The ultimate breakfast sandwich starring two fried eggs, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese and my secret ingredient, strawberry jam! It’s sweet, savory and totally delicious. One bite, and you’ll see why this is the best egg sandwich recipe ever!
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We have Instagram to thank for this one. It all started with a quick snap I took of my mom’s famous egg sandwich. Seems pretty simple, right? And the beauty of this savory-meets-sweet breakfast sandwich is that it is easy … just as long as you follow a few basic breakfasting tips for egg sandwich success:
- DO experiment with bread varieties. Toast, bagel, English muffin—pick something sturdy and substantial.
- DON’T fry the eggs in anything other than bacon fat. Only good can come from cooking things in bacon fat.
- DO pay attention to the cheese to eggs ratio. This is an egg sandwich, not a grilled cheese sandwich.
- DON’T skip and/or fear the addition of the jam. It lends a critical sweet note to balance out the savory elements.
You may be wondering, “Should I add something healthy? Maybe some spinach? Or perhaps a slice of tomato?” And the answer is “no.” You don’t mess with the simplicity of The Ultimate Egg Sandwich. You cook the bacon. You fry the eggs in the bacon fat. You toast the bread. You melt the cheese. You embrace the hot mess that is attempting to eat it, broken yolk, gooey cheese, sticky jam and all.
Let’s break down the simple ingredients that make this the best breakfast sandwich recipe to ever cross your lips:
- 2 strips of bacon: Whether you go for applewood smoked, peppered or classic, the choice is yours!
- 2 eggs
- 2 slices of bread: I love brioche for its buttery taste and texture, but as I mentioned above, you can swap in your favorite bread, English muffin or bagel.
- 1 slice of cheese: I use sharp Cheddar to balance the sweetness of the jam.
- 2 tablespoons strawberry jam: The star of the show! Feel free to experiment with raspberry, fig or even apricot jam.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Cook the bacon to your desired level of crispiness. Once cooked, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, leaving about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan.
- Fry the eggs. Crack the eggs into the same pan and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook the eggs until the whites are fully set and the yolks reach your preferred doneness. (See my tips below for frying the perfect eggs.)
- Add the cooked bacon and cheese. Once the eggs are cooked, turn off the heat and top them with the crispy bacon and sharp cheddar cheese. Cover the pan again just until the cheese melts.
- Toast the bread and slather with jam. While the cheese is melting, toast your sandwich bread until golden brown. Spread one slice with the strawberry jam.
- Assemble your sandwich. Carefully transfer the eggs, bacon and melted cheese onto the jam-covered toast. Top with the second slice of bread, slice in half and enjoy!
I love serving these fried egg sandwiches with crispy hash browns, a refreshing fruit salad and/or raspberry cream cheese Danish for a tasty brunch spread. And on weekends, you can’t beat pairing this with a mimosa!
How to Fry an Egg for a Sandwich
Mastering how to fry an egg perfectly will completely elevate your breakfast sandwich game. Here’s my foolproof method:
- Use a nonstick skillet. It’s the easiest way to ensure your eggs don’t stick.
- Cover the pan. Cover the pan. This traps steam, which cooks the tops of the eggs without needing to flip them. The result? Well-set whites, jammy yolks and slightly browned edges (a.k.a my perfect fried egg!).
- Cook to your liking. The key to this recipe is frying the eggs to your preferred doneness. Want runny yolks? Cook them just until the whites are set, about 2-3 minutes. Prefer firm yolks? Let them cook a bit longer, around 4-5 minutes. For me, the ultimate breakfast sandwich has an egg with slightly runny yolks.
Other Delicious Egg Sandwich Combinations
While I’m obsessed with this bacon, cheese and jelly combo, think of it as more of a template with endless possibilities! Here are a few variations to try:
- Add avocado. It doesn’t get much better than adding creamy avocado to this sammie.
- Swap bacon for sausage. Use sausage links or patties, then use apple butter instead of jam for a fall-inspired twist. SO GOOD!
- Use slices of ham instead of bacon.
- Not a fan of fried eggs? Soft scrambled eggs would be just as delicious!
For another tasty breakfast option, check out my Ultimate Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich!
Ingredients
- 2 strips uncooked bacon
- 2 large eggs
- 2 slices sandwich bread
- 1 slice sharp Cheddar cheese
- 2 Tablespoons strawberry jam
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat until it reaches your desired level of crispiness. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pan.
