Today we’re talking How To Make the Perfect Omelette! If you love ordering a classic omelette out but are intimidated by the process at home, this step-by-step guide is for you! Omelettes are a super easy, protein-filled and nutritious meal for any time of day.
You can make a beautiful omelette in about 15 minutes at home and I’ll show you how, in five easy steps.
Jon and I have been making omelettes a lot in the past few months. He wields the butcher knife chopping veggies, and I man (woman?) the whisk for the eggs. Like many others, we’re cutting down on sugar and carbs.
That means less cereal, toast, breakfast bars, bagels and prepared foods for breakfast. Carbs are quick and convenient with little to no prep, but they only carry you so far energy-wise and then your blood sugar dips.
An omelette is the ideal vehicle to include lots of protein and extra veggies in your diet. Sans sugar. Protein is a longer lasting fuel used by the body more evenly over time and helps keep blood sugar regulated.
If you spit out the French word omelette three times in a row fast, it’s a tongue twister for sure and an odd two-syllable word at best. The dictionary defines an omelette as “a dish of beaten eggs cooked in a frying pan until firm, often with a filling added while cooking, and usually served folded over”.
But an excellent omelette is SO MUCH MORE!
An excellent omelette is piping hot. It’s golden brown to perfection on the outside and chock-full of delicious, nutritious fillings in the middle – whatever you love! Roasted or sautéed veggies, fresh herbs, meats and melty cheeses. (I used red onion, red pepper, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms, a Mexican blend of grated cheese and chopped bacon in this omelette.)
All of that or some of it. (Or none of it. You can actually make an omelette with only eggs, which I don’t recommend. :))
The perfect omelette is within your reach, and I’m excited to show you How To Make the Perfect Omelette step by step today.
Step 1
- Whisk up 2-3 large, organic eggs in a small batter bowl or electric blender. Set aside.
Step 2
- Heat a small amount of olive oil (about a tablespoon) over medium heat in heavy duty 9″ non-stick or cast iron skillet.
- Add chopped/sliced veggies and sautée until they are just softening, about 3 minutes. (I used red onion, red pepper, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms.)
- Generously salt and pepper veggies and stir.
- Remove from skillet and set aside.
Step 3
- In hot skillet, melt a teaspoon or two of butter, heating over medium heat until sizzling. Tilt to evenly coat skillet.
- Add a small amount of egg mixture to test. If egg sizzles and cooks immediately, the skillet is ready.
You can tell this skillet is hot enough because the eggs are bubbling up and cooking around the edges immediately as they pour in.
- Pour eggs into skillet.
- With a flexible spatula, gently loosen eggs around the edges and underneath as they cook.
- Tilt the pan so uncooked eggs run underneath the edges of the omelette and cook.
- Continue this process of loosening edges and underneath and tilting the pan for a minute or two, until the top of your omelette is shiny and most of the eggs from the top/middle have run underneath the omelette and are cooked.
Step 4
- Sprinkle with grated cheese. (I used a Mexican shredded cheese blend.)
- Sprinkle with fresh, chopped herbs if you like.
- Sprinkle with sautéed veggies of your choice. (I used red onion, red pepper, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms.)
- Sprinkle with cooked, chopped meats. (I used chopped bacon.)
Step 5
- When the bottom of the omelette is just turning golden brown, gently loosen the edges and bottom.
- Using the spatula, carefully lift one side and fold the omelette in half.
- Continue cooking for a minute or two to let the cheeses melt.
- Transfer to serving plate and serve immediately, hot.
Tips on How To Make the Perfect Omelette:
- Use a heavy duty, non-stick or seasoned cast iron skillet, 9″ (the base diameter of mine is 7″, and the top opening is 9″ across)
- I suggest organic, non-caged eggs if you can find and afford them. They taste better, have more nutrients and a deeper hue.
- Use unsalted butter and olive oil
- Vegetables to use for fillings: onions, asparagus, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, garlic. Or what do you like? (I used red onion, red pepper, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms in this omelette.)
- I don’t sautee tomatoes first, I sprinkle them on fresh.
- Grated cheeses to use: sharp cheddar, monterey jack, jack, gruyere, Mexican blend, Swiss. Or whatever kinds of cheese you like. (I used a Mexican shredded cheese blend in this omelette.)
- Don’t use too many eggs. Use a maximum of four eggs for this size skillet, but 2-3 is ideal. Too many eggs makes your omelette too thick and makes it to crack when folding in half. It also can’t hold fillings well if it’s too thick.
- Chop your veggies on the smaller side: they’ll sautée faster and your omelette will hold together better.
- To cut down on prep time, chop up veggies at the beginning of the week and have them at the ready in your fridge.
How To Make the Perfect Omelette
Ingredients
- 2-3 large organic cage-free eggs
- Grated cheese s
- Suggestions: sharp cheddar monterey jack, parmesan, Mexican blend, etc.
- I used a Mexican shredded cheese blend.
- Butter and/or olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Chopped or sliced vegetables
- Suggestions: mushrooms onions, peppers (green, red & yellow) spinach, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, squash
- I used red onion, red pepper, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms.
