The BEST Vegan Fried Egg
This vegan fried egg is such a fun and delicious recipe. It has a goopy yolk sauce that drips out of the egg when you bite into – just perfect for toast dipping or a great big messy breakfast sandwich. You’ll be shocked how much this vegan fried egg tastes like the ones you grew up eating!
Frrriiiiieeeeennnnndddss!
I’ve been on a quest for the past FIVE years to perfect a vegan fried egg. Aka, one of the biggest reasons I thought I could “never go vegan.”
Don’t get me wrong; there are a ton of really great recipes for vegan fried eggs out there.
But, as per usual with my Goldilocks self, none of them seemed to provide exactly what I wanted: a dead-on eggy taste and goopy, dripping yolk that’s perfect for toast dipping.
This was the vegan fried egg I was after, and friends, I think I’ve got it down.
How to Make a Vegan Fried Egg
First, you’ll make your yolk.
Just boil up a medium potato and carrot and blend ’em with some olive oil, black pepper, turmeric, nutritional yeast, and (the star of the show) Indian black salt (also called kala namak).
You can find kala namak at Indian spice shops or online; it’s what adds that dead-on eggy taste. We ordered ours off Amazon here.
I swear this yolk sauce is magic. When I first tried it, I was leaping for joy.
And there is zero exaggeration in that statement; you can ask T. It tastes exactly like an egg yolk. CRAZY, right?!
Next, make your egg whites.
This part is simple. Cut a block of extra firm tofu into 4 long rectangles and use a large round cookie cutter or a wide-mouth mason jar lid to cut egg-sized circles from the tofu.
Now it’s time to inject the egg whites with the yolk.
Okay, don’t let me lose you here. This part is easier than it sounds. All you need is one of those flavor injector gadgets people use to flavor meats and the like. We got ours for cheap at our local grocery store; it’s really similar to this one on Amazon.
Fill the injector with yolk and pierce the side of your egg white. You want the tip of the injector to reach just past the middle of the circle without piercing the other side.
From here, what you’re trying to do is create a pocket in which the yolk will live while keeping the injection sight as small as possible.
With that in mind, VERY carefully move the injector back and forth, making sure you keep it level. Tilt it to one side and repeat this back and forth motion, then tilt to the other and repeat again.
Once you’ve created the “yolk pocket,” carefully inject the yolk into the tofu. Do this very slowly and stop as soon as you see a lump form in the tofu.
Finally, fry it up!
Simply heat up some oil or vegan butter in a pan, add the eggs, and sprinkle with some onion powder, black pepper, and more kala namak. Then, flip ’em and repeat until the egg is nice, crispy, and looks oh so creepily (or rather, awesome-ly) like a fried egg.
There you have it. This is the vegan fried egg of my dreams, perfectly crafted for those gloriously messy breakfast sandwiches or ANYTHING you want to do with them!
Vegan Fried Egg Troubleshooting Tips
Over the years since this recipe was first published, we’ve made a LOT of mistakes and learned a lot of tricks to make the process easier.
Here are a few things to note about this recipe to nail the best vegan fried eggs on your first (or at least, second) try:
1. The type of tofu you use for this recipe is super important.
Some brands will crack more easily and be harder to inject with the yolk. If you get a tofu that seems like it will crack easier, you may want to slice the tofu block into 2 or 3 rectangles, rather than 4.
This has helped immensely when we’ve run into this problem! Just be sure the oil you’re frying them in is deep enough to cook the sides of the egg.
2. If you have trouble with the injecting or just want this to be really easy, feel free to fry up the egg whites without injecting the yolk, and drop a little dollop of yolk sauce on top of the egg white before serving.
You won’t get that cascade of yolk when you cut into the egg white, but it will still be delicious and perfect for toast dipping! Not to mention, wildly impressive.
How to Use Vegan Fried Eggs
1. Breakfast Sandwiches:
One of the main reasons I wanted to make my perfect vegan fried egg was because I wanted to make one of those greasy, messy, yet totally delicious breakfast sandwiches.