- Crack the eggs into the pan and increase the heat to medium. Season the eggs with salt and pepper then cover the pan and cook until the egg whites are fully set. Turn off the heat, uncover the pan, then add the bacon and cheese atop the eggs and cover the pan again until the cheese is melted and the yolks reach your desired doneness.
- Toast the bread then spread once slice with the jam. Transfer the eggs onto the jam then top with the second slice of toast and serve.
Kelly’s Notes
- Swap in your favorite bread, English muffin or bagel.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not republish this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
how high do you put the heat when cooking your eggs. I always seem to break the yolk when I flip them so it sounds great being able to cook an egg without flipping it.
Hi Jackie! All pans/stovetops heat up differently, but I start with the heat on medium, add the egg to the pan, cover it and reduce it to low until the yolk reaches my desired doneness. Hope that helps!
To those who wonder about adding peanut butter – I love pb and bacon sandwiches so why not add the egg and cheese, will try at lunch today.
Enjoy!
Do you think you could add peanut butter to this as well?!
I’ve never tried that, but I bet it would be amazing!
I have been eating peanut butter bacon and egg sandwiches for 50+ years. My dad was the one who made Over the years I’ve received negative reactions when I mention this as a favorite of mine. I guess it just proves there is no accounting for personal taste.
YES!
I will never eat another egg sandwich without jam! Absolutely brilliant recipe, Kelly!
Thanks so much, Tammy!
My mum used to make a variant of this. She would use very streaky bacon which gives of a large amount of bacon fat. Cook the eggs. Keep bacon and eggs in warm oven while….frying white bread in the bacon fat to get a nice toast. Then build the triple decker. The fried bread is superb with all that bacon fat!
Sounds fantastic!
A little late, but have you ever tried a peanut butter, hard boiled eggs and jelly sandwich? Sounds really gross, but a babysitter whipped up this sandwich back when I was a kid, and maybe it’s because kids have weird tastebuds, but I loved it. For some added deliciousness, spreading the thinnest spread of margarine on the toast before adding everything really brings it together, in my opinion. Distorted childhood memory, irresponsible babysitter, or genius? You decide. :)
I have never tried this but I AM GAME! Love sweet and salty so this is right up my alley :)
Just made this. Blew my mind. So good, so easy. Great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Patrick!
Recipe says to put cheese on one slice & jam on the other slice but picture shows jam on the cheese. I always leave the yolk runny when I make a fried egg sandwich. Will have to try the jam addition.
Hi Dotti! Either way works. Enjoy!
Back in 1975, my older brother Frankie used to make this kind of sandwich. The whole family thought he was weird to make such a breakfast sandwich.
He would put bacon and fried egg on one slice, and on another slice he would put, bologna and mustard on another slice and then peanut butter and jam on another slice, then he would pile them all together and eat it like a sandwich.
I personally never tried it, but it must have been okay, he survived after eating it. He was a really big eater. Seriously, he would make 3 of those and eat it all in one sitting and he was in great shape (looked like Chantum Tating?) He worked in Construction. (explains the muscled physique.)
Who would have thought his idea would come to public recipes!
very tasty as well as easy.
you’re way too young to know that! my parents (back in the 50s/60s) dipped the bread in bacon grease when they made grilled cheese/bacon sammies for us – they were the best ever :)
This reminds me of my childhood except we dip the bread in the bacon fat!! LOL more bacon fat the better!! Nothing better than a runny egg dripping all over, my mouth is watering as I type this! ;)
This looks incredible! My family would go crazy for them!
I want a big bite of that now! Looks sooooo good. And the addition of jam? Never would have thought of that but I’m going to try it!
Gorgeous Kelly!!
My breakfast sandwich-loving husband will LOVE you for this recipe! Oh who am I kidding… I love you for it, too.
Oh those drippy yolks…. you’ve got me sold! I have to admit, I’ve never really loved the idea of mixing jam with eggs but I trust you on this one. Beautiful photos!
I particularly like rule # 2!
It looks like it’s about to be a breakfast for dinner, kind of night — MMMMMmmm!
Yes indeed! All day, any day :)
I love egg sandwiches with bacon and cheese! However, I have never head it with jam, but I shall try. I think the husband would love it. Thanks for sharing!
Definitely give it a shot, Connie! It’s so delicious.
My favorite breakfast ever…egg sandwich!! But jam on too? I am SO trying that!
My husband would be giving you high fives for the jam for sure. I however am giving you high fives for this spectacular photo! Love the yolk drip.
Haha! I love it, Katie. Thanks so much! :)
I liked the recipe and the Site….The directions and ingredients are easy to understand…so Thanks to KELLY for the Great Job