Healthier Alternatives for the Recipe

I go through these weird health phases (don’t we all?), so I’ve tried all sorts of variations:

When I was doing Whole30 (lasted exactly 9 days), I put the eggs on sweet potato “toast” instead of bread
During my brief vegan exploration, I tried making air fryer poached TOFU (don’t @ me, I was desperate). It was… edible.
After my doctor told me to eat more greens (rude, but fair), I started putting sautéed kale under my air fryer poached eggs
That time I was convinced I had a gluten sensitivity (I didn’t), these were amazing on those rice cakes that taste like styrofoam
When I was trying to impress that CrossFit guy I was dating, I added a scoop of unflavored protein powder to my egg cup along with the egg… 0/10 do NOT recommend

Serving Suggestions and Storing Tips for the Recipe

Here’s how I serve my air fryer poached eggs depending on my current life situation:

“Trying to be healthy” days: Ezekiel bread that’s been in my freezer for 3 months, half an avocado that’s perfectly ripe (a miracle), air fryer poached eggs, and a sad sprinkle of chia seeds
“Last night was rough” days: The greasiest hashbrowns I can make, air fryer poached eggs, ALL the hot sauce, and a side of shame
“Pretending I’m at a fancy brunch” days: Sourdough from that bakery where the guy with the man bun judges my pronunciation of “ciabatta,” smoked salmon that cost more than my hourly wage, air fryer poached eggs, and capers (even though I pick half of them off)
“It’s been a week” days: Whatever carb I can find + air fryer poached eggs + half the cheese in my fridge melted on top

Storing Tips for the Recipe

Look, we both know these are best fresh. But in the interest of honest blogging:

I’ve stored them in the fridge and they get this weird rubbery texture that’s not great but still edible if you’re desperate
My attempt at meal prepping these lasted exactly one day before I accepted that some things just aren’t meant to be made ahead
If you do need to store them, keep them in water in the fridge and reheat by gently dunking them in hot water for a minute
I once forgot one in the fridge for a week and… let’s just say my roommate and I had a serious conversation about refrigerator etiquette afterwards

Why I’m Ridiculously Obsessed With These Air Fryer Poached Eggs

OK so here’s the real tea: I used to drop $16 (SIXTEEN DOLLARS!!!) on avocado toast with poached eggs every weekend at that hipster café where they serve coffee in beakers and all the baristas have cooler tattoos than me.

Now? I make these air fryer poached eggs at home for like $1.50, and they’re actually BETTER. Like, my version doesn’t have that one piece of micro-cilantro on top, but it also doesn’t require putting on real pants or waiting behind the group of girls taking 57 Instagram pictures of their lattes.

Last month my sister came to visit, and I made these for breakfast. She literally said “when did you learn to cook??” which, coming from the family member who once witnessed me set off the smoke alarm making CEREAL, is basically a Michelin star.

Have you tried making air fryer poached eggs yet? Or am I the only one irrationally excited about this cooking method? Drop a comment below – I respond to literally every comment because I have no life and get way too excited when someone actually reads my blog.

PS: If you make these, tag me in your Instagram story so I can feel like a real food influencer for approximately 7 seconds before returning to my regular life of forgetting laundry in the washing machine for two days.

air fryer poached eggs

Yield: 2-4 eggs

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 8 minutes

Perfect air fryer poached eggs with runny yolks in under 10 min. Easy, healthy breakfast recipe—give it a try!

Ingredients

2-4 eggs (fresh organic ones from the farmers market or those almost-expired clearance eggs—both do the trick!)
Cooking spray or olive oil (skip the fancy stuff your aunt got from Italy, regular works just fine)
Salt and pepper (I use my pink Himalayan salt from that 2019 “fancy phase,” but any kind is good)
Small ramekins or silicone egg cups (my go-to is the little blue ramekins I nabbed from my parents, or any heat-safe container)
Optional: splash of white vinegar (Mom insists it helps, but I’m still not convinced—up to you!)
Optional toppings: everything bagel seasoning (Trader Joe’s is my jam), fresh chives (those survivors on my windowsill), hot sauce (Cholula’s my ride-or-die)