French · breakfast

Creamy French-Style Scrambled Eggs (No Butter)

Name: Creamy French-Style Scrambled Eggs (No Butter)
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 8 large eggs; ½ tsp salt; 3 tbsp water (2 tbsp for the pan, 1 tbsp to finish); 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley (or chives or tarragon), stirred in at the end; 2 slices toast, halved, to serve (optional); butter for the toast, to serve (optional, about 2 tsp)

Creamy French-Style Scrambled Eggs (No Butter) — from America's Test Kitchen's cooking video

Watch how it’s made · 6:26

Video by America's Test Kitchen on YouTube · Open on YouTube

25 minServes 4214 kcal a serve

Keto if you skip the toast
Vegetarian
Gluten-free with a swap: use gluten-free toast
Dairy-free if you leave out the butter
Nut-free

Contains: Gluten, Egg, Milk. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Slow cooking with a splash of water makes the eggs creamy with no butter or cream in the pan. A serve gives about 14 g of protein, most of a day's selenium and nearly half a day's vitamin B12.

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Ingredients 6

8 large eggs
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp water (2 tbsp for the pan, 1 tbsp to finish)
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley (or chives or tarragon), stirred in at the end
2 slices toast, halved, to serve (optional)
butter for the toast, to serve (optional, about 2 tsp)

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

Put 2 tbsp water in a 25 cm (10-inch) non-stick frying pan over low heat. Use this size of pan, because the timing depends on it. 0:36
Whisk 8 eggs with ½ tsp salt until completely uniform, with no streaks of white. Add nothing else. 1:02
When the water starts to steam, pour in the eggs. Stir constantly over low heat, scraping the base and sides and smashing any large curds. After 4 minutes they will barely have changed; keep going. 1:34
If few curds have formed after about 8 minutes, turn the heat up slightly. Keep stirring until the eggs thicken into small, soft curds that just hold their place, 12–14 minutes in all. 3:29
Off the heat, stir in 1 tbsp water and the parsley, beating briskly for about 30 seconds to keep the eggs creamy. Serve straight away, with buttered toast if you like. 4:14

Tip. Serves 4 (the cook's written recipe). For a carnivore or keto plate, leave out the parsley and toast. Use a 25 cm pan: in a bigger one the eggs cook too fast and turn rubbery.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One serve gives you 1 of 4

Energy214 kcal890 kJ

Protein14 g28% of a day

Fibre0.4 g1% of a day

Carbohydrate9 g8.6 g net · 1.6 g sugars3% of a day

Fat13 g4.7 g saturated17% of a day

Sodium490 mg21% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

Net carbs 17%
Protein 27%
Fat 56%

Low carb: under 26% of the energy is from carbs.

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

Selenium High63%

35 µg a serve, mostly from eggs (89%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Vitamin B12 High46%

1.1 µg a serve, mostly from eggs (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Vitamin A Source19%

170 µg a serve, mostly from eggs (87%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin K Source14%

17 µg a serve, mostly from fresh parsley (95%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Folate Source13%

50 µg a serve, mostly from eggs (88%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Zinc Source11%

1.2 mg a serve, mostly from eggs (89%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Vitamin D Source11%

2.2 µg a serve, mostly from eggs (98%). Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Show the other 8

Iron8%

1.5 mg a serve, mostly from eggs (81%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Vitamin B68%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from eggs (90%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Vitamin E7%

1.1 mg a serve, mostly from eggs (91%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Calcium5%

60 mg a serve, mostly from eggs (84%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Omega-35%

0.1 g a serve, mostly from eggs (85%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Potassium3%

150 mg a serve, mostly from eggs (84%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Magnesium3%

14 mg a serve, mostly from eggs (70%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Vitamin C1%

1.3 mg a serve, mostly from fresh parsley (100%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

Recipe and video by America's Test Kitchen; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.