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Yes, butter in eggs is delicious. No one’s arguing it’s not. But sometimes, you need an alternative. Trying to work some wellness into your morning routine? Maybe you want more savory, earthy flavor. Or you desperately need to be sitting on a sun-drenched terrace in Santorini right now, and eggs with a taste of the Mediterranean are the closest substitute your current accrued PTO will allow. Whatever’s driving the craving, I wanted to know which oil actually delivers in a skillet of scrambled eggs. I talked with Suzy Karadsheh, New York Times best-selling author and founder of The Mediterranean Dish, to hear her case for the best oil for cooking eggs: olive oil.
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Why Olive Oil Is the Best Oil for Scrambled Eggs
Olive oil is at the heart of the Mediterranean diet, loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. But for Karadsheh, the appeal for using olive oil for scrambled eggs goes well past the health benefits: It comes down to flavor, texture, and performance. “A good extra-virgin olive oil brings a fruity, slightly peppery note that butter just can’t give you, and it adds real richness without making the eggs taste heavy,” says Karadsheh. She looks for a balanced, medium-bodied oil that won’t overwhelm the eggs with pungent pepperiness but will contribute subtle complexity. Karadsheh uses her own brand of oil for scrambles, The Mediterranean Dish Private Reserve Greek EVOO, because it has a smooth, fruity flavor, herby aroma, and buttery finish. Ina Garten’s favorite and this everyday chef pick will also check both boxes.
Olive oil is 100% fat, while butter is 82% to 86% fat, the rest being water and milk solids. That difference means olive oil heats up faster and more evenly. In both cases, fat coats the egg proteins and slows their coagulation, which gives you soft, tender curds instead of rubbery lumps. But because olive oil isn’t fighting water for space in the pan, it distributes heat and coats the proteins more consistently, serving up silkier scrambled eggs. Beyond greasing the skillet, Karadsheh whisks “a little olive oil right into the raw eggs before they hit the pan, which makes them extra moist and helps them cook up soft and fluffy rather than dry.”
Extra-virgin olive oil is more heat-friendly than most give it credit for. Its smoke point falls between 350°F and 415°F, depending on the oil, which is plenty high for scrambling eggs—and nowhere near its limits when you’re cooking up a custardy slow-and-low scramble.
Karadsheh points out that smoke point isn’t the whole story: “What actually matters more is how well an oil resists breaking down under heat.” High-quality extra-virgin olive oils are naturally rich in antioxidants, which slow oxidation. And those monounsaturated fats we’re supposed to be eating for heart health? They’re more heat-stable than the polyunsaturated fats dominating in sunflower, corn, and soybean oils. This means your olive oil showed up to breakfast with security detail. Your eggs are safe.
For the silkiest scramble and maximum flavor retention, Karadsheh keeps the heat at medium, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Low and slow is key, and she pulls the eggs off the heat just before they look fully done, since they keep cooking a bit after.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes