Egg foo young served with rice and veggies with gravy

Egg foo young is the Chinese omelet you find on Cantonese and Chinese-American menus, where beaten eggs are poured into hot oil to form a puffed round omelet with a crispy fried edge, served with a brown gravy over steamed rice. The takeout version usually comes stuffed with roast pork, shrimp, or ground chicken, and my base recipe leaves that door open so I can fold in whatever cooked protein and quick-diced vegetable is already in the fridge. For example, my shrimp egg foo young used cooked shrimp and bean sprouts for the traditional protein and veggie stuffed style.

The best egg foo young I have ever eaten was in Austin, Texas, when a friend ordered local Chinese takeout for her birthday party. The omelets came out of the paper container with the crispy fried edges still holding, and I sat at the corner of the party table pulling one after another off the platter until they were gone. I have to admit that the crispy edge is what I chased in this recipe, and once I locked in the oil-to-heat ratio at home I stopped ordering egg foo young out because the my recipe cooks in the time a takeout order would take to arrive.

Plus, I love how easy it is to make; I simmer the brown sauce in a small saucepan with garlic, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine, then I beat the eggs with peppers and green onions and pan-fry the omelets one scoop at a time in a nonstick skillet until each round is golden and puffed. Yum! It takes me 25 minutes end to end, yup that’s correct! I highly recommend making this Egg Foo Young recipe by following my easy steps below.

Egg foo young with gravy on rice

Ingredients

To make this Egg Foo Young recipe, you’ll need the ingredients I list below:

Ingredients for making egg foo young

Eggs: I use large eggs and beat them until the whites and yolks are fully combined and the mixture pours smoothly from the bowl. An immersion blender gets the job done fastest, but a whisk works fine if I take a full minute at it.

Peppers and green onions: I dice bell peppers or Anaheim peppers fine so the pieces spread through the egg mixture and hold a light crunch after frying. Green onions add the savory fragrance.

Salt and white pepper: I mix the salt and white pepper together in a small bowl before I sprinkle them over the eggs. White pepper clumps easily on its own, and combining it with the salt first breaks up the powder so it blends into the beaten eggs without leaving pale spots.

Vegetable oil for pan-frying: I use enough oil to give the eggs a proper puff and a crispy edge, about a 1/2 tablespoon per omelet. Restaurants deep-fry these in a wok with a much larger pool of oil, and my home version uses a fraction of that while still hitting the crispy-edge texture I want.

Brown sauce: I whisk together chicken broth, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar, then thicken with a cornstarch slurry after a short garlic bloom.

How to Make

1. Mix the sauce base: Whisk together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water until smooth.

2. Bloom the garlic: Heat the peanut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Simmer the sauce: Pour the broth mixture into the saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the alcohol cooks off and the flavors come together.

4. Thicken the sauce: Stir the cornstarch slurry again until smooth, then slowly drizzle it into the simmering sauce while stirring constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.

spoon of gravy

5. Season the eggs: Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Combine the salt and white pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture across the eggs. Beat with an immersion blender or a whisk until smooth.

eggs in a bowl

6. Add the vegetables: Add the diced peppers and sliced green onions to the beaten eggs and stir until combined. If I am cooking a stuffed version, this is when I fold in the cooked protein and any additional vegetables.

eggs and veggies in a bowl

7. Heat the pan: Heat about 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a wok or small nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot.

8. Cook the first omelet: Scoop about 1/3 cup of the egg mixture into the pan. The eggs should bubble and puff up right away, and if they do not, let the pan heat a little longer before the next batch. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is almost set, 1 to 2 minutes.

cooking the omelet in a pan

9. Flip and finish: Flip the omelet and cook until the second side is golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. If the eggs brown too fast before they set, reduce the heat to medium-low. Transfer to a warm plate and repeat with the remaining egg mixture, adding more oil as needed.

Egg Foo Young ready on a pan

10. Serve: Plate the omelets hot over steamed rice and drizzle the brown sauce over the top. Serve right away.

Egg foo young served with rice and veggies with gravy

Cooking notes

Use enough oil to get the crispy edge: The 1/2 tablespoon of oil per omelet is the minimum I use to get a puffed omelet with a lightly crispy edge, and I do not cut below that or the omelet flattens and loses the fried texture.

Cook on medium to medium-high heat, not low: French cooking taught me that soft scrambled eggs need low heat, and this dish is the opposite. Egg foo young needs the pan hot enough that the egg mixture bubbles and puffs the second it hits the oil, which gives the omelet its lightly browned crispy surface. Low heat gives me a pale flat pancake instead. No thanks!

Scoop consistent portions: A 1/3 cup scoop gives me the same omelet size across the batch and keeps the cooking time predictable, so I do not chase one omelet that is thicker than the last. I use a measuring cup and pour in one steady motion so the mixture sets as a round.

Do not overfill the omelet: Egg foo young is like a pizza in that too many toppings drown out the base. My base recipe uses just peppers, green onions, salt, and white pepper because the eggs themselves do the work. When I add cooked protein and extra vegetables, I keep the total fillings under a cup and 3/4 so the omelet still binds and puffs. Check my faqs for more details.

