Easy Folded Omelet

Omelets have a reputation for being fussy to make, but they’re really not! I’ll show you how to do an easy folded omelet, with options for more eggs or different fillings. And no flipping!!

There’s a recipe and video at the bottom of the post, but read on for more details about this omelet.

I adore omelets. The kind I make most often has cheddar cheese, home fries, and scallions. But you can put pretty much whatever fillings you want in yours!

I love flipping omelets. I just get a weird pride from being able to do it. But flipping is NOT NECESSARY in order to make a good omelet. I learned the method of putting a lid on it and letting it sit for a minute from America’s Test Kitchen. It works great for fried eggs, too.

This omelet can be made with one, two, three, or four eggs. It can probably be made with more, but four eggs are the most I’ve ever done, so that’s as many as I can stand behind!

Here’s what you need to make this omelet:

A nonstick pan with a lid

For one or two eggs, you need an 8-inch pan. For three or four eggs, you need a 10-inch pan.

I absolutely adore my Tramontina nonstick pans, because there are no rivets inside the pan. Don’t you hate it when the pan’s surface is nonstick, but you still have to scrub cooked-on food off of the metal rivets that are holding the handle onto the pan? Not an issue with these pans.

Plus, they are not expensive! I got my 8-inch one for about $25.

The only bummer is that there aren’t any lids available. Come on, Tramontina, get it together!! I need to contact them to see if any of their other lids are a perfect fit. I have some that work, but it’s always nice to have the right fit.

If you don’t have any lids that work, you can try these.

A silicone spatula

I still call them rubber spatulas, but I don’t think they’re made of rubber anymore? Anyway, you need one.

Eggs

I use large eggs, but whatever, this isn’t that precise of a recipe.

Butter

It makes the omelet taste delicious.

Can you do it with oil? Sure. But it won’t taste as good.

Can you do it with nonstick spray? Sure. SHOULD YOU? Absolutely not. Those sprays ruin pans. Don’t use them. The heat turns them into a gross gummy substance that is almost impossible to get off.

Optional but encouraged:

Cheese

I mean, can you make an omelet without cheese? …I GUESS.

I use bagged, pre-shredded cheese. You know, the kind that “serious cooks” say they never use.

Well, I consider myself a pretty serious cook, and I use pre-shredded cheese A LOT. I’m not going to get out a shredder for an omelet’s worth of cheese!

The only time you really have to stay away from that cheese is when you’re making a sauce. It’s coated in an anti-caking agent (cellulose) that keeps it from sticking together in the bag, and that same stuff will also keep it from blending smoothly into a sauce.

Also, don’t use the bagged stuff if you’re putting shredded mozzarella on a pizza. Pre-shredded mozzarella will NOT give you that nice gooey pull, and it won’t feel quite right in your mouth.

Scallions

They’re not as pungent as onions, so you can get away with not cooking them first. You can use the lights and the darks. Mix them right into the eggs before adding them to the pan.

If you want to be fancy, save a little to sprinkle on top of your omelet on the plate.

Fillings

I absolutely love putting leftover home fries in my omelets. To me, it just isn’t the same without home fries, and I don’t really want an omelet without them. So if I’m making an omelet, you know I just made home fries, or I have some leftover in the fridge.

Whatever toppings you put in (meats, veggies), make sure they’re cooked and warm. You can cook them or heat them up in the same pan you’re making the omelet in, just put them on a plate and wipe the pan out well before you cook the eggs. If they’re already cooked, you can heat them up in the microwave.

So here’s how you do it:

(Or you can just skip down to the recipe card, which is more concise.)

Prep the eggs

Crack your eggs into a bowl and add a bit of salt and pepper. Beat with a fork until uniform. Then set them aside while you gather the other ingredients. You want to give them a chance to sit in the salt, which will help keep the eggs from getting rubbery.

Gather everything else

You want to have everything ready, so that you’re not searching for anything at a critical time. Once you start cooking, this goes pretty quickly. So make sure you have all of the ingredients (besides the eggs, which you’ve already prepped), your pan and spatula, the lid, and a plate to put the omelet on.

If you’re using scallions, stir those into the eggs.

Start cooking!

Put the butter in the pan and let it melt over medium heat (if you have an especially powerful stove, go down to medium-low). You DO NOT want the butter to brown at all, so if you see that starting to happen, get the pan off of the heat immediately. But you do want it to get foamy.

Swirl the butter around the pan a bit to make this part go quicker. Make sure the whole pan is covered.

Add the eggs and stir them constantly with the spatula, making sure to scrape the sides so that nothing overcooks. Keep it moving!!

When the eggs are about 2/3-3/4 of the way done (so still wet but not, like, soupy), spread them out in the pan in an even layer. Then put your cheese and fillings in a thick line in the middle of the pan.

Put the lid on, and turn off the heat. (If you’re using an electric stove, take the pan off of the burner.)

Set a timer for one minute. When the minute is done, using the spatula, fold the right third of the omelet over the middle third, and then fold all of that over the left third, sliding it onto your plate as you do.

Sprinkle a little bit of scallions on top for a garnish, and serve immediately!

A few notes about single-egg omelets

One, while the general rule is to use one teaspoon of butter per egg, that isn’t quite enough for a one-egg omelet, so use a smidge more.

Two, there just isn’t a lot of room for fillings with a one-egg omelet. I usually leave them out, and just have a cheese and scallion omelet.

Three, it can be a little difficult to fold them, since they’re so small. So, if your omelet unfolds as you’re sliding it onto your plate, just tuck the edge under the omelet with the rubber spatula.