- Cooked meats
- Suggestions: ham sausage, bacon, ground turkey, Italian sausage
- I used chopped bacon.
- Optional: fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk up 2-3 eggs in a small mixing bowl until thoroughly blended.
- (Or pulse for a short time in a blender.)
- Set eggs aside.
- In a heavy 9" non-stick or cast-iron skillet, over medium heat, heat up a small amount of olive oil.
- Add diced/chopped and sliced vegetables to skillet, sauteeing until just softened.
- (I used red onion, red pepper, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms.)
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Remove seasoned vegetables from skillet and set aside in a small bowl.
- And butter to the skillet.
- Heat until sizzling.
- Pour eggs into the skillet.
- Eggs should begin cooking immediately. (If they don't, your skillet isn't hot enough.)
- With a flexible spatula, begin loosening the edges of the omelet, all the way around the pan.
- Pull the edges away from the pan and tilt the skillet.
- Rotate the pan so that the uncooked eggs in the middle slide underneath the omelette where the edges are pulled away.
- Keep pulling the edges back and tilting the uncooked eggs until the top is shiny and the eggs are cooked around the edges.
- Sprinkle with grated cheeses, as much as you like.
- (I used a Mexican shredded cheese blend.)
- Sprinkle roasted or sauteed veggies on top of the grated cheeses.
- (I used red onion, red pepper, broccoli, spinach and mushrooms.)
- Sprinkle cooked meats on top.
- (I used chopped bacon.)
- Sprinkle with more cheese if you like.
- With a thin spatula, gently loosen the edges of the omelet and underneath.
- If the bottom of the omelet isn't yet turning golden brown, allow it to cook for another minute or two over the heat.
- Then fold the omelet over in half, and let sit for another minute or so over the heat to allow the cheese inside to melt.
- Serve immediately, hot.
- Optional: garnish with fresh parsley.
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Sue says
I’ve been looking for a recipe just like this—thanks for all the details—I’ve always had a mental block about omelettes, but now I’m going to try again!
What is your favorite flexible spatula for non-stick pans?
Allie says
Hi Sue – Hope this works well for you. I hadn’t made an omelette in years and I was watching the chef behind the skillet at Wentworth by the Sea last year at a Christmas brunch and he made it look so easy. I thought, surely I can do that. He had all the eggs whisked and veggies ready to go. Then when his skillet was good and hot, all the ingredients were ready and he wasn’t scrambling to chop or whisk while the butter burned in the skillet. I think another key is having a good heavy duty skillet that distributes heat evenly. I didn’t have one until a few years ago. Friends were moving (downsizing) and offered me their heavy duty Le Creuset. I love it, it works great. I use a heat resistant flexible rubber spatula to lift the edges and underneath, and used my very thin, flexible metal cookie spatula to fold it in half. The metal could scratch if you have a coating on your skillet – but mine doesn’t.
Mike Dennehy says
Love it Allie! That’s pretty much how we did it at the Black Duck restaurant in Woods Hole when I was the breakfast cook! I have just never had pans as good as the ones at the restaurant…
Jon Taylor says
Why, Mike…I didn’t know! You have hidden your talents from us.
I worked as a short order cook at Cousin’s Deli and Bakery in Pelham, where the motto was, “Let Us Handle Your Buns!”
🙂
Susie Mandel says
I like breakfast food for dinner sometimes, and this sounds great for tomorrow’s dinner! 🙂
Allie says
Thank you Susie – we like these for dinner too!
Jon says
I can attest that this girl really does make the perfect omelette. She makes them for me. I know. I’m a lucky guy. 🙂
I am trying to learn how to make one myself, however, and this post will sure help!
Thanks, babe…
Kellie says
This is such a great post! I love omlettes and always order them when we go out for breakfast, but when I try at home it just becomes a scramble! So I will be trying your tips for sure!! Thank you!
Allie says
Oh thanks Kellie! We were attempting to eat Keto early on in the year and ours were basically a scramble too. An ugly scramble at that. I do think the way to do it is sautee the veggies first, then set those aside and cook the eggs and let them get nice and golden brown on the bottom before adding fillings and folding in half.
Shashi at SavorySpin says
I’m not gonna lie, Allie, omelettes intimidate me immensely – that’s why I leave the omelette making to Ihop! 🙂
But – now I feel I can attempt them at home thanks to your tips! You manned …err “womaned” that whisk masterfully as this is scrumptious – loving that side of bacon that accompanies this. Hoping y’all are doing well and spring is in full force up yonder!
Have a wonderful weekend! XOXO
Allie says
I know…it’s all about the bacon, right? I bet you can whisk up a mean omelette… yes, spring is here to stay and before long it will feel like summer. I know it’s probably summer there. I can hear a lawnmower buzzing in the distance now, and I’m hoping to plant some flower pots for the front porch this coming weekend! XOXO
Eva says
Elle est extra cette omelette, vraiment parfaite et tellement gourmande ! Je pourrais la déguster à n’importe quelle heure de la journée, même au petit déjeuner 😉 xoxo
Lorry Kreison says
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Clarence Ray says
I love omelette, thanks for the wonderful recipe!