Forget Butter: Make Scrambled Eggs 10x Richer With One Pantry Staple

There are any number of ways to elevate scrambled eggs, but (surprise, surprise!) the real magic ingredient might be innocuously sitting in your pantry or fridge. Mayonnaise has a vast catalog of culinary uses beyond simply gracing a ham sandwich — we've even discussed how it's the secret ingredient in a worthy chicken marinade. All this time, mayo might have actually been the key to the richest scrambled eggs of your life, too. Are you currently making a face of disbelief at your screen right now? Let's get into why mayo is magic when it comes to your breakfast.

Despite its half-mythical, half-tragic reputation, mayonnaise is really just an emulsified mixture of eggs, fat, and perhaps a pop of lemon juice. In scrambled eggs, that added fat produces nothing short of culinary alchemy in your frying pan. The finished eggs are less rubbery and extra moist, while the acidic brightness shines through without any lingering flavor of mayo. Best of all, fat equals richness, so your eggs will be silkier than ever before.

When sampled side-by-side in the kitchen of a YouTube creator, eggs containing heavy cream were visibly creamier and had more pillowy curds than eggs without any fat. But wait! Mayo is fattier than cream. Testing that fact, on Instagram, another foodie specifically tried scrambled eggs with mayonnaise cooked in the microwave. The results, he attested, were flavorful, soft, and utterly wonderful. We've also found a vintage Best Foods ad depicted on Reddit for "mayoneggs" that starred this versatile condiment as the focal point of breakfast scrambled eggs. The combined evidence is sufficient to prove to us that sometimes, old ideas are the best ones.

If there's one thing that internet home cooks agree upon, it's the fact that fat is the key to the best scrambled eggs. We ourselves uncovered that crème fraîche is suited to just that purpose, and you might have used milk or cream similarly in your own kitchen. However, mayo could be the winner when it comes to crafting the best scrambled eggs, because you can't top that egg-on-egg combo for richness.

Multiple social media users on Reddit seemed to reach a consensus that fat was king when it came to indulgent scrambled eggs — and the more, the better. Regarding butter, one poster claimed, "Once you're scared of the amount of butter, add another [pat] or two. Then it's almost enough butter." To that end, don't be shy about generously whisking mayo into your shelled eggs. A 2:1 ratio of eggs to mayo is a good starting point, but a bit of trial and error with your mayo bottle will eventually yield the exact eggs that you like best. 

You can add a spoonful of liquid to water down the mayo if you'd like, which will both thin the condiment for easier mixing and add steam to your skillet when the eggs cook. You don't have to settle for just mayo in your eggs, either. If your normal tastes run towards cheese or scallions in your scrambled eggs, toss 'em in! That said, some say that you should wait to salt and pepper your eggs until right before serving.