Can I tell you a secret? These veggie “breakfast” sandwiches are a nice, simple meal for any time of day. This is a great back-pocket recipe for busy days.
Most breakfast sandwiches are rich and heavy, with lots of butter, cheese and bacon. This meatless breakfast sandwich is on the more healthy side. It features a modest amount of melted cheese and some fresh veggies to balance it out.
This egg cooking technique is so quick, your egg will be ready by the time your muffin pops out of the toaster. Feel free to add any crisp, raw vegetables in your drawer.
I’m a big fan of the onion and hot sauce components, which are bold on their own but balance out the richness of the eggs and cheese. Feta, raw spinach and roasted red pepper would be a nice alternative combo. You also can’t go wrong with goat cheese when eggs are involved.
How to Make the Best Breakfast Sandwich
The perfect breakfast sandwich offers layers of opposing textures and flavors. Here’s what I suggest
- Toast your English muffin, for a little bit of crunch and some warm, toasty flavor.
- Spread good mayonnaise across the bottom bun for some creaminess and tanginess. I recommend Sir Kensington’s brand.
- Mash up some avocado in a bowl. The mash spreads easily over the remaining bun.
- Once your cheesy egg is ready, place it onto the mayo side. If and only if tomatoes are in season, add a slice of red tomato.
- Then add some red onion for some pungent flavor and crunch to contrast the soft egg. If you’re sensitive to onion flavor, rinse the sliced onions under cool running water to talk off some of the edge.
- Top the red onion with a couple splashes of hot sauce. I love Tabasco. The tangy acidity almost makes the onions taste pickled, and breaks through the rich, creamy flavor of the eggs and cheese.
- Arugula offers fresh, peppery flavor. Load it up!
- Finally, place the avocado bun on top, avocado side down. To slice, carefully slide a sharp, pointed knife into the center of the sandwich, and slice across to one edge. Repeat in the opposite direction. Serve warm.
How to Cook the Egg
The scrambled egg muffins you see here are a stroke of Deb genius. I saw her cooking method on A Cup of Jo several years ago, and I’m a big fan.
Basically, you scramble up one egg with a tiny bit of water (the water helps prevent the egg from browning too soon). Pour it into a hot, medium-sized, buttered pan. It starts to set almost immediately.
Place a couple of slices of cheese in the center to melt, then fold one side over the middle, followed by the opposite side. Repeat with the remaining two sides. And you’re done!
Eggs cooked this way will please kids, as well as runny yolk-averse individuals and basically everyone. Try it, and you’ll see.
Please let me know how you like this breakfast sandwich in the comments! It’s a really great, simple recipe to keep in your back pocket.
If you love this recipe, be sure to check these out as well:
- Healthy Breakfast Casserole
- How to Make Frittatas (Stovetop or Baked)
- Simple Breakfast Tostadas
- Simple Breakfast Quesadillas
- Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos
Veggie Breakfast Sandwich
- Author:
- Prep Time: 12 mins
- Cook Time: 3 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
The best breakfast sandwich you’ll ever have, seriously. These quick egg sandwiches are great for lunch and dinner, too. Feel free to change up the toppings. Recipe yields 1 sandwich; cook one egg at a time and assemble sandwiches as needed.
Ingredients
- 1 whole wheat English muffin, sliced in half and toasted (or two fairly small slices of bread, toasted)
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
- ½ ripe avocado, mashed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon water
- 1 teaspoon butter or olive oil
- 2 small slices of cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (about ½ ounce, any other melty cheese will do)
- 1 slice of ripe red tomato, if tomatoes are in season (optional)
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Several dashes of hot sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)
- Small handful arugula or sprouts
Instructions
- To prepare your sandwiches, spread the mayonnaise over the lower half of your toasted muffin. Spread the mashed avocado over the other half, and sprinkle it with a few dashes of salt and pepper.
- Heat a medium non-stick skillet or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, scramble the egg with the water and a few dashes of salt and pepper.
- Once the skillet is hot, add a pat of butter and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Pour in the scrambled egg and immediately swirl the egg in the bottom of the pan to make an even layer.
- Immediately place your cheese in the center of the egg mixture as shown. Once the egg is set enough to fold over onto itself with a spatula (this could take 30 seconds to 1 minute), fold one side over the middle, then the opposite side over the middle. Repeat with the other two sides so you have a cute little egg and cheese envelope. Let it cook for another 15 to 30 seconds, until it’s set enough that you can transfer it to a plate.
