Scrambled eggs can be tricky to perfect, but food editor Haley Scrapino has revealed that adding cream cheese before cooking yields a richer and fluffier result. Writing for Simply Recipes, Scrapino explains that the secret ingredient is neither butter nor cream but cream cheese, a common fridge staple.
The Two-Ingredient Method
Scrapino recommends using just two ingredients: eggs and cream cheese. She cracks two eggs into a bowl, seasons with salt, and whisks until fully combined. Then she adds five dollops of cream cheese, each about the size of a dime (or a 10 pence piece in the UK).
Heat a pan on low with half a tablespoon of butter. Pour in the egg mixture and cook gently, stirring with a spatula until the eggs are set and the cream cheese has largely melted. The mixture may look lumpy initially, but patience allows the cream cheese to melt into a silky consistency.
Why It Works
Scrapino notes that the cream cheese keeps the curds light and tender. She says, “A few small pockets of cream cheese are perfectly fine and, in my opinion, one of the best parts.” She serves the eggs with sourdough toast and freshly ground black pepper.
To balance the richness, she suggests adding black pepper or chopped chives after cooking. Adding pepper before cooking can make the eggs look speckled and weigh them down, resulting in a less fluffy texture.