Like, the kind you’d grab at Wawa or the drive-thru on your way to work or school when you’re running late. I swear those sandwiches were always the best part of being late!
To make your own, all you have to do is choose your favorite vegan breakfast meat (we fried up some leftover seitan ham) and cheese slices (ours are Field Roast spicy Chao slices), and one of these vegan fried eggs, and load it all onto a toasty English muffin.
2. Classic Breakfast Platter:
You can also serve two of these fried eggs on a breakfast platter with (vegan) buttered toast, rice paper bacon, and roasted potatoes. Diner-style!
3. Dipping Sauce:
And my favorite “lazy” way to use these fried eggs? Simply use the yolk sauce as a toast dipping sauce. Sometimes I even add a few of the cut up egg “whites” or some leftover tofu scramble to make more of an eggy texture, but it’s not 100% necessary.
This is one of my very favorite breakfasts, served with a lightly buttered English muffin. It’s meal prep friendly and totally delicious!
Side Note: If you dig fun vegan breakfast recipes like this, you should totally check out our Vegan Guide to Breakfast in Bed with recipes and tips for THE most decadent vegan breakfasts!
But don’t just take my word for it; you have GOT to try this recipe to believe it for yourself!
And when you do, I wanna hear about it! Rate the recipe and leave a comment below or tag us in what I’m sure will be some seriously epic breakfast photos on Instagram! If you’re not already following along, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
And if you want to be sure you never miss a Plant Power Couple recipe, don’t forget to sign up for our email list!
Can’t wait to see how you’re going to kick breakfast’s ass!
**This vegan fried egg recipe was originally posted on plantpowercouple.com 3 January 2018 and was updated on 11 July 2020 which means there are a ton of helpful comments below from others who have made this recipe. Be sure to check them out or comment with your own question, so we can add to the collective knowledge!
The Vegan Breakfast Sandwich of Your Dreams
Ingredients
For the yolk:
- 1 medium potato peeled & diced
- 1 medium carrot peeled & diced
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ¾ tsp kala namak
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
For the egg white:
- 1 block extra firm tofu drained but not pressed*
- kala namak
- black pepper
- onion powder
- refined coconut oil or other neutral oil for frying
Instructions
- FIRST, MAKE THE YOLK: Get a large pot of water boiling and add your peeled and diced veggies. Boil for 15 minutes or until veggies are fork tender. Strain the veggies, reserving the water in a large bowl, and add them to a food processor. Add the remainder of the yolk ingredients to the food processor including 1/4 cup of the reserved water. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary.
- THEN, MAKE THE EGG WHITES: Drain your tofu and slice it into four 1/2-inch-thick rectangles*. Use the top of a wide-mouth mason jar or circular cookie cutter to cut the tofu into circles about the size of a fried egg. See notes for ideas on what to do with the scraps**.
- NEXT, STUFF THE EGGS: Load a flavor injector with the yolk mixture and carefully pierce the side of the tofu circle with it. You want the tip of the injector to reach just past the middle of the circle without piercing the other side. From here, what you’re trying to do is create a pocket for the yolk while keeping the injection site as small as possible. With that in mind, VERY carefully move the injector back and forth, making sure you keep it level. Tilt it to one side and repeat this back and forth motion, then tilt to the other and repeat again. Then, carefully inject the yolk into the tofu. Do this very slowly and stop as soon as you see a lump form in the tofu.
- NOW, COOK THE EGGS: Heat the coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet on medium heat and carefully add your eggs. Cook for about 5 minutes, until you see the sides start to brown. Then, sprinkle a generous amount of kala namak, onion powder, and black pepper on top of each egg and carefully flip them. Cook for about 5 more minutes until that side's edges start to brown. Sprinkle the spices on this side and carefully flip again. Keep flipping until you have a nice egg-looking patty.
- TO STORE: Leftover eggs can be stored in the fridge and heated up in the skillet for up to 3 days after they’re made. At this point, we do not recommend freezing the vegan fried eggs, as I believe that could greatly alter the texture of the tofu. However, we highly recommend freezing any extra yolk sauce on its own for future toast dipping!
Notes
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