- Place the cooked egg on the mayo-covered bun. Top with a slice of tomato, if using. Add with several slices of red onion, a few dashes of hot sauce, and a little handful of arugula. Top it with the remaining bun, avocado side down.
- To slice it in half, insert a sharp knife into the center of the sandwich, and slice across to one edge. Repeat in the opposite direction. Serve warm! If you’re making more sandwiches, reduce the stove temperature from medium-high to medium, as the pan only gets hotter the longer it’s on the stove.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Deb’s recipe for The Best Egg Sandwich You’ll Ever Have, via A Cup of Jo.
Make it dairy free: Simply skip the cheese.
Make it gluten free: Use gluten-free English muffins or slices of toasted gluten-free bread.
Change it up: You can replace the mayonnaise with additional mashed avocado, if preferred. An alternative flavor combination that would be good? Try feta cheese, spinach instead of arugula, and a slice of roasted red pepper.
Haley S
I absolutely love these! Good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And you can freeze them! (maybe not the avocado?) so yummy! (:
Sofia
100% agree! Not sure either about freezing avocado, never done it before. And btw, the dog is SUPER CUTE!!! What breed is it? I want one like that myself! :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Sofia. :) She’s a mystery mutt, but seems to be very much like a miniature Australian shepherd.
Susanna
Hi there! I have frozen avocados in sandwiches and burritos as well as mashed for future uses when I have some leftovers from making guacamole for example. you can hardly tell the different after it’s thawed. So I fully recommend freezing them if necessary :-)
Sandy
I like your recipes
Katrina @ WVS
Awww Cookie is so stinking cute!! Love these photos + recipe. Lovely!
Kate @ TheKateKeeper
I LOVE breakfast sandwiches, and I’ve been meaning to make them at home. Each time I see them priced for $12 (the going rate in SF), my jaw drops at the same time that my mouth waters. Thanks for the inspo! I’m making these this weekend :)
Kate
Twelve dollars for a breakfast sandwich?! Oh my. Hope you enjoy this homemade version just as much as the overpriced restaurant sandwiches!
Stefanie
I love the perfect way your scrambles eggs are folded! Also, runny yolks are overrated sometimes and you don’t need that silly boy anyways!!!
Kate
Ha, thanks!
Kim @ Hungry Healthy
These look delicious! By the way you take the MOST beautiful photos!
Kate
Thank you, Kim!
Joanne
My boyfriend hates runny yolks so he will love these sandwiches. And so will I. I am such a sucker for eggs any way possible.
Tieghan
This sandwich is like my everyday sandwich. So in love!
Annie Harrier
I love your blog! I am the queen of egg/vege samiches! Of course I sometimes add some canadian bacon… but don’t hold that against me! One of my favorite savory addition is a quickly sauteed pile of swiss chard! My daughter and I are on a swiss chard kick! So we have it at least twice a week!
You should come to Denver – lots of fun, cool, health oriented young people live here! I work at a wonderful hospital that has lots of handsome men just waiting for a smart nice girl like you!
Keep your awesome recipes coming! Loved the Kale salad too!
Annie
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for your comment, Annie! I don’t blame you for adding Canadian bacon (don’t tell, but I love bacon). I’m actually visiting a friend in Denver next month. We’ll see!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Fab sandwich, and how cute is Cookie?!
Kate
Pretty cute, if you ask me! :)
Sarah Crowder
Thanks for passing on the egg method – I hadn’t seen it and it really looks perfect, particularly for my toddler as well. I can’t pass up a runny yolk myself. Also the styling here just has the best, most relaxed feel.
Kate
You’re welcome, Sarah! I think these English muffin sandwiches would be great with fried egg in the middle. Someday I’ll learn to like those runny yolks.
Tammela
I’ve also become a big fan of The Skimm, which is great for my because I tend to avoid political news in favor of arts/culture/opinion pieces. The egg technique looks great! I’ll have to try it.
Also, what kind of dog is that? It looks like a Catahoula Leopard Dog mix…
Kate
Cookie is a mystery mutt, so I’m not sure. She’s so small (18 pounds) that I don’t know if she could be part Catahoula, but you’re right, she sure looks like one.
laurasmess
I love the sound of that cheese-stuffed egg envelope. Mmm, meltingly delicious cheese, oozing out of soft egg… heaven in a sandwich. It’s been way too long since I’ve read ‘Cookie + Kate’. I suddenly remembered what I was missing this morning and now I have all of your archives to read through! Hope that you are doing well lovely (Cookie is the sweetest). xx
Kate
Thank you, Laura! So glad to hear you’re back. :)
Doob
Yum egg sandwiches.
