Crispy Pan-Fried Egg and Cheese Sandwich Three Ways

Craving a classic breakfast sandwich to start your day? This recipe for a delicious Egg and Cheese Sandwich gives you three ways to make this crispy, buttery, cheesy sandwich your way at home.

Whether you want it with a scrambled egg or fried egg, paired down or with all the fixin’s, I’ve got everything you need in this post. You’ll learn the most seamless way to make an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich with just one pan.

And regardless of the variation you choose, you’re guaranteed a crispy, buttery bread exterior and gooey melty cheese in the center of your egg sandwich creation.

As an environmental scientist, I try hard to make informed decisions when it comes to sourcing ingredients—especially when those ingredients have a higher impact on the environment like fish, dairy, and eggs (and meat, if you’re a meat eater!).

I love eggs in all ways, whether fried, poached, boiled, or scrambled. Knowing how to prepare eggs can add so much flavor to your breakfast and beyond!

And as a pescatarian, eggs are a great source of protein in my diet, especially on days when I’m not eating fish. All that being said, the quality of the eggs you purchase can make a difference to your ecological footprint!

Green tip: Look for pasture-raised eggs (over free-range or cage-free) to support agriculture that is less reliant on chemicals and fossil fuels.

Egg and Cheese Sandwich Ingredients

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Here’s everything you need for the Classic Scrambled Egg and Cheese Sandwich:

• Bread. As mentioned above, the choice of bread is up to you! In the sandwiches pictured, I just used Italian bread.
• Butter. I like to use salted butter. You’ll need it to coat the pan to scramble your eggs in and to spread on your bread to pan fry it.
• Eggs. Scrambled to your liking. I like to keep them slightly underdone and soft.
• Salt & pepper. To season your scrambled eggs.
• Cheddar cheese. Cheddar is my preference for this classic, but you can use any delicious melty cheese.

And finally, here are all the ingredients for the Epic Loaded Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich:

• Bread. Use your favorite or whatever you have in your pantry.
• Butter. To scramble your eggs in and to spread on your bread to toast it in a pan.
• Egg. I scrambled two eggs using the same technique above for my loaded egg & cheese sandwich, but you can also fry up an egg if you prefer!
• Salt & pepper. To season the eggs and avocado.
• Onion. Fried onion adds tons of flavor and texture to this breakfast sandwich.
• Mayonnaise & sriracha. A quick and easy two ingredient spicy mayo to elevate your sandwich.
• Avocado. You’ll mash it up and spread it on your bread for that added creaminess that avocado provides.

How to Make a Classic Fried Egg and Cheese Sandwich

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Butter the Bread and Get the Oil Hot First

Spread the butter in a thin, even layer across one side each of both slices of bread. Then, set the bread aside until you are ready to assemble your egg and cheese sandwich.

Then, add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Allow the oil to get hot for a couple of minutes and tilt the pan from side to side to coat the bottom in a layer of hot oil.

How to Fry an Egg for a Cheesy Breakfast Sandwich

Once the oil is hot, crack your egg into the pan. If you’re known to drop a few eggshells in when you crack your eggs, you can always crack the egg into a separate little bowl or ramekin and then slide it into the pan.

Season the egg with salt and pepper and fry over medium heat to your preference. If you like your eggs sunny side up, fry it until the egg whites are opaque, without ever flipping it.

For over easy eggs (this is my preference!), fry until the egg white are opaque, then remove the pan from the heat, flip, and allow to cook in the residual heat on the pan for a minute or two.

Over easy eggs will have a runny yolk with a well-done white and is cooked on both sides. For over medium, give it an extra couple of minutes on the second side.

If you want an over hard egg, fry until egg whites are opaque, flip, and fry over medium heat on the second side until the edges start to turn golden brown. The yolk should be cooked all the way through.

For more detailed information on each of these temperatures for fried eggs, check out this detailed recipe for 5-Minute Over Hard Eggs.

How to Assemble a Cheese and Fried Egg Sandwich

Once your egg is fried and set aside, all that’s left to do is assemble your fried egg and cheese sandwich!

