Air Fryer Poached Eggs are a quick and easy way to perfectly poach eggs! Serve these eggs on top of avocado toast or eggs benedict.
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There are many ways to cook an egg, and poaching is my favorite. Poached eggs are healthier than fried eggs. No butter or oil is needed. Try my Air Fryer Soft Boiled Egg and Air Fryer Omelette recipes for more Air Fryer breakfast options!
Poaching allows you to gently cook the egg in water, firm up the white, and enjoy a runny yolk! With so many ways to poach an egg, using an air fryer is the best.
I love to place air-fried poached eggs on a gluten-free English muffin with a creamy Hollandaise Sauce. Check out my Eggs Benedict recipe for the full recipe!
These poached eggs taste amazing when served with Sous Vide Ham leftovers.
Many people find poaching eggs scary and leave it up to the restaurant chefs to execute. With the invention of the air fryer, poaching eggs is so simple.
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⭐️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- There is no vinegar, swirling, or standing over a pot of simmering water.
- A great addition to asparagus, spinach, and salmon.
- The yolks are creamy and runny, just like a poached egg should be.
📝 Key Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the poached egg ingredients. Scroll to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Eggs - Fresh eggs are the best for poaching because their egg whites hold together better than older eggs. Some people like to add a touch of vinegar when poaching but it's not needed, and it affects the flavor.
- Cooking Spray - Coating your ramekins with cooking spray will help you remove them with ease.
- Hot Water - Adding hot water will help you poach the eggs faster and help set the egg whites.
- Ramekins - I find that 4-inch ramekins work the best for air fryer poach eggs.
See recipe card for quantities.
🥘 Substitutions + Variations
- Traditional stovetop method - Place a medium-sized saucepan on the stove and bring it up to a simmer. It is common to add a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar to help with the poaching process. Crack eggs into individual ramekins or small cups. Create a whirlpool by gently stirring the water with a spoon in one direction. Gently lower eggs into the water and poach for 2-3 minutes until whites wrap around the yolk. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Microwave method - Use a small mug filled with ½ cup of water. Crack an egg into the mug and pierce the yolk with a toothpick. Cover with plastic and microwave for 30 seconds. Place back into the microwave for another 30 seconds. Remove the plastic wrap and let the egg sit in water for 1 minute.
- Sous vide method - Fill a large pot full of water and place the immersion circulator inside. Set the temperature to 167 degrees. Gently lower the eggs (whole eggs) into the water and set the timer for 13 minutes. Remove and let cool for 3 minutes. Gently crack the egg, removing the top half.
- Oven method - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a muffin pan, put 1 tablespoon of water in each cup. Crack an egg into each muffin cup and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the egg whites set.
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow along and learn how to make air fryer poached eggs.
Step 1: Spray ramekins with an avocado oil spray and set them inside the air fryer.
Step 2: Add ¼ cup of water to each ramekin. Secure with lid and preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Crack an egg into each ramekin. Secure the lid and cook at 360 degrees for 5 minutes. Run a small rubber spatula around the edges of the egg to help release it from the ramekin. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Step 4: Ramekins will be hot so remove them with a kitchen towel. Pour out the water and release the eggs with a small rubber spatula. Serve poached eggs for breakfast on toast, or an English muffin. Season with salt and pepper.
⏰ Air Fryer Poached Eggs Cooking Times
Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees. Cooking times can vary depending on your air fryer. I use the Gourmia 7 quart Air Fryer.
| Runny Yolk | 5 minutes |
| Medium Yolk | 7 minutes |
| Firm Yolk | 9 minutes |
| Hard Yolk | 10 minutes |
📅 Make-Ahead Poached Eggs
Since it only takes five minutes to cook, we recommend making them fresh. You will have to do this on a couple of batches since you can only fit 4 ramekins into the air fryer.
If you decide to make them a day in advance, cook the eggs for 3 minutes. Let the ramekins cool down to room temperature and refrigerate. Reheat at 300 degrees for 1-2 minutes.
👨🏻🍳 Chef Tips
- Depending on your air fryer cooking time may vary. Try poaching 1 egg at a time and adjust the cooking time plus or minus until you get the perfect poached egg.
- Fresh egg yolks hold their shape, giving you that classic poached egg look. Older egg yolks have a flatter shape.
- Safety first. Use a kitchen towel or tongs to remove the HOT ramekins from the air fryer.
- How do I release the egg from the ramekin? Grab a small silicone spatula and run it around the edge and under the egg to release it.
- Crack eggs on a flat surface. Nobody likes eggshells inside their poached eggs.
- Eggs should be 100% submerged underwater for poaching. Nobody wants crispy poached eggs.
- Eggs will continue to cook in the ramekins after you remove them from the air fryer, so serve them immediately.
❓Recipe FAQ's
So healthy! Poaching eggs removes added fat and calories from your morning eggs.
The perfect poached egg has a firm egg white with a runny yolk. If you like a medium-poached egg, increase the cooking time.
Yes! Adding vinegar is thought to help set the egg whites, but the vinegar imparts a flavor you don't want in poached eggs.
It depends on how many ramekins you can fit inside your air fryer. I poach 4 eggs at a time.
In my experience adding hot water helps poach the egg whites faster resulting in a creamy egg yolk. When I started with cold or water all of my poached eggs were a failed attempt.
🍽 More Egg Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @thefrizzledleek on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Poached Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 fresh eggs
- cooking spray
- 1 cup water ¼ cup water per ramekin
Instructions
- Spray each ramekin with a bit of avocado spray. Place them into an air fryer basket.
- Fill each ramekin with three tablespoons of water.
- Secure the air fryer with the lid and preheat at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Crack one egg into each ramekin, close the lid and cook for 5 minutes at 360 degrees.
- Carefully remove the ramekins from your air fryer. Pour out the water on the top of the eggs.
- Use a small rubber spatula to release the poached egg from the ramekins. Go around the outer edge and underneath the egg to remove it.
Notes
- Fresh egg yolks hold their shape, giving you that classic poached egg look. Older egg yolks have a flatter shape.
- Safety first. Use a kitchen towel or tongs to remove the HOT ramekins from the air fryer.
- How do I release the egg from the ramekin? Grab a small silicone spatula and run it around the edge and under the egg to release it.
- Crack eggs on a flat surface. Nobody likes eggshells inside their poached eggs.
Nutrition
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Jan says
Didn’t work for me at all even increasing time to +15 minutes. To be fair, probably has something to do with the thickness of my ramekins and my brand of air fryer.
Mike Cleavenger says
Hi Jan,
I sorry to hear this recipe didn't work out for you. Can you tell me what didn't work in the recipe? Maybe using a silicone air fryer egg bite mold to release your poached eggs would work.
mikecleavenger says
I love how easy and fail-proof this recipe is. Now making Eggs Benedict is not so intimidating.