Keep the finished omelets warm while I finish the batch: I transfer each cooked omelet to a plate in a low oven, about 200°F, while I cook the rest. That way the whole platter goes to the table hot and the last omelet does not sit alone in the pan while the first ones cool.

How I like Serving This

I plate the omelets hot over a bowl of steamed rice and drizzle the brown sauce across the top so it runs into the grains underneath. Oh gosh… so good! On a weeknight I put a plate of stir-fried greens like Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce or a bowl of Chinese egg drop soup next to the omelets, and the meal goes from stove to table in under 40 minutes. My son eats his omelet plain without the sauce, and my husband and I finish the platter faster than I want to admit. Ha!

When friends come over I turn the base into a Cantonese-restaurant party with a plate of char siu as the second main, a bowl of authentic hot and sour soup in the middle, and a jar of spicy cucumber salad at the side for a cold crunchy bite between hot dishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my omelet flat instead of puffed?

Flat egg foo young usually comes down to a pan that was not hot enough or not enough oil. The eggs should bubble and puff the second they meet the pan, and if they spread out and settle without any lift, I let the pan heat a little longer before the next scoop. The half spoonful of oil per omelet is the minimum I use, and cutting below that flattens the omelet and kills the crispy edge.

What vegetables and proteins can I add to the base recipe?

I keep the base flexible on purpose so I can fold the omelet with what is already in the fridge. On the vegetable side I like bean sprouts (the most classic pick), finely diced onion, finely diced or sliced mushrooms, or sliced garlic chives. On the protein side I use cooked shrimp, roast pork, ham, cooked chicken, or cooked ground meat. The total add-ins come out to about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups, up to 1 cup of vegetables and 3/4 to 1 cup of cooked protein, so the eggs still bind and puff.

Can I make egg foo young without the gravy?

Absolutely. This version is flavorful enough to serve on its own, just like many home-style Chinese omelets. The brown gravy adds a restaurant-style touch, but it’s completely optional.

How long do the omelets keep in the fridge and freezer?

I store leftover omelets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. The brown sauce goes in a separate container so the omelets do not sog while they sit. I reheat the omelets in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through, which re-crisps the edges, and I warm the sauce in a small saucepan on the stove before pouring it over. The freezer version needs to thaw in the fridge overnight before it reheats without a cold center.

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email below & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!

Egg foo young with gravy on rice

Egg Foo Young

By Maggie Zhu
4.78 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 10 omelets
Print
My easy egg foo young is a homestyle Chinese egg omelet made with beaten eggs, finely diced peppers, and green onions, pan-fried in hot oil until the edges turn crispy and the middle stays fluffy, then finished with a savory brown sauce in 25 minutes. This is a base recipe I developed so anyone can swap the filling with different vegetables and cooked proteins from the fridge.

Ingredients 

  • 8 large Eggs
  • 1/2 cup bell peppers (or anaheim peppers) , finely diced
  • 2 green onions , thinly sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (*Footnote)

Sauce

  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 cloves garlic , minced 

Instructions

Sauce

  • Whisk together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth.
  • Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Pour in the broth mixture and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the alcohol to cook off and the flavors to meld.
  • Stir the cornstarch slurry again until smooth, then slowly drizzle it into the simmering sauce while stirring constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Eggs

  • Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Mix the salt and white pepper in a small bowl, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the eggs (*Footnote 1). Beat with an immersion blender or whisk until smooth. Add the peppers and green onions and stir until combined.
  • Heat about 1/2 tablespoon oil in a wok or small nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot (*Footnote 2). Scoop about 1/3 cup of the egg mixture into the pan. The eggs should begin to bubble and puff up immediately. If they don't, let the pan heat a little longer before adding the next batch. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is almost set, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Flip and cook until the second side is golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute. If the eggs brown too quickly before they are set, reduce the heat to medium-low. Repeat with the remaining egg mixture, adding more oil as needed.
  • Serve the eggs hot over steamed rice along with the brown sauce. Drizzle sauce on top before serving.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. White pepper tends to clump and can be difficult to distribute evenly. Mixing it with the salt first helps break up the clumps so it blends more evenly into the eggs.
  2. Chinese restaurants typically cook Egg Foo Young in a round-bottomed wok using a generous amount of oil. The hot oil helps the eggs puff up quickly, creating a thick omelet with crispy, golden edges. For this homemade version, I found that 1/2 tablespoon of oil per omelet creates a pleasantly fluffy interior and lightly crispy exterior. You can use less oil if you prefer, but the omelets will be flatter and won’t develop the same crispy edges.
  3. Recommended vegetables: Bean sprouts (the most classic), mushrooms, onion, garlic chive.
  4. Recommended protein: Cook shrimp, cooked chicken, char siu, and cooked ground meat. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1omelet, Calories: 132kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 149mg, Sodium: 362mg, Potassium: 87mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 477IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating ⭐️ and share your thoughts in the comments further down the page. It really helps others discover the recipe too.