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Epic breakfast sandwich sliced in half and stacked on a plate.

Crispy Pan-Fried Egg and Cheese Sandwich Three Ways

Print Recipe
Tailor your breakfast to your taste with this recipe for how to make an egg and cheese sandwich three ways! From classic fried and classic scrambled to an epic loaded version, you'll find what you need in this post.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
Keyword 30 Minutes or Less, Breakfast, Breakfast Sandwich, Cheese, Egg and Cheese Sandwich, Eggs, Sandwich
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 1 sandwich
Author Marley Goldin

Equipment

Ingredients

Classic Fried Egg and Cheese Sandwich

  • 2 slices bread of choice
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 slices cheddar cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Classic Scrambled Egg and Cheese Sandwich

  • 2 slices bread of choice
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 slices cheddar cheese

Epic Loaded Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

  • ¼ large yellow onion
  • 2 slices bread of choice
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • ½ large hass avocado
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha or equivalent
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 slices cheddar cheese
US - Metric

Instructions

Classic Fried Egg and Cheese Sandwich

  • Spread the butter evenly over one side of each slice of bread and set aside.
    2 slices bread of choice, 1 tablespoon salted butter
    Two slices of sandwich bread with a generous amount of butter spread across it.
  • Add the oil to a frying pan and allow to get hot for about 2 minutes over medium heat, tilting the pan so that the pan is evenly covered in a thin layer of oil.
    1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Crack the egg into the pan with the hot oil and season with salt and pepper. Fry egg to your preference (sunny side up, over easy, over hard), then remove the egg from the pan. If you don't want excess oil in the pan, you can wipe it now with a paper towel (or you can just leave it!).
    1 large egg, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    Egg with salt and pepper frying in oil on a frying pan.
  • Still over medium heat, place one slice of buttered bread on the pan, with the buttered side face down, directly touching the pan.
    Buttered bread frying in a pan over medium heat.
  • Place the cheese on top of the bread in the pan.
    2 slices cheddar cheese
    Cheddar cheese layered on buttered bread frying in a hot pan.
  • Next, add your fried egg on top of the cheese.
    Fried egg stacked on top of cheddar cheese on toasting bread.
  • Finally, add the second slice of bread on top, buttered side up. Fry for about 3-5 minutes until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown.
    Fried egg and cheese sandwich cooking in a frying pan.
  • Then, flip the breakfast sandwich and fry on the second side until both pieces of bread are toasted and golden brown and the cheese is melted.
    Fried egg and cheddar cheese sandwich cooking in a frying pan.
  • Slice in half and serve hot. Enjoy!
    Fried egg and cheese sandwich sliced in half and stacked on a plate.

Classic Scrambled Egg and Cheese Sandwich

  • Use about 1 tablespoon of butter to spread evenly over one side of each slice of bread and set aside. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to a frying pan over medium heat and allow the butter to melt. Tilt the pan as needed to spread the melted butter across the pan, so you're left with an even layer of butter lining the pan.
    2 slices bread of choice, 2 tablespoons salted butter
    Two slices of sandwich bread with a generous amount of butter spread across it.
  • To a mixing bowl, add the eggs, salt, and pepper. Use a fork or whisk to beat the eggs until smooth. The whites and the yolks should be fully combined.
    2 large eggs, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    Eggs, salt, and pepper that have been beaten with a fork in a bowl.
  • Pour the beaten eggs into the center of the hot pan with the butter. Watch as it spreads out across the bottom of the pan. If need be, slightly tilt the pan back and forth until the egg is in an even layer across the whole pan. Wait about 30 seconds until the edges start to cook, then use a spatula to push the eggs around the pan. As they become firm, start to fold the outer edges inward, bringing the scrambled eggs into the center of the pan and folding them until they are roughly the same shape and size of your bread. Then, slide the eggs off the pan and set aside.
    Scrambled eggs in the center of a frying pan, cooked and formed into roughly the shape of a slice of bread.
  • Still over medium heat, place one of your slices of buttered bread on the pan, with the buttered side face down.
    Butter bread on a hot pan with the buttered side face down.
  • Layer the cheese on top of the bread that is in the pan.
    2 slices cheddar cheese
    Buttered bread frying in a pan with two slices of cheese placed on top.
  • Next, add the scrambled egg on top of the cheese.
    Scrambled egg layered on top of cheese and bread frying in a pan.
  • Form your sandwich by adding the second slice of bread on top, buttered side up. Fry like this for about 3-5 minutes until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown.
    Egg and cheese sandwich frying on the first side in a pan.
  • Then, flip your breakfast sandwich to fry on the second side until both pieces of bread are toasted and golden brown and the cheese is nice and melty.
    Egg and cheese sandwich frying in a pan, just after flipping to cook on both sides.
  • Slice in half and enjoy hot.
    Classic scrambled egg and cheese breakfast sandwich.