If you don’t want excess oil, you can wipe the pan at this point with a paper towel, but this step is optional.

I like to assemble the sandwich right there in the pan, so it can start to fry as I stack it. With the pan still over medium heat, add a slice of bread to the center of the pan, buttered side down.

Then, layer your cheese on top. Next comes the egg. And finally, transform your stack into a sandwich by adding the top slice of bread. This one should be buttered side up.

Once the bottom slice of bread is golden brown, flip the whole sandwich and allow it to fry on the second side. By the time you’re done, both slices of bread should be toasty, and the cheese should be melted.

How to Make a Classic Scrambled Egg and Cheese Sandwich

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Divy Up the Butter

For the scrambled egg version, it only differs very slightly from the fried egg version. For one, I recommend scrambling up two eggs for the best bread to egg to cheese ratios, whereas with the fried version, I feel like one is enough!

And secondly, we’re nixing the oil for all butter to scramble your eggs in. Use about 1 tablespoon of butter to spread on your bread and use the rest to coat your pan.

Over medium heat, melt the butter and tilt the pan to coat the bottom with an even layer of melted butter.

How to Prep for the Best Scrambled Eggs

Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a shallow bowl and season them with salt and pepper. Use a fork or whisk to beat the eggs until the egg yolks and whites are well-combined and smooth.

Once the butter is hot and coating the pan, pour the eggs into the center.

How to Scramble Eggs to fit a Breakfast Sandwich

The eggs will spread out to coat the pan. Wait for about 30 seconds or until the outer edges start to cook. Then, take a spatula and start to push the eggs around the pan.

As they cook and start to firm up, fold the outer edges of the scrambled eggs into the center. The goal is to form a roughly rectangular shape about the same size of your bread so it fits snuggly in between two slices.

I like to leave my eggs slightly underdone for a soft scramble, but make them how you like them! For more info on soft scrambled eggs, check out this article on The Best Soft Scrambled Eggs Hacks and Technique.

Then, slide the eggs off the pan onto a plate until it’s time to add it to your sandwich.

How to Assemble a Cheese and Scrambled Egg Sandwich

Once your egg is scrambled and set aside, all that’s left to do is assemble your sandwich!

Add one of the two slices of bread buttered side down to the center of the pan still over medium heat. Then, stack your cheese on top. The scrambled eggs come next.

Top the second slice of bread on top, this time the buttered side up. All the while, the bottom slice of bread will be toasting.

Once it’s golden brown, flip the whole sandwich and continue to fry until both slices of bread are golden brown and the cheese is gooey and melted.

How to Make an Epic Loaded Egg and Cheese Sandwich

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Start Your Quick Caramelized Onions First

So, we covered the classics, now we’re adding a few more steps to make your egg and cheese sandwich epic!

For this one, I decided to scramble the eggs, mostly because it’s a little less messy. But now that you have the technique for both a fried and scrambled egg and cheese sandwich, you can opt to sub the scrambled eggs here for a fried egg.

Either way, start with the onions. Cut a yellow onion in half, and then half again. Grab one of those quarters, cut out the core if need be, and peel off and discard the outermost paper-thin layer.

Then, you can lay it flat on your chopping board and slice it thin. Finally, pull the layers apart and your ready to fry them.

Use half of the butter to spread across your bread, just on one side. Then, add the rest of the butter to a frying pan.

Get the butter hot in the pan over medium heat and add your onion slices. Allow the onion to fry in the butter over medium heat for 5 minutes without touching them.

Then, push them around in the pan. Add two tablespoons of water and continue to cook until the liquid burns off and your left with a nice golden color. Then, set the fried onions aside.

Whip Up Your Breakfast Sauce and Smash Your Avocado

While your onions are cooking, prep your other flavor-boosters. In one small bowl or ramekin, combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha until smooth.

In a second small bowl or ramekin, add half an avocado and season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to mash it and mix it until smooth and spreadable.

Set them aside until you assemble the sandwich later.

How to Save Half an Avocado

Since this recipe only calls for half an avocado, we can’t let the second half go to waste! When you cut the avocado in half and open it up, the pit will stay in one half.

