Cook Eggs in a Cast Iron Skillet Without Sticking

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Do you know how to cook eggs in a cast iron skillet without them sticking? It doesn’t matter if they’re scrambled eggs, fried eggs, or omelets. Your cast iron skillet needs a special ingredient! Not only does the special ingredient keep the eggs from sticking but it also adds incredible flavor to your eggs. Give up? It’s fat! But not just any fat will do. Keep reading to learn what we use here at our farm.

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We love to eat eggs around here. Eggs are so easy and quick to cook…they really save the day when we are rushed for time. And we even feed eggs to our dogs! I wrote an entire post on the benefits of feeding dogs pastured poultry eggs and raw milk and the benefits apply to us as well!!

Back before I learned about all the chemicals in everyday cookware and foods, I would spray unhealthy cooking spray on my teflon-lined skillet (cringing right now) to cook our eggs. Thank goodness I learned better and got rid of those harmful things!!

Then I switched to healthier skillet options and eventually made the switch to just using cast iron skillets.

But I really didn’t know how to cook delicate things like eggs. I would try to cook eggs over easy or over medium in my seasoned cast iron skillet and then the worst thing would happen. The eggs would stick when I went to flip them over and the egg yolk would come pouring out!

I did some research and discovered what I was missing! Even though I used some fat or oil, I definitely wasn’t using ENOUGH fat or oil.

Can You Scramble Eggs in a Cast Iron Skillet?

Yes, you can scramble eggs in a cast iron skillet! Don’t let the cast iron scare you off.

When you follow my tips below, you can rest assured that stirring your eggs in your skillet won’t be a problem and your eggs won’t stick.

What Kind of Fat Do You Use for Scrambled Eggs?

You can use any fat to cook scrambled eggs but try to make it natural, healthy, and delicious. No artificial ingredients or chemicals!

Choose your favorite oil, butter, or animal fat so that your eggs won’t stick to your skillet. Here’s my top three favorite fats to use for cooking eggs.

1. Sausage fat makes delicious scrambled eggs in a cast iron skillet.

I cook two pounds of sausage when I cook it for my family. I used to slice our sausage up into nice, round sausage patties but lately I just cut it up with my spoon into mid-sized chunks of sausage. I’ve found that more fat renders out by cutting it into more chunks.

Then I cook the sausage over medium-low heat so that it cooks slowly and renders out all that delicious fat. When the sausage is nicely browned, I’ll use my slotted wooden spoon to scoop out the sausage onto a towel-lined plate to drain.

There is usually a pint of rendered sausage fat left in the skillet. I like to get out a pint mason jar, put my stainless steel canning funnel on it, put my small fine mesh sieve into the funnel, and put all of that down into my empty sink.

Then I will carefully carry my skillet over to the sink and pour the rendered sausage fat into my strainer, funnel, and pint jar.

I like to let the jar and fat cool down on my counter with a loose lid before I stick it in the refrigerator but it will last for a long time in the fridge.

2. Bacon fat makes delicious eggs that won’t stick to your cast iron.

There’s never enough bacon but at least we can use rendered bacon fat to make delicious eggs in a cast iron skillet!

I cook one to two pounds of bacon at a time. I will put all the bacon into my large cast iron skillet, separating the pieces as much as possible, and cook over medium-low heat. When all the bacon is nicely browned, I’ll remove it to a towel-lined plate to drain.

Then I’ll carry my skillet over to the sink and pour the rendered bacon fat into my strainer, funnel, and pint jar. After it cools on my counter, I’ll store it in my fridge.

3. Butter adds an almost nutty flavor to eggs and keeps it from sticking to your skillet.

When you brown butter in a warm skillet, it takes on an almost nutty flavor. If you prefer not to use sausage fat or bacon fat to cook your eggs, I highly recommend using real butter!

I make our own butter in the spring and it’s a true labor of love. You just can’t buy anything like it in the grocery store right now. And I’m betting that it would be out of our price range if it were available.

In any case, I made about 40 pounds of butter last spring thinking it would be enough to last us a year but it wasn’t. We just ran out! So using alternate fats is a necessity for us right now.

But honestly, even when I do have a lot of butter in the freezer, I still prefer to cook eggs with sausage fat because of the extra flavor it adds.

How Do You Cook Eggs in a Cast Iron Skillet Without Sticking?

To keep your eggs from sticking to your cast iron skillet, you first need to preheat your skillet and melt a good bit of fat over medium-low heat. The amount of fat you need to use will depend on how large your skillet is. The goal is to completely coat the bottom and sides of your skillet with the fat.

I will usually put two or so tablespoons of sausage fat into my 10-inch cast iron skillet when I heat it up.

I like to scramble my eggs in a separate glass measuring cup before pouring it into my skillet.

To make fluffy scrambled eggs, I will add about a fourth of a cup of milk to a dozen scrambled eggs and mix it altogether in my measuring cup.

Make sure your butter or other fat is completely melted. You should use pot holders and pick up your skillet to swirl the fat around to all the sides, too.

When you can feel the heat of the skillet on your palm when it’s over the pan, it’s time to pour in your scrambled eggs (or whole eggs if you are making fried eggs) and add your seasonings.

If you’re making an omelet, also add in your grated cheese, meat, and diced vegetables.

Resist the urge to immediately stir or otherwise mess with your eggs. It needs to sit for about half a minute to cook so you don’t disturb the fat layer beneath the eggs.

Cook Scrambled Eggs in a Cast Iron Skillet Without Sticking

For scrambled eggs, after the initial 30-second wait time, you can gently stir your eggs on the top without scraping the bottom of your skillet with your spatula or spoon. I find that my eggs will lift from the bottom even when I don’t touch the bottom of the skillet with my wooden spoon.

When you start to see the eggs clump together, then you can stir the sides and bottom of your skillet carefully. Try to stir continuously. Keep those eggs moving!

When your scrambled eggs are mostly cooked but there’s still some moisture (see picture below), take your skillet off the heat. Your eggs will continue cooking in your hot cast iron but won’t be overly done or tough.

The scrambled eggs won’t stick to your cast iron skillet if you’ve added enough fat at the beginning and followed my helpful tips!

Cook Fried Eggs in a Cast Iron Skillet Without Sticking

For fried eggs, I like to crack about five eggs into a separate bowl while my skillet is heating up. When the sausage fat is hot, I’ll pour the eggs into the skillet, add salt and pepper, and cook it on medium-low heat until the bottom of the whites are thoroughly cooked.

Then I’ll use a thin pie server to cut the eggs into wedges and flip them over to cook on the other side.

The sausage fat does a great job of keeping the eggs from sticking. After removing the fried eggs to a plate, the skillet is nearly clean!

All that’s left to do is wipe the skillet out with a clean cloth and let it cool down on top of my stove before putting it back in my cabinet.

Cooking eggs in a cast iron skillet does take some practice. But you and your cast iron will improve over time, so keep on cooking and using it!

You want to know what goes well with eggs for breakfast? Hot chocolate! But avoid the grocery store brands that are full of harmful chemicals and additives. Make your own healthy, organic, hot chocolate (without milk)!

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