Ricotta eggs are soft, creamy, and bright thanks to brown butter, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. This simple scrambled egg upgrade is ready in under 10 minutes, making it easy enough for a weekday breakfast.
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Is there anything ricotta cheese isn't delicious in? It's an absolute perfect pairing with eggs of all styles, yet we rarely hear of people making ricotta eggs.
So, this recipe is your sign to make ricotta eggs this weekend! Actually, these scrambled eggs are so quick and easy, you can even swing them on a weekday morning.
I do add a couple special touches to the eggs, like brown butter (so easy!), fresh lemon juice and zest (adds bright, citrus notes), and fresh herbs (always!) for topping. But the special touches are all so simple and can also be skipped if necessary.
❤️ Why this recipe works
I brown the butter before scrambling the eggs: this creates a toasty depth that always makes eggs more delicious and works so well with lemon.
Low and slow cooking method keeps the eggs tender: cooking the eggs gently over medium-low heat gives them custardy, pillowy curds instead of rubbery, dry ones.
Ricotta is added in last: folding the cheese in off the heat keeps it from disappearing into the eggs, so it stays in soft, creamy pockets instead.
Lemon adds brightness to the eggs: a little juice and zest cut through the richness so the dish tastes fresh instead of heavy.
An extra boost of protein: eggs are already a great source of protein on their own and the ricotta stirred in at the end adds even more. Win-win!
Easy enough for a weekday: though these scrambled eggs feel really special, they only take a couple minutes longer to make then plain scrambled eggs... they're quick and easy and so much better than plain!
🗒 Ingredients
Here's everything you need for these ricotta eggs:
- Large eggs
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Ricotta cheese: I've made these with both reduced-fat and full-fat ricotta and both are wonderful. If your ricotta looks watery, drain it in a fine mesh sieve for a few minutes before using.
- Fresh lemon zest
- Parsley
- Chives
🍳 Recipe tips
- This recipe begins like any other scrambled egg recipe... just whisk together the eggs and salt and pepper. This is where I add a little lemon juice, too.
- Do not add any milk or water to the eggs. It's a misnomer that this makes scrambled eggs creamier. They will just make your eggs rubbery. Cooking them low and slow and adding the ricotta is what will make them soft and creamy!
- When browning butter, watch it very closely. It can go from golden and nutty to burnt and bitter very quickly. Right when it smells toasty and turns golden, it's done.
- If you don't care for browned butter, you can skip this step. Simply heat the butter until melted.
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- Use medium-low heat when cooking the eggs. Rushing them over high heat is how you get dry, icky eggs.
- I recommend taking the skillet off the heat while the eggs still look slightly underdone. Carryover heat will finish cooking them and if they're too firm, you won't get nice, creamy ricotta eggs.
- When adding the ricotta, use a rubber spatula to gently fold it in to build big, soft curds. Aggressive stirring will break everything down into tiny bits.
- And add it in a little bit at a time in small dollops to keep the creamy pockets intact.
- Add fresh herbs, like chives and parsley and lemon zest for even more fresh flavor.
- And serve however you want. I like to spoon them over toast, but they're great on their own, too.
I absolutely love how soft and creamy these scrambled eggs are. You can also taste the flavor depth the brown butter adds and the brightness from the lemon!
And I'm thrilled to get such a tasty extra boost of protein in the morning.
I could eat these eggs for breakfast every single morning; weekday and weekends alike!
🎉 Variations on recipe
Here are some ways you can jazz up these eggs and make them your own:
- Add a little parmesan or pecorino for more cheesy flavor.
- Add some heat with red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or hot honey.
- Add a small clove of grated garlic to the butter just as it finishes browning for a aromatic base.
- Wilt a handful of baby spinach or kale in the butter before adding the eggs for an easy way to work in some greens.
- Serve crispy prosciutto or fried capers on top for a salty crunch.
- To make it even more of a meal, serve the eggs with smoked salmon or a green salad.
- Dill, tarragon, or basil are all great herb swaps (or additions).
🥚 More egg recipes
If you're looking for more ways to make your breakfasts more exciting, try some of my other favorite egg recipes:
These ricotta eggs prove that a couple of small tweaks can turn a basic breakfast into something you actually look forward to!
They're quick, super adaptable, and just a little bit fancy without any of the fuss.
But just a warning... once you start browning butter and adding ricotta to your scrambled eggs, your family may not want plain scrambled eggs every again!
📖 Recipe
Ricotta Eggs
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Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup ricotta cheese full-fat or low-fat (if it looks watery, drain in a fine mesh strainer for a few minutes)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon chopped chives
Instructions
- Crack eggs into a bowl; add lemon juice, salt, and pepper; and whisk well to combine.
- In a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and let it cook until it turns golden and smells nutty, about 2-3 minutes. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and pour eggs into skillet. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold and push the eggs to the center of the pan slowly as they cook.
- When the eggs are almost set, but still look slightly underdone, remove skillet from heat. Fold the ricotta into the eggs in small spoonfuls to get creamy pockets throughout.
- Add lemon zest, parsley, chives, and more salt and pepper to taste. Serve as is or over toast.
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