Use the half without the pit, and save the half with the pit.

The best way to save it is to place it in a bowl or Tupperware and add water, just enough to cover the avocado.

This tricks the avocado into thinking it’s still whole! Cover and place in the refrigerator. It will keep this way for up to 72 hours.

When you’re ready to eat it, drain the water and discard the pit. If the very top layer gets a little mushy from the water, simply scrape it off.

Add Your Spreads to Your Bread

Turn the slices of bread over so they are buttered side down.

On one slice, spread the spicy mayo in a generous layer. On the second slice, spread the smashed avocado.

Prepare Your Egg Next

Once your onions are fried and you remove them from your pan, use the residual butter in the pan to cook the eggs.

Beat them in a shallow bowl with a fork or whisk first, and season them with salt and pepper. Make sure the eggs are fully combined with the whites before adding them to the hot pan.

Push the eggs around the pan until they start to get firm, then fold the outer edges over the center to shape the eggs to fit perfectly inside your sandwich.

If you want a fried egg instead of scrambled eggs, simply add a dash of oil and fry your egg to your preferred temperature. Don’t forget to season your fried egg with salt and pepper!

Once your egg(s) are cooked, slide them off the pan and set them aside.

How to Assemble an Epic Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Now that all of your components are ready, is time to assemble your breakfast!

With the pan still over medium heat, add the bread with the avocado to the pan, butter side down. Then, stack the cheese on top of the avocado.

Add the egg on top of the cheese and layer the fried onions on top. Then, add the bread with the spicy mayo on top, this time with the butter facing up.

Once your bottom slice of bread is nice and toasted, flip the sandwich and continue to fry for another 3-5 minutes. When you’re done, both slices of bread should be golden brown and the cheese should be melted.

How to Serve Your Breakfast Sandwich

Any or the three variations of egg and cheese sandwich detailed here are delicious, hearty, and filling enough to serve as a complete breakfast on their own.

Still if you’re looking for some inspiration for serving, here are some of my favorite accompaniments:

• Roasted potatoes or hashbrowns.
• Fresh fruit or veggies.
• Grits or oatmeal.

What goes well on an egg and cheese sandwich?

An egg and cheese sandwich is typically made with either a fried or scrambled egg and cheddar cheese on a pan-fried sandwich. Here are some of my favorite add-ins to elevate your classic egg and cheese:

• Smashed avocado
• Spicy mayonnaise
• Fried onions
• Spinach
• Tomato
• Bell peppers
• Salsa
• Pesto
• Chimichurri
• Breakfast meats (like bacon or sausage) or alternatives, like these Vegan Sausage Patties with Apple and Sage.
• Smoked salmon.

Storing and Make Ahead Instructions for an Egg and Cheese Sandwich

If you have leftovers of the classic egg and cheese (either scrambled or fried!), wrap it or store it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days).

The best way to reheat it is to wrap it in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. You can easily make these ahead of time and reheat them this way.

You can also prep the eggs and assemble your sandwich without frying it. Wrap that up and store it for up to 5 days, and just fry on both sides when you’re ready to eat it.

Unfortunately, if you do make the version with the mashed avocado, it will likely brown before you can eat any leftovers. But if you leave the avocado off and make a version with the fried onions and spicy mayo, that too will last up to 5 days.

Green tip: Of the billions of tons of food wasted annually, 50% of food waste happens at home. Reduce your contribution to food waste by properly storing and consuming leftovers.

Why You Should Make this Breakfast Sandwich with Egg and Cheese

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• It’s cheesy! The buttery golden brown bread and melty cheese can only be elevated by the addition of egg.
• It’s filling. No better way to start the day than with a protein-packed, cheesy sandwich!
• It’s versatile! The three ways I described here are just a start to all the different preparations and variations of egg and cheese sandwich you can concoct! Make it your own and have it your way!

If you’re loving this Egg and Cheese Sandwich recipe and want more cheesy breakfast recipes, check out this Vegetarian Breakfast Burrito and 15-Minute Naan Breakfast Pizza.