Epic Loaded Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

  • Slice the onion thin. Start by using about 1 tablespoon of butter to spread evenly over one side of both pieces of bread.
    ¼ large yellow onion, 2 tablespoons salted butter, 2 slices bread of choice
    Two slices of bread with even layer of butter and chopping board with sliced onions.
  • Add the remaining butter to a frying pan and allow it to melt over medium heat. Once melted, tilt the pan to coat the bottom in butter. Add the onions to the pan and fry over medium heat. Leave them for 5 full minutes without touching them. Then, add 2 tablespoons of water, and stir the onions. Continue to fry until the water cooks off. Then, set the onions aside and return the pan back to the heat.
    Sliced onions frying in a pan over medium heat.
  • Grab two small bowls or ramekins. In one, add ½ an avocado, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Use a fork to smash the avocado and set aside. To the second bowl, add the mayonnaise and Sriracha and stir to combine.
    ½ large hass avocado, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon sriracha, ½ teaspoon salt
    One small ramekin with smashed avocado seasoned with salt and pepper next to a second mannequin with spicy mayo.
  • Flip the buttered bread so that they are buttered side down. To one slice, add the smashed avocado. To the other slice, add the spicy mayonnaise. Set the bread aside until you're ready to assemble your sandwiches.
    Two slices of bread, one with smashed avocado and one with spicy mayonnaise.
  • To a mixing bowl, add the eggs, salt, and pepper. Use a fork or whisk to beat the eggs until the whites and the yolks are well-combined.
    2 large eggs
    Egg whites and yolks beaten together with a fork in a bowl.
  • Add the eggs to the center of the hot pan. If need be, slightly tilt the pan back and forth until the egg is in an even layer across the whole pan. Wait about 30 seconds until the edges start to cook, then use a spatula to push the eggs around the pan. As they become firm, start to fold the outer edges inward, bringing the scrambled eggs into the center of the pan and shaping them until they are roughly the same shape and size of your bread. Then, slide the eggs off the pan and set aside.
    Scrambled eggs in the center of a pan, cooked and folded to be roughly the same size of sandwich bread.
  • With the pan still over medium heat, place the slice of bread with the smashed avocado in the pan, buttered side down.
    Slice of buttered bread in a pan buttered side down and smashed avocado side up.
  • Place the cheese on top of the smashed avocado on the bread in the pan.
    2 slices cheddar cheese
    Sliced cheese stacked on top of bread with smashed avocado in a pan.
  • Then, add the scrambled egg on top of the cheese.
    Scrambled egg layered on top of sliced cheddar cheese on top of smashed avocado on bread.
  • Next, layer the fried onions on top.
    Fried onions stacked on top of scrambled eggs, cheese, smashed avocado, and a slice of bread.
  • Finally, add the spicy-mayo bread on top, buttered side up. Fry like this for about 3-5 minutes until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown.
    Epic egg and cheese sandwich with spicy mayo, avocado, and onions, frying in a pan.
  • Then, flip your loaded breakfast sandwich to fry on the second side until both pieces of bread are toasted and golden brown and the cheese is melted.
    Epic egg and cheese breakfast sandwich frying in a pan.
  • Slice in half and serve. Enjoy hot.
    Epic breakfast sandwich sliced in half and stacked on a plate.

Video

Notes