Melanie
Perfect summer breakfast (or lunch)! I HATE parallel parking and I live in a place where it is completely necessary. I’m so bad that a lot of times I don’t drive. If my car is in a spot I keep it there as long as possible!
Kate
Oh I hear ya! I get so embarrassed when people are around to watch my failed parallel parking attempts.
Didi
This recipe is a collection of my favorite ingredients… and the good part is that my dog is not very interested in vegetarian food, except maybe for the egg part ;)
Kate
Ha, Cookie even begs for kale! She loves all kinds of food. I’ve realized a lot of my recipes lately have featured tomatoes and avocado, but why stop? They’re my favorites!
Joshua Hampton (Cook
Cookie is such a cutie. And that muffin sandwich looks amazing.
Grace @FoodFitnessFA
These are definitely the kinds of meals I’ve been making lately, amidst hot and busy summer days. I’ve been loading them with local heirlooms and basil, which has made simplicity so wonderful!
Kate
I wish I could find heirloom tomatoes around here! Apparently the growing season was very short this year. Glad to hear you’re taking full advantage of yours. :)
Ashley-BakerbyNature
Oooooh… when can I come over for breakfast!? This looks perfect, Kate!!!
Ms. Morgan Leigh
I love making egg sandwiches with that method because it’s so quick! I’m going to have to try it loaded up with the veggies. Also, I’m loving the Cookie heavy post!!
Grace
Definitely about to watch all of the parallel parking videos. I just got a car again for the first time in a good 5+ years and it has manual steering which makes turnin the wheel to park a nightmare. Soon, with your youtube tips, I’ll be a pro. So, thanks for that. Also, this sandwich looks fab. And Cookie was a great addition to this post!
Ashley | Spoonful of
I love a good breakfast sandwich, especially if it includes avocado. Thanks for sharing!
Bev @ Bev Cooks
Yyyyyyyyyyyyes.
Lindsey
Lovely technique with egg and cheese! This envelopes everything I love on a breakfast sandwich :) I will be saving this recipe for a relaxing Sunday morning! And that shot Cookie? Too cute!
Morgan
I recently discovered that a bakery near my house makes English muffin bread. It’s crazy delicious, so I’m excited to make an avocado and egg sandwich with it! I haven’t had a whole lot of luck with omelets, so I’m curious to see how I’ll do with this egg technique.
Kate
Oh, I’d love to try freshly baked English muffins! Lucky you. I hope the egg technique turned out well for you. If I can do it, I know you can, too!
Liz {What Dress Code
Breakfast of champions! I love avocado on pretty much anything and you did the perfect job creating an egg that wouldn’t turn into a total mess for an easy weekday breakfast :)
cara
This was our very late Labor Day weekend Sunday brunch, with Swiss slices and minced jalepeño (and bacon on the site). So good, and eye-opening, too: here I thought I knew all the egg sandwich tricks. Not so!
Kate
Hey Cara! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this egg sandwich trick. I need to branch out! Egg, swiss and jalapeño (and bacon!)… I’m filing that flavor combination away for later. :)
Jane
I stumbled upon your blog recently, saw this recipe two days ago, got the ingredients yesterday, made it a little while ago and LOVED it. So yum. I left out the onions and hot sauce because GERD is a bear and I’m out of Zantac, but it was scrumptious nonetheless.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Jane! I’m glad you like that egg cooking technique.
Amber H
Looks so good! That’s how I make my omelettes (except I put all the fun stuff in the middle and don’t fold the last part in that much) so this should be easy!
Kate
I’m happy you agree, Amber! Thanks for sharing.
Bett @Kitchentoolsmaster
I have been following your recipes fast few weeks. I must say all of your recipes are written in a very unique manner. And above all the pictures, Your pictures are truly delicious. :P
Kate
I’m so glad you came to the blog! Thanks for letting me know it looks great. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Marie Fritzberg
Delicious!! We had some sliced sourdough bread on hand & that was a nice combo! You are my hero, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Marie!
Sasha
This looks divine – I’ve been on an omelette kick recently, but I’ve never thought of putting one in a sandwich! What a great idea! I’m intrigued by your Tabasco comment – I’ve been making quick-pickled red onions recently, with red wine vinegar and a pinch of sugar, and that gives that pickled onion feel while mellowing the onion too, so I will be interested to try the Tabasco version. BTW it’s corn season here in NZ, my business partner and I just had your fresh corn/black bean salad for lunch stuffed into a pita, and she was saying if I opened a restaurant based on your recipes I’d clean up:).
