Last week, I learned that Eggs on a Cloud is a kinda Instagram hit now — my husband showed me an article in a German online magazine. You know Eggs on a Cloud? Where you place a whole egg yolk on top of stiff-beaten egg whites, looking like the bright-colored yolk is floating on a soft, white cloud? The idea is certainly fascinating, and I immediately got several ideas of how to vary and improve the basic recipe, naturally keeping it still simple.
In this post, you will find my experiments and variations as well as the ultimate, super-scrumptious Bacon and Eggs on a Cloud recipe! You couldn’t imagine how simple this tasty and practically zero-carb dish actually is!
Tips for making the Bacon and Eggs on a Cloud
But first some tips. Even the recipe is super simple, I noticed the result is perfect if you consider a couple of things.
Separating the eggs is easier if the eggs are fridge-cold. The yolks don’t break that easily and the whole process just works better if the eggs are refrigerated.
In my opinion (but this is just a matter of taste), the Bacon and Eggs on a Cloud tastes best with a slightly runny yolk. So you’d be better to closely monitor the oven when you are baking the dish, and remove the baking sheet on time just before the yolk turns solid.
It’s worth working swiftly after beating the egg whites. If you wait too long, they start producing fluid that will spread on the baking sheet. Not nice!
Oh, and another thing: please try to keep the yolk from breaking when you place it on top of the bacon! If it breaks, it might cause a nasty leakage, like in the photo below. I placed a yolk on the bacon slices on the egg white cloud, but the yolk broke and was oozing everywhere, causing a nasty mess. I cleaned up most of the mess and placed a new yolk on top. Using very fresh, cold eggs again pays off here: the yolks don’t break that easily.
My Bacon and Eggs on a Cloud experiments
Actually, before even introducing the article in the German online magazine, my husband gave me the idea about Bacon and Eggs on a Cloud. So it’s my husband whom you can thank for this idea! My husband really doesn’t cook, but once in a while he comes up with interesting ideas worth trying. Bacon and Eggs on a Cloud was certainly one of them.
However I still had to figure out: what would be the best way to add the bacon to the basic Eggs on a Cloud recipe? Chopping them and adding them with the beaten egg whites? Fried bacon slices placed under the yolk? Around the yolk? On top of the yolk? Hmm… maybe fried and crumbled bacon sprinkled on top of the egg before baking it?
I bet spices like barbecue seasoning, chives, or onion powder would enhance the taste. I could even add shredded cheese to the beaten egg whites for full satisfaction. But with cheese the whole thing might turn out flat, not that fluffy cloud that it should be…
Well, I had no other choice except to roll up my sleeves and start experimenting.
First, I made the basic recipe; just stiff-beaten egg whites formed into nests and the whole yolk on top (I was planning to season it just with S&P):
Then, I added fried and crumbled bacon on top. I was also planning to sprinkle some barbecue seasoning on top of the whole thing before putting it in the oven, but I simply forgot!
In my next experiment, I mixed some shredded cheese into the beaten egg whites:
(Yes, it turned somewhat flat in the oven:)
And this experiment is with fresh chives sprinkled on top:
How about a bacon ring surrounding the egg yolk? (I almost hear somebody singing “The ring of bacon, the ring of bacon…!”)
Or shredded cheese surrounding the egg yolk?
And my last experiment, yolk on top of fried bacon slices:
Which one do YOU like? I still would have had tons of ideas, but I wanted to stop experimenting because I had found what I was looking for. My personal preference is definitely the last experiment with a yolk on top of bacon slices and that egg white cloud. Seasoned with pepper, it’s just what I needed! (I bet barbecue seasoning would have been the icing on the cake, though that’s not the best idiom here!)
Aaand here is the recipe:
Bacon and Eggs on a Cloud
Ingredients
- 6 organic free-range eggs
- 12 slices fried bacon
- unrefined sea salt or Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Separate the eggs. When separating, put the whites in a deep and narrow bowl and place the yolks in 6 separate small cups. Be careful not to break the yolks!
- Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Spoon the egg whites into 6 mounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make a well in the center of each egg white mound.
- Place 2 bacon slices criss-crossed on each egg white. Press the bacon gently into the well.
- Slide 1 yolk carefully to each well, without breaking the yolk.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until to your preference (i.e. if you prefer runny yolk or not).
- Remove from the oven.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Tips for variation
As you can see from my experiments (which I didn’t even make too many of in the end), there are dozens and dozens of ways to vary this dish. Use your own imagination and make the dish yours! With different spices, cheeses, meats, and veggies, you can make a whole meal — a meal on a cloud, I should say.
Here is how the version with chives turned out:
And this is with crumbled bacon (turned a bit flat, but still tasty):
In the comments, I would love to hear about your variations. Or, if you post photos to Instagram, don’t forget to tag me as well @lowcarbsosimple.
You could add some cream of tartar to the egg whites to help stabilize them. Adding a small amount of cream of tartar when you’re beating egg whites—usually 1/8 teaspoon per egg white—speeds up the creation of foam and helps stabilize the structure of those miniscule air bubbles you’re whipping up.
Hi Pattie, actually, I was thinking of adding cream of tartar, but in the end I was happy with the texture of the beaten egg whites and wanted to keep it simple. But yes, you’re right, you can add some to stabilize the structure even more.
can you make with less eggs as there are only two of us? otherwise think it a lovely recipe.
Hi Libby, absolutely! Just use 2 bacon slices per 1 egg.
Hi my question as you’ve read it must have sounded stupid! What I meant to say was could the cloud recipe be made with less eggs or does it have to be with 6?
Hi, sorry, I think I got what you meant, but obviously I wasn’t capable of explaining it! I just wanted to say that no, it doesn’t have to be 6 eggs, you can use any amount of eggs you want. Just use double amount of bacon slices, so 2 slices of bacon per egg. For example, if you take 4 eggs, just separate them and beat the egg whites until stiff. Take the beaten egg whites and make 4 mounds with wells, place 2 bacon slices into each well (so you need altogether 8 fried bacon slices) and 1 yolk per egg white mound. Hope this helps!