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Microwave Poached Eggs

Start your morning with this Microwave Poached Eggs recipe and you’ll be on your way in a no time flat. Enjoy them on biscuits, toast or english muffins for a sandwich you can grab and or enjoy for breakfast and brunch.

easy-poached-eggs

Easy Microwave Poached Eggs Recipe

While poached eggs are a simple dish, they can be a bit intimidating to cook on the stovetop. I totally get it, sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. They do need attending to while they’re cooking for the best result and there’s no argument at all about how delicious a poached egg can be. This technique for making them in the microwave is one anyone can make, and if you’re looking for a low carb option this microwave egg recipe can’t be beat. How to make Microwave Poached Eggs: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • (Instructions for 1000 Watt Microwave) 
  • Water – Fill a 10 ounce microwave safe ramekin, coffee mug or microwave safe glass dish with 1/2 cup cold tap water. Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar.
  • Add Egg – Crack egg into water. Use the tip of a toothpick to gently prick the yolk after it’s in the water. It should be submerged. There’s no need to pierce all the way through just a gentle prick on top.
  • Cover – Place a microwave safe saucer on top to cover the opening completely.
  • Cook – Microwave for 30 seconds, lift saucer to allow steam to release and check the white for doneness.
  • Check for Doneness – Continue to cook in 10-15 second increments until it reaches your preferred doneness.
  • Let Stand – Let stand for 1 minute in water. Repeat process with other egg in a clean cup. (Don’t use the same ramekin, cup or bowl, it will be hot)
  • Use a slotted spoon or fork to remove from the hot water.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
how-to-make-microwave-eggs

How to Make the Best Microwave Poached Eggs Recipe

The beauty of this technique for cooking eggs is you can adapt the time to each person’s preference. If you like a soft or runny yolk, you can shorten the cooking time and allow less stand time. Likewise, if you like a solid yolk, you can allow it to stand in the hot water longer after cooking. Once you tweak it to your taste you’ll never look back.

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Microwave Poached Eggs: Tap water, white distilled vinegar, large eggs, salt and pepper.
  • Kitchen gadgets you’ll need: A microwave safe 10-12 ounce ceramic ramekin, 10 ounce coffee mug (or larger, not smaller), measuring cup and spoons, 1000 Watt microwave and a toothpick or metal skewer to gently pierce the yolk. Soup Mugs work wonderful for this recipe, too.
  • Make a special effort to make sure you’re only using microwave safe ramekins, cups, bowls and saucer.
  • Please note: If you’re using a higher wattage microwave simply adjust the cooking time and cook in shorter increments. Likewise, if the microwave has a lower wattage it may take longer for the eggs to poach. Use the cooking time as a road map and adjust according to your personal taste.
  • Room temperature eggs work best for this recipe. That being said, if there’s no time to bring them to room temperature, you can certainly grab an egg from the refrigerator in a pinch.
  • It’s important to lift the saucer per the recipe to allow the steam to escape at certain intervals.
  • If you like a runny yolk, you can adjust the cooking time to accommodate. This is one of those recipes that can be adapted to suit your taste and the wattage of the appliance you’re using.
  • Why use vinegar for poached eggs? Just as when making classic poached eggs, vinegar in the water helps the egg white to coagulate and hold together. It works exactly the same in the microwave.
  • The purpose of gently pricking the yolk with the end of a toothpick is to prevent it from exploding while cooking. The egg should be completely covered with water and once pricked, the yolk should not leak out. There’s no need to pierce all the way through the yolk just a tiny hole in the top will suffice.
  • Pictured eggs are cooked for 50 seconds with 1 minute stand time. Always check the wattage of your appliance and adjust to your personal taste. If you like a solid yolk, 1 minute cook time and at least 1 minute stand time, maybe longer. Again, this all depends on the wattage of your appliance.
  • Use a fork or slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the container once cooked. Be careful as the water will be hot.
  • This technique shouldn’t yield leftovers since it can be made one egg at a time. Should you overmake you can store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
how-to-poach-eggs

More Easy Egg Recipes to Make

Eggs are affordable and readily available. To me, an egg sandwich after a busy day can be like a bite of comfort food because they’re easy to make and eat. More recipes featuring eggs you may like to try:

easy-poached-eggs

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

Microwave Poached Eggs

Prep Time2 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Stand time1 minute
Total Time4 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: easy-poached-eggs-recipe, microwave-poached-eggs
Servings: 2 servings (may vary)
Calories: 72kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cold water
  • 2 tsp white distilled vinegar
  • 2 large eggs
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • (Instructions for 1000 Watt Microwave) Fill a 10 ounce microwave safe ramekin, coffee mug or microwave safe glass dish with 1/2 cup cold tap water.
  • Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar. Crack egg into water. Use the tip of a toothpick to gently prick the yolk after it's in the water. It should be submerged. There's no need to pierce all the way through just a gentle prick on top.
  • Place a microwave safe saucer on top to cover the opening completely. Microwave for 30 seconds, lift saucer to allow steam to release and check the white for doneness.
  • Continue to cook in 10-15 second increments until it reaches your preferred doneness.
  • Let stand for 1 minute in water. Repeat process with other egg in a clean cup. (Don't use the same ramekin, cup or bowl, it will be hot)
  • Use a slotted spoon or fork to remove from the hot water.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Notes

Please note: If you’re using a higher wattage microwave simply adjust the cooking time and cook in shorter increments. Likewise, if the microwave has a lower wattage it may take longer for the eggs to poach. Use the cook times as a road map and adjust the doneness according to your taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 72kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.4g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 69mg | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Can you cook more than one egg at a time? Does it effect cooking time? Mine did not turn out but on re-reading the recipe was my fault. I will try again. Love your recipes

    1. Hi Kae, You may be able to do more than one egg at a time in different containers, not together. That said, you would likely have to adapt the cooking time (depending on how you like your eggs) it would likely need to cook a bit longer, yes. If you try it, let us know how it goes!

  2. 5 stars
    After a few exploding yolks, I vowed never to try poaching an egg in the microwave again, until I saw your trick puncturing the yolk! I’m glad I did. Love me some poached eggs but didn’t love the mess & the crap shoot the resulting end product could be.

    I like mine the way yours is in the photo & I found myself wishing you’d told us what your perfect cook/stand time turned out to be so I’d could more easily pick a starting point, because you don’t know after a minute of stand time what you’ll be left with. I wound up starting with my water & egg at room temp & going 30 seconds + 10 sec + 10 sec plus 1 full minute stand time in an 1100 watt microwave & it turned out delish. Thanks, Melissa for giving me the option of adding poached eggs back into my rotation. I agree with you — it’s comfort food, and it’s healthy, too.

    1. The recipe works perfectly for any wattage of microwave. The images in the post are after 1 minute stand time just as stated in the recipe in a 1000 Watt microwave. It’s great you thought to check your appliance wattage and adjust the cook time accordingly. There’s no way I could test at every level of available microwave power and wattage on the market. If you follow the recipe information and consider your own appliance, you’ll be good to go.

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