Kate
It’s the best decision! You should do it. Thanks for sharing, Sasha!
Carol
Is there a vegan sub for this…?
Kate
Sorry Carol, eggs are really the center of this recipe.
JJ
You could do a square/slice of tofu and season with black salt (aka Kala namak, aka Himalayan black salt). This salt has an eggy smell and taste.
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
This sounds like one of the best ways to start the day!!
Kate
Thank you!
Shirley Bouchelle
This was my first breakfast sandwich I ever made.My husband came to the kitchen and was wondering what was going on.Toaster out veggies all over the counter cheese eggs and etc.So when I got him involved we finished with a fabulous sandwich.I used whole wheat bread and it was loaded ànd Delious ❤️❤️Will make again for sure.
Kate
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Shirley!
Nicole
OMG these are so unbelievably delicious! I love the freshness and bite of the onion and arugula. This egg cooking method is a total game changer. This sandwich will definitely be added to my breakfast rotation! Thanks, Kate! And Cookie is such a cutie
★★★★★
Kate
I love it! Thanks so much, Nicole.
Nancy
How could I have forgotten about this one of a kind breakfast sandwich? Thank you so much for featuring it this month I read your post jumped up and made it. You are so creative and your palate is spot on with spices, heat, and yummy-ness!!! This is so savory and delicious and being vegetarian, sandwiches are one of the things that I feel I don’t have enough of in my repertoire. This would be good for any occasion where a sandwich would be appropriate my husband ate the whole thing humming and had no idea that there was an egg in it! Thank you for making healthy eating so delicious
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Nancy!
Katie
Oh breakfast sandwich, where have you been all my life?! This was amazing. So quick and easy. I didn’t have English muffins but I toasted up some sourdough and topped it with avocado and some pickled onions. The cheese was gloriously ooey, gooey and melty with every bite and the veggies were amazing with the egg and toasty bread. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Love to hear this! Sourdough would be nice too. I love the toppings! Thanks for sharing, Katie.
Beth
Hi Katie. Can you please share what size skillet you used to fold up that egg so nicely?
Beth
P.S. I am utterly embarrassed that I call you Katie rather than Kate. SORRY!
Kate
No worries! :)
Kate
Now I’m sorry! To answer your question, I cooked the egg in a medium (10″) cast iron skillet, which is a little smaller than it seems since it’s 10″ across the top. Hope that helps!
Bianca
Very easy and comprehensive recipe. I really can’t wait to try this!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Bianca!
Effie
Today I felt lazy and wanted to do something simple. I checked your “What to cook this April” article and decided to try this sandwich. I made small modifications – Balkan roasted red pepper dip (known as lutenitsa or ajvar) instead of mayo, rye bread instead of the muffin. It is astonishing how such simple dish can be so good! My partner also loved it and wants to have it every week at least once. :) Thank you for all your work!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Effie! I’m glad you were able to add your own twist to it.
Mindy
This is fantastic. I made this for breakfast yesterday and today. I count calories, so I omitted the mayo and just used the avocado on both sides. So by my personal calculations, the sandwiches I made were around 365-385 calories. Yesterday I used the olive oil, today I used the butter. I like the butter flavor better. I might try it without either, to save a few calories there, but it just might be worth keeping the butter! Had to sub onion because I did not have a red onion so I used green onions. Oh and if you are asking yourself, “Tabasco for breakfast?” DEFINATELY YES!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Mindy!
Eileen
This is a nice change for me and my husband. I never thought a breakfast sandwich without bacon in it can turn out this good !
This will be on my breakfast list now:).
★★★★★
colleen
Is step one incomplete?
Kayla C
Super quick and yummy recipe. I used what I had left in my fridge. I used spinach instead of arugula, and did not add mayo. I love the folded egg as it was easy and nice presentation. Thanks Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
Sounds delicious, Kayla! Thanks for sharing.
Jane Rippy
This sounds very good. My only problem is, I am Vegan. I cannot have any cholesterol ( Dr. orders). I plan to make it with changes. If you have any suggestions please let me know.
Jane
★★★
Kate
Sorry! I don’t think this would be the best recipe for you. You could try an egg replacement, but I don’t know of any good ones off the top of my head.
Aisha
Hi Kate. I have been reading your recipes for quite some days now and I finally decided to try this sandwich and it was the most healthy yummylicious sandwich I had in months. Thank you for sharing such wonderful easy to make recipes which are loved by everyone at home :)
★★★★★
Cara
These look so delicious!I’m definitly going to try these tomorrow!Thank you for the food ideas!I am a lacto vegitarian and it drives me nuts when I cant find something to make for breakfast lunch and or dinner.Thank you again!
Kate
You’re welcome, Cara! I hope you love it.
Jo
Hi Kate, I often make a similar breakfast sandwich at work. I beat up an egg in a bowl and add a little grated cheese (or a spoonful of nutritional yeast if dairy free) then microwave in the bowl for around a minute and a half. It gives a perfect size egg patty for a muffin or sandwich. Another little tip as well if anyone is trying to up their b vitamins – marmite spread on the muffin goes so well and will add umami yumminess if you don’t want cheese xx
★★★★★
Jillian McKeown
I made this recipe today and it was amazing! I didn’t have avocados so I used vegetarian refried beans and sprouted wheat bread from the freezer. I loved the egg method! The mayo adds so much, what a great idea. This will become a staple, thank you!
★★★★★
Shilpashree Padhy
I have been following you since long and I love your recipes! You always say “good quality cheese”, I am curious to know which brand cheese do you use? It would be good if you let us know something which can be bought from regular stores.
Also, another question would be if I need to choose 3 types of cheese for most of my uses (grilled cheese, mac n cheese, cheesy pasta, cheesy quesadilla, sandwiches etc), what should be in my pantry!
Thank you so much for you answers! Love cookie & cookies ;)
Kate
Hi! I buy a lot of the Whole Foods 365 cheese, organic. I tend to lean toward organic and/or grass fed when I can. I don’t have a specific go-to brand from other stores, sorry!
Asako
YUM! such a great combo… made it on turkish this morning <3
★★★★★
Hittesh M (UK)
I think this really a GREAT recipe! Only problem is that it’s great for me, but not the ‘boss’ of the house as eggs are not really a vegetarian item – as you will undoubtedly know, they’re derived from an animal and so can’t be classed as vegetarian. However, that won’t stop me from making this a regular weekly addition to my munchies routine to be had at ANYTIME! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kaitlyn
Love this sandwich! This and your halloumi “BLT” are in my constant rotation. This comes together so quickly and is a perfect satisfying lunch.
★★★★★
Kate
I love both of those! Thank you for your review, Kaitlyn.
Trisha R
Delicious! I used just one slice of bread to reduce the carbs and it was equally good. The hot sauce / cheese / avocado combination was tangy but yummy!
★★★★★
Pam
Absolutely fabulous veggie bun. Packed a real punch. Hubby love it!
Pam
Marion C
Oh my Word Kate!! This is egg sandwich nirvana!! Get up RIGHT NOW and make this eggs- actly as The Great Kate instructs you! It was amazing! May want another for dinner!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited you loved it, Marion! I appreciate your review.
Sasha
This is such a great idea! Since I started making my own sourdough we love any excuse for sandwichy stuff for dinner, and being able to use eggs in this way is genius. I also plan to quick-pickle the red onion for a bit of extra bite, and will serve a vege soup on the side. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Ashlee
So simple and delicious! Even my meat loving husband asked for seconds!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great, Ashlee! Thank you for your review.
Denise Gordon
I am interested in making soup, breakfast, salad and dessert food.
tamsyn
Do you think this would be okay packed in a lunchbox, or does it need to be eaten out the pan? (Thanks for this great looking recipe.)
Kate
I think it is best right away, but could be fine cold for lunch as well. Let me know what you think!
Holden
This sandwich is soooo good! I added some vegan chorizo to make it more hardy. Very simple and Very delicious!
★★★★★
Zachary C
This sandwich is amazing! So delicious and easy to make, it tastes like a cheeseburger.
★★★★★
Joy
This is over the top delicious. No tomatoes at this time of year. I added fermented red kraut, used 2 kinds of goat cheese. Mrs Dash in place of pepper. And some fresh broccoli sprouts. Soooo good!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you added your own twist, Joy. I appreciate your review.
Bettina
Dear Kate and Cookie
I bought your cook book and love it so much I bought another as a gift for my friend, who also loves it!
Scrolling through the website, I found this recipe and decided to make it for dinner. I substituted english muffins for crusty rye and used gouda cheese I had, plus sliced tomatoes (which are in season).
Since its dinner, I had a deliciously refreshing Kona Big Wave Golden Ale along with it. It was sooo good❣️ I will probably make this in different variations several times a week. Love it!!
Kate
Thank you for all of your support, Bettina! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Adele
LOVE these, the balance of flavors is perfect!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Jodi
This was incredible! Made mine w arugula and guacamole